Thank you GP Putnam's Sons for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

I loved so many parts of this story. However, it seemed to drag on for longer than I thought it would. Each time I thought I was halfway done with the story it kept having more and more. My favorite parts were the character development of the sisters. I thought that the author really showed the main characters as real people and that they grew and had made their own mistakes. I really liked that the sister needed to work to together.

This story follows three wildly different sisters Maggie, Star, and Simone who fight all the time. They think so differently and have taken very different paths in life. Yet even their father's death and will can't keep them away from one another. Augustus being a man loved by many and known by none. Not even his daughter's really know him. So when they are asked to get inside his head to solve his will and challenges. Wild wild times ensue. Best of all his daughters are brought together and start to better understand one another. Though that does not mean that everything is jolly and bright. The sisters must still wade through secrets and hidden lies that some have kept for years and years. Will they come out the other end?

Read if you enjoy:
Winter/ Christmas Stories that can be read at anytime of the year
Family Drama
Fun Games
Secretes and twists
Bit of Romance (not the main plot lines)

I decided to DNF at 43%. It’s not that it’s a particularly bad book, but I’ve been trying to finish this book since December and it’s not almost April. It seems safe to say it hasn’t caught my interest. This might be a good book for those who enjoy a fluffy, holiday read, but I struggled to get into it at this time.

A December to Remember is a delightful and entertaining story that reunites three sisters after years apart. Maggie, Simone and Star North have returned to Rowan Thorp, a small village in Kent, to hear the reading of the will of their deceased father. He would like for them to once again reinstate the Winter Solstice Festival as part of their inheritance. That would mean working together and staying together which, they haven’t done in years. Having different mothers and the same father, they would come each summer and spend it with their father Augustus in Rowan Thorp and spend carefree, happy days together as the ‘babes in the woods.’ Now as grown women, they’ve grown estranged from each other, and they all have major issues they are dealing with. Their father’s hope is that this time together will bring them close again and hopefully love one another as sisters should.

Not only is it a story of the women and their journey to being close sisters but a story of community. The people of Rowan Thorp play a major role and some of these characters are very funny and colorful. Like any small town they also deal with everyone knowing your business and rampant gossip. Each of the sisters were going through some difficulties and the author spent equal time exploring their feelings and emotions and how they came about finding solutions. The more time they spent together they realized what they had and how much they have missed being with one another. With the help of Duncan, the auditor, they were able to see the worth of their father’s collection and how, in his own way, loved them very much.

A December to Remember was an poignant story of second chances. It looked into the life of three different women and their relationships with one another and also with those significant in their personal life, and showed how life is about choices and priorities. The author weaved delicately a nice balance of love, caring and forgiveness, which made this a heartfelt story. It is a nice way to start off your holiday season reading and get into the Christmas spirit.

A good adult novel, with great characters and plot! I recommend to anyone who think it sounds interesting!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

I was very pleasantly surprised by A December to Remember. I expected a fun holiday romcom but got the cutest and coziest story of estranged sisters finding their way back to each other.

This book was pure delight. Small English village, cozy Christmas vibes, romance, three half sisters reuniting and figuring out what really matters, together…perfection.

When their dad dies he has a few stipulations in his will, designed to bring the sisters back together, the way they used to each summer when they were kids. They’re all pretty resistant at first, and definitely can’t manage to get along for more than a few minutes at a time. The three sisters couldn’t be more different, but their dad’s genius in the tasks he has set for them seems to open each of them up in exactly the way they needed. They’re all feeling a bit lost, Maggie with her fear of letting Joe in, Star with her lack of purpose and place, and Simone with her infertility struggles. Turns out, what they all really needed was each other.

This book gave me all the feels, and really summed up sisterhood in all it’s complexity. Was it weird that their dad seemed an awful lot like my own…perhaps. Here’s where I’ll raise a glass to all my half sisters (and brother).

There’s also a magic cat, Monopoly revenge, and a cast of simply amazing supporting characters. I don’t care that this is the last day of December, you need to read this one now if you haven’t already.

Augustus Balthazar North, owner of "North’s Novelties and Curios" an antiques shop that has been handed down from generation to generation since its inception in 1740. Upon his passing, Augustus North, sets up the future for his three daughters, all who are from different mothers and all who he only sees for one month in the summer every year, to reunite and rekindle their sisterhood. His eccentric set up is to have all three girls attend in person for the funeral and the reading of the will starts the path down each sister realizing they all need each other for very different reasons.

Very heart felt and loving family read.

Maggie, Simone, & Star North- all very unique in their own way with their own personalities. For the first time in all their years, they spent a christmas together as one family.

Loved how the town came together to have the Soltice Celebration and the romances involved. Hated the Rowan Thorp character so much which is how you know this book was written very well.

Overall rating 4.3

A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss is a lighthearted read with charming characters. Always enjoy this author's holiday reads. I love the sisterly bonds and vibes and how they came together during the holidays. I will always read anything this author writes and look forward to her future books.

This is a sister story primarily. I love a good sister story - there are three estranged sisters that are forced back together to complete tasks that their recently deceased father requested they do. Cute!

Maggie, Simone, and Star share a unique bond as half-sisters, brought together by their beloved father, Agustus. Their childhood summers at their father's enchanting emporium were filled with magic and adventure.

Now adults leading separate lives, the sisters are practically strangers to each other. But when their father passes away, they're summoned to Rowan Thorp for the reading of his will. In a final unconventional act, Agustus sets forth a challenge for the sisters to inherit his shop.

Forced to work together, the sisters begin to rediscover the joy of their past summers and realize just how much they still need each other.

"A December to Remember" by Jenny Bayliss is a delightful read that follows each sister's journey, while beautifully weaving their stories together as they grow stronger.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Love the cover so much and I always adore reading about sibling relationships, especially when they are such wildly different personalities. If this doesn’t get you excited to decorate for the holidays and raise a cup of good cheer, there’s no hope for ya. 🤣

This book is cute and heartwarming and festive. It's a fairly light hearted read, but there's a great depth to it as well. The author does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and highlighting family, community, and connection while addressing the ups and downs and messiness of life and relationships.

I loved the characters, their distinct personalities, and the different dynamics in the various relationships. It's not specifically a romance, but there is a bit sprinkled in and I very much enjoyed the progression of the romances.

The setting is excellent. And throughout the book is that sparkle of holiday magic, where it feels like anything is possible.

Another great one by Jenny Bayliss. Note that the story revolves around the winter solstice, not Christmas, which was timely since the solstice was 2 days before I finished this. I liked the sisters, the supporting characters, and there was romance but it wasn't the focus on the novel.

This was a cute and heartfelt holiday read. I can always count on Jenny Bayliss to give me a sweet and easy read without huge emotions.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, and Penguin Group for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

This was good but so long for no reason. It would have gotten way more stars from me if it were like 200-300 pages. It dragged often. However, the story was unique. The characters were intriguing. I liked it.

A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC of this title!

Jenny Bayliss is a master of the Christmas romcom. Her characters and their feelings and issues feel so AUTHENTIC to real life and that's what makes me enjoy them the most. There's no over the top and crazy antics, just regular people that we can all relate to navigating their way through love around the holidays. I will read every Bayliss Christmas book she publishes.

This was a sweet holiday read! I always enjoy reading this author each winter for a wholesome light hearted romance and this was no different.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I did not enjoy this which makes me sad because I loved the authors other books! I think it was just too much of a miscommunication that could have been solved in the first chapter. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood! Love the authors other books though

Okay I am so sorry but I just could not get into this one. It was probably a me issue. I just didn't connect with any of the three sisters or this small town. Maybe for someone else!

Jenny Bayliss books aren’t for everyone, but they are always for me! She’s done romance in the past, but this is a story of sisters with some romantic subplots weaved in. One may think it is a Christmas novel, but it is a winter solstice themed book? Which means you can read it any time in winter.

This novel is about 3 sisters who had 1 eccentric dad and 3 different mothers. They lived with their mum’s full time but spent a month together with their father each summer. They’ve all had a bit of a falling out as they got older, but after the death of their father they are forced to come together for the reading of his will. In order to gain his estate they have to work together bringing back an old town tradition. Throughout this they work on mending their relationship together but also relationships in other parts of their life.

To me it is a very cozy and heartfelt story. I enjoy how Bayliss crafts a story and her overall authorial voice. I also enjoy that she writes 30s/40s aged woman as her main characters. It is not very popular but is something I always am happy when I come across it. I’ll continue to read whatever her next novel is, because she never misses!

Thank you to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.