I received this book for free for an honest unbiased review from Netgalley.

I wish more books were this well written. Characters were witty and the setting fantastic.

Three estranged half sisters are brought together when their father dies. While I loved the premise, this book was only okay for me. I didn’t particularly like how the dad was celebrated when he really wasn’t a good person and was pretty self centered in his lifestyle. I also found most of the sisters’ issues to be due to lack of communication, which I do not like.

This book did have all the feels of the season as it is centered around a winter solstice celebration.

So disappointed that I wasn’t interested in this one. I have loved other Jenny Bayliss books and will continue to check out her new releases. This one didn’t work for me for a bunch of reasons- too many characters, too much going on, not enough holiday spirit.

I wanted to like this one. I did. I overall enjoyed Bayliss’ first novel and her second was alright. The premise of this one sounded promising - three estranged half-sisters reuniting after their eccentric, mostly absent father has passed - but I don’t know, something didn’t work for me. I didn’t get far before I put it down. I’ll likely give it another chance at a later time but for now there are others that seem like I’d enjoy more (including her previous novel, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe). Content and trigger warnings include loss of a parent, homosexuality, some profanity.

A December to Remember was exactly what I want from a Christmas book. There is love, family, community, a little festive gathering in a small town. It was a perfect and emotional read for the holiday season.

I absolutely fell in love with the North sisters. They were all so incredibly unique and lovely. Even though they each had their own issues, they were all quick to take care of one another even though they hadn’t seen each other in years. I loved following along with each of their love stories and fell in love with their respective partners as well. This is closed door when it comes to romance but I really enjoyed that as it let us have more time with each couple’s emotional relationship which I found more fulfilling than the physical relationship.

Another part of this story I absolutely loved was the community in the small town of Rowan Thorp. There is nothing like Christmas in a small town and this winter solstice was no exception. I loved the women in this town and how they were obviously the backbone of the community. They truly made the town what it was.

My only negative experience with this book was that it was a bit long. I think that it maybe could have been a little shorter. As much as I loved the women, there were times I would lose focus because something else was going on in the story that didn’t feel super relevant. But overall I really loved it.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the eARC and my local library for the audiobook borrow. I bought the paperback for myself.

A December to Remember
by Jenny Bayliss

Narrated by Elizabeth Sastre

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall Rating: 4/5
Steam: 🔥 (0-5) Closed door but no details before or after.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Elizabeth Sastre is a lovely storyteller and it’s such a treat being told the story in a beautiful English accent.
🤩 Cover beauty.
🤩 So much beautiful description.
🤩 Messy family fun.
🤩 Reconnecting sisters.
🤩 An antique store scavenger hunt.
🤩 Three different and heart-warming relationships/love stories are featured. So much representation: lesbian marriage, fertility struggles, age-gap/single parent, nerdy man.
🤩 Winter solstice celebration.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 So many characters—we get to know them only to a limited extent.
💫 This is more women’s fiction/family drama, so there’s not as many feelings of lust and longing as I’m used to in romance books.

Every year, three half sisters all spent the summer with their mutual father, Augustus, who owned a very unique antique shop. After his death, the women are summoned for the will reading and find out there are conditions to their inheritance - they all must stay and run the store. It’s a lovely story about sisterhood and family.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I received an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book is a wintery wonderland come to life in a unique story of three half sisters needing to come together to carry out their deceased father's final wishes: to host a winter solstice celebration in Rowan Thorpe.

Things I liked: the wintery vibes, the characters (Maggie, Star, Simone, Joe, Duncan, Augustus, Evette, Verity, and Patrick are well developed and distinct characters), the playfulness/community of the people of Rowan Thorpe, the imagery.
Things I didn't like: the pacing lagged at times, some of the descriptions were a bit overdone, I had a hard time getting into the first 50-75 pages.

Overall this is a well-written and well developed story but is has A LOT going on in it. All three sisters have their own transformations and love interests. I'd say this is more of a wintery set women's lit book than a romance book. I'm glad I read it, but I think it would do better as a movie than a book, or maybe it could have been broken up into a different story. I liked Maggie and Star's stories much much much more than Simone's. I'm not sure if this needed a bit more of an editing eye, but I felt there were a lot of details shared that as a reader I didn't necessarily NEED to have (ie, half the epilogue felt superfluous). Again, overall a nice story, but it was just very long. 3.5 stars overall.

Filled with charming locals, antique treasures, and a winter solstice celebration, this was a perfectly cozy story that would bridge the gap nicely between a wintery read and a full-blown holiday read. I adored it.
Aside from their matching green eyes, the North sisters are anything but similar. Given only four weeks per year to visit their mysterious father and his beloved antique shop in Rowan Thorp, the three half-sisters had a unique upbringing, to say the least.
Years later, with some peculiar requests left in their father's will, the estranged sisters are forced together once again.
A quirky stipulation bringing family closer together is one of my favourite storylines! And it is so easy to connect with the North sisters-Maggie, Simone, and Star. Their personal conflicts combined with their growth as sisters was so touching and enjoyable.
There's three delightful romances, too! A super heartwarming story for the upcoming months!

This book seemed like it was trying to fit too much into it. I feel like it could’ve been cut down to a smaller text if a bit had been more concise.

I was looking forward to this holiday-themed book, but unfortunately the writing felt a little bit too juvenile for me.

I have made it a tradition for the past few years to read a Jenny Bayliss book to kick off my holiday season and it just starts my December off with so much warmth and joy! This book somehow made me fall even more in love with her work. This story of sisterhood and community was so beautiful. The characters are captivating and I was completely transported to Rowan Thorpe. There are romances and love rekindling, but I really liked that the focus was on the plethora of relationships that can exist when you are open to them.

I received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher back over the summer, and I saved it up til now because it sounded like such a delightful read for December. I'm sorry to have deprived the author of a gushing review for several months but I have no regrets. This book is best enjoyed with a nip in the air and the promise of a warm beverage in sight. 💜

“Maybe by sifting through the past they could find their way back to when they were summer sisters…”

This book follows the journey of three estranged sisters, with three very different personalities, as they work together to complete the scavenger hunt set forth by their father in his will. In turns hilarious and heart breaking, this book is a charming holiday story featuring small-town romance, forgiveness, and family.

The sisters have had hard times, as one does over the course of a lifetime, but they're contrasted nicely with a touch of whimsy, hope, and some sweet romance. I enjoyed the focus on the spirit of Christmas and community traditions, but even more so the Winter Solstice, which I feel sets this apart from other holiday rom-coms.

It was wonderful to immerse myself in the village of Rowan Thorp with these flawed (but richly drawn) characters and unwrap the many layers of this story.

This was a fun wintery book, but there was a lot going on. At times that was both good and bad. There was definitely a lot to keep you entertained, but at the same time I think this book was longer than it had to be just to fit everything in and have it wrapped up. It did wrap everything up fairly nicely though, so I enjoyed that. This isn't a Christmas read, but it fun to read in the season.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss. I love how this book was such a cozy Christmas read, but yet realistic. There were so many in real life moments in this book that gave it so much life. I loved it!

After their father’s death, the three North sisters are brought back together to carry out his final wishes and put on the town’s Winter Solstice event. This had cozy vibes and I’ve seen lots of great reviews. Unfortunately I wasn’t too drawn in and found the one sister so grating that I just couldn’t stick with it and decided to DNF around 50%. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

I’m like a moth to a flame for books about trios of sisters - and in this year, after losing my dad, stories that gently deal with grief and families are a hard yes for me. Add in some wintry holiday magic in a quaint English village and this was everything I needed! This isn’t your run of the mill Christmas rom-com, it’s so much more. Loved it!

I absolutely loved this charming holiday story about three half-sisters reunited by the stipulations in their eccentric father's will. I enjoyed all the characters, their relationships with each other, and the charming small town setting that provided the backdrop. Ms. Bayliss is a favorite holiday author for me, and this one does not disappoint if you are in the mood for all the warm holiday feels.

A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss is a solid, heartfelt holiday season read.

Three sisters, estranged because of interesting circumstances, come together after the death of their wayward father in the small town where they spent summers together. As part of his last wishes, the women have to band together to bring back the town's Winter Solstice celebration.

What I love about Bayliss' stories is the tremendous character growth and her dynamic storytelling style. A December to Remember started out pretty slow and it took a little while for me to warm up to a few a couple of the characters (I'm looking at you, Maggie), but overall this was a satisfying read. I also really loved the emphasis on community and the importance of asking for help. The sisters were so stubborn and thought that they could do everything on their own, which was frustrating at times but made the ending all the more satisfying.

Again, solid holiday read. I would definitely recommend. Four Stars.

Thank you so much to Jenny Bayliss, Putnam, and Netgalley for an eARC of A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss in exchange for my honest opinion.