cute yet short Christmas novella. Cosy although it did lack a fair bit of depth and some emotions. Wasn't great but wasn't too bad either.

Highlands Christmas by Amy Quick Parrish was a fun and quick romance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Melissa is an interior designer whose husband wants a divorce as a result of his affair; in a stroke of good news, she receives a letter from Scotland telling her that she has inherited a house there.

As she travels to Inverness to sort out the inheritance, she bumps into a Scottish-American hunk a couple of times who just so happens to be her husband’s divorce attorney Colin. Colin helps Melissa settle in and learn Scottish culture. The attraction between them grows and is fun to experience.

Thank you to the author, Flying Cactus and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my opinion.

One of the absolute most adorable holiday books I've ever read and enjoyed. Very heartwarming and touching to the soul.

I really enjoyed this short book! I love everything Scottish and so enjoyed this too. The book is short, you can easily read it in an hour or so. It has lots of stereotypical Scottish cultural things in them, which remind me of my holidays in Scotland. I read this with a big smile on my face. The book is a cute read for in between.

This was a fun and light read that I enjoyed during the slow week after Christmas. I loved the setting in Scotland, and the second chance romance set-up is one of my favorites. I wasn’t really expecting anything different, but the way the plot pieces fell together seemed so easy as to feel contrived. A little Hallmark fluff during the holidays was welcome though! Thanks for the review copy!

Although it took me a little while to connect with this book, in the end I really enjoyed this sweet Scottish Christmas. It wasn't as romance based as I originally thought it would be, but I loved the growth of Melissa finding herself in an awful situation. She was determined not to lose her house and proved she was meant to be there.

I think the reason I couldn't latch onto this book as first was the sudden entry of happy life to I want a divorce. There just wasn't much background in Melissa and her now ex husband. Then at the end, we get thrown these life tidbits of Colin and his mom/high school sweetheart, but they seemed random at best and thrown in instead of intentional. Like the author needed to give him something because he was a pretty flat character personality wise even though he plays numerous instruments apparently. With such a short novella, I'm sure it's difficult to add those details in without making the book excessively long, but I just prefer a better build up, not being thrown into a divorce in the first couple pages.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I read 4 chapters before DNF-ing this one. There was simply too much telling, and not enough showing. I felt like the writing struggled to flow, as well. It just felt very stilted. This novella would definitely be a short, easy read, but unfortunately I have decided to move on from this one, which is a shame because I so dearly love Christmas stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick and cozy holiday read but it is also nice for the winter. I really love books where an American goes overseas to find themselves. This book starts there and we get romance and exploring Scotland through new eyes. This is a fun and easy read. I definitely recommend.

For a novella, I knew we wouldn't get a ton of insights into the characters and a lot of the plot would have to be condensed, so I was pleasantly surprised by A Highlands Christmas.

Melissa is recovering from the shock of a surprise divorce when she jets off to Ireland for a house she's inherited. Set around Christmas, I love the warmth and holiday cozy cheer that this book exudes. I did find some of the plot a little too coincidental for my taste, but it was a fun, short read that left me feeling warm.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Amy Quick Parrish for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

"Highlands Christmas" presents a somewhat predictable and formulaic romantic storyline that, while entertaining, may leave readers wishing for more depth and originality. The novel follows the familiar trope of a woman facing heartbreak who serendipitously discovers a new life and love in a far-off location. Melissa MacKenzie's journey from betrayal to a picturesque Scottish setting is, unfortunately, a well-trodden path in the romance genre.

The plot relies on convenient and contrived situations, such as Melissa coincidentally meeting her husband's divorce lawyer, Colin McGregor, on her way to Scotland. The romance between Melissa and Colin, while undeniably charming, doesn't offer much in terms of unique or nuanced character development. The narrative leans heavily on the allure of a sexy Scottish accent and picturesque settings, rather than delving into the emotional complexities of the characters.

While "Highlands Christmas" may provide a light and enjoyable read for fans of conventional romance novels, it falls short in delivering a truly memorable or thought-provoking experience. The story's reliance on well-worn romantic clichés may leave some readers longing for a more innovative and substantive narrative.

my first holiday book i have ever read and i loved it. the writing was really nice and easy to read and understand where things were going which is good for me, since this is not my go to genre.

Thank you netgalley for this book. I wish I would’ve enjoyed it, being winter here and all, but unfortunately I didn’t. The story was not for me. I didn’t like the writing, didn’t connect with the characters, I felt bored since the beginning of the books all throughout the end. I am sorry to say that I didn’t like it. I wish I did, but I guess not everyone likes the same thing.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of Highlands Christmas by Amy Quick Parrish. This was a super short and sweet story that I really did enjoy. I was hoping there would’ve been a little bit more detail, but I still enjoyed the book. I would definitely recommend to someone looking for a short read.

Highlands Christmas tells the short story of Melissa and Colin, which I was lucky enough to receive thanks to NetGalley.

☕️ Mélissa has just been left by her husband in the worst possible way: cheating. The next day, she comes across a letter announcing the inheritance of a house in Scotland, which could belong to her. Naively, without further research and seeking to escape her life that is crumbling before her, she leaves the country for Scotland. However, as soon as she arrives at the airport, she meets Colin, who turns out to be her ex-husband's lawyer. What an adon that this same lawyer lives in the very village where her new home is located… ☕️

Highlands Christmas was unfortunately not the book for me. The general idea of the story had a lot of potential, but the writing was very messy. I've rarely read self-published books, but this one lacks a lot of editing. It lacks so much "show not tell" that it feels like a summary of a piece of writing. However, I liked the fact that the author left the suspense of the inheritance hanging until the end. That's honestly what kept me from DNFing this book. ❄️

As the main character is a Christmas lover, this is a perfect book to get into the holiday mood. Even so, the chemistry between the characters is so underdeveloped that it's hard to believe Melissa and Colin are attracted to each other. The dialogue lacked depth and did little to develop the story, not to mention Melissa's totally unrealistic reactions and decisions. Who would abandon everything in her home country to move to a country she's never visited, on a whim, believing a simple letter offering her a voluminous inheritance? Don't leave this woman alone, it makes no sense! 🎄

In short, this book was in my opinion poorly constructed and the story was shallow. 🦌

If you want an all-around feel-good read for the 25th when you're all warm and cozy after celebrating Christmas on the 24th, as one should, this is it. The stakes are super low and there are some plot points that make absolutely no sense, but is this going to make you believe that next year you could be spending the holidays in a faraway location with a handsome lawyer? It is totally going to do that and more. Okay, maybe not more than that since this isn't smut. But you'll be satisfied, and happy, and after this you can go back to your true crime. If you have read and enjoyed Sue Watson's early books, you're going to at least kind of like this one.

I love Christmas books in general and I loved this easy read!! I haven't read anything by this author before and I will definitely be reading more.

Enjoyable but something was missing

Melissa, American interior design, is happy. That's until she discovers that her husband has been cheating on her and wants a divorce while keeping their house. Luckily, she receives a letter informing her that she inherited a home in Scotland. Without thinking twice, Melissa flies to Scotland. And she just happens to meet Colin at the airport, her husband's divorce lawyer and her neighbor back in Scotland...

I wouldn't say that this book wasn't enjoyable. It was definitely a fun and quick read and some scenes were very cute and swoon-worthy. However, I didn't really get it. The story feels rushed (it might just be because it's a novella, but still) and the events that happen are a little too improbable for me to relate. Melissa makes a lot of very irresponsible and unrealistic decisions and there was a bit too much of that for me, I think. The characters would have been more interesting had we had more opportunities to really discover them, but I felt like the romance was too fast and I couldn't quite get attached to the protagonists because of that. The setting and the way the author made me travel was definitely great, though. There was just a hint of magic in this Scottish Christmas setting that tugged at my heart, but I wouldn't say I particularly liked the story in itself. It might just not have been for me, I don't know.

I'm not sure I'll recommend this book, depends on the mood you're in, I imagine.

TW: divorce

Thank you for sending the book Highlands Christmas - Wishes Come True by Amy Quick Parrish.

Quick holiday read cute little romance

A fun and quick holiday pallet cleanser, just what I needed. Added bonus the main character has the same name as me. I love the Scottish folklore along with the Christmas cheer. It was a little Hallmark-ish but I honestly didn't care because it was fun.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in return for my honest review. This was a nice story that was very well written and puts the reader right in the heart of Scotland. I now want to travel to Inverness the setting for this story. I eagerly await the sequel to read more of this quick short story. I loved all of the characters and could definitely read more of their stories.