Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Thomas Nelson Fiction for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ella has not returned home in over 10 years but after loosing her art gallery job she decides to surprise her aunt with a Christmas visit. The small town she moved to after her mother died has not changed very much and within days of returning she has been looped into the church's Christmas tree auction. She is not excited to be on the committee with recent widower and her high school crush, Seth Hamil. Seth too had a crush on Ella and seeing her again has stirred up old feelings. Seth is determined to change Ella's opinion of the holiday and show her the true magic of Christmas.

Yes, this has all the sugar cookie cutter makings of a sappy Hallmark movie (which can be fun ) but lacked the full charm of the seasonal staples. It is cute but highly predictable and a bit slow since there is no strong plotline moving the story forward. I liked the story being centered around a church at the holidays as the backdrop. I struggled with the writing style as it is very repetitive telling the same story multiple times, reusing the same verbiage and some gapping plot holes and a farfetched ending. One of Ella's gripes is that she was never allowed to have a dog...but she's 30 years old and has been living on her own for 10 years...she couldn't get one? The small college town is described as not having any outstanding features yet they built a trolley for tourism that the small business thrive on?? It is a warm holiday story but you know exactly what you are getting and how it is going to end.

I had the audio version read by Trei Taylor who does a nice job. She is pretty easy to listen to and follow...one pet peeve was multiple times she'd read a character action "he cleared his throat" and then she would clear hers as a sound effect, it happened multiple times to the point of getting on my nerves.

This Christian Fiction Holiday Romance was perfect. Through faith and perseverance Ella and Seth make Christmas magic. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

After nearly a decade away Ella returns home to celebrate Christmas with the aunt that raised her when her mother passed away. Almost immediately Ella is thrown into the festivities, ones she hasn't participated in for years because of her 'Christmas Curse'. Ella, and her high school crush now widower, Seth are working together to get the Christmas Tree Auction up and running. Ella is doing her best to make it the most successful Christmas Tree Auction to date finding a little Christmas Spirit along her way. With Ella working through her curse and Seth trying to keep his late wife's memory alive and heal there are a lot of sweet moments in this book.

Ok so I will start by saying that this isn't my usual genre of books...BUT! I really enjoyed Snow Place Like Home. I usually go for much darker spicy and angsty reads but there was something that drew me in to this sweet Holiday small town romance and I found myself enjoying it! Seth and Ella's story of second chances at love was very reminiscent of those Hallmark movies I am a fan of. Not a bad way to kick off the winter/Holiday season. Great narration as well.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

I really enjoyed this book. It's a great hometown romance. It's seriously such a hallmark feeling book, and I loved every second of it. I recommend this book if you are looking for a sweet Christmas book. Love how the relationship worked out and how the story went.

This was a no for me. Didn’t realize it was a Christian romance- probably would not have picked it up had there been an indication to that. DNF’d at 50%. This was just super slow and could not hold my interest.

Thanks NetGalley for for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early release copy of Snow Place Like Home by Lacey Baker.
A cozy feel good read that will warm your heart. A story of love and second chances and HOME.

The reader did a great job and I enjoyed the performance of the book.
I look forward to exploring other books by this author.

I didn't realize that this was from a Christian imprint when I requested this title, but it was a cute story nonetheless.

This was a sweet and wholesome winter read! I enjoyed the dual narration and POVS. Wasn't my favorite holiday book, but wasn't the worst either. Just good

This book was slow and didn’t draw me in. The characters kept harping on the same themes over and over, and I just didn’t really care what happened.

Who would have thought working with a former classmate would be so challenging? Now that they were both grown adults, building a relationship was extremely difficult. They had to create something fresh and move on from the past, and its painful memories. The two come to an agreement: Ella Wilson will auction her extravagant creations if she allows widowed Seth Hamil to demonstrate to her why Christmas is about more than just ornate decorations. Soon both begin to wonder whether fate has brought them together for a fresh start—and if Christmas wishes really can come true.

Talking about their high school experiences, Ella and Seth both understand that things weren't as they appeared. There were a ton of misconceptions. Can they put the memories behind them and work together the way her Aunt Addie wanted? Each person is aware that they have lost a loved one, and they are both grieving. Ella notices that Seth appears to be managing his grief in a constructive manner. They both agree on this and make a commitment to be more open about their feelings.

This is a touching tale about friendship, faith, and forming new connections. I enjoyed how Aunt Addie encouraged reluctant Ella to utilize her skills to help this little town raise the funds required to build and restore a recreation center the community needs.

I appreciate how honest Seth was about his situation; he is still in mourning over the passing of his wife and is making every effort to take care of his dog and his teaching responsibilities. I adored how the entire community came together to host a wonderful Christmas celebration that included gorgeous decorations, a dash of healing, and a beautiful romance!

I listened to the audio book and read the novel. I became fascinated with the way Trei Taylor's narrated this novel. I thought the narrator's voiceovers for several characters were outstanding. The more I listened to the audiobook, the more the narrative touched me personally. I could hear the characters’ frustration, anxiety, and longing as Ella and Seth worked together on the auction to obtain the necessary Christmas trees needed for the celebration. I liked the warmth, delight, and Christmas spirit that this tale evokes. This is a wonderful story to lose yourself in, and one that makes for a fun book club pick.

This sweet Christmas themed romance would make for a great reading choice around the holidays. Fun and readable in the style of the Hallmark Christmas Movie. The narrator's reading for the audiobook edition was engaging and gave a feeling of authenticity to the characters' voices. Recommended.

Imagine the sweetest Christmas movie, which also touches on serious topics, like faith, and loss, and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but in a book form. I loved this book. The protagonists were likeable, the story wonderful, it gave me some food for thought and faith in happy endings and Christmas magic.

I've read the Netgalley ARC blurb about this multiple times but nowhere did it say that this was Christian clean closed door romance - I do not need spice to enjoy a romance read, but there was no info for me to tell you I am not the audience for this. It is so slow paced and oddly specific about what everyone is wearing every scene and I'm so so bored. I didn't feel any chemistry or interest and sadly I DNFd at 60%. I don't read GR reviews before obtaining an ARC bc I want my opinions to be my own but if I had, I would have known ahead of time.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I reviewed the audiobook version of this book.

A bittersweet, holiday romance with a little more heart than the average Hallmark holiday tale.

Ella, avoiding holidays for years after suffering great loss, is thrown into her hometown's Christmas tree auction with her first love, Seth.

Enjoyable read and the narrator did a great job bringing the words to sound.

Snow Place Like Home by Lacey Baker is a cute and clean Christmas story. It follows Ella and Seth, former high school classmates, that end up back in their hometown. They both have painful pasts, but end up working together on a project and begin to wonder if theirs could be a true love story. I listened to this book and found the narrator's voice to be pleasant and she enunciated well, I listened at 2x speed.

Was given this book as an ARC from NetGalley as an audiobook. If you are looking for a book to read during the cozy holiday season, this is it! Seth and Ella both have some traumas to work through so they can heal and learn to love and enjoy life again. The slow burn romance is done very well. I also really enjoyed listening to this narrator. Trei Taylor has a wonderful voice and she narrates several characters very well.

Cute story about Ella going home after years of staying away. Shows her getting reacquainted with her Aunt and back into life in her hometown. Little does she know her high school crush is there and healing his heart after his wife passed away. The only thing I found annoying is that it felt like Ella was constantly whining but that could just have been how the narrator was reading it. If you like Christmas movies, you will like this book.

This was a sweet holiday book.
The story was beautiful, it was such a great journey following Ella's faith and her reconnection to Christmas.
I love a bit of romance so Seth was a great addition to the story!
The narrator did a fantastic job in evoking emotions and she kept the story flowing nicely.
I went through so many emotions in this book and still came out feeling happy.
A job well done!

just what i like this time of year a heartwarming story set in a Christmas setting - i know- strange for a jewish person who doesn’t celebrate the holiday - but maybe that is why I enjoy them so much. The story reminded me of your favorite cozy blanket and how it surrounds you with comfort and warmth.

At the time i requested the audio I did not realize it was a faith based Christian book, but I soldiered through it and really ended up enjoying it.