I was really excited to discover Hughes's latest novel, because I remember really enjoying A Magical New York Christmas and Christmas in Vermont.
With Christmas in Aspen, you get all the cosy vibes of the holiday season thanks to the setting and atmosphere. It quickly becomes bittersweet and poignant because the two sisters deal with their grief from losing their mother. Sadly, despite the writing qualities, the issues related to that situation tend to become rather repetitive (Caroline fussing over her sister's own life decisions, the sadness over the absence of their mother...). Besides, I wasn't sold on the romance; I didn't find the magic I loved in her previous books.
Thanks you to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the opportunity to read Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes. I will always read whatever Ms. Hughes writes and know i will never be disappointed. Christmas in Aspen is a delight.

Anita Hughes' A Magical New York Christmas is one of my favorite holiday romances, so I was expecting a lot from her upcoming book, Christmas in Aspen. But for a number of reasons, I just couldn't get into the story of two sisters who spend the holidays in Aspen to feel close to their recently deceased mother.

Older sister Caroline is a literary editor who is in danger of losing her job if she doesn't find a viable manuscript in the near future. She is someone who believes in short relationships only, so she is caught off-guard when she meets an attractive man in Aspen who seems to be looking for something more. Caroline is also in Aspen to look for a man who has been writing to her mother about their romance in Aspen, one Caroline knows about only after finding his letters. Younger sister Daphne has gotten engaged to her boyfriend after a 2-month relationship, but Caroline feels she might be jumping the gun, especially when she moves up her wedding date to occur during their Aspen trip.

The author successfully portrays Aspen as a perfect vacation spot, especially during December, but I didn't feel the joy when the characters engaged in the town's holiday festivities. I also felt that Caroline's new relationship with Max was unconvincing, and I didn't understand what they saw in each other. One subplot fueled by a series of letters from an author who recently became a client of their mother's and wanted to explain the history behind her 40-year dry spell didn't land for me, especially the twist at the end of the book. And I felt that some of the conversation was stilted. This story would be perfect for a Hallmark movie, but it was missing the magic for me.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

A great cozy read for the holidays!! Christmas in Aspen was my first Anita Hughes book and it won't be the last. This is a charming story that takes Caroline, an editor, to Colorado for the holidays. I loved how Anita intertwined the letters from her mother's friends throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a honest review.
Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes was just okay for me. I really wanted to connect with Caroline but I just never did. The story was interesting but a little too much information about editing books, this of course makes sense because Caroline is an editor but I started to skim those parts

For fans of Anita Hughes, Christmas arrived early in Aspen. Leaving NYC behind for the holidays, Caroline travels to Aspen to solve her mother's last mystery. A mailed letter leaves instructions to meet by Santa's mailbox on New Year's.

Still reeling from her mother's death two months prior, this seems like an unexpected gift and Caroline wants to unwrap the truth. From the first night, things take an surprising turn and readers will delight in the charm of the characters and the picturesque surroundings. Will Caroline discover Annie's secret or 'drop the ball' on final memories?

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of 'Christmas in Aspen' in exchange for an honest review. I'm fan of the author's of work and this novel rings in the special memories of the season.

First off, a big shoutout to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for hooking me up with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest take.

Diving into this book, it was my first time with this author. While I totally vibed with the setting and the big themes, the writing style didn't quite hit the mark for me. I mean, I wanted to root for Caroline and her love interest, but it felt like they were missing that spark, you know? And don't get me started on how some plot points felt a bit forced, like they were trying too hard to make a point.

The dialog felt a tad awkward. Honestly, getting through this book felt like a bit of a slog. But hey, it wasn't all bad. There were some cool moments sprinkled throughout. Overall though, while I can see the potential, it didn't quite hit home for me.

There is a nice holiday story year but I kept losing interest with the writing style and the dialogue felt awkward to me that I just couldn’t stay focused on the story to read it.

With that said it was a fun holiday read that fits well with all the Hallmark Christmas movies that we all love ever year and it’s worth a quick read over the holidays.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes, it is not your typical holiday read. It’s full of so much emotion & depth & I loved every second. I will definitely do a reread of this one during the holiday season. Think the best of the best Hallmark movie you’ve seen- I hope this one becomes a movie!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press|St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC copy of this book.

I received this book from the publisher for honest feedback. The opinions stated on this review are strictly my own.
I really like this story line from the beginning.
Caroline and Daphne had lost their mother to cancer a couple of months prior to Christmas. Caroline was still struggling and Daphne had met the man of her dreams and planned on getting married as soon as possible. Caroline was not happy about this.
Caroline found a letter in her Mother's things from a man telling her he'd met her in Aspen on New Years Eve. Caroline didn't know who this might be but she had to find put. Caroline, Daphne and Luke all ended up in Aspen for Christmas.
Many surprises and love around the corners.
Definitely recommend for a few good Christmas story.

This was a sweet story about a daughter whose mother has passed away and she decides to grieve at her mother's cabin over the Christmas holiday. Instead, she finds a letter addressed to her mother from a secret lover who vows to meet her in front of Santa's red mailbox on New Year's in Aspen, Colorado. Caroline wants to find out who this mystery man is so she changes her plans and heads to Aspen.

While in Aspen, she meets her own mystery man. Caroline has never wanted love and only had flings to keep her life simple but she might just want more with this particular man.

There is so much more to this story but I will let you read to find out what happens and whether or not Caroline gets her happy ending.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

I received a free copy of, Christmas in Aspen, by Anita Hughes, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Caroline Holt did not originally plan to have Christmas in Aspen, it was supposed to be London. In mourning after the death of her mother, she finds letters to her mother from Aspen. There are a lot of secrets in this book. This is an nice holiday read, not your typical feel good read though.

This book was so sweet and cozy! I can see this playing out on Hallmark or Lifetime come Christmastime. A career woman is drawn to fulfill her mother's mysterious connection with someone and end up meeting a someone herself! This is a short read, pretty predictable, but sometimes that's just what you want in a little romance book! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for a copy of this book for an honest review.

IThis was the first book I have read by Hughes. It was fabulous! I only wish there were another chapter or two as I did not want the book to end. I am not sure if Hughes does sequels, but Christmas in Aspen definitely deserves one!

This story is the perfect holiday read at Christmas time or actually anytime!
I could have sat in a beach chair and enjoyed this wonderful book.
There is some mystery, love, friendship, romance and lots of holiday cheer as the main character, Caroline heads to Aspen, Colorado to look for a man who wrote a letter to her late mother expecting to meet her at the Red Mailbox on New Years Eve.
Caroline feels she owes it to her mother to provide an explanation and some closure to this gentleman who thinks her mom will be in Aspen.
She has no idea who he is and if he will be there, but she is determined to find out and set the record straight.
The journey begins and I loved it!
Thank you to @NetGalley and to @St Martin's Press for this ARC and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
Well done!

Caroline goes to her late mother's cabin to spend Christmas. she finds a letter addressed to her mother and she decides to investigate. sweet story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for this delightful, cozy story set in merry, sophisticated Aspen!

While the writing style isn’t for me, I enjoyed the details of the food and atmosphere. Everything tied together quite nicely by the end—wrapped up in a beautiful Christmas bow—but it was with blind faith that I stuck with it. There were many working parts that felt clunky and lacked a cohesiveness and I just wished elements of the story itself encouraged me to trust the process, instead of having to encourage myself.

The message I took away from this book was that some feel they might have to sacrifice their career for love or love for their career but you can have both. Nina chose love, Anne chose her career, Daphne and Luke got both, Savannah and Nick got both, and Caroline ultimately opened her heart to the possibility of having both. BUT….I feel like this could have been portrayed better, especially in the case of Caroline and Max. I felt as though they were being pushed together for the story but there was really no chemistry or a lot of emotionally intimate moments to get us there. Their arguments felt like they came out of nowhere based on their intimacy levels.

Overall, I would recommend this book to a friend looking for an easy, cozy Christmas read!

Christmas in Aspen is my first Anita Hughes book, and I really enjoyed it! The story introduces us to Caroline, an editor, who recently lost her mom and is about to embark on her first Christmas without her. Along the way we are introduced to her sister, her sisters love interest and then when Caroline ends up in Aspen, we meet Max.

The story that intertwines and unfolds includes a bit of mystery, loss, heartache, and a healthy dose of romance. The author does an amazing job of describing the locations included in the book. The descriptions of the towns, and rooms/spaces etc really add to the overall enjoyment of the book.

I'm going 4 stars for 2 reasons. One, I felt like there were a few things that made the book seem NOT modern (description of clothing/outfits), and two, because some of the story line got a little deep and to me, distracted me from the story.

Overall, I would highly recommend this for your holiday to be read lists!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher: St. Martin's Press and author for letting me read this for an honest review!

A holiday, adventurous, heartwarming story! Gosh I loved how this story took me down a path of coping, love, life, a bit of mystery and the magic of Aspen. I will say there a quite a few things happening in this story: Caroline and her coping skills along with falling in love, Caroline' s sister and love, their mother mysterious love and so much more. I really enjoyed this story.

I could keep up with the pace of the book, the characters and even the timeline! The story kept me intrigued the entire time. I wanted to know what was going to happen! The magical Aspen sounds good to be true. I wish I could go visit there. I could not stop reading this story either. I think it took me about two and half days to read it. It just kept me intrigued!

This is a great holiday story to be read when it comes out in October 2024! Pick it up and you will not regret it!

I liked Carolines story. I also like that she found love and a father. I didn't care for her sister and felt she brought down the storyline.