The thing I love about this talented storyteller’s stories is how vivid and colorful the are, with just enough details to make the story come alive. It feels like I’m more a participant than an observer in her fictional worlds.

When Riley gets laid off from her job, she leaves Manhattan to return home to Chatam, MA, to help her mother. Beth is laid up with a broken leg and could use some help at her B&B, Chatham Coastal Inn. Imagine Riley's surprise when she learns that her high school sweetheart, Aidan Shaw, is staying there with his son, Luke, while their house is being repaired.

Beth also needs a couple of rooms renovated due to storm damage so the B&B can be fully booked for the holidays. She’s been single for so long she's forgotten what a romantic relationship is like, but her new contractor, Sean, makes Beth want to give love another chance.

Franny, a long-term guest at the inn, is in town throughout her sister’s illness and death. As she reads letters left to her by her sister, each one takes Franny on adventures through town and a trip down memory lane, reacquainting her with a piece of her past she thought was gone forever.

This charming story full of holiday cheer and good will is like settling in with your favorite blanket in front of the fireplace on a cold, windy winter's night. Full of second chances, hope for the future, and new beginnings, it’s the perfect thing to put you in the holiday spirit.

*Thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for an early copy of this one.

Enjoyed!

The majority of this book takes place in the lead up to Christmas, so its not a Christmas book at it's core. It is more about family, relationships, second chances and being true to yourself.

I felt like Riley and Beth were people that I could be friends with. Franny is a doll, and Austin and his son Luke are great. I didn't care for Jack, or their casual two year relationship. It was fun to find characters from other books show up in the story as well. Of course the setting of Chatham on Cape Cod is wonderful as well.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

If you’re all about those heartwarming Hallmark Christmas movies, then this book is perfect for you! It’s packed with love, friendship, and Christmas magic, featuring likable characters and a cozy small-town vibe. The festive descriptions have me excited for the upcoming season - highly recommend adding this to your tbr!

You'll feel like you're staying on the Cape for Christmas in this book.

Riley lost her job and goes home for the holidays to help her mom after a fall. While her mom is healing, Riley is helping manage the inn, applying for jobs, and doing side hustle gigs. Updating the B&B's website brings in more guests. She finds herself attracted to a former flame, but she has a boyfriend, and that hasn't been going well. She has a lot of decisions to make.

One guest is staying after a loss and rethinking her life in the town where she grew up. Her sister left her a set of tasks to do, one at a time, and as she completes them, the Cape is looking better as a forever home, including finding an old love.

Riley's mom has been single since the girls were young. The B&B needs repairs, and the handyman is not only honest, he's attractive, and he might just be the one to help her find love again.

The magic in the air and the joy of the season brings changes to these women as they open their hearts toward a new future. A wonderful read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This is the third or fourth book that I have read that was written by Pamela Kelley and I must say that she is becoming one of my favorite women's fiction writers. With Elin Hilderbrand "retiring" from writing about Nantucket, I think Pamela Kelley is a contender to become the next Elin Hilderbrand. And while this book is not a beach read, it still takes place on the Cape. I could see tthis book being adapted into a Hallmark or Lifetime Christmas movie. This book was like being wrapped up in a nice cozy blanket, and just made me feel so warm and fuzzy. I enjoyed every second of reading this book.

Stephanie Nemeth Parker narrates the audiobook and I thought she was a great fit and has a very pleasant voice.

Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

********


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This book is a great cozy Christmas read - think Hallmark Christmas vibes! I loved the Cape Cod setting and the B&B and how we get to follow three generations of women (which I loved!)

This is a great sweet romance to kick off your holiday reading!

I really enjoyed this Pamela Kelly novel. It was a heartwarming story of family, love, loss and redemption set around the holidays. I enjoyed the characters and the plot line. It is a warm and comfortable read that is perfect for the holidays!

I also had the opportunity to preview the audiobook which was very enjoyable to listen to. The narrator, Stephanie Németh-Parker, was easy to listen to and I look forward to listening to other novels that she narrates.

Thank you Net Galley, Pamela Kelly, Stephanie Németh-Parker, St Martin's Press and MacMillian Audio for the opportunity to preview both the e book and audiobook. The opinions shared are my own.

I enjoyed reading The Christmas Inn by Pamela M. Kelley. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

It kind of took everything for me to finish this book. I'm not even certain I understood the plot because it seemed so choppy. The chemistry between Riley and Aiden just wasn't there and the whole point of this book was to be a holiday romance and I just... didn't feel it.

2.5 stars for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The Christmas Inn” by Pamela Kelley
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release date: 9/24

Who doesn’t love a fun Christmas story especially one on the Cape! I have enjoyed other books by Pamela Kelley and this one is no expectation. I love how she has camos from past characters as a lot of her books are based in Chatham a Cape Town!

Riley is content with her life in New York. She has a great job and boyfriend! The one day her whole department gets laid off. When her sister calls and lets her know her mother broke her leg and needs help running the inn she decided going home came at the best time. She’ll help her mom and be home for the holidays. What she wasn’t expecting was her high school boyfriend Aidan and nine year old son Luke to be staying at the inn while their house has work done. They quickly reconnect as fast friends. It brings back memories on why she loved him so much, but reminds herself she has a boyfriend back home. The problem is while Jack is fun and good looking he’s a workaholic and they seem to have different life goals. Every day she’s home she feels like she misses the big city life that she yearned for in her teens less and less. She’s finding comfort in the people she sees daily and the inn. When a marketing job offer presents itself back in New York she has to decide what to do.

When Riley loses her job as a content marketing manager, her sister Amy informs her that their mother Beth has
broken her leg and could use help in running the inn. Riley returns home, helps with the inn and uses her
knowledge to make the inn more noticeable on-line. Riley's old boyfriend, a widower for three years and his nine
year old son are staying at the inn while repairs are being done on their house.
Beth has been happy running the inn and has a hard time trusting men due to her ex-husband's action.
Franny, a widow and former resident of the town, has returned to bury her sister and fulfill the request her
sister made in letters she left. Changes in store for all, leading to happier lives.
A lovely cozy holiday story.
#TheChristmasInn #StMartinsPress #StMartinsGriffin #NetGalley

This is a wonderful cozy Christmas story. I so wanted to join them at the inn. Riley has just been laid off from her content marketing job in Manhattan and learns that her mother broke her leg from falling off a ladder when her sister calls to see if she could help out. Since she now has lots of free time she packs up her cat and heads to Cape Cod where she remembers what she loved about her hometown and her high school sweetheart.

Delightful Christmas story of an inn on Nantucket. A daughter returns from NYC to help her mother in December run the inn and the Hallmark moments with encounters of past relationships and events in the town. Cuddle up with a woolly blanket and a cup of cinnamon tea; you will either order pizza or run to cook a delicious meal. Nice romance book with a temptation to visit Nantucket. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book; this is my honest review.

Riley lost her marketing job in Manhattan . After talking to her sister Amy and she told her about their Mom breaking her leg. Riley decided she would take Lily her cat and go home to Chatham to help her Mom with running the Inn. Even though she has a boyfriend in Manhattan she finds out her ex boyfriend is staying at the Inn with his son Luke, they start hanging out and enjoying it. She finds she enjoys it .When her boyfriend comes to meet the family all he does is work and then leaves early, but not before he tells her about a job at his firm. Does she take it and go back to Manhattan ? If she does take it does she stay or does she surprise us and does what she feels she will be happy doing.. This is A GREAT READ. All the characters are really great.

The Christmas Inn by Pamela M. Kelley feels like a paint by numbers Hallmark holiday movie. We have our female lead heading home from the big city to a small town. Her current boyfriend a decent guy but there is no real passion between them and besides he’s a workaholic. An old love coming back into her life, who just happens to be quite jaded about the holiday and is in need of rediscovering the magic of the season and reawakening love in his life. Now I don’t say any of this as a negative. I absolutely love Hallmark holiday movies. In fact, half of my DVR is devoted to them. So when I say a book reads like a Hallmark movie, that generally means I loved it, which in the case of The Christmas Inn, I did.

Riley has recently lost her job. Turns out the timing couldn’t be better, because her mom has recently broken her leg and needs help running her bed and breakfast. So she packs her bag and her cat and leaves NYC for Cape Cod. While she does have a boyfriend, things really don’t seem to be going anywhere. And when she arrives back home, she finds her first love is staying at her mom’s B&B. He’s now widowed and has a young son, and not exactly in the holiday spirit. It may sound like a cookie cutter Hallmark script, and in many ways I would say it is, there is also more to it. There’s more going on than the potential second chance romance going on between Riley and Aiden. There are a whole host of secondary characters with touching stories of their own. Yes, you may see where the story is going well ahead of time, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. The story hits all the beats I love in a holiday romance. I really enjoyed this one, and if it eventually gets made into Hallmark movie it would be one I’d gladly rewatch year after year. I’d like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Christmas Inn.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RYSMRI28XHKN4/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

When sudden changes happen at her work place, Riley Sanders learns her mother, an inn keeper in Cape Cod, has broken her leg. Riley returns home to Cape Cod to help her mother and job search. When new and old friends as well as family fill her life, it becomes a lovely break from her former hectic life.
Delightful characters populate this book while the activities and town can only be described as an idyllic setting. I loved the age range of characters and their interactions. It was definitely one of "those" books that you simultaneously wanted to rush to the end, and to stop reading in order to savior the story and keep it from getting over too soon. A beautiful story.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and express my opinion of The Christmas Inn by Pamela M. Kelley.

Thank you, Netgalley, Pamela Kelley, and St. Martin's Press for the ebook. This was a cozy Christmas story that had all the makings for a Hallmark movie. Must read if you love a good Christmas time story!!

The Christmas Inn
by: Pamela M. Kelley
St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffith
Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Women's Fiction

The Christmas Inn is as satisfying as the hot chocolate and tea served at the inn during the Christmas season. Kelley had me cheering for all of her main characters, including Riley, who returns to Cape Cod to help her mother Beth, the innkeeper, after she breaks her leg. I was engrossed in the holiday feelings experienced at a warm, cozy inn with a Cape Cod setting.

Kelley's gentle writing style is so descriptive and engaging, from the food and events at the Chatham Coastal Inn, to the Christmas atmosphere in the community. I especially enjoyed the relationship building of the story, with family, new friends, and second chances at romance. Consider this book for your holiday and winter reading pleasure!

I received an advance reader's copy from Net Galley and
St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffith. My review is my own.

When Riley Sanders loses her job just before Christmas, she is at a loss of what to do. When she finds out her mother broke her leg, she heads home to help out at her mother’s inn. Her plan is to apply for jobs while she is there so she can get back to her life in the city after the holidays. Our best laid plans though sometimes bring us unexpected surprises.

When Riley arrives, she meets the other guests at the inn. Franny who is grieving the loss of her sister and is now holding four unopened letters that her sister left her. There is also Aidan and his son Luke, Riley’s high school sweetheart. What seems like a simple trip home soon becomes a little more complicated when it is time to leave her family and new found friends.

I am such a huge fan of author Pamela Kelley. I love her heartwarming tales of family, friendship and matters of the heart. This novel had all the elements of a warm and wonderful Christmas story. The characters were easy to love and the little mystery of the unopened letters brought a sweet touch to the story. My thanks to the author and to St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy which I voluntarily read and reviewed. If you are looking for a cozy Christmas novel, look no further.

What a great story. I want to go to Chatham and be with these wonderful folks. I do like happy endings and these folks were lucky enough to find that second chance. I love the characters and the story line. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.