This book felt like all of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies wrapped into one cozy book. It was just the thing I needed to help me get in the Christmas spirit.

What a wonderfully, delightful book! The title may say Christmas, but this is a charming read that can be enjoyed any time of the year. Ingrid arrives back at her family's hotel after suffering a climbing accident that has changed her outlook on life. Tasked with taking over operations management from her grandmother, she finds new challenges around every corner as they draw closer and closer to the busy holiday season. But beyond any maintenance or financial issues, the staff and the guests are all keeping secrets.

Each character is well developed and has you interested to know where their stories will go. The setting is picturesque and leaves you wanting to hop on a plane to Norway. Love that this was set up with 24 chapters that you could read each day of the Christmas season, but it is so enjoyable you probably find yourself going well beyond a chapter a day.

I thought this was an interesting read! The format is unique, and the fact that it was translated from Norwegian is very cool. It’s definitely a Hallmark kind of movie in book form, with a little bit of a mystery twist and romance. It is a fun book for the season! 3.5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for this copy of "Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge."

I'm still feeling festive by reading holiday-themed books. "Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge" showcased traditional Norwegian Christmas celebrations and expressed the warmth, generosity, and togetherness of the season.

After surviving a horrible avalanche, climbing expert Ingrid has come home to the Norwegian mountains to run financially-troubled Glitter Peak Lodge. It's been in her family for over 130 years, but after the Christmas holidays, she has to decide whether to sell the Lodge to a big hotel chain that wants to buy it.

From the Lodge archives of old newspaper articles, an unsolved mystery about a missing bride is unearthed that leads to more questions.

I was very impressed by author Johnson's and translator Lasky's descriptions of the beauty, silence, serenity, peace, and timelessness of the mountains. All while knowing that they can be treacherously dangerous.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was a quick read. Ingred returns home to her family inn. The mystery wasn't really a mystery but still an enjoyable read.

This book was beautifully translated from Norwegian to English. It is not a typical mystery. I would classify it more as a women's lit or romance novel because the mystery comes from why the town bully wants the lodge to fail and the family secrets revealed at the end. It was an emotional, slow-burn read at the beginning but picked up towards the end when all the secrets were finally revealed. The romance between Ingrid and Preben was so sweet and charming. It was my favorite part of the book. Another favorite was all the traditions, superstitions, foods, and festivals enjoyed during the Christmas season. I learned a lot about Norwegian life and culture. A glossary that explains the holidays celebrated in more detail and recipes mentioned in the book are included at the end of the book. It’s a great way to interact with the story and experience the Norwegian culture in your home.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Via for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

After surviving a traumatic climbing accident, Ingrid moves back to her family hotel. She is planning to take over running the hotel from her Grandmother. But will it be more than she can handle, with pipes leaking, suspected mold, and last minute cancellations? When one of the guests seems familiar to her Grandma, old secrets start to unfold, along with an unexpected relationship.

This is a feel good story set in Norway. Great characters and plot. It also has a glossary for some of the Norwegian words used and a few recipes.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Sort of melancholy but feel-good in the end, Christmas oriented book, tho I’d classify it more as a women’s fiction than a mystery. There was some mystery but it was easy to piece together rather early on, so it didn’t really feel like a mystery, just something no one in the book wanted to talk about. It had a weird speed - overall really slow and introspective, then fairly dramatic, from reactions, to all the exclamation points, to the characters themselves. It felt a little forced and weird at times.

The culture and setting of Norway was nice to walk thru - those pieces were descriptive and well described.

The blurb for the book about the whole Advent thing was weird to me. I didn’t get that vibe from the book at all so I’m not sure why it was marketed that way. It was just like a regular chapter progression.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperColins for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

I read a quarter of the book in the suggested "Advent Calendar" format, and I wouldn't say it's either a thriller or a romance. Maybe it's a mystery, but I certainly hadn't gotten that sense either before quitting. I had no sense of romance at all and very little urgency to continue reading because, other than sitting with Ingrid's trauma all the time, I had no notion of the throughline of the story. All of that should have been more evident by 25% through.

CHRISTMAS AT GLITTER PEAK LODGE

A Holiday Mystery Revealed - 3 stars

Plot - 4 stars - After a climbing accident, Alpinist Ingrid Berg has returned to the small Norwegian village that her family has called home for generations. She’s there to take over the management of the Glitter Peak Lodge from her aging grandmother. With Christmas approaching, guests are expected, and Ingrid is welcomed as the inn's savior. But complications soon arise. Will Ingrid be able to keep the inn alive, or will her family's legacy be lost forever?

Writing - 3 stars - This book seemed a bit slow, right from the beginning. I'm not sure if it was the translation that felt awkward or if the author spent too long setting up the story, but this book seemed to take a long time to get going.

Characters - 4 stars - There are plenty of characters to like in this book. Ingrid has been so focused on her climbing passion that she almost forgot about her family, but now she has returned to take over the inn from her grandmother. Has she been self-absorbed? Yes, but her grandmother made it easy on her and allowed her the time to spread her wings. Now she has the strength and practicality to take over. Thor is a kind and shy main character. He is so settled in the town that he seems like a part of it. He's also strong and settled, but he yearns for something more. They seem to complement each other. Loved Vegard, the best friend. He is charming and funny, yet he's full of good, common sense. The other characters (Borghild, Hallgrim, and the workers at the hotel) all add some interest to the story in their own ways.

Title - 3.5 stars - Straightforward, clear, and definitely set the wintery mood.

Cover - 4 stars - Beautiful northern colors with a hint of the holidays. Very pretty and eye-catching.

Overall - 3 stars - There were many good points about this book. The mystery about Caroline was interesting and kept my interest throughout, although it seemed to take a long time for the reveal. I think less time spent building a complicated history would have benefited the book, especially since it seemed pretty obvious what had happened (even to me, and I'm not usually one who figures out the whodunnit in advance). The romance between Ingrid and Thor was sweet and so natural, with just enough sexual tension between them, and the potential lover's triangle conflict with Preben added some drama. I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery of such a beautiful place, and the traditional Christmas celebrations were fascinating. Adding the suspected sabotage at the hotel, Ingrid's personal back story, and the Instagram obsession of everyone there were interested, but I didn't think they were necessary additions and added to the bulk of the book.

BarbaraChristmas at Glitter Peak was charming. I enjoyed the characters and the Norwegian food and traditions. A little mystery thrown in to keep you on your toes. A good read.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review.

A sweet and cozy story about starting over and found family.

I loved the setting for this and thought the author’s rendering of it was pretty good, and definitely a cut above most of what you find in this subgenre.

It’s not truly a Christmas book, which definitely bugged me a little as someone who really hates misleading titles and publisher summaries, though there is a bit of cute holiday content toward the end of the novel.

The premise and characters were fine if not terribly original, and I appreciated that the book managed to be sweet without tipping over into saccharine. There’s some tragedy, particularly in the characters’ backstories, but the book mostly maintains a hopeful and reflective tone and never gets too overwrought and maudlin.

I would have preferred more focus on the day-to-day of the hotel, the settling, and the holiday content, but on the whole it’s a quick and satisfying feel-good read.

A fast holiday read, but nothing special. Ingrid returns to the family lodge after a tragedy. Lots of descriptions about Norwegian holiday traditions, but this one fell flat for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

I did enjoy this story as Ingrid tried to find herself after a traumatic experience. She was very hesitant to begin to do the things she used to love. She had some support and a little push from her family. There was plenty of detail regarding traditions for this family. I felt it was a bit long, and I could have used a bit more to the mystery.

I received a copy through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

Set in a little hotel in the mountains of Norway.
A good mystery with some Norwegian traditions.
Voluntarily reviewed.

This was a nice winter read. I loved learning about the traditions of the area. There were parts that dragged for me, but those were far and few. Overall I’d recommend this book to one of my friends.

Welcome to Glitter Peak Lodge, a century old hotel located a few hours from Oslo, Norway. The Berg’s have owned this hotel since it was built. Borghild Berg has been the manager and owner for over 60 years. Her granddaughter, Ingrid, is finally taking the reins. She is home after years away living the life of a famous mountain climber. Her career ended when a traumatic and deadly avalanche on her last climb changed her world in more ways than one.

Ingrid’s entire life is this hotel. It’s where she grew up, raised by her grandmother from the age of 3 after her parents died. And although it’s an uphill climb, her goal is to get the hotel profitable once again. The hotel staff works their hardest every day- Maja- the cook, Alfred- the caretaker, Sunny- the young receptionist/social media manager, Aisha- the bookkeeper, and her son Hussein. Will their love for the hotel and one another be enough to keep them afloat?

This story is filled with friendship, family (both by blood and chosen), small town drama, intriguing guests, and a love story. It’s all wrapped up with an old mystery that has pitted the towns most notable families against one another. A story once left to gather dust now becomes a story more than one person needs to hear. Told with each chapter spanning a day, December 1st to December 24th, and rich with Norwegian lore and culture, this story was one I couldn’t put down. @kjerstiherland I loved it so much. Really hoping there’s more adventure for this amazing cast and Glitter Peak Lodge!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollins for this #advancedreaderscopy - pub date was 10/1/24.

#2024bookchallenge94of75
#christmasatglitterpeaklodge
#netgalley

3.5 stars. Beautiful setting. A wonderfully cozy hotel. Norwegian Christmas traditions. The mystery wasn’t really very mysterious. A nice little holiday book. I enjoyed the setting and I liked learning about the traditions of the area.

True to the descriptions, this is set up like an advent calendar. It can be read one chapter at a time (one day at a time) or in one sitting. It is intriguing with family secrets buried that are coming to the light, an interesting community of people, and guests that ask too many questions in the lodge. The Norwegian setting sounds beautiful and the traditions are fascinating and the food sounds yummy. Overall a good holiday reading even with it starting a little slow and not picking up pace until later in the novel.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

I believe this is the first book I've read with a Norwegian setting! How fun. I love Christmas stories, especially as the seasons approaches, and I've always enjoyed stories that center at an Inn. I also love new beginnings, so add in a mystery and I'm really to roll.

I enjoyed getting to know Ingrid and seeing her heal and grow. And the village setting captures the wonderful atmosphere of the holidays. The story has a slower pacing, but gradually picks up. I believe some of the lagging parts might be due to it being translated from the Norwegian language and it has a bit of a different style to it. The mentions of Norwegian traditions and foods were interesting and I was happy for the recipes!