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!

Christmas in Norway! I’ll admit I was not quite sure what to expect when I downloaded Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge, especially when I realized the book was a translation.. But I was so very happily surprised to discover a novel with unusual depth and complexity for a Christmas romance, well developed, fascinating characters, interesting plot lines and considerable Christmas spirit. And perhaps the best part was the setting in an old lodge in Norway.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for the privilege of a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

I’m always looking for new Christmas books to read each year and thought this one sounded like a good one to try. However, after about four or five chapters I was just bored. The story didn’t seem to be progressing much and it was starting to feel a bit repetitive, going over some information more than once in just that short amount of time. Ultimately, I have decided not to continue with this one.

Thank you Net-Galley, Publisher and author for an early copy.

I enjoyed learning about some of the Norwegian traditions at Christmas time. I liked most of the characters, the mystery was pretty easy to figure out, not all of the details but the overall part of it. This story has heartache, love and forgiveness.

The making of new friends and reuniting of old friends. Overall a really good Christmas read. I would love to to Norway and Glitter Peak Lodge!!!

A cozy Christmas story set amidst the Norwegian mountains

Ingrid Berg is famous for her mountain climbing exploits, a career rooted in her childhood growing up at her family’s inn, the Glitter Peak Lodge Located near a small Norwegian village an hour’s drive from LIllehammer, near the tree line in the mountains, the inn has been run by her family for generations. After a recent expedition ended in tragedy (which she is still reliving in terrible dreams), Ingrid is back at Glitter Peak to take over the running of the inn from her aging grandmother. Running an inn is never easy, but the challenges that start cropping up seem to rise above the normal day-to-day incidents. Leaking pipes, cancellations out of nowhere, and then a guest from America whose presence seems to unnerve Nana Borghild add to Ingrid’s burden. She is still trying to heal from her traumatic experience, and is struggling to keep the inn a going concern. When she discovers an old newspaper clipping that hints at an unsolved mystery from years ago, Ingrid realizes that she must figure out how everything ties together if she is to keep her family’s legacy alive.
With the beautiful (if cold!) Norwegian setting and an Advent calendar-like format, in which each chapter is a day in December, the description of this novel intrigued me. The character of Ingrid is a sympathetic one, a wounded person at a crossroads in life who will need to rely on those around her to help her heal from a horrific experience which has cost her both someone for whom she cared deeply and possibly also her career. She is determined to carry on her family’s business despite the challenges of competing against corporately owned lodgings, but is confronted with a host of problems which might cause the inn to fail. There are many mentions of food, and even some recipes included at the end, which is another enticement. I found the book started out rather slowly, although the plot’s pace picked up eventually. This is definitely a warm-and-fuzzy type, Hallmark sort of mystery, not Nordic noir, and as such would appeal to fans of Susan Mallory, Debbie Macomber and Pamela Kelley. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperVia for allowing me early access to this Christmas tale of family, community and healing.

Things I enjoyed about this book include:
Advent Calendar Structure: The book is set up like an advent calendar, with 24 chapters representing the 24 days leading up to Christmas, allowing readers to savor the story one chapter a day or devour it in one sitting.

Norwegian Holiday Traditions: The story is rich with descriptions of traditional Norwegian Christmas customs and foods, such as baking kransekake and saffron buns, decorating an enormous tree with tinsel, and celebrating the Santa Lucia tradition. This provides an immersive cultural experience for readers.

Family Legacy and Secrets: The Glitter Peak Lodge has been in Ingrid's family for generations, and as she takes over the management from her aging grandmother, she uncovers a decades-old mystery that threatens her family's legacy.

Healing and New Beginnings: After a traumatic climbing accident, Ingrid's return to the lodge represents a journey of healing and the possibility of new love, as she navigates her past and the future of the inn.

Cozy Mystery Elements: The story weaves in a cozy mystery, with unexpected cancellations, a nosy American guest, and sabotage, all of which Ingrid must unravel to save the inn and her family's legacy.

Heartwarming and Atmospheric: The book captures the warmth and magic of the holiday season, set against the picturesque backdrop of a small Norwegian village and the Glitter Peak Lodge, creating a cozy and atmospheric reading experience.

Overall, Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge is a delightful and immersive holiday cozy mystery that celebrates the power of family, community, and the enduring spirit of the Christmas season.

Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge by Kjersti Herland Johnsen


A Novel: A Heartwarming Holiday Cozy Mystery Set in Snowy Norway

Mark the days till Christmas with this feel-good cozy mystery set at a quaint family inn in the snowy mountains of Norway—structured as an advent calendar for your daily reading pleasure.

An old mystery. A tragic accident. Secrets. Confessions. A new beginning.

After a traumatic climbing accident, well-known Alpinist Ingrid Berg has returned to the small Norwegian village that her family has called home for generations to take over the management of the Glitter Peak Lodge from her aging grandmother, who's no longer up to the task. With Christmas rapidly approaching, the Glitter Peak Lodge staff are busy baking kransekake and saffron buns, decorating an enormous tree with tinsel, and enlisting guests to participate in their Santa Lucia celebration.

But within short order of Ingrid’s return, complications arise that seem out of the ordinary. Unexpected cancellations. An outspoken American guest who seems to unsettle Ingrid’s beloved grandmother. Leaking pipes that may imply sabotage. And then one day, Ingrid discovers a yellowed, decades-old newspaper clipping about an unsolved local mystery…

Will Ingrid be able to figure out what’s going on in time to save the inn—and her family’s legacy—from ruin?

The ultimate holiday treat, Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge is a testament to the healing power of family and home and the magical bonds of community. Set up like an advent calendar, with twenty-four chapters, each set on a different day in December leading up to Christmas, it can be savored one chapter a day or devoured in one sitting.

“Delightful and charming—a breath of lovely mountain air!” —Jenny Colgan, author of The Bookshop on the Corner and The Christmas Bookshop
This is Ingrid Berg and her grandmother, Borghild's story.
I recommend this book.
Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge by Kjersti Herland Johnsen is a 4 star book.
I am looking forward to reading more books by Kjersti Herland Johnsen
I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

After a climbing accident Ingrid has returned to take over the running of the family hotel, Glitter Peak Lodge, from her grandmother. Set at the bottom of Glitter Peak in a small Norwegian village the lodge has been in her family for 4+ generations. The family history runs deep in the village and some secrets from the past are about to emerge. Norwegian holiday traditions and foods integrated into the story provide a holiday feel.

I absolutely adore Christmas books and this was one of my favorites. It would make an outstanding movie! So curl up and read until you just can’t stop!

Ingrid, a mountain climber, has returned to Glitter Peak Lodge after a bad accident to help her aging grandmother run the cozy inn. She grew up at the lodge and for her it's like returning home.

This book has 24 chapters, each following Ingrid in a day at the lodge, that leads up to Christmas. It gives the feeling of this reading like an advent calendar.

I thought the organization of this book would be fun and unique but it ended up being very mundane with just daily chores and routines at the lodge. Nothing gripping or anything that grabbed your attention. I feel like it didn’t translate as well to English as it would have been in its original language. Something was missing and the story line jumped all over and it was hard to get into. Very descriptive, which although was nice, also added unnecessary length. I found myself skimming pages instead of reading each word to try and find some sustenance in the book. I ended up DNF this book after 5 chapters. This was just not my cuppa coffee

I learned a lot about Norwegion Christmas customs and the food they serve. There are even some recipes in the back of the book. This story had some secrets that Ingrid is trying to figure out. Then, she may be able to save her families inn. The hostility between her grandmother and their rival is part of the issue, and a big part of the animosity is the secret that has been buried. Through old newspaper articles about a missing girl and a nosy guest, Ingrid begins to unwind the mystery, but she must have information from her grandmother.

A story of secrets, loss, and new love.

Had to DNF at 33%. Was just dragging. Hadn't even gotten to any real mystery yet. Just couldn't care to finish.

I am not sure if it is a translation issue but I found the writing to be very disjointed and hard to follow. I do not recommend this book.