This was a hard one to get through. It has elements I love (sunshine hero, life on the ranch, forced proximity), and elements that I hate (anything involving a child as a plot device, intense suspension of disbelief to believe that someone would offer strangers healthcare and let them into her home). However, I decided to give it a shot because I've missed Sarah Morgenthaler's writing these past few years. First and foremost, I'm so glad that she's back, I'm so glad she has more stories to tell, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for her writing career. That being said, this book was just okay for me, because the things I disliked outweighed the things I loved. If children as plot devices in a love story do not bother you, and you enjoy outlandish contemporary plots, this will probably work for you. But for me, I'm looking forward to seeing what else comes out of this series.

this was the sweetest and most heart warming read! I loved reading about Sienna Guy and Emma. The way their lives intertwined after a marriage of convenience was stunning. I love how Sienna took emma in like her own right away. The relationship between the new family was so sweet!

Sienna Maples lives on the ranch her family has worked for generations. She’s divorced, and her best friend puts a “husband wanted” ad in the paper. It’s answered by a sweet good looking man named Guy who’s looking for a job to support his daughter Emma, who is in kidney failure and needs dialysis.
Sienna proposes that they get married so Emma can use her insurance to get dialysis. Guy and Emma move in with Sienna, and over time the marriage feels more and more real, especially when Sienna starts to feel like Emma’s mother and Guy’s wife.
This book pulls at the heartstrings, I can’t imagine having a very sick child. The author does a beautiful job portraying the family as they go through the stages of this illness. I really enjoyed it, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was lovey and sweet and franklly I was surprised I liked it so much given that it was much more serious

I absolutely loved this book. It had me on a roller coaster of emotions... all good. I loved every minute of it. The characters were so well written, especially Guy, Sienna and Emma. I love the way the chemistry and connection builds in this book. It was so heartwarming. I could not get enough of this book. I highly recommend it. I can't wait for more from this author.

Thank you Net Galley ARC and Sourcebooks Casablanca

Oh my heart! This book had me feeling all the feels, I laughed, I cried, and my heart was happy.! Sienna, Guy, and Emma were characters that touched my heart. Sienna is dealing with a divorce, her father's illness, and trying to keep her ranch running on her own when her friend places a husband wanted ad as a joke. What no one expects is that Guy, a father dealing with his daughter's serious health issues, would respond. Against all odds a connection is made that grows and grows. Filled with friendship, heartbreak, community, and love this is a book that I could not get enough of. I hope this is the start of a series.

"Sienna, I know we just met, and all this is a lot. We don’t know each other, and I’m not expecting anything here. But I promise I’ll be a good husband to you. I’ll stand at your side, and I’ll have your back. I’ll be your friend and your partner. Whatever you need from me, I’m here. I’ll be loyal to you, and I’ll be good to you, from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep and all the minutes in between."

- small town
- holiday
- marriage of convenience
- single dad
- cowgirl 🤠
- slow burn
- closed door
- single pov

Premise: your friend jokingly places an ad around your small town on the day of your divorce proclaiming that you're seeking a husband for hire. But then you meet Guy, who has a sick four-year-old daughter. So you do what anyone would do in the same situation – marry him the next day, move him into your cabin on your family's ranch, and let him reap your health insurance benefits.

The Christmas You Found Me is a sweet yet emotional romance. Both characters are selfless and kind. Sienna opens her home to strangers without hesitation, while Guy does everything he can to give back to her.

I love how Sienna finds a family again with Guy and Emma after losing her parents and not feeling like herself with her ex-husband. Her growth and Emma and her father's sicknesses will pull at your heartstrings—you've been warned.

Meanwhile, their romance is fast-paced (the wedding is quick) but ultimately slow-burning. We're treated to lots of teasing kisses and forced proximity tension.

My main critique is the rushed ending. A lot happened in the last 10 per cent, and I think it could have been fleshed out more. Otherwise, it's not a bad holiday romance to end the year with.

this was truly straight out of a hallmark movie and I read it in less than a day! the setting was cute and wintery and the plot was so unique which made for a fun and unexpected read. there were so many cute moments throughout and I absolutely adored the little girl, emma, in this book because she just added so much charm and love to the book. despite my overall enjoyment of this book, I did have some conflicting feelings though. I thought this book was so charming and it even made me emotional towards the end because of how hard-hitting the storyline was. I just couldn't help but feel for these characters and empathize with their situation. however, there were also some lines of dialogue that were a bit cringy throughout that took me out of the story a bit. also, there was a really random moment of religion being sprung into the story which I simply wasn't expecting and seemed a bit in your face which isn't my personal preference. I also just think that I prefer romances that take place over a long time period because while this was adorable, the shock of remembering they have only known each other for like four days would sometimes take me out of the story a bit lol. however, I did think this was an overall enjoyable story and I had a lot of fun reading it on christmas! the author note at the end was also very touching and it was evident how the author's emotions flowed into the story and made it so heartwarming and emotional. ultimately, I would recommend it if you want a quick, pick-me-up, whirlwind holiday romance!

A holiday romance with a twist. What starts as a joke, an ad for a husband, turns out to be a perfect match. Add in a very sick little girl waiting for a kidney transplant and you have all the ingredients of a great story.

A marriage of convenience, a cosy mountain community, and the most adorable four-year old daughter. I was hooked from the first page and grew more in love with the characters and the setting as I went.

A really heartwarming story and the perfect book to snuggle up with by the fire on Christmas Eve.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book ripped my heart apart to an extent that I was frankly surprised by, and I loved it for that! I expected fun and quirky when I read the first page - Sienna is literally freshly divorced, her friends posted an ad in the small town local newspaper, and randomly Guy and Emma walk into her life… or at least into the coffee shop. The antics that follow are not only a charming love story, but also a heartwarming blended family coming together, fun and festive holidays, and moments that tore me apart. I love love loved this book, I’m so glad to see Sarah Morgenthaler back in action!

An emotional read, the story of Sienna and Guy who get married to help his sick daughter. What will happen when real feelings get involved in this fake marriage. Loved the setting of the book too.

I want to thank thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version.

The symposis sounded interesting, and I loved the cover. But this book was a huge left down. It is extremely unrealistic. I feel like this book would have worked better if it was set in the pioneer times. I like the mail order brides and .marriage of convenience type books when they are period pieces. But a modern take just doesn't work. I think what she did in this book is very illegal? And it was very liberal, woke and feminist. The main character drove me crazy and when they brought out they/them pronouns and how wonderful the guy is for using them, and that it where I am done with the book. Bring back male writers and the books from the past.

Thanks to @sourcebookscasa and @netgalley for the #gifted copy of this book.

Summary: Following a very public and heartbreaking divorce, Sienna Naples didn't realize how lonely she would be in December on her beloved family ranch. Enter Guy Maple and his four-year-old daughter Emma who has stage-five chronic kidney disease. He comes into Sienna's life answering an ad that was supposed to be a joke post-divorce asking for a husband for hire. Sienna makes an extremely impulsive decision to marry Guy in a marriage of purpose so that Emma will be able to be placed on the kidney transplant she so desperately needs. As she spends more time with her family, her icy walls melt, but should she give her heart away again?

My Thoughts: Oh my heart.... I loved this book so so much!! Sienna has a heart of gold for just jumping into a marriage with Guy at the spur of the moment after hearing his daughter's story. And Guy.... well he just melted my heart with his ability to listen to Sienna and then follow through with her hopes and dreams. His daughter Emma, despite being so so sick was just adorable and stole the show half the time. Be sure to bring the tissues (and check the trigger warnings) because this one will hit you hard but in a good way.

Read if you love:
🏘️small town
🔥slow burn
👨single dad
💍marriage of purpose
🎄holiday contemporary romance
🚪sweet/closed-door romance

This book was the perfect pallet cleanser holiday read. It was so wonderful. It was a nice clean story that pulled at your heart strings. Marriage of convenience and single dad done right.

Sarah Morgenthaler’s The Christmas You Found Me is a tough one for all of the right reasons. Those looking to get their heart broken this holiday season need not look further than this tale about holding on to hope when all seems lost.

Cattle rancher Sienna Naples is freshly divorced and was not expecting her best friend to play a monumental joke on her to celebrate her Independence Day. That is why there are ads around town stating that Sienna is on the market and looking for a new husband. Everyone, of course, enjoys having a little bit of fun at Sienna’s expense, and she is cool with it, but she was not expecting anyone to take the ad seriously. That is, until Guy Maple walks into her life wanting to fill the role of her new husband.

Guy’s daughter Emma is terminally ill with kidney disease and is in desperate need of a transplant; however, she cannot receive one until Guy can prove that he can afford the medication needed to ensure that the transplant sticks. Nearly all of Guy’s time is spent caring for Emma, while also trying to hold down a construction job, and unfortunately, he just doesn’t have the assets needed to show that he can afford the medicine. He is desperate and willing to marry Sienna, a complete stranger, just to make sure his finances look good on paper.

Being the season of good will, Sienna decides to help out Guy and Emma, marrying Guy and inviting father and daughter to move into her home. What starts as a marriage of convenience quickly turns into something more, however, when Sienna realizes that she is falling for Guy and Emma. As Sienna becomes more invested in Emma’s life and the quest to get her a kidney, she can’t help but get attached to Guy, who is everything her ex was not. When her makeshift family starts to turn into something more, Sienna realizes she has so much to love, yet so much to lose this holiday season.

I am admittedly a bit burnt out on Christmas novels, as they have all started to feel more formulaic than festive, but The Christmas You Found Me completely took me by surprise. This book is Christmas-lite, which would ordinarily bother me in a purported holiday romance, but in the case of this novel, I was not put off a bit because Sarah Morgenthaler sure knows how to tell a story! This book is so emotional, compassionate, and absolutely heart-wrenching! I felt everything that these characters felt, and cried more than once while reading.

The Christmas You Found Me is well-developed, engaging, and authentic. Morgenthaler’s characters feel real and are people you can root for. This book explores everything that intrinsically makes us human, and captures the spirit of Christmas, not by making everything merry and bright, but rather by demonstrating how loving and supporting those most in need of a little compassion can change the world.

Trigger warning for anyone who has ever been handed the life experience of a child battling a chronic illness or a parent suffering from dementia.

Sienna, Guy, and Emma have my whole heart. I smiled and I ugly cried, and every minute of it was spectacular. This book even made me kind of interested in ranching, which I can safely say I was not at all before.

Christmas is in the title, but I wouldn’t even call this a Christmas book. It’s a book about grief and illness and finding the people who help us make the best out of tough moments. It’s about figuring out where we’re meant to be and who is supposed to be there alongside us. It’s about family and sacrifice and love in all its varying forms.

Look, Guy is a sweet, flirty, sexy book boyfriend (or husband of convenience, in this case), but it’s the way he and Sienna support each other that really makes their connection feel so real. I loved them together, and Emma is the cherry on top. She’s a real, well rounded character in her own right, not a plot device as kids sometimes are in fiction, and the book would be truly incomplete without her. I loved this little family so much.

One of my favorites from the year. Before I picked up this book, I knew of the loss the writer went through before writing this book. The dedications to her husband, and the acknowledgments had my heart hurting for you. This all made the grief and sadness within the story itself palpable. What a beautiful story with so many complexities.. I chuckled, I cried, and I couldn’t put it down. I adore Emma, Guy, Sen-na (lol). The dementia diagnosis with Sienna’s father was heartbreaking but so well written, as well as the scenes where she interacts with him.
In the course of the story, I even grew to not hate Micah.
I feel like there is so much more to say about this story but I just recommend for everyone to check it out for themselves. Trigger warnings are listed in the beginning and with the heavy topics (childhood kidney failure being a primary focus) I recommend those are read beforehand.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

I love Sarah Morgenthaler. I am used to her writing, silly little holiday books that make me giggle that have lots of holiday cheer and moose and Alaska vibes. This book was completely unlike anything else she has written before and I still loved it so much. It did break my heart and stomp it into pieces reading the note you can’t help but love this book.

A cute and cozy christmas read! I enjoyed the story and the characters as I got more and more into it. I love a good christmas book