Member Reviews

Holy carp. Talk about emotionally wrecking me. This book ripped me apart, and sewed me back together multiple times. I'm not sure I've ever met a book couple more suited for each other than Guy and Sienna. If you're expecting a light and fluffy holiday book, this ain't it. But its fucking good.

Was this review helpful?

This is not a story about a marriage of convenience, but rather a story about a marriage of purpose. When a friend of freshly divorced Sienna’s publishes a Husband Wanted ad as a joke, Sienna expects some good natured ribbing from her neighbors and that is about it. She doesn’t expect to find herself marrying Guy the next day. However once she meets Guy and learns about his sick daughter and their need for health insurance she just cannot say no. Once Emma and Guy move into her home and she starts to get to know the two of them feelings become real and she realizes she isn’t the only one helping shoulder burdens. Maybe this Christmas has real miracles in store.

This was a wonderfully sweet and emotional story. Tears were shed more than once. It may be a bit too heavy to be added to my annual holiday rotation but it definitely made me feel the holiday spirit.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Sarah Morgenthaler's writing is refreshing and easy to digest. I enjoyed her banter and wit.
Sienna's determination to keep her family's ranch and the legacy that it represents was admirable and showed her strong character. Guy would do anything for his daughter, even sacrifice himself. He is such a caring man. He is an acts of service king. He never stops showing Sienna how grateful he is. He's absolutely charming and caring. Despite their unusual circumstances when they got to know each other they fit very well together.
I really liked Emma's character. She was realistically written for her age. Emma and Sienna's relationship was very cute. It was light and sweet but you could see that Emma actually trusted Sienna.
The only thing that bothered me while reading is that the ending felt kind of rushed. It could have played out a little slower, but it wasn't that big of a fault. The overall story was very enjoyable and a great Christmas read. The snowed ranch and small town setting were giving all the holiday feels.

Was this review helpful?

Guy and Sienna were such a sweet couple and it was such a cute romance to really start setting me in the holiday mood.

Guy is a single dad just trying to do the best he can by his daughter Emma, who needs a kidney transplant.
Sienna is fresh out of a divorce when her best friend posts an ad looking for a ‘husband for hire’.

A marriage of convenience turned loving festive relationship gave me all the grins and feet kicking moments.
Not to mention the few tearful moments I felt due to the emotional parts of the storyline. Guy was what Sienna needed, and Emma was the one that truly bought them together.

This book was so good and I can’t wait to read it again closer to Christmas!

Was this review helpful?

When you think of a Christmas romcom, you think of a lighthearted story with a touch of holiday spirit. But The Christmas You Found Me was so much more than that. It was a story of love and faith but also a story of loss.

I'm not sure I've ever met another main male character as loving or caring as Guy. He could have easily been bitter and closed-off with how hard life had been to him and Emma, but he was nothing of the sort. Similarly, Sienna could have easily been bitter and closed-off with how her marriage ended, but she was nothing but compassionate to her new family.

This book is heavier than I expected, even with the content warnings at the beginning. I'll admit I shed more than my fair share of tears throughout. But I can assure readers that in true romance novel fashion, there is a happily ever after at the end.

I'll wrap this up by saying the moments depicted in this book were incredibly well-written. And when I read the Acknowledgements, I knew why. I'm glad somethings as good as The Christmas You Found Me could come from author Sarah Morgenthaler's absolute heartbreak, and I hope she continues to find peace despite that eternal sadness.

P.S. I really hope the next book in this series is about Charley, because he deserves all the love and adoration in the world.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

Was this review helpful?

This book gave me all the feels. I smiled and I cried. It really tugged at heartstrings for sure! It was really well written and had a lot of emotional depth. Not what I was expecting based on the authors previous works, but honestly it was better. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

I would like to thank NetGalley and Victory Editing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

wow oh wow. This book was heartbreaking and beautiful at the exact same time. You think maybe this is gonna be lighthearted by the cover, but reading the synopsis, you are going in for a real ride with this one❤️.. the story follows a father and his very sick daughter who is need of a kidney transplant asap or.. well you know what would happen if she doesn’t get it.💔.. enter Sienna, this family’s miracle🫶🏻❤️.. I definitely don’t want to say anymore because I want people to read this one. This book touched my heart and made me tear up so many times.. the relationship between Guy and Sienna was so beautiful to see and read about. He was so gentle with her. So patient.. and sienna did everything she could to help this family especially his daughter Emma❤️ she loved them like they were her very own❤️ I can say so much about this one. I just adored it. This was one heck of a Christmas read✨

Was this review helpful?

Such a wonderful Christmas story. It had a little bit of a different feel because of the child character and I enjoyed that. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Awesome cover too!

Was this review helpful?

This amazing story has all the feels of love, heartache and family at Christmastime. Sarah Morganthaler has done it again! She has really created a retreat and I could not put this book down.

This story is set in a small town, on a ranch and focuses on divorce, love and what family truly means. I quickly fell in love with all the human and non-human characters (<3 Barley and Legs) as Morganthaler writes in a magical way where fun and laughter can be found even in the hard moments. You will definitely need some tissues as many hard topics including sick loved ones, young and old, are included in this book.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is wanting a Christmas story with REAL feelings both happy and sad.

Was this review helpful?

Even knowing the author's recent tragedy, I absolutely did not expect to ugly cry through a lot of this book- especially at the very beginning when they met at the coffee shop. My heart shattered into pieces. What a beautifully poignant and well-written novel. I could feel the love and desperation that Guy experienced for his daughter in my bones. And Sienna, What a beautifully strong and good-hearted woman. It was so wonderful to experience her character's emotional growth in this book. I can only hope that writing this was, as much as it could be, a cathartic experience for the author. I hope she is immensely proud of herself for writing such an amazingly vulnerable book.

Was this review helpful?

4.5 stars
This is an entertaining, powerful read. Guy and Sienna are strong, complex, wounded, intriguing, interesting, relatable, captivating, charming, entertaining characters. I enjoyed their romance and the path it took to get to their HEA. It was fun spending time with them. They had me cheering for them from the very beginning. The secondary characters – especially Emma and the animals – added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. This story will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. While the story deals with some tough subject matters, it is beautifully told and written.

TW: The story deals with the loss of a parent to dementia and death as well as the illness of a child who desperately needs a kidney transplant to live.

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

Was this review helpful?

This book was so real. It was deep and heartfelt. My heart broke with the authors note. It made the book more meaningful. I loved the characters and the trials they faced. Well written and fun.

Was this review helpful?

Lo ame, fue perfecto.

The Christmas you found me logra captar el amor, la unión, nostalgia, esperanza, miedo, romance, perseverancia, tranquilidad, confusión, compasion, admiracion, asombro, gratitud de una manera tan linda que se sintió como una apapacho.

La historia se da en pocos días, sin embargo, no se siente apresurado, se siente como algo predestinado. Sienna estaba destinada a conocer a Guy y Emma, ayudarlos, amarlos y convertiste en familia.



Guy es un gran padre, hizo de todo por el bien de su hija. Llegó a un punto en el que se estaba matando para darle todo a Emma y eso fue lo que hizo que Sienna lo quisiera ayudar.

Sufrí con todo lo que pasaba Emma, una niña que llevaba años con dolor y muchas limitantes debido a su salud.

A pesar de que Sienna tenía salud, también pasó por cosas difíciles: su divorcio y el diagnóstico de su papá. La pobre pensó que lo mejor de su vida había pasado y ahora sólo tendría que sobrevivir, pero cuando conoció a Guy y Emma se dio cuenta que lo mejor estaba por venir.



La historia fue una montaña rusa de emociones.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book was absolutely perfect and everything I needed to read. If you’re a fan of Sarah Adams or Rainbow Rowell, you will LOVE this book.

Oh my goodness! What a beautiful comfort book - I’m sitting here typing this with tears still wet on my face.

The acknowledgments too - wow. Just wow.

Do you ever just read a book and you finish it thinking, “this person was meant to be a writer”? That’s this book for me.
I have a grandparent with dementia so to read the scene with Emma and her father was really, really touching and special for me. I think that’s when I started crying and didn’t stop.

It started off hilarious but as you read, you start to love the characters so much. Still little moments of banter but it becomes a really deep, sweet love story. I can see my daughter in Emma, who both love animals so much. It was sweet to read about the bond between Barley the dog and Emma.

The writing is gorgeous, and for anyone struggling with God due to the circumstances you’re in, it’s such a great read. Light mentions but a gorgeous book. I loved how it shows that God answers prayers in maybe not the way we want all the time, but the way we need.

No spice but still AMAZING tension. THANK YOU!
I loved reading about how these two main characters became so much more and grew together. They really needed each other to become stronger and more wonderful. I really liked all the characters and how they were written!

Random representation of the non binary community which was surprising but really nice!
And the food mentioned actually made me so hungry as they sounded amazing lol.

I could not rate this higher, just the fact it resonated with me and my circumstances & gave me so much comfort, I had to rate it five stars.

Was this review helpful?

Freshly divorced Sienna Naples finds herself rushing back into marriage in order to help a sick child. Guy Mable has done the best he can to care for his little girl but in order to be eligible for the transplant she desperately needs, he has to prove that he can afford all of the follow-up medications. Sienna offers to marry Guy so that he and his daughter can be covered by her insurance and have a stable place to live.

The Christmas You Found Me is the first book in the Heart of the Wilderness series. It can be read as a stand-alone. There are a few fade to black moments but nothing overtly spicy.

Emotions! I think I felt every single one while reading this book. Anything with an ill child is bound to be a tearjerker but having it set around the holiday season somehow makes it more heart wrenching. The love and care that develops between Sienna and Emma is just as important to the story as the progression of the relationships between Sienna and Guy. I appreciate the sensitive but realistic way in which the author describes Emma’s kidney failure and everything that goes along with it. The author also shows a genuine look at Alzheimer’s through Sienna and her interactions with her father.

The Christmas You Found Me is one of my most anticipated releases for the year. Sarah Morgenthaler crafted a beautiful love story for Sienna and Guy and I can’t wait to see what she does with the rest of the series.

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

Was this review helpful?

Marriage of Convenience… more of a Marriage of Purpose. Guy and Sienna get married to keep Guy’s daughter on the kidney transplant list.

Whew. I knew the storyline going in, but it was still emotional to read at times. Other times, however, it was funny and swoony and lovely. It was a nice balance actually. Throw in ranch life with lots of animals and some Christmas vibes.

Trigger warnings: childhood illness and Alzheimer’s

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for The Christmas You Found Me to come out September 24, 2024.

Was this review helpful?

this was a deeply emotional, heartwarming, endlessly lovely story. Guy & Sienna are both deeply loving people who will do anything for the people they love. we see them both make leaps & bounds for the people in their life. it is so special to special and tear-enduring to see them both love Emma with their everything, doing anything necessary to keep her happy & healthy.

the nuanced, deeply personal ways grief is woven throughout the story was so authentic & essential to the story. the loss of people we love, their lives & their minds, as well as loss of experiences, memories, relationships, etc. are all worthy of grief. this story so eloquently & beautifully shows how grief stays with us in all aspects of our lives, and how it so necessarily coexists with joy. I felt both so abundantly while reading this.

this is truly a beautiful story in every single way. Guy & Sienna have a unique and oh so loving story & Emma is such a joy as the three of them become such a loving, patient, accepting family. and all the family & friendships make this story all the much more special & beautiful.

thank you so much for this arc :)

Was this review helpful?

what a wonderful story. Guy and Sienna along with his daughter are made for each other. Guy and Sienna both have personal issues but they only enhance the relationship not deter it. Very heartwarming

Was this review helpful?