3.5 Stars

This definition swoon worthy, Hallmark Christmas movie wrapped up in a book! That is why I only gave 3.5 stars. It was very predictable.
I did really enjoy that there were 3 HEAs instead of just one! The narr0rator did a fantastic job and this was a very quick listen.

There're parts of this story which I absolutely love, and then there were bits which bored me till I zoned out. We have 3 FMCs, all of them at pivotal times in their life and undergo a decent character arc over the course of the book. The setting and its descriptions were quite pleasant to say the least. I love that all of the characters get their happy ending in the end, but the process of getting there was pretty tedious. The writing was off at times, with way too much filler to unnecessarily lengthen the book and the character voices were at times hard to distinguish. The occasional scenes with lovely banter kept me going and that was the only thing that made the listen worthwhile.

Posting on September 8, 2024
This audiobook got me in the mood for Christmas! I loved everything about, the location, Riley coming home and seeing old friends, and of course high school sweethearts reuniting. Anyone who loves Christmas and food will love this book as well, because there is a lot of food talk. Which is a good thing! I also enjoyed that Riley’s mom was also taking chances and living her best life.
Riley had a lot to think about while home for the holidays. Of course, she always wanted to live in a big city and to have her career, but what if that wasn’t enough anymore? Would living in Chatham for good mean that she gave up on her own dreams? Or would it mean that she finally found what had been missing in her life?
If you want to start the holidays out right, do so by reading or listening to this book. You won’t regret, my only recommendation is that you enjoy with some Christmas cookies.

All the perfect Hallmark feels!
This is a slow burn no spice type of romance.
Christmas is woven in the background but not the focal point making this a perfect read during the cooler months.

When Riley loses her job as a marketing manager she goes to her home town to help her mom that broke her leg with the Inn. All the hallmark love and feelings ensue.

I listened via audio. I think it was a perfect! The audio narration was great!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my opinion.

The Christmas Inn is a cozy read that takes place in a small town around Christmas time. When Riley unexpectedly lost her job, she found herself back home to help her mom take care of the inn. She soon realizes she loves working at the inn, meeting new people, and being around her family. Her high school sweetheart, Aidan, is also staying at the inn while work is done to his house, and Riley is enjoying catching up with him so much that she starts doubting her relationship with super busy lawyer, Jack.

The story is sweet and cozy, and I enjoyed Riley’s story as well as her mom’s and Franny’s. The plot was fairly predictable, but I appreciated that it was all about second chances and new beginnings. It’s a heartwarming read that would be great for a cold winter night. It was a bit slow paced at times, and slightly repetitive, but I still found it enjoyable overall.

The narrator, Stephanie Nemeth-Parker did a fantastic job and had a calm and soothing voice that was perfect for this story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin Paperback and Macmillan Audio for providing me the opportunity to listen and review an early copy of this novel. All of the thoughts and the opinions expressed are my own.

Riley Sanders lost her job in New York City, and her mom fell and broke her leg, She decided to head home to Cape Cod to help her mom run her inn during the holidays. We follow Riley and her mother, Riley’s old flame Aidan and his son Luke, another guest named Franny and many other memorable characters. This book is full of family and found family.

This was a heart-warming Christmas read. It was just the right amount of Hallmarkish feelings. We have several people’s stories all tied together in one big bow.

The narrator of this book did a great job keeping my attention. I was able to follow with no problems.

If you are looking for a sweet and clean Christmas read then I recommend this book for you. If you find this kind of story on the cheesy side this one might not be for you.

Who’s in the mood for Christmas?!

“The Christmas Inn” is a great way to start getting into the Christmas Spirit. This is a small town, closed door, hallmark-esque type of story. Big city marketing professional loses her job due to an AI takeover and heads home to cape cod for the holidays. There she runs into her ex-boyfriend now single dad. Current big city lawyer boyfriend enters the picture, helps her find a new job, but she is not sure if the the big city is the right place for her.

This is an easy to read, low stakes filler or tandem book to read when the rest of you books on the reading list are about high stakes themes such as war, genocide, social injustice, environmental disasters, or murder. The dialog is a little saccharine for me, but overall a pleasant read if those others themes don’t float your boat or you need a break.

Also, I might need to pick up some lighter books. 🙄

This was a sweet Christmas/love story. Predictable but a feel good story. Great holiday read by the fire & lights of the season.

Charming novel. Second chances, renewal and happiness can be achieved with the right person and circumstances.

Nothing like getting cozy and reading a wonderful novel located on Cape Cod. This book was perfect. Full of life bumps, ex boyfriend's, an adorable old lady with messages from her sister who passed away, and of course Cape Cod charm. This book was a great read. The characters minus of course the few author doesn't want you to favor; were all enjoyable. Looking forward to more from this author.

Loved this sweet second chance story for several characters in this story . The Inn sounds like a wonderful place to visit , love that the characters at the Inn each had a story to tell .

This book was such a warm and cozy holiday story with a touch of suspense. Set in a Cape Cod Bed and Breakfast during Christmas, it will have you believing in the magic of the season.

I listened to the audiobook, and the immersive experience had me feeling like I was in the middle of a cozy, Christmassy Hallmark movie. I absolutely loved it. All the characters are relatable and likable, and the plot is about finding joy in your life and having a work /life balance, making this a truly feel-good storyline. There is also a theme of second chances and the importance of family

There were many realistic aspects in the story, such as Artificial Intelligence taking over Raley's job, which gave the story a more modern feel to it.

I highly recommend this wonderful book to anyone who loves holiday books.

My sincere thanks to Netgally, the author, and Macmillian Audio for my copy. My review was voluntary.

I love Pamela M. Kelley's books. They always make you feel warm and cozy. Stephanie Németh-Parker did a great job narrating this book and kept me entertained throughout the book. Her voice was very smooth and made me feel like I was there with the characters. The characters and story are well written and enjoyable. Riley returns home to help her mother at her bed and breakfast while she's recovering from a leg injury. Riley misses her life in Manhattan and her boyfriend at first but then starts getting into a comfortable routine. She starts meeting new friends and getting reacquainted with her old boyfriend and son. This was such a heartwarming story set in a small town that made you feel all warm and cozy while you listen to it. I didn't want to stop listening to this book. I felt like this would be a great Hallmark movie! If you want a feel good book that will put you in the holiday spirit please grab this audiobook. I would highly recommend this book. Grab a cup of cocoa and find a cozy chair to curl up in and ENJOY!!


Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this ALC for my honest opinion.

Listen up, I know it’s spooky season… but Christmas is rightttt there! And this book does it for me.

I will say, it’s a typical, predictable story that’s been told so many times. But the writing style stands out for me and I can’t put my finger on it. I didn’t get annoyed listening to this one and I highly recommend this!
This is a cozy hallmark style promised to make you feel good.

I’ll let spooky season finish, but let’s not forget about cozy Christmas coming up! 👀🎅🏼🎄

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story gives all the feel good Hallmark Christmas movie vibes. It’s a cute story with a very happy ending! Who doesn’t love a widowed single father finding love again with his high school sweetheart?!
This is an intergenerational story with multiple characters finding love.

The Inn made for the perfect setting! I love all of the descriptions of the inn, the activities, and the food they served. This story definitely made me hungry.

Overall, a sweet story that will put you in the mood for Christmas!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Christmas Inn by Pamela M. Kelley.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I was hoping that maybe her writing would be a tad bit different. The author likes to go above and beyond when she describes things in her book, to the point it feels like too many details. At times you would think this was a cookbook. Definitely has a Hallmark movie vibe. Girl loses job, goes to her mother's house to help for a few weeks, and girl sees old boyfriend. Girl questions if her current boyfriend works to much or is who she really wants to be with. Mom meets a handsome divorced wood worker, and they hit it off.

My first Pamela M. Kelley book, The Christmas Inn, was such a heartwarming story. A departure from my general book/genre choices, this was an easy, evenly paced, well written, Hallmark movie type read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters were likable, the scenery beautifully described, and the love stories among generations were sweet. The narration was flawless which I always appreciate! While quite predictable, I didn't find myself bored in the least.

Thank you to Pamela M Kelley, NetGalley, and Macmillian Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was just a lovely Christmas story. You want to curl up in front of the fire and become a guest of the Christmas Inn to be a witness to all of the wonderful things happening inside it's walls and to experience the essence of Christmas. This book is heartwarming and the characters are every day normal people who are looking for something to fill in the gaps within their lives. The narrator has a lovely soothing voice that goes along with the essence of the inn. It is exactly the kind of book you are looking for in a holiday read!

In this book you get multiple points of view and follow basically three different love stories, one of which is a love triangle of sorts. But I enjoyed seeing each relationship take shape. One of the people staying at the Inn has an interesting storyline with letters from her sister who has died and each of the things her sister wants her to experience. I would have liked to have spent even more time on that element. Truthfully I enjoyed all the stories well enough but I had one big complaint about the book. All the wine and cheese, and what people wore and ate. Tell me that people attended the wine and cheese hour but I don't really care what kind of wine they drank and how much they loved it. (Pretty much they loved every wine they sampled). And I don't need the play by play on the cheese flavors or what everyone wore and so forth. It was too much frivolous information that I didn't care about. It didn't add to the plot for me to know which wine they drank so it was just empty words in the book. I don't supposed this is literally true but I FELT like if all this info had been edited out, it would have cut the book length by a third. And I wouldn't have missed it at all. Personally I don't eat cheese or drink alcohol so maybe if I did I would have been more interested in that info.
I liked the characters and the multiple love stories and the setting sounded lovely. I liked the found-family feel of the inn.
The narration on this audiobook is very well done. No complaints there.

Sex: some mentions of people potentially living together
Language: no
Violence: no
*I received a complimentary Audiobook through NetGalley and voluntarily chose to review it.

A great Christmas romance, a wonderful narrator and tons of holiday touches make this a great book to listen to while you are wrapping gifts!