Grace and Henry’s Holiday movie marathon was such an amazing book! In my opinion, this author wrote the perfect Holiday book! This is the best Holiday book that I have ever read. It is unique, engaging, had a clear thesis and was easy to read. It comes with emotions, some of my all time favorite holiday movies and two characters with great chemistry! This book is like a big warm hug! It starts off sad and heartbreaking, as the two characters that binge watch these holiday movies, both had previously lost their spouses. This book has a lot of grief in it, along with a lot of laughter and hopefulness! As Grace and Henry watch these holiday movies, a strong friendship and connection begins blossoming. As the story continues to develop, we see how this friendship starts to strengthen! I highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a great book to read anytime of the year! I give this book a high 5 out 5 stars rating!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Matthew Norman and Ballantine | Dell publishing for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is expected to be released on October 14, 2025!

I really enjoyed this slightly heartbreaking story that still has a happily ever after.

As a quick synopsis: Grace and Henry start a friendship around coping with similar grief - that of losing their spouse. Grace pulls Henry into her world as they both face their first holiday season without their loved one. And while she does it to help him, he ends up offering her and her kids just as much love and support back.

The story is intertwined with current time and flash backs (e.g., remembering small moments triggered by what’s occurring in the present time). It was a beautiful way to capture the uneven path of grief - how it can feel like two steps forward and one step back at any moment. And what I found most shocking while reading the book was that I could be crying then on the next page laugh at the banter and silliness. Norman did an amazing job intertwining levity with such a hard, sad topic.

My biggest issue with the story was actually brought up by Grace herself and never felt fully addressed (at least to me). Was the relationship that developed real or was it a ‘life raft’ helping four sad people be a little less sad? While this story did a better job than some portraying how Henry was healing independent of his relationship with Grace and her family, it still felt like his happiness was intertwined with them.

Overall, 4.5 rounded up. Thank you to Michael Normal, Dell, Ballantine, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.