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Release date: October 16, 2018

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb:

Angela Carson wants nothing more than to be the third-generation to run her family’s holiday store, Heart of Christmas, successfully. They’ve weathered over sixty tourist seasons, major hurricanes, and urban sprawl, in their old decommissioned lighthouse. But the national chain that set up shop in their small North Carolina town of Pleasant Sands may be more than Heart of Christmas can survive.

Encouraged by her niece to ask Santa for help, Angela gives in and lets the words fly in a way that, if Santa were real, would no doubt land her on the naughty list. What’s the harm when it’s just a computer-generated response?

Geoff Paisley has been at his mother’s side running the mega-chain Christmas Galore for the last ten years. When his mother falls ill, Geoff promises to answer the town’s Dear Santa letters in her stead. Soon he realizes the woman he’s been corresponding with on Dear Santa is Angela. How could the woman that grates his every last nerve in person have intrigued him so deeply through those letters?

When Geoff reveals that he’s her Dear Santa, will Angela be able to set aside their very public feud to embrace the magic of the holiday and possibly find true love? 

Review:

I know I’m not the only one who loves the slightly cheesy movies the Hallmark Channel plays in the run up to Christmas, right?! There’s something so sweet and innocent about them, yes they’re predictable but there is comfort in predictability and they provide such a great escape from real life. If you’re a fan of those kind of movies then you have got to read this book, I just know it’ll show up on that channel eventually and it’s perfect for fans of holiday romances.

The first thing I heard about this one was that it was a holiday retelling of the movie You’ve Got Mail and all I could think was yeessssss! It definitely draws on inspiration from the movie but is it’s own unique version and was adorable in it’s own way. Angela and Geoff have the whole enemies to romance thing going on and their bickering was honestly probably one of my favorite aspects of this. Another thing I enjoyed was that each chapter began with either a Dear Santa letter or a fact about the town of Pleasant Sands and in an era where most chapters are just numbered I found this to be a sweet touch.

Recommended as an ideal holiday read and one that will sweep you away for a few hours, it’s uncomplicated and cute but the characters still show depth. It was my first book by Naigle but won’t be my last, and I just checked and two of her other books are already Hallmark movies so I’m off to set my DVR haha!

Dear Santa in three words: Whimsical, Cheery and Bright.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.