Book Description:
Can a tropical escape from holiday blues turn her Christmas into a snowy wonderland filled with joy and cheer?
Carol Langstrom hates Christmas. Growing up in a dysfunctional home, with a birthday on December 25 and too many dashed childhood expectations, the holiday season is something she would rather avoid. And working in the design industry where she manages seasonal decor for wealthy, entitled clients certainly hasn’t helped!
So, this year her goal is to flee to the Bahamas–by herself–bah humbug! But bad weather and God’s radically different plan redirect her flight to blustery Michigan, where she gets stuck on her aunt’s farm and discovers a different kind of Christmas–one wrapped in love, family, and holiday spirit.
Melody Carlson’s Christmas novella delivers all the charm of a holiday Hallmark movie, is rooted in Christian faith, woven with sweet romance, and features A Christmas Carol themes.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Once Upon a Christmas Carol, a delightful Christmas novella set in Michigan. Carol plans a two week Christmas vacation on her own in the Bahamas where she’ll celebrate her fortieth birthday on Christmas Day. She hates Christmas and wants to avoid seeing her dysfunctional family.
Carol’s vacation plans are derailed when her flight from Seattle to Miami is diverted to Grand Rapids, Michigan, due to poor weather conditions. She’s stuck in Michigan and remembers that her narcissistic mother is estranged from her older sister who Carol has never met, and who might still live in Michigan.
Carol’s desire to connect with her aunt, purely for practical reasons because the airport is closed and overnight accommodation is impossible to find, is a catalyst for Carol to start unpacking her emotional baggage from her dysfunctional family relationships.
I loved the white Christmas setting and the small town community who celebrate the festive season. The story includes cute misunderstandings, quirky characters, mean girls causing trouble, and a sweet romance bubbling along in the background.
I recommend Once Upon a Christmas Carol to contemporary fiction readers who like charming Christmas novellas with the stranded trope that include Scrooge and Cinderella story elements, family drama, low angst friends-to-more romance, and faith threads with forgiveness themes.
Many thanks to Revell and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
This Book sounds amazing and I Love the cover!
Hi Sarah, The cover is pretty and it’s a fabulous story. Thanks for stopping by. 😊