Sophia's Reviews > A Wish for Winter

Wintry breathtaking northern Michigan small town beauty and festivities, a family-run bookstore, and a family tradition of finding THE ONE in a Santa costume as backdrop for a forty-year old woman’s journey of healing from grief and guilt to new-found happiness. A Wish for Winter is my second Viola Shipman tale and had all the feels, humor, friends and family, and winter festivities I adored in The Secret of Snow.

In the pursuit of her “Single Kringle”- as advised by bestie influencer Holly, Susan Norcross had some dating disappointments and the humor this brings right from the get-go had me chuckling aloud and settling in for a comfy, heartwarming read. Her whole town of Petoskey, a little town on the shore of Lake Michigan, has holiday hope that Susan, named for the little girl in Miracle on 34th Street no less, will be the third generation Norcross to find her match in a Santa suit. Her girlfriends, shop friends, and grandparents are all there for her and she thought it was finally happening when she was in a Santa run and had a date planned with a certain Santa-costumed guy only to be stood up. The hunt is on with Holly vetting the three best possibles.

But, it wouldn’t be a Viola Shipman story if all the mischief and holiday festivities were not balanced by a person who has some sadness and unresolved past to deal with. In this case, Susan lost both her parents at a young age during the holidays when they were hit by a drunk driver. But, instead of seeing it as just one of those bad things that happen, Susan blames herself and spends all her life from then on living by her guilt-imposed code of what she decides would have made her parents happy rather than setting her own course through life. Now she’s the age her mom was when she died and it’s a wakeup call of sorts.

The romantic mystery of who she will be with is actually not hard to spot, but I also enjoyed seeing everyone trying to figure it out. The romance is not the central element. Susan’s personal growth, her relationships with grandparents, found family, and friends- even the vibrant town of Petoskey- are all central which is why I consider this women’s fiction more than romance. However, it is all rather holiday romantic in tone so one doesn’t feel anything missing.

Incidentally, loved the short at the end and the author’s note to readers.
It does have slow spots, but all in all, this was a sweetheart of a story and made me wish I could visit the bookshop and the world of A Wish for Winter for the holidays.

I rec'd an eARC from Harlequin via NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.

My full review will post at The Reading Frenzy on Dec 5th as part of the Harlequin Ho Ho Ho Ho Event.