by Jenny Bayliss
Publisher: GP Outnam's Sons
Pages: 413
Format: eARC
Goodreads: Three bickering half sisters. One unique antiques shop. The coziest holiday season of their lives. Wildly different half sisters Maggie, Simone, and Star have hardly seen one another since their sprightly summers at Rowan Thorp, their eccentric father Augustus’s home. Known for his bustling approach to the knick-knack shop he ran, Augustus was loved by all and known by none, not even his daughters. Now, years later, the three estranged women are called upon for the reading of Augustus’s will and quickly realize he's orchestrated a series of hoops through which they must jump to unlock their inheritance—the last thing any of them want to do. But Maggie and Star desperately need the money. And who would Simone be to resist? Through hilarious goose chases, small-town mishaps, and one heart-warming winter solstice celebration, love, hope, and reconcilation is in the air, if only the three sisters can let themselves grasp it.
Kritters Thoughts: A story that I have read before where a family member has passed and they have left their kin with a charge in their will and their goal is to bring the family back together. These three half sisters all shared one father who was eccentric, but cared for each of his daughters and hoped that they would have each other when he was gone. Augustus left his daughters a treasure hunt and a challenge.
This was such a fun ride. I loved the uniqueness of the sisters and I believe that all readers could find themselves in at least one of them and they are each at crossroads in their lives where having their sisters will help them cross each bridge. While there is some romance in this book, it isn't the full focus and instead the role of both your internal family and found family in a community really shines in this book.
My second Jenny Bayliss holiday book and now an author that I hope to read during each holiday season as her books are just fun to read with great characters and a wonderfully joyful holiday setting.
Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row
Ebook 2023 Challenge: 9 out of 100
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one copy of this book free of charge from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.