[Review] The Santa Suit - Mary Kay Andrews

Summary: When newly-divorced Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen, she is definitely looking for a change in her life. The Four Roses, as the farmhouse is called, is a labor of love—but Ivy didn't bargain on just how much labor. The previous family left so much furniture and so much junk, that it's a full-time job sorting through all of it.

At the top of a closet, Ivy finds an old Santa suit—beautifully made and decades old. In the pocket of a suit she finds a note written in a childish hand: it's from a little girl who has one Christmas wish, and that is for her father to return home from the war. This discovery sets Ivy off on a mission. Who wrote the note? Did the man ever come home? What mysteries did the Rose family hold?

Ivy's quest brings her into the community, at a time when all she wanted to do was be left alone and nurse her wounds. But the magic of Christmas makes miracles happen, and Ivy just might find more than she ever thought possible: a welcoming town, a family reunited, a mystery solved, and a second chance at love. (Pub Date: Sep 28 2021)

 

I think I've grown used to Mary Kay Andrews's more recent style to a point it took me three quarters of the book to believe there wasn't some big conspiracy, that one was dead, and no one would be getting killed. This is a heartwarming, romantic Christmas story. 

Ivy decided to change her life after her divorce, so she bought a big house in the country as well as a box of chicks she intends to raise there in the farm with her rescue dog. She had no idea the house would come not only with the furniture but a lot of the previous owners' precious possessions, like a Santa suit they used every Christmas to receive all the kids from the region. Not to mention the cute and very helpful realtor, who keeps making her life easier. 

3.5, rounded up.

This was surely sweet and hopeful, the right amount of sugar I needed. 

Ivy isn't having the best time of her life having lost her husband, her company, and even her best and only client. However, the plot was a little far fetched, just like you'd expect from a Hallmark holiday movie, and it ticked me off a bit. All of a sudden she wants to find out who this girl is out of a million letters to Santa and that leads to a very good new client as well as well directly to the girls grandfather? I think Andrews just wanted to get the story out without worrying abut much and I really feel it's a little bit of therapy reading it, because everything is perfect and nice, as if the world isn't in the middle of a pandemic. For that reason, keep it in mind not to expect much from the book, the plot isn't complex, Ivy is hardworking but has some random moments that I can only see as "I need to advance the plot, no reasons given", which made it hard for me to like her much as a character or even pity her despite it being clear how her life had reached rock bottom. 

Anyway, as a non-consequential romance for the holidays, this book excels. It has a few plot twists I hadn't foreseen and that got me laughing/gasping. Also, it's all very lovely. If you need to get away from life for a few days, this is a wonderful choice.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Rating: 4 out of 5.