My New Favourite Christmas Book!

Christmas in Bayberry by Jennifer Faye is one of the best books I have read in a long time!

Generally, Hallmark and/or Romance books are pretty stereotypical yet still very enjoyable. Christmas in Bayberry was different. While it had stereotypes such as a set in a small town and second chance at love, there were other events that happened that I did not predict. It just felt like such a refreshing read from all the other Romance books I have been reading. The writing in this was also superb. It had a perfect amount of description and every time she described food my mouth started to water. I was so intrigued by the amazing beef stew. I made the included beef stew recipe at the end of the book. It was a new family favourite. Only suggestions is not making it in cast iron because of how long the tomato is in the pot. 

The characters were all super likeable. I loved Kate’s spirit and readiness to do whatever it takes to reach her goals successfully. Wesley was adorable. The way his childhood crush on Kate was described was cute. His backstory also managed to feel a little fresh from similar ones. The supporting characters were equally loveable and well balanced in the story. The encouraging Mystery Santa was a fun little addition that ran throughout the entire book and added an interesting twist. 

I loved the town of Bayberry. Somehow Faye manages to make it feel like the coziest and friendliest small town of all time. Everything in this book was well balanced and well paced. I appreciated that while the characters had a history with each other, from when they were children, it was not an instant oh I had feelings for you years ago let’s fall in love instantly. While feelings from the past were acknowledged, the buildup steadily over the course of the whole book, but especially the first half, was well done. 

This book does not deserve 5 stars, it deserves way more! It will probably be in my top 10 books of the year (and I usually read 100’s of books.) It has become my favourite Christmas story and one I will be reading year after year or whenever I need a little Christmas cheer or a sweet treat. I cannot wait to see what else Jennifer Faye writes. 

I received an eARC from Hallmark Publishing. All opinions are 100% my own.