Title: A Christmas by the Sea by Melody Carlson

Genre: Inspirational Christmas novella

My rating: 4/5

From the back cover: When Wendy Harper inherits her family’s beachside cottage in Seaside, Maine, she sees it as a way to finally pay off the debts that have mounted since her husband died. Her twelve-year-old son Jackson sees it as an exciting new start in a life that has grown rather gray without his father.

Before it can be sold, the neglected property must be renovated. Wendy and Jackson move in–temporarily, she reminds him–in order to fix the place up before Christmas. But the charming town, along with local craftsman Caleb Colton, pulls on Wendy. She knows that the most responsible thing to do is to sell the cottage and return to Ohio, but the lure of the sea–and a fresh start–is hard to resist.

It might seem a little too early to be reading Christmas books, but since this one is set in my home state of Maine, I couldn’t resist! From the small-town setting to the delightful characters, this story reminds me of a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form 🙂

While I did enjoy the relationship between Wendy and Caleb – including their first meeting, which was pretty funny! – Wendy’s son Jackson was one of my favorite characters in the book. He’s dealing with growing up without his dad while trying to help his mom however he can (including setting her up with Caleb!). However, I did think the communication issues between Wendy and Jackson seemed a little unrealistic. The ending felt rushed, but that tends to be common in novellas and short stories. The story was a little predictable, but that’s part of the charm of cute Christmas stories.

Overall, this book is a sweet, feel-good story that would be perfect to curl up with on a snowy day, or this fall as you look forward to Christmas!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own; I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you, Revell Books and Baker Publishing Group!