No Ordinary Christmas

I thought this book sounded too cute to pass up and it was cute but it was also a bit of a letdown. I will say that I really liked the setting here. Mistletoe, Maine is definitely a place I'd love to be able to visit in real life and even though this book fell a bit flat for me, I'm quite tempted to take a return trip for book two because I still feel a lot of potential here. I found Lucy quite likable but I can't say I was a fan of Dante's, and that put a big damper on this book for me. I could not move beyond feeling that Lucy deserved better, Dante's family deserved better and YES!, even the town of Mistletoe deserved better from Dante than what they got. So this was just an OK book for me personally. I am independently posting an impartial review.

It's been almost a decade since actor Dante departed Mistletoe, Maine for Hollywood without warning, leaving girlfriend Lucy behind. She's moved on with her life and is now the town's head librarian, while Dante has reached superstar status. When he returns to film a movie in his hometown, it opens Lucy's old wounds. Can he convince her to give him a second chance at love? If you like Christmas, small New England towns, ornery little sisters, family reunions, kisses under the mistletoe, and second-chance romance, this novel might just be for you. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Lucy and Dante have a history. They've known each other since childhood and have those special bonds that people have when knowing someone that long! However, when that relationship turned to a romantic one when they were teenagers, they thought it would be forever. Dante had a dream of being an actor in Hollywood and one day, he just left with no goodbye. It broke Lucy's heart to the point that she never got over it. Suddenly, Dante is back after almost 9 years. He's a Hollywood superstar and Lucy wants nothing to do with him. She has suffered enough. Dante is back in his hometown to make a movie and hopefully, make amends to all the people he hurt. The Maine town in this book is written vividly and so descriptively! The author did a magnificent job of dragging the reader into the small town and making them a part of this special place. Lucy is a strong, independent woman who loves her family and her town. She wasn't going to let Dante pull her into another relationship again. Dante also loved his family but he has issues with them that needed to be resolved. I felt for him as he went around and tried to make his amends. That wouldn't have been easy to do! I connected with Lucy from the very beginning! How heartbreaking it would be to have such strong dreams and have them crushed and then have them effect your life for nearly a decade! I don't know why I didn't really connect with Dante. I know he was sincere in his desire to right his wrongs, especially make things up to Lucy, but I just never felt strongly about his character. I'm sure it was just me! I loved Lucy's younger sister, Tess! She was such a fun spark in the story! I look forward to other books in this series.