25 Days 'Til Christmas

October 1, 2019

Zoe had been ill for a while, and not long into the new year, she passed away. Her husband, Daniel, has felt her loss every day, but the impending holiday season and their annual traditions, including a visit with the Christmas Tree Girl, weigh on his heart already. Kate, aka Christmas Tree Girl, was widowed four years ago and dreads the holidays for her own reasons, most centered on a lack of money and worry about her six-year-old son, Jack. When a friend suggests Kate create an advent calendar with 25 "easy steps" to a Christmas miracle, Kate thinks, Why not? Can this holiday countdown bring together two people who so obviously need each other? VERDICT Pseudonomous author Alexander's poignant story of loss and grief also hints at hope for future happiness. Reading about characters getting what they deserve is satisfying, and it's easy to imagine this book as the next megahit holiday film.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019
Alexander pulls at readers' heartstrings with this sweet holiday novel. Kate Potter, a single mother to six-year-old Jack, has been struggling to make ends meet ever since her husband died in the army. Tired of her dead-end job and overdue bills, she makes a plan to rekindle her love for Christmas and give Jack a holiday to remember. The eccentric cast of characters is Kate's support system: they prove that it truly takes a village to raise a child, especially when Jack is labeled as having special needs and the school decides to kick him out. Despite the many obstacles being thrown Kate's way, she is determined to make this Christmas special for Jack, and maybe even find herself in love with another lonely heart, Daniel. In alternating viewpoints between Kate and Daniel, readers will see their love story unfold as they conquer the Advent-calendar countdown Kate created as part of her Christmas revival. Readers who enjoy Jenny Colgan and Jill Mansell will be thrilled to pick up this novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)