This romance has a touch of fantasy in that Noel and Jonah, a couple drifting apart, enter an odd store, make a wish, and wake up living in separate apartments. How they come together makes a warm fuzzy story with a thread of dealing with old grief. Off-setting that is Elliott, a lovable dog. I chose it for insomnia reading, and it was perfect for that.

I'm not a big fan of Christmas stories but this one seemed interesting and I wasn't disappointed. Interesting concept and well written and well paced story made this a quick read.

Thank you to Net galley for letting me read this book! It was a super cute romance Christmas book. It definitely isn’t a book that contains spice, but it does have a cute story with a perfect ending. It made me feel like I was in a hallmark movie!

This is a sweet Christmas romance that will put you in the Christmas spirit. It is full of emotions and will keep you turning the pages. It's a great read you don't want to miss.
I received a complimentary copy from Avon and Harper Voyager via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was more emotional than I was ready for. I loved Pad and Elliot the most, but the main characters were really likable as well. I was confused after the first chapter, but I caught on eventually and it all wrapped together in a nice Christmas bow.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

A Wish for Christmas was a warm holiday romance that was cute, but not cutesy. I really enjoyed it. The synopsis is spot on, so if it sounds up your alley, be sure to read it. This was exactly what I was looking for. I'm so glad I picked it up & plan on reading another Christmas book by Courtney Cole this holiday season.

This was a cute Halmark worthy holiday romance. I enjoyed that they were both from NYC coming home to their small town. Elliot was a great character and I enjoyed all of his antics. I enjoyed Noel and Jonah trying to make peace with their warring parents. The book/publishing elements were interesting too. My only complaint is that it felt like it never wrapped up from their original lives or explained why they both seemed so similar to each other.

While the romance is sweet in this book, there aren't really any surprises. You can see the happy ending right from the beginning. Even the way the dispute between their two fathers is resolved is totally foreseeable.

Also, the main premise of the book is not believable. People don't grow up in a vacuum their lives are intertwined with others. Therefore, it seems unrealistic that the two could grow up in the same town and suddenly not remember each other and yet everyone else remembers them both. It also doesn't seem likely that their lives and background stories could be completely changed and yet no one else's is.

However, that being said, the two are cute together. Plus, if you are an animal lover, there are a couple of great animal storylines in this book. One involves the relationship between Noel (and Jonah) and a dog named Elliot. The other involves the adorable friendship between Elliot and a kitten named Moxie. These cute relationships definitely make this a book worth reading and also kind of make you wish it was a movie instead of a book so you could actually see the big dog and little kitten besties together.

Noel Blake is not in a great place. After several years of marriage, she and her husband Jonah are quietly drifting apart. The only time they really talk at all anymore is when they walk their dog, Elliott. And even then it usually ends in bickering.

When, one snowy day, Elliott manages to slip his leash, they find him blocks away in the care of a mysterious old man who asks them to make a wish on an old snow globe. Eager to get their dog safely home, they agree to his strange request. Neither one realizes that the wish they’re about to make will change the course of their lives... possibly forever.

When Noel and Jonah wake up the next morning, they’re in separate beds, separate apartments, separate lives. But are they any happier? As they live the existences they’d always wished for, both feel that something very important is missing. And when a chance encounter brings the pair back together, they find they have a spark of something very special.

Will they be able to find their way back to each other before it’s too late, or does the Christmas Magic have another fate in store?

This book is a Sliding Doors style story that shows what would happen if you made different decisions. It was interesting to see that they still met each other even if it wasn’t the same as the first time. I did love their dog Elliott- everyone who meets him throughout the book comments on how massive he is! He seems so lovable.

One snowy day, Elliott manages to slip his leash, they find him blocks away in the care of a mysterious old man who asks them to make a wish on an old snow globe. Eager to get their dog safely home, they agree to his strange request. Neither one realizes that the wish they’re about to make will change the course of their lives... possibly forever.
The truth will come out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

A WISH FOR CHRISTMAS by Courtney Cole is a contemporary, adult, slightly paranormal, story of women’s fiction focusing on struggling married couple Jonah and Noel Blake.

Told from dual first person perspectives Jonah and Noel, A WISH FOR CHRISTMAS follows in the wake of a mutual wish on an magical snow globe. Jonah and Noel Blake’s marriage is at an impasse; both of them concentrating on their own careers but neither one considering the next phase of their relationship. A visit to a quaint antique shop finds our couple opening their hearts to a lonely old man, a man who may be more than they could have ever imagined. A gift of a snow globe, and a secret wish that they had never met finds our couple waking the next day as strangers, two people whose sense of deja-vu and a visit back home begins a life anew, a life where they will get to know one another more than twenty years after they first met.

A WISH FOR CHRISTMAS is a slow building, magical holiday story line about second chances, focusing on two people torn between their careers, and the family that never will be. A mutual trip to their home town of Winter Falls comes with the advantage of growth and experience but secrets about the past begin to reveal a different sense of worth, and an emotional family history.

We are introduced to Noel’s parents, Jonah’s father, as well as Jonah’s best friend Jace, his ailing mother Izzy; Ellliott and Mazie. Noel’s father Rich is butting heads with Jonah’s father Judd, both of whom want and see something different for Winter Falls, a competition for Mayor, and the renewal of Christmas traditions.

A WISH FOR CHRISTMAS is a story within a story: a familiar tale of family and loss, grief and forgiveness, acceptance and love. The premise is sweet and captivating; the romance is subtle-there are no $ex scenes; the characters are struggling, but sassy and determined.



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Nora and Jack are married, but not necessarily happily. Noel and Jonah don't know each other, or do they? A Wish for Christmas is a Hallmark movie in print and in a good way. Noel and Jonah live in the same building, but until recently they had never met. Noel is moving her way up the publishing ladder and is in line for a job as the head editor. Jonah is the head of a finance company and makes more money they he knows what to do with. They are instantly attracted to each other and have a sense of familiarity with each other although neither one can understand why since they don't remember ever meeting. After a few mishaps involving a very large dog named Elliot they fly together to their small hometown, the same hometown they both grew up in, but do not remember ever meeting each other. Noel is going back to help her family establish a Christmas Village to help save the small town. Jonah is going back to help his father save his job as mayor and to stop the Christmas Village since Christmas is a tender spot for them both. In the tradition of the Hallmark Christmas movies this book is sweet, heartwarming, and enjoyable without the cheesiness factor. A must read for some holiday cheer!

I really enjoyed this book! I really don't like time travel books, but this one was written so well! I would definitely recommend this book.

This is a sweet Christmas story, with a heavy dose of magic. The beginning confused me a little, so it took me some time to get into it. Once I was hooked, it was hard to put down, but then the ending left a bit to be desired and seemed to come way too fast. The writing was good, there is a heavy level of Christmas cheese factor, and the whole book just makes you feel nice and snuggly (no matter where you are reading it). Padraig was my favorite character (as I sense he may be for most) but Elliott the dog will compete with him at every turn - lots of character and personality built into that one!

I loved this book because it was such a different take on a snow globe story. It was a story within a story and both unfolded before my eyes. The characters were thrust back in time so they could fulfill their wish they made on the snow globe. They both wished they had never married.

The book had beautiful, flawed characters trying to face their past so they could have a future. It did not matter what they had wished on the snow globe because it seemed fate had other ideas. The antics of Elliott, the 200 pound mastiff made the story a lot of fun, especially when Elliott adopted a cat that Noel named Moxie. I liked how Noel's mom kept knitting sweaters for the pets. Add in Jonah's and Noel's families that want different things for their town of Winter Falls in Wyoming and I found the story to be quite interesting. Jonah's father does not like Christmas and since he was the mayor his town did not decorate their downtown. Noel's family wants to make a Christmas Village in the town but the mayor will not allow that to happen so Noel's father is running against Jonah's father for mayor. I could not put the book down because I wanted to see if Noel and Jonah's wish would come true or if their marriage would survive. I thoroughly enjoyed Padraig's story within the book. It was quite interesting. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

4.2 Stars
One Liner: Beautiful and heartwarming

Nora and Jack are drifting apart after a decade of marriage. Even their 205-pound mastiff, Elliot, doesn’t seem to keep them together. With busy careers and no time for anything else, the couple finds it hard to remember why they have been in love with each other since their school days.
A chance meeting with a mysterious old man (kinda like Santa), all thanks to Elliot’s escapades, gives them something to think about. When the man asks them to wish on a snow globe, the couple’s lives may change in a way no one expected.
Nora and Jack are now Noel and Jonah, still successful in their careers but leading single and separate lives. However, they continue to come face to face, and as their friendship grows into something more, they have to decide what to do with their lives.
The story comes in the first-person POV of Noel and Jonah, with the first chapter in the third-person POV about Nora and Jack.

My Thoughts:
This is about second chances, love, family, relationships, and healing. The story starts in the city (NYC) but moves to a cute small town, Winter Falls.
Set in December, we see quite a bit of snow, cold, dampness, chill, festive decorations, cooking, baking, food, etc. The city and the town are easy to visualize.
The pacing is wonderful. It doesn’t even feel like reading 360+ pages. The story continues to move and has bits of chat messages and emails inserted to add to the mix. This is pretty much a Hallmark-type book, so don’t expect any intense drama or complex situations.
Despite dealing with some heavy themes like dementia, death of loved ones, etc., the book achieves the right intensity and has many light moments between different characters.
Elliot is such a darling, you’d want to take him home (never mind that he drools all over). Moxie is another highlight of the book. I could have read an entire book with just these two.
Jace and his mother, Izzy, Noel’s parents, and a few other characters like Avery, Emily, etc., add more flavors to the plot and are good supporting characters. Not all of them get the same space, but they shine in their roles.
There seem to be minor discrepancies in the timeline, but nothing major to distract from the central plot (however, you should go with the flow).
The ending is, of course, HEA, but a bit different from what I expected. I like it enough, but there isn’t that crucial moment that should have been there based on the blurb.

To summarize, A Wish for Christmas is a heartwarming and cozy Christmas read with a super adorable dog. Read the book for Elliot!
And oh, this is a clean romance.
Thank you, NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

While this wasn't my favorite by Courtney Cole, this second chance, marriage in trouble holiday romance still had her trademark touch of magic as an unhappy couple make a wish on a snow globe only to find themselves living separate lives in an alternate universe.

It takes help from their beloved pet and a complete stranger for them to find their way back together and realize they really are meant to be with each other.

Heartfelt and great on audio this is perfect for fans of authors like Mary Kay Andrews or Emily Stone. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I love a good Christmas story and I was drawn into this book from the very begging! Perfect holiday read! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

What happens when a book editor and a financial analyst are living their busy life and forget why they first fell in love? A Wish For Christmas by Courtney Cole offers a sweet twist on a ‘what if’, the chance of a do-over, in the form of a wish on a snow globe and a manuscript. It’s got bookish vibes and a big lovable dog, what more could you want in a holiday book?

I recommend for readers that love:

❄️ Small town stories with quirky characters
🎄 Hallmark vibes
❄️ Closed door, sweet romance
🎄 Books about bookish people
❄️ A little magical realism, time travel
🎄 Can’t resist big dog that brings everyone together

I thought Cole did a beautiful job touching on complicated family dynamics of adult children returning home, seeing parents through a new lens and yet falling into old roles. The grief of watching a loved one suffer from dementia was navigated very well.

Thank you to my friends at @netgalley , @avonbooks & @courtneycolewrites for the review copy!

A Wish for Christmas is a fun holiday romance about a couple who have drifted apart and what happens when a magic snow globe makes it so they never met. While the premise seems familiar it had plenty of fresh moments along the way. My favorite parts were all Elliot, he really steals the show. As for the human characters they were well-written and had some funny and touching moments. I thought having the characters written through the book Pad was working on was really cool and the idea of an Alzheimer's village is neat. This will make a great addition to your holiday TBR pile.