These are two hope-filled Christmas stories!

I picked up this book without reading the summary for it. I was looking for a light-hearted Christmas story. This was definitely heavier than I thought it was going to be. But it was exactly what I needed.

I love the main characters in each of these stories. I was able to connect deeply with both Astrid (Christmas in Gold) and Angela (Christmas in Blue). They are each faced with deeply painful and emotional Christmases to get through. Reading their stories really shown a light on the fact that the greatest hope can best be found in the most difficult and trying times.

Both of these amazing women were able to make new friends that helped them get through their time of discouragement and depression. They were able to then move past it and help others along the way.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All of the opinions expressed are my own.

This book contained 2 nice Christmas stories. The first was of Astrid, who was moved into an assisted living facility where she meets Carly, her physical therapist. I really enjoyed reading about Astrid and her family’s experience in WWII and the significance of the silver ornaments. I loved the interactions between Astrid and Carly. I would have liked there to be more closure with Carly’s story, but overall, I enjoyed the story.

I did find it a little more difficult to get into the Christmas in Blue. First, what is so bad about blue Christmas decorations? I find them beautiful! But I guess I understand the significance. I really enjoyed Gabe and his role in making the Christmas festival in their town happen. I felt that some of the characters were a little negative and pessimistic, especially Angela, but I can see where she had so much on her plate. There just wasn’t many in her small town who wanted to show her grace.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This book was provided by NetGalley and Barbour Publishing in exchange for a review.

This collection of two novellas uses the theme of colors for Christmas for their stories. The colors are incorporated into the stories. In the first story you find Astrid an elderly widow who is spending her first Christmas in an assisted living center. She gets to know her physical therapist who is a young woman who is running from someone from her past. Astrid helps her deal with her issues as well as try to set her up with another employee at the center. Astrid opens up to her about her own tragic past growing up in Nazi Germany. In the second story we are introduced to Angela who is dealing with a recent loss in her life. At first we don't know what the relationship she has to Carol who recently died until it is revealed later on in the story. She is volunteered to put together the town's local Christmas festival which suffers many mishaps. A young man, Gabe comes into town and the other residents are initially suspicious of him though Angela recognizes him when she sees him.

Cute tail of Christmas, loved the play between the dynamic characters. The cuteness with the love affair with the characters and how it played out during that magical time of year. It so puts you in the holiday spirit or if you just need a little.pick me up, this book is for you. Would recommend the book.

Beautiful collection of stories about finding hope and healing in the Midst of heartache. Perfect to get you into the Christmas spirit.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. I waited till the Christmas season to finish reading this book because this book is what the season is about. There are two separate stories in the book dealing with the charitable acts of Christmas through the use of colors. The first book is gold and the second is blue. Each book features a character who has lost something helping a character in need. Or as the in the second book a town coming together in a time of need. It was very well written and the book ends with questions to help you reflect on what the stories mean. I thoroughly enjoyed it and helped get me more into the holiday spirit and what it means to me and my family.

"Colors of Christmas" by Olivia Newport celebrates the Hope of Christmas with two heartwarming, contemporary stories in which the characters find healing amidst heartbreak. This novel has the true Christmas spirit, full of imagination and pure simplicity. Olivia Newport is an excellent wordsmith as she skillfully intertwines two inspiring Christmas stories with a message of hope and faith. Both novellas feature women coping with big changes, and dealing with heartbreak over the Christmas season. "Christmas in Blue" is true to its name. After a deep personal loss, Angela, the church organist, cannot ignore the Christmas season as she is in charge of the town’s celebration. A strange young man, Gabe, is the suspect for the collapse of the Christmas traditions. Yet Angela's heart warms to him because they share a unique secret. With only some garish blue Christmas decorations to work with, Gabe helps Angela discover the hidden beauty of hope and joy. In "Christmas in Gold," after eighty years, Astrid is used to momentous change. At twenty, she and her family survived the Nazis and moved to America where she lost her husband. She became a widow again at forty. Facing a move into an assisted living community, she meets a young woman in despair and revives hope in the face of tragedy. Carly, Astrid's physical therapist at the apartments, is a single mother who cannot cope with work and her child's daycare. "And hope, once lost, was found again." I highly recommend "Colors of Christmas" to all who love the true Christmas spirit. Christ is the reason for the season. Have a blessed Christmas with this inspiring read!

This work by Olivia Newport was a collection of two short stories that focused on the true meaning and hope of Christmas. In the first story, an elderly lady is adjusting to the loss of her independence and transition to a care home. While there, she realizes there is a young lady who needs to know the true hope and meaning of Christmas. She befriends her and shares her story while drawing her out just a little at a time. In the second story, a woman is grieving the loss of a friend who took care of the town Christmas celebration every year. She wanted to just leave town and pretend Christmas wasn't happening, but she was "volunteered" to be in charge of the Christmas celebration this year. Of course, everything is going wrong. With the help of a stranger in town, she makes this year truly a Christmas to Remember.

I did enjoy these stories. Most of the Christmas novels you read are just light and fluffy. I did laugh while reading these books, but it's good to remember that not everyone has that perfect Christmas. Some people are struggling to deal with the first Christmas after losing a loved one. I liked the story line of the first story the best, but felt that I needed more at the end. It just left a LOT of questions for me. The second one was more upbeat and I loved the dog. Three out of 5 stars for me.

Thanks to Barbour Publishing and Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

FTC DISCLOSURE: I received an electronic copy of this book from NetGalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.

It’s a little too soon to tell for certain, but after reading this two-story book, I think it’s safe to say that Olivia Newport has the potential to slip onto my favorite-authors list.

Christmas in Gold was adorable and featured an amazing eighty-year-old lead who was moving into an assisted-living facility. The author hooked me in early and never let me go from this charming and intriguing story. It quickly found its way onto my favorites list for this year.

Christmas in Blue was amazing in how it kept me guessing. There were so many surprises and twists along the way, none of which I saw coming. The creativity and originality the author displayed were stunning and had me grinning and crying for happiness. I especially loved the raw grief the lead experienced. It was so realistic, yet so was the incredible joy in the story. It was a beautiful journey that I know I’ll revisit many times.

This book was so good I will be purchasing a copy sometime soon to add to my keeper shelves. It’s just the type of Christmas book I enjoy.

Rating: 5 stars

I enjoyed reading this book, it gave me that Christmas feeling.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Colors of Christmas is 2 novellas. In Christmas in Gold, Astrid has to move into an assisted living home after breaking two bones in a fall at home. The changes in her life bring to mind her childhood in Hitler-led Germany and how her faith in God brought her through those times. Astrid can tell her physical therapist has struggles in life, too, and wants to share that faith with her.

In Christmas in Blue, Angela is dreading her first Christmas without best friend Carole, who loved Christmas dearly and always planned their town's Christmas to Remember. She just wants to get this Christmas season over with, but the committee for a Christmas to Remember has a different plan. A week before the festival is to take place, they announce that they have chosen Angela to plan it. On top of the short time frame, everything that can go wrong seems to. She needs a miracle to keep from letting the town down.

I have to say Christmas in Gold was special to me because it made me remember the time spent at my cherished first job, working in an assisted living facility. Overall, however, I thought the story flowed better and was more relatable in Christmas in Blue. I would love to see a spin-off story featuring Gabe from Christmas in Blue.

Both of these Christmas novellas surprised me with their genuine spirit and characters. Angela grieves her best friend. She would rather forget Christmas this year, but circumstances plop her right into the biggest public celebration with neon blue decorations. She wants to hide yet the town will not have its annual joyous parade and holiday music unless she plans, prepares, and produces. She receives help from an unusual stranger and who knows? She may pull it off after all. A delightful heartwarming story!
Astrid’s life has included more loss and pain over the years and now her family wants her to move into an assisted living community. Her grace and wit, her attitude and fortitude may see her through this difficult transition. Another pleasurable novella to set the Christmas tone with challenging situations that we often face in what should be a happy time of year.
~I received a copy from Net Galley. I was not compensated for this review. All thoughts are my own.

2 wonderfully written books stories that delight the heart of all who read them.

Two sweet but ultimately unmemorable stories set in a small town during the Christmas holidays.

The Colors of Christmas by Olivia Newport is a collection of two Christmas stories. What I loved most about this book is that it is not your normal Christmas book. These characters have real hurts. Nothing is perfect. Yet, they find healing at Christmas through God. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. These opinions are entirely my own.

I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of these two stories. I did not expect a Christmas book to be that incredibly detailed and packed full of strong story line. Characters were well developed as was the plot. It was gripping but full of love. I found myself smiling, at the edge of my chair, feeling nervous and like I learned a bunch about life as a child during WW2. This was the most detailed Christmas book I’ve ever written. It didn’t read like a hallmark Christmas book which I was so thankful for!
I received a digital copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Such an enjoyable read. A nice Christmas message without being preachy.

Two heartwarming Christmas stories of young and old. I loved Astrid’s backstory telling us all that she had suffered growing up and how she became the woman that she was in present day. The second story of a woman overwhelmed with responsibilities and living in the shadows of loss was not as compelling to me, but still a very good story.
I obtained this book through Net Galley and have left an honest review.

I’ve struggled with the adjectives to use to describe this two-in-one book. These novellas are heart-warming to read because they ultimately land firmly on hope, but they deal with difficult subjects to get there.

The first novella (Gold) deals with a retired woman who is moving into an assisted living facility after falling. She struggles with giving up so much independence, grieves many cumulative losses, and is looking for purpose in her new life of “leisure.” Along the way, she meets her physical therapist and realizes that her therapist is struggling also in very different ways. They both are able to bless the other in the course of their developing friendship.

I found this novella difficult because my mother died two years ago, and I was tasked with cleaning out her house, deciding what to keep and what to pitch or donate. Listening to Astrid reminisce and grieve about this or that person and this or that object stirred up a lot my own grieving, especially since my mother died two days before Christmas. I also found this frustrating to read because my husband works with emergency management and law enforcement. While I sympathized a great deal with Carly’s plight, I cringed as I read the many ways she tried to protect herself, with each further step proving less and less effective and even downright dangerous. The situation was more or less resolved, but it felt dissatisfactory, knowing how it could have (should have) been handled in the first place.

The second novella (Blue) deals more directly with grieving. Angela is grieving the loss of her friend of many years, the friend who was always in charge of the town’s big Christmas celebration, the friend who loved Christmas so much, she named all her dogs after Santa’s reindeer. Angela is wondering how she’s going to get through this first Christmas without her beloved friend when the committee for the annual Christmas celebration ambushes her, putting her in charge just eight days before the celebration. Therein ensues disappointment after calamity after disaster after catastrophe, and they all have Angela seriously contemplating running away to some exotic location. But hope arrives, and miracles happen, and someone truly understands the grieving heart. Angela decides to stay after all, and the reader is left sighing warmly at the resolution.

I found this novella difficult also because my mother died at Christmas just two years ago. Many of Angela’s thoughts resonated in my heart. I really didn’t want to do Christmas last year or this year. I really wanted to just skip ahead to January. However, I honestly cried several times while reading this because the words were so sweetly raw and comfortingly true. At one point (no spoilers!), I broke down sobbing and had to stop reading for a while, the book was touching so many raw parts of my heart. But what happened in that scene was a surprisingly healing balm to my soul that I didn’t know I needed. Reading this gave me the strength to get through Christmas this year, and I’m ever so grateful!

I gratefully received this book as an eARC from the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Loss is difficult at anytime of the year but at Christmas it is extremely so. These stories are examples of how our faith guides us through these moments and makes us stronger.

The book includes two stories. Both are about loss but also about helping others. While helping others, you are healing yourself.

The first story is how Astrid could have drowned in her loss but saw someone in need and reached out.

The second is about loss but also how you can heal through honoring the one you lost.

GOD is a healer. He never leaves our side. He is with us every step of the way. He hears our cries. He hears our prayers.

I enjoyed these two Christmas stories even though they are not typical Christmas stories.

I received this book for free to review.

Giveaway:

https://promosimple.com/ps/c319

About the Author

Olivia NewportOlivia Newport’s novels twist through time to find where faith and passions meet. Her husband and twentysomething children provide welcome distraction from the people stomping through her head on their way into her books. She chases joy in stunning Colorado at the foot of the Rockies, where daylilies grow as tall as she is.