https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2264484182?book_show_action=false

This was a really sweet book that embodies the movie that was shown on Hallmark perfectly. I love the message this book sends about what the true meaning of Christmas is. I also loved that this isn't your usual romance.

Journey Back to Christmas was one of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies. The book was so good. A perfect Christmas read.

This is the last book that I read in 2017, which is interesting. I did not watch the Hallmark holiday movie, though it is waiting for me on my PVR.

This book seemed to be a romance novel from the first couple of chapters, but it really was about something more. It's about all that can be forgotten over time, as the years pass by and how sometimes getting rid of traditions is not the best thing.

Hanna is a lovely woman, trying to be positive after moments of feeling sorry for herself.

Sarah is stubborn, but interesting in her own right.

The family that comes together, both blood related and otherwise, in this book is one of love, compassion and a need for a new way to relate to each other which they do find in this.

This is a Christmas tale, and yes, it is a bit cliche, but isn't that what makes it good? I think so. Good, quick reading, filled with warmth.

Good read. Like the characters and story flow. Fun and whimsical read centered around Christmas and a comet. Easy reading and fun. Would recommend reading.

Based on a Hallmark Movie, Journey Back to Christmas tells the story of Hanna. She is a nurse in the 1940's who finds herself stuck in a snow storm and takes refuge in a shack. When she wakes up the next morning, though, she has been transported somehow to 2016. She meets a kind cop named Jake who sets out to solve the mystery of where she came from.

I watched the movie when it was on TV and enjoyed it as the story was different than most of the Christmas movie fare. I think that did take away some of my enjoyment in reading the book though, as I kept comparing the two.

The plot moves at a fairly quick pace and keeps the same wholesomeness and sweetness that seem to be trademarks of a Hallmark story. It was nice, too, that you get both Hanna and Jake's perspectives, and that both feel that family, friends, and tradition are important.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a good book. I hada bit of trouble readingitbecausei had seen the movie first. It closely follows the movie. :) I liked the story and the characters. Most time travel novels go back in time but this one went into the future. O like the concept of how one small action can cause a big ripple.
I recommend this book to my family and friends.

Thoughts:

Although JOURNEY BACK TO CHRISTMAS is based on a Hallmark Channel Original Movie, Leigh Duncan moves this amazing stand-alone story forward to leave readers entranced in a book as she reintroduces 1945!

From cars and homes to jobs and holiday traditions, readers will steep in the months just after the war. Hanna Morse will face another Christmas alone. Her life’s dream falters only months before. Her husband will not return home as the other service members would. Chet is gone. Employed as a nurse, she tries to keep her pain in check, but as this Christmas holiday nears, Hanna struggles with grief.

However, Hanna’s world is about to take a leap ahead more than anyone could imagine!

It all starts with an adorable dog, a simple act of kindness, and a comet making its same appearance every seventy-one years when Hanna finds shelter after a car accident as the snow continues.

Once daylight arrives, she moves out to land back in the same town, but Hanna sees people she doesn’t know, places she’s never visited, and devices she never dreamed about, but she cannot find her car. Now, the police believe she’s unraveling. She cannot grasp this date and talks about the wrong President.

For her, it does not feel real. Wanting to get home, she tries every possible fix.

To keep her wits about her, she starts to wonder what life does she have to get home to. Prayers help to keep up her sanity as she tries to adjust and learn much of everything inside the year of 2016 until she meets someone who takes her from a dream into reality.

Realizing that she is not meant to be here, she’s fearful that maybe it is true after all. It may be that you can never really go home again.

Will she uncover her own Christmas miracle?

**Full Disclosure: I have not seen this movie. However, I do have an amazing knowledge that when I do, I will not be disappointed, but this is not something that often occurs since I read the book first!**

***This opinion is my own.***

Preview:

In JOURNEY BACK TO CHRISTMAS: Based on Hallmark Channel Original Movie by Leigh Duncan, a war widow grieves the loss of her husband as the Christmas holiday nears.

Hanna Morse takes care of her patients. In fact, these people help her get through her day. While others attend the yearly gatherings and everyone else is staying outside at the square to see the seventy-year spectacle of the Christmas Comet, Hanna goes home.

The drifting snow creates a road hazard and Hanna losses consciousness, but when she awakes, she is far from at home.

The name of the town is the only thing that is the same!

From new people and places to a new history and a new century, Hanna is searching for a way back home for Christmas. With this year’s comet arrival, will she find her miracle homecoming?

This is my third Hallmark book and it definitely didn't disappoint! This story was not your typical Hallmark love story. In fact, the main boy and girl characters that the story followed were from different time periods and in love with other people. This book is all about Christmas miracles. Who doesn't love a story about that? It was also, about how even small stones can make a huge ripple. As a huge Hallmark fan, I hope that these books will become more of a regular thing because I love being able to get inside of a character's head, I love all the extra information you get in a book, and I love being able to use my imagination rather than just watching it on tv. I totally recommend this book for fans of Hallmark movies or Christmas stories.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley!*

I’m obsessed with Hallmark Christmas movies. Like, they’re pretty much the only thing I’ve watched since November 1st! 😂 So, when I saw there were books inspired by Hallmark movies, I had to check them out! Journey Back to Christmas was my favorite Hallmark premiere last year, so I was very intrigued to check out the book.


The book reads just like a Hallmark movie. Which is exactly what I was hoping for. The atmosphere is cozy and Christmas-y. I really enjoyed the plot, too. Journey Back to Christmas is not your typical Hallmark movie, and I love that the book really showcased that and expanded on it. I really loved the time travel aspect. It was simple, without scientific explanation, but really well done.

I found myself really connecting to all the characters. For the book, we were able to get to know more about the characters and how they felt than in the movie, which was really nice.

Another thing I loved about Journey Back to Christmas was the ending. While the movie has a good ending, it really doesn’t explain a lot. I loved that the book tied up some loose ends, and added quite a bit of clarity. It was really nice to see how things turned out for everyone!

Overall, Journey Back to Christmas is a sweet and enjoyable Christmas read. The writing definitely isn’t the greatest, but it isn’t terrible either. It is sweet and simple; just like a Hallmark movie. This book will definitely appeal to fans of Hallmark movies, and I think anyone looking for a fun and festive story will enjoy Journey Back to Christmas!

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
I've haven't seen the hallmark movie but I definitely plan to after reading the book. I love hallmark movies and I found the book to be just as wonderful as the movies.  This story was heartwarming, as I expected and the perfect read for the holiday season.
This was my first book by this author, however I did enjoy it. It was fast paced and just alltogether an easy read. I give this book a 5 star rating!

I think this was a cute story that warmed my heart for the time being. I do not feel like this book is memorable, however. I would only read this book once and donate. I never saw the movie but I think this book is good if you buy it knowing your only reading it one time. I received this book through NetGalley for an honest review

This was a sweet story and soooo close to the movie. I love that! I enjoyed the movie and having another way to enjoy it is wonderful. I recommend the book and the movie. A great story for the holidays.

I wouldn't say I didn't like Journey Back to Christmas, but it definitely felt very different reading a Hallmark movie rather than watching it. In this particular case, reading about Hanna, the WWII-era nurse played in the 2016 film by Candace Cameron Bure who is transported 71 years into the future by a Christmas comet, and her adjustments to a new and strange time took some of the magic away from the story. Delving deeper into the narrative and the characters made the holes in the plot, which are very easy to ignore when you're on the couch on a cold December night with a blanket and a cup of tea, more prevalent and more unforgivable. Everything is resolved so simply and everyone's reactions so earnest and unbelievable in written format; perhaps it's because the commitment time of reading is much longer than the 80-120 minutes (depending on commercials) of watching a movie? I don't know. It was still a really cute story, and Leigh Duncan did a nice job evoking the spirit of the holidays in both timelines, though.

Wonderful book. Saw the movie and loved it but the book brought the beautiful story to life. Thank you Hallmark and NetGalley for allowing me to enjoy the book.

“Even the smallest stone makes a ripple in the water.”

When you think of a Hallmark movie, you think of something heartwarming, sweet, and a bit sappy. Apparently, that also applies to Hallmark books as well! I haven’t seen the movie, so I can’t say how true the book is to the movie (ha, it’s funny saying it that way for a change!).

Hanna was quite sweet and positive, even when dealing with the overwhelming grief of her first Christmas as a war widow. But, as she tells her friend, “Nothing ever gets solved by blubbering” - I’m guessing this sort of attitude was very prominent during the war years. Though she works as a nurse at the local hospital, with her husband dead and her hopes of starting a family gone, she feels lost and without a purpose in life. Of course, as the blurb says, events happen that lead to her waking up in 2016. Even having jumped 71 years in the future, Hanna still manages to be upbeat, and in trying to be kind and helpful to the family of the cop who takes her in, ends up spreading even more cheer than she realizes.

“You know what I do when I’m sad?… I try to help somebody else who’s sad.”

As for cons, it’s very predictable, and the characterizations, besides Hanna, are cardboard cutouts. Loving parents, cute niece, suspicious divorced sister - that’s basically what they are. All the conflict, including the “will Hanna ever get home or not?” plot, is quite tame. But honestly, this is a lovely bit of escapist fluff, so it seems disingenuous to judge it too harshly for not pretending to be anything else.

Overall, heartwarming and sweet, with a lovely reminder that acts of kindness can have more far-reaching consequences than you’d think possible. Perfect for curling up with some hot cocoa and gingerbread on a lazy holiday afternoon.

I've never seen the hallmark film but I definitely plan to after devouring the book. I love hallmark movies and I found the book to be just as whimsical as those movies. It's a clean book, of course. There's no cursing or steamy scenes which is nice sometimes and especially if you prefer books without that. This story was heartwarming, as I expected and the perfect read for the holiday season.

I confess, I'm a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies in all their heartfelt sweetness and goodwill. And while I've seen Journey Back to Christmas multiple times, I confess I generally prefer a book version over a movie. The author does a lovely job at making the characters more rounded, and getting a glimpse into their thoughts makes it all the more heartfelt. Loved this!

A WWII era nurse is transported in time to 2016, and meets a man who helps her discover the bonds of family and that the true meaning of Christmas is timeless. This book is a heartwarming feel good easy read. I got an ARC of this book from netgalley.

This story is based on a movie that aired on the Hallmark Channel . Nurse Hanna is grieving the loss of her husband, who didn’t come home from the fighting in World War II. She pours all her pent up emotion into her work at the hospital. A event and a snowstorm lead to an accident where Hanna gets knocked out, only to wake up in the present day.Read the book and then watch the movie

I loved this Christmas movie when it debuted last year on the Hallmark Channel so I was very excited to learn of the ebook based on the movie. If you enjoyed the movie you will enjoy the book. It will leave you feeling warm and happy.

The book does expand in some areas more than the book but the book stays true to the movie (words I have never uttered before). You love the characters even more after reading the book. Hanna is a nurse in 1945 mourning the loss of her husband Chet. A blizzard is starting to hit the town on December 22 which is the same night as a comet is to cross the sky. As Hanna is settling in for the night a lost dog wonders up to her house and sets off a chain of events that sends her the year of 2016. As Hanna is trying to figure out if she will ever return to her life she learns how her life of caring has affected others in ways she never dreamed.

As always I suggest reading the book then watch the movie. You will be in the Christmas spirit at the end of both.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Media Holdings for a copy to read in exchange for a review based on my own thoughts and put into my own words.