I'm going to be honest, this week has been rough, and I'm not going to sugarcoat things like I normally would. I'm sorry in advance. And no, I'm not posting this elsewhere (I don't post negative reviews outside of NetGalley because that's not something I enjoy doing).

I have read a lot of Amish romance books, and I think that unfortunately did not do this book any favors.  I was expecting the usual Amish culture, but instead I felt like I was reading a really altered version of Amish life.  It didn't feel familiar, and I was hoping for a cozy Amish read like I've gotten before.  The writing style was a bit off for me, it felt stilted and didn't flow well.  The main characters were not likeable at all, and I'll be totally blunt - they are idiots.  Why? Let me explain...  

The guy is so absent-minded that he left the girl he was courting in another STATE while taking her to a wedding.  Was he frantically trying to return to his sister? Yes.  Was that an adequate excuse to abandon an Amish girl alone in another state?  No.  How do you forget you came to the wedding with someone, who then had to purchase a bus ride home?  His internal monologue didn't help, when he would blame her, then blame himself, then blame her again for why they were broken up.  On multiple occasions, he completely ignores people, forgets they're trying to talk to him, and pay zero attention to his surroundings.  The man needs a keeper desperately.

And then there's the girl.  She can't hold down a job.  Why?  Well, let's look at her last blown job opportunity.  On her FIRST day, she is left alone and told to check the packing slip of a shipment of ice cream, to make sure they didn't give bad flavors.  Don't sign for it if it's a weird flavor.  Simple instructions, yes?  No, apparently too difficult for this one.  She gets so flustered by the delivery man that she signs without looking and then sees the flavor is Dill Pickle.  Um, EW?  She's so well known for being clumsy and clueless that no one wants to hire her.  Oh and did I mention she wants to leave Amish life and go work for her older brother?  If she thinks getting a job in Amish country is hard, try doing it in corporate America.  Good luck.

This was not the story for me. It was not typical Amish in any way and found it hard to read for that reason. Outside of the Holiday I found nothing.

The Amish Christmas Gift by Laura V. Hilton is a wonderful book to read at this time of year. 

It teaches us a great lesson.  Listen and be sure you understand everything before you make a decision. Once you make a mistake, you may find it hard to com back from the mistake. It can also be said love congers all. 

Can Elsie and Levi’s hearts be united again?

Laura writes in such a way that you do not want to put the book down. 

Forever Grand Central Publishing will release this book on October 27.   I was give an ARC through Netgalley and was not required to give a positive review.  5 stars all the way.

The Amish Christmas Gift is a very well written inspirational romance.  Good character and plot development.  Fans of Amish fiction will enjoy this book.  I received an advance ebook from the publisher and this is my unbiased review.

The author gives us a Christmas gift with this read, and once you start you will be page turning for answers!
We are given a sweet young woman full of compassion, but she is having trouble holding a job, some only last one day.
Now her former fiancée sister needs help and wants her brother to hire her, awkward, maybe, but this is an Amish community. You see Elsie's true heart when she helps Abigail, Levi's sister, but these two hurting individuals are avoiding one another, they are in love, but a chasm has opened up in their relationship, one that may be too far to cross.
We have a little bit of everything here, and you will love George, but be careful he wields a wild stick!
These two need to accept God's grace, and forgiveness, will they be able to get there?
I loved the second romance that appears to be happening here, but you will have to enjoy that for yourself!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Forever, and was not required to give a positive review.

A heartwarming Christmas story, author Laura Hilton writes a book that will keep you turning the pages.

Main characters Elsie and Levi used to love each other but tragedy strikes and lives change. Both must learn forgiveness. Forgiveness of others and of self. With Christmas looming they must learn to work together. A sweet romance, if you enjoy Amish stories I recommend this one!

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

This is a well written book that holds your attention. Elsie and Levi's story was a joy to read. It's a sweet heartwarming Christmas story about forgiving yourself and others for pain and mistakes made in the past. I recommend this book to any one who likes Amish fiction. Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing)-Forever via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Riddled with guilt and sorrow, Levi leaves his fiancée, Elsie,  and becomes determined that he can never marry. Elsie is heartbroken after he leaves her.  
She has a very hard time keeping jobs and perhaps that is because God had other plans for her.  When Levi's sister asks her to be the Christmas elf for Levi, a disorganized toy maker, she finally agrees, knowing full well that they would be seeing each other on a regular basis because of this job.

This was a sweet, heartwarming Christmas book with clear lessons to be learned but all involved.  Levi continues to blame himself for his situation.  It's a nice story of forgiveness of one self,  which is probably the hardest act of forgiveness.

I enjoyed the story and it continued to get more interesting as the book continued.

I received a copy from Forever and NetGalley.  All thoughts are my own.

TheAmishChristmasGift#NetGalley 
Our main character Elsie Miller is still trying to get over a break up with Levi Wyse.  There was a misunderstanding in the past. She feels that she will never have that job she loves, or that special someone in her life.  As Levi's sister Abigal was hurt in an accident that Levi blames himself for.  She needs help and she believes Elsie is the only one who can help her and help Levi with organization that he needs despertly.  Abigail knows they both still care for each other.  Levi' s feelings for Elsie are still strong but he believes he deserves to ever marry.  Will they both let the past stay in the past ?  Will Elsie ask the right question about the past ?  Will Levi let her know about his toy making and carvings ? Will Abigal also find love?  Thank you Forever and Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is second in the Hidden Springs series. This a was not my favorite book by this author. I felt Elsie was portrayed as a silly, clumsy girl who was never given a chance. It seemed that the Amish has given up on Levi which is not realistic. I'm going the next in the series will focus on Elizabeth and Noah and will be a little more realistic.

Sweet story. Christmas, secrets, forgetfulness and maybe love are all included in this heartwarming story. I received a complimentary copy of the book. No review was required.

In The Amish Christmas Gift by Laura Hilton, Elsie Miller and Levi Wyse are clearly in love and have been for years, but are too stubborn to tell each other how they feel. 

It is the Christmas season and Levi, known as Santa to the town folk, is gifted at making toys. When his sister Abigail, decides he needs an elf, she convinces him to hire Elsie as she is the only one for the job. 

What a touching story of love, guilt, family and faith!

I received an advance copy from Forever and to NetGalley in return for my honest review. All comments are my own.

I had a seriously hard time reading this book.  The characterizations of the protagonists were mere caricatures of the characters they could have been.  Elsie is portrayed as the constant clumsy oaf-ette, and Levi is the most absent-minded fiance ever.  Elsie's escapades could have been amusing, but they seemed to be window-dressing to make Elsie seem more incompetent. 
Levi is a gifted wood carver who makes toys in his spare time, while being a contractor for a day job. His great sin was leaving Elsie at a cousin's wedding in another state.  

I looked other reviews I've written on books by Laura V Hilton and found she's rather hit-or-miss in her writing. This is at best a two star book.  

Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Elsie Miller and Levi Wyse are clearly in love and have been for years. However, they broke up according to a misunderstanding a couple of years ago. Previously, Levi's sister Abigail had been hurt, and needs some assistance. Elsie is the best person for the job, even if this creates a form of torture between her and Levi. He had done a fine job of avoiding her for quite some time, but now that they will be seeing more than a lot of each other, feelings, and even desire, are bound to get in the way.

It is the Christmas season and Levi is gifted at making toys. Can he continue to work, see Elsie everyday and put past hurts and guilt behind him enough to grasp ahold of the love and joy that she still feels for him?

What a touching story of love, guilt, family and faith! I do wish that communication would have been more at play in this story, but at the same time I could understand Levi's reticence. The Amish Christmas Gift is the second book in the Hidden Springs series. Although I hadn't read the first book, this story did not have anything at all missing, making it easy to follow along. I do wish to follow further books in this series because I do enjoy Laura V. Hilton's writing. The next book in the series is The Amish Secret Wish, is set for release April, 2021.

Many thanks to Forever and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.