A heartwarming Christmas story full of hope! I loved the Christian message woven throughout the story and how the characters grew in their faith. This is such a cozy, comforting read!

I fell in love with these characters. The story intertwined old and new. I will read this book again. It's a great feel good story. Full of love, friendship, and family. The focus on family how family can be found outside of your bloodlines. Redemption, courage, overcoming our past and perseverance.

If you want short, simplistic and sweet, then The Christmas Table is probably for you. If you want eloquent writing with a well-developed plot and characters with depth and complexity this is probably not for you. The story is told between two time periods - 1972, when young mother Joan is battling cancer, and 2012 when Lauren and her husband are expecting their first child. The women are connected through the recipes Lauren finds in the table that Joan's husband made for her. As the story goes along Joan tries to win her battle with cancer and Lauren tries to track down the table's owner. That's pretty much the gist of the story. While other people may not notice it the book is written in present tense, unusual for novels - and it drove me up the wall. As much as I appreciated the author trying to create a "friendly" relationship between Gloria and Miriam that also drove me nuts. While the way VanLiere brought everything together at the end, I can't say that I loved the process of getting there.

This is wonderful and heartwarming story --Thank you Net Galley for an advance copy for an honest review.
This book is centered on a Kitchen table - built in 1972 by John for his wife Joan. in 2012
Lauren buys it and finds in a secret drawer with homey recipes.
At her volunteer job at Glory's place an at-risk daycare she secretly makes the food and gives it away to her friends.
this story is sweet and very uplifting. I loved how the two dates come together at the end and the table brings happiness and friends together

worth a read

The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere
Starts with other works from the author.
Story follows John and Joanne and their kids in 1970's where he's challenged her to cook from her mother's recipes.
She challenges him to make them a table for the holidays. He researches a lot and finds books at the library. Joanne gets her kids to help and often has to call her mother for help...
Story also follows Lauren and Travis and she's pregnant and she helps out at daycare center and husband works for parks and recreation.
Lauren works for a floral shop and also volunteers at Gloria's place for daycare for children. They have fundraisers to help with donations of food and supplies.
They bought a table and Travis finds a hidden drawer under filled with recipes. She has a mind to search for the real owner of the table.
Joanne is going through breast cancer and gets help from relatives and friends...
Today is the day-love this phrase know that I know what it means. They start believing in God and have faith.
Love the research Lauren does to find the owner and love the ending, never saw it ending this way.
Recipes are included at the end. Can't wait to read more from this author.
I received this review book from the publicist from St. Martin's Press via Net Galley and this is my honest opinion.

It was a bit difficult to find this information, but I believe this is the 10th book in the Christmas Hope Series. I did not read the other books in this series or any books by this author prior to this book. I really enjoyed this Christian based story linking two families by a special table. The story is written in dual timelines, so the reader knows this link early on. The story also centers on handwritten recipes cards and notes from a mother to her daughter. In both timelines a young woman learns to cook from these recipes. It was delightful to experience the joy that they found in cooking, since I really never have felt that way. I was motivated and actually cooked a few meals after finishing this book. I wish my mother was still here to teach me to cook some of her favorite meals.

The author does a great job of character development and I came to know and like many of the people she created. One character was very annoying, but I know she has a golden heart, so I tried to not write her off as a nasty person. I definitely want to go back and read the entire series. I believe in an earlier story this character's attitude is probably explained.

I liked the plot very much. I enjoyed how all the loose ends of the story are tied up very neatly and realistically at the end.

I want to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read the Advanced Reader Copy. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.

I loved this story. This was the best of all her books. The story alternated between the past and the present. The finding of some old recipe cards in a used Table started Lauren looking for the owner of the cards. This story is also a "tear jerker" as they call it. See how how both the stories come together for a powerful ending. . A GREAT READ, I hope Candice Cameron Bure reads this book as it would make a powerful movie.

A lovely story A book about a special family table,a table where there were wonderful gatherings.A table where there was delicious food a tale I really enjoyed,#netgalley#st.martinspress

USA - 1972 and 2012

May, 1972 - The plan is to build a kitchen table by October, but John Creighton has never built anything before. He finds a beautiful piece of black walnut and has a book, MEASURE TWICE AND CUT ONCE, and John is going to use it to create a masterpiece. His wife, Joan, isn't too sure, but she encourages him as she, too, is determined to learn how to cook better meals to put on John's table. Not one to follow directions well, Joan is now following the lovingly handwritten recipe cards that her mother gave her. Their two young children deserve good food, too, so this is a work of love for Joan.

May, 2012 - Lauren Mabrey is embracing her new hometown. After a life going from home to home as a foster child, Lauren is now happily married to Travis, and works at the local supermarket, volunteering after hours at Glory's Place which takes in local children after school, providing care as well as tutoring. Lauren and Travis are just setting up housekeeping and are in need of a kitchen table. The group of women at Glory's Place find the perfect table and Lauren is delighted with it. It's obviously homemade and there's a little drawer in which Lauren finds a stack of recipe cards. As someone who is desperate to learn to cook, Lauren is thrilled with the loving details and homey comments written on the cards, and she begins to learn the tricks of cooking from a mother she never had. Shortly after, Lauren learns she is pregnant.

July, 1972 - Joan is called back to her doctor's office after her annual check-up. Thinking it's about not having her newest insurance information at the first appointment, Joan is stunned to be told that she has breast cancer, and her treatments must start immediately. Each chemotherapy session leaves her drained, and John makes sure she is allowed to rest, as he takes over the household duties. The table will have to wait. Maybe it will be ready for Thanksgiving. In the meantime, John prays that Joan can overcome this horrible disease.

July, 2012 - As Lauren becomes more proficient in the kitchen, she yearns to discover who wrote these loving notes and recipes, so she begins to ask around town. The name Bud crops up all of the time in the recipes as the farmer where milk and yogurt are purchased. Could he still be around? Lauren has no idea how old the cards are, but she hopes to find a link to them.

THE CHRISTMAS TABLE is a sweet, inspirational story about overcoming hardships in life, and cherishing family and friends. How will Joan's struggle turn out? And will Lauren discover the answer to her search?

A heartwarming story of how lives can intertwine and have an impact without anyone knowing it. Even better is when you find out how the impact turns out.

Story of two families and the table. Story starts in 1972, when John started to build a table for his wife Joan.
Then story jumps to 2012, and it's about Lauren (who buys the table) and Travis, Lauren finds recipes in the draw of the table, and she and Travis try to find family, who owned the table.
This story is absolutely wonderful, it's about struggle and faith.
I did enjoyed so much.

Good. Easy and heartwarming story about how a piece of furniture can help families though tough times as it enabled them through a love of food to keep connected. Even though the title suggests its a christmas story it isn't as when you read the story it takes you through the year it took to make it as it was a christmas present.

A warm, fuzzy, delightful Christmas story that can be read at any time of the year!
You do not want to miss this one!
Most families love to congregate around a kitchen table where there is food, drink and conversation.
This is a novel told between 1972 and 2012 between two families and the journey of a special homemade table with its magic drawer full of delicious recipes and life lessons!
This book has spirit and strength throughout each chapter!
Do yourself a favor and sit for a day and nourish your soul!
"We may not be able to see God, but just like the wind we can see what He touches."

A cozy holiday read for the coming Christmas season, this book will remind you of your favorite Christmas movies. Small town characters who connect with and help each other through life's best and hardest moments are featured, along with happy coincidences. Some of your favorites from previous Van Liere novels appear again in a story that moves back and forth between the past and present to connect the people and places that shaped their lives. The recipes and references to cooking and baking will appeal to those who long to go home for Christmas. While not as strong in character and story development as some of the author's previous work, it is still a heart-warming read that will leave you feeling nostalgic, and wondering when "that" channel will premiere a movie based on this new book in an already popular setting.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this title. It's the first time reading Donna VanLiere's work, which reminds me of Debbie Macomber's stories.
The Christmas Table is a sweet, precious, endearing story about two families and their connection to a handmade table.
In 1972, John Creighton found a piece of black walnut and was determined to turn that slab into a beautiful table for his wife, Joan, for Thanksgiving. Joan decides that she wants to learn to cook like her momma, Alice, and uses her recipes to start her lessons. This young family of four has so many trials and tribulations through their young lives you wonder how they are going to make it.
In 2012, Lauren Mabrey, who was recently wedded to Travis, found out they are expecting their first child. In preparing for the baby's arrival, Lauren's friends help her out by decorating their starter home. Lauren needs a kitchen table and finds one at Larry's place, which they purchase only to find handwritten recipes inside the little draw. Lauren learns how to cook using these recipes and reads all the individual notes set aside each one, knowing that she needs to return them to their rightful owner. The mystery of the owner of the recipes begins.
We learn everyone going through life, and their journeys are all unique. However, each life intertwines with the other. So remember to be kind to others since we never know what they may be going through.

Such a sweet book...and not one that you have to save exclusively for Christmas! While the action does culminate around the holidays, it's a wonderful read any time of the year. We're following the action at Glory's Place, so if you're a fan of this storyline, it's a continuation. If you're not familiar with it, you won't be left out of the action...but will probably be inspired to go back and learn about the other characters' histories. I can't say too much without spoiling important parts, but you'll put down the book with a smile on your face!

The Christmas Table is a wonderful book filled with friendship, family, new beginnings, recipes to salivate over, and most of all faith. It tells the story of two women, decades apart: Joan, for whom the table was constructed, and Lauren who purchased it second hand and found the recipe cards that were written with such love and evoking precious memories. This is not a book filled with dogma but with a simple message that no matter how hopeless circumstances might seem today might be the day for a miracle...so never give up having faith. The book is well written and filled with characters that become real. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

Newlywed Lauren finds a collection of handwritten recipe cards in the drawer of a refinished table she buys for her new kitchen. Each recipe has a tender, personal note from a mother to her daughter. Lauren teaches herself to cook using the recipes and begins searching for their rightful owner. The book alternates Lauren's story with flashbacks to the original owner and her family. The storylines converge at Christmas.

This is a sweet, short, faith-centered book with some delicious-sounding recipes and good dialogue. It would make a nice Christmas present for a cook, an expectant mom, or anyone who enjoys passing along treasured family recipes.

This book is not for readers looking for conflict, complexity, or mystery. All the characters are admirable; the antagonists are physical fragility and the struggle to have faith when bad things happen to good people. It would be more helpful for readers who want to try the recipes if all of them were collected at the end of the book, instead of only a selection of the many dishes described.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere is an excellent holiday romance that weaves between 1972 and 2012. Two families that at first couldn't be more different, a generation apart, yet more in common then realized and forever tied together by love, compassion, heart, loss, friendship, forgiveness, and a beautiful black walnut table.

This book was heartwarming, heartbreaking, enjoyable, and memorable. I loved the plot, the cast of characters, and I loved the ending. It could not be more perfect. I will leave the specifics of the plot to the reader to unwrap and enjoy themselves. It is truly special.

5/5 stars enthusiastically

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

This is the story of 2 families 40 years apart - the Creightons, Joan and John, in 1972 and the Mabreys, Lauren and Travis, in 2012. They are connected by a black walnut dining table and the recipes contained in the table drawer.

Joan and John are the parents of two kids, Gigi and Christopher. John has made picture frames before and has decided to make a dining table for his family. Shortly after buying the black walnut wood Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer. She is started on chemotherapy right away to shrink the tumor, but the cancer spreads to her lungs. John works on the table whenever he can spare the time, but he doesn’t get time often since he is so busy taking care of Joan in addition to his job. With the help of a man referred to John through their church the table is finished just in time to give it to Joan for Christmas.

Lauren and Travis are newlyweds. Lauren wants to make their home “homier” when she becomes pregnant. One of the first things she buys is the table. Once it is at their home the hidden drawer with the recipes is discovered. Lauren was raised in foster care so never really learned to cook. Finding all the recipe cards gives her the incentive to start learning to cook. The cards are full of extra tips and instructions so they make it easy for Lauren to learn. Lauren feels the need to find who the table and the recipes belong to so starts her search for Bud, a dairy farmer named in the recipes hoping he can help her find the owners of the table and the recipes. Lauren explains her reason for contacting Bud, but he isn’t able to help at first. Although Bud recognizes Gigi in the Halloween pictures Lauren has on her phone. So Lauren and Travis invite Bud, Gigi and her husband to their home. Luckily Gigi brings her parents along too. The story of how the table was lost is told and Lauren insists that they take the table back. John promises to make Lauren and Travis their very own black walnut dining table.