This was a sweet story, though it didn't have much of a plot. However, it did have charming characters and a compelling protagonist, which I can always count on in Mary Kay Andrews' writing. If you're looking for a quick, uplifting book, this one definitely fits the bill.

A quick cute story about how life works in mysterious ways. Sometimes you just have to follow what your gut tells you and take a leap of faith. Mary Kay embodied this in a sweet and quirky way.

A lighthearted fun Christmas story done in classic Mary Kay Andrews style. The ending will leave you believing in the magic of Christmas! Loved it!
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Mary Kay Andrews for the ARC.

I'm not usually one that would read a Christmas novel in June. But when I was offered this MKA novel, I just had to read it no matter what time of year it is. The Santa Suit is the sweetist, most charming little Christmas novel. The characters are all so endearing who I would love to be friends with. The Santa Suit would be a perfect book to curl up in front of the fireplace with a hot cup of tea around the holidays. What a fabulous added bonus we all got as the result of the pandemic!! I highly recommend The Santa Suit to all.

Thank you to Mary Kay Andrews, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Ivy decided to buy a farm house on a whim. She needed a change after getting divorced. In the house she finds a note by a child who is hoping their father will return for the holidays. This book will put you in the holiday spirit.

This was such a good book!
Ivy buys an old farmhouse site unseen and moves to a new town. She makes some new friends and along the way reunites others. This book is full of Christmas magic, certain to put you in the holiday mood. I really enjoyed this book! Definitely add to your holiday reading list
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

Mary Kay Andrews' name on a romance is an instant indicator that I'm going to enjoy and entertaining story with a good plot and great characters. I wasn't disappointed in the least.

A definite Hallmark like Christmas story, which was predictable from the beginning. A cute, enjoyable story, with a little twist at the end. There was not much character development. I’d have enjoyed it if I read it in December!

Absolutely loved The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews. A magical Christmas story where kindness and thoughtfulness help a newcomer spread Christmas cheer. Delightful book. I would definitely recommend it.

The story introduces you to divorced Ivey, a woman who bought an old house in a small town sight unseen. The realtor, Ezra, is a handsome single man who is also a neighbor. Ezra helps Ivey around the house with some unexpected and much needed repairs.

Ivey finds herself involved in the lives of several people in town. When she finds a beautiful old Santa suit in a closet, she discovers the history of the old house. Ezra is scheduled to be Santa for the Christmas parade but his suit is old and worn out. Ivey lend him the Santa suit to wear in the Christmas parade. Surprises happen in the end.

The first part of the story was engaging and a bit fun. But I found I didn't like some of the language used. Also it was a bit risque so I would not recommend it as a clean read..

Thank you to NetGslley for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

“Spoilers “
While Mary Kay Andrew’s The Santa Suit is a heartwarming feel good story, with a little bit of holiday magic and Ivy and Ezra have real chemistry I had a problem with it’s base underlining premise.
I personally found very jarring and off putting the big reveal of the religion of the previous owners of Ivy’s new home. Frankly as a Jew, while I guess it’s possible, I’ve never known any Jew who felt they had to “out Christmas” their Christian neighbors rather than celebrating Chanukah, especially a family that has placed a mezuzah on their doorpost. The Rose’s kindness and spirit would have been equally compelling if Christmas was in fact their holiday.
Frankly it ruined the story for me.

Readers are in for a treat this holiday season! Mary Kay Andrews's "The Santa Suit" is a small town Christmas story that comes with all of the charm and none of the usual banality that marks these types of romances.

It is such a joy to see Ivy recapture her Christmas spirit as she attempts to solve the mystery behind the letter found in the Santa suit.

During her quest she meets so many interesting people along the way. There is her real estate agent, Ezra who turns out to be her love interest. Lots of cute scenes between them and a sensual one or two as well. I found myself loving Ezra. He's kind, funny, and he brings Ivy nice bottles of red wine. What's not to love?

Then there is Phoebe, the young lady whom Ivy befriends at the clerk's office. She's hilarious! When I read about her online dating fiasco with the fiance she has yet to meet IRL, I could not help but guffaw. In the story, Pheobe and Cody, her fiancé, have a meet cute that will melt your heart.

Finally, there is Lawrence, the elderly man whom Ivy discovers is the grandfather of the little girl (now a woman) who left the note in the Santa suit all those years ago. Lawrence is a very sweet man who misses his granddaughter Carlette terribly.

What Ivy learns on her first visit with him is that Carlette and her mother moved away from town when she was only eight years old. As a result, she and her grandfather have been estranged for decades.

Over time Ivy and Lawrence form a beautiful friendship. Ivy's taking the time to befriend the old gentleman shows just how big her heart is. She may not realize this but everyone she comes in contact does.

As I mentioned before, this story is short. As I got closer to the ending, I keot wondering how Ivy was going to solve the mystery behind little Carlette's letter.

Once Carlette is revealed and all of the dots are connected, my heart cracked wide open! Such a touching moment.

I love everything about"The Santa Suit". My one small complaint is that I with there were an epilogue. I would have enjoyed having a peek into the lives of Ivy and her loved ones a few years in the future. Other than that, this us an otherwise spectacular book.

Thank you NetGallley for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

The Santa Suit by Marky Kay Andrews

9781250279316

224 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: September 28, 2021

Fiction, Women’s Fiction

Ivy Perkins decided she needed a new start after her divorce. She saw a listing for an old farmhouse for sale and buys it sight unseen. Ezra, the realtor, was at the house when she arrived at the house. She was a little taken aback by the state of the house. The paint was peeling, the door was stuck, the windows leaked, and the heating was not functioning. She was beginning to regret her decision.

While putting away her clothes in the closet, she found a box on a high shelf. In the box was a well-made Santa suit. She learned the history of the house and the owners that would dress as the Mr. & Mrs. Santa. In the pocket of the suit, she found a letter written to Santa by a little girl. She asked if Santa could send her father home from the Vietnam War. She wondered if the girl’s wish was ever answered and began asking around town.

The story is fast paced, the characters are well developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. There is a little mystery and a twist of romance. If you love Mary Kay’s other books, you will not be disappointed with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews. I always know that if I read a book by Mary Kay Andrews, I will be drawn into the story and not be able to put it down. And I loved The Santa Suit! Ivy decides to change up her life and buys a farmhouse in rural North Carolina after viewing it on the internet. She moves in early December. The farmhouse is a bit rundown, but many people mention to her that the previous owners loved to decorate the house at Christmas. As she's exploring the house, she discovers a Santa suit and many wonderful Christmas light strings and decorations. She really wants to get settled in her house before she thinks about decorating the house. She finds a note to Santa in the pocket of the Santa suit and it intrigues her enough to find out who the little girl is that wrote the note. Along the way, she makes some friends and works on fixing up the farmhouse. She ends up becoming more involved in the community and a certain neighbor, and does end up decorating the farmhouse before Christmas. This is a novella so I was sad when the story ended. I wanted to read more about Ivy and her new friends.

Such a fun little novella by Mary Kay Andrews! You can hardly go wrong with a little "Christmas in July" and this sweet story really delivered. It was light and breezy with just enough romance and intrigue to keep it interesting.

This sweet story centers around a newly divorced Ivy (I see what you did there MKA) who wants to make a fresh start in a small southern town by buying a beautiful, but in need of major TLC, farmhouse previously occupied by much-beloved residents. As Ivy discovers more about the house, the former residents (the town's Santa + Mrs. Claus) and the charm of her new town, she is led down a little rabbit hole into a mystery that will having you feel good all over.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers, St. Martins Press, for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Delightful Feel Good Christmas story. Story of new beginnings, coming to grip with being the real person, not some glamorous facade, and making connections from the past.

Read in two settings.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will leave a four star review on Amazon under name of Connie.
Thank you for granting me access to this book.

I enjoyed reading the magical Christmas story, The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews. I loved that Ivy moved from the big city of Atlanta to an old farmhouse and a small community. This book is about friendship, holiday magic and finding Ivy's new life. Some things could have been left out, and the story would have been just as good. I generally read clean or inspirational fiction, but I love Christmas stories, so I gave this a try. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This quick read will be a good Christmas gift for those who like Nicholas Sparks. It tells the story of Ivey, who bought an old house in a small town sight unseen. The realtor is handsome young single man, also a neighbor, who is more than happy to help recently divorced Ivey with some of the unexpected repairs.

Ivey quickly gets involved in the lives of several people in town. Upon finding a beautiful old Santa suit in a closet, she lends it to the realtor to wear in the Christmas parade.

Full of coincidence, this feel good read will appeal to those who enjoy romance novels.

This is a magical book! Take one divorced woman, Ivy, who wants to start over somewhere new. She buys an old farm property sight unseen without knowing a soul in the small town. She meets her real estate agent, Erza, who turns out to be her first friend and handyman as things immediately start going wrong. Doesn't sound magical? Just wait as you read it and discover the former owner, long gone, played Santa to the children of the town. It seems some of his own magic stayed behind, fueling Ivy to try and solve a mystery and make wonderful friends along the way. You see, the magic is love and compassion for others who need it. And it turns out that everyone benefits from love.

Mary Kay Andrews' storytelling talents are at their optimum in this Christmastime story. She has characters that are real, vulnerable, and kind. The small town is idyllic as though time has kept people and values intact from times gone by. The descriptions of the town and buildings immediately bring vivid images to the reader. I repeat, it is simply magical for the reader. This is a story to treasure and perhaps read every year as Christmas approaches. A warm and wonderful book that I already know I will be reading again next December.

I am thankful that St Martin's Press and NetGalley allowed me to read and review this fantastic book!

The Santa Suit is the perfect Christmas feel good story and I could see now a Hallmark movie written allover the cover. Ivy Perkins, newly divorced and starting over, decides to buy a farmhouse on the internet. On arrival, it is definitely a fixer upper and the handsome realtor makes himself useful, helping Ivy fix whatever seems to be broken. The Four Roses farmhouse was once the home to the town Santa and while cleaning out a closet Ivy finds a letter in an old Santa suit. Curiosity about what happened to the little girl and if her wish come true leads Ivy on a mystery that uncovers new friends and leads to a surprising, happily ever after. Sweet and in the true spirit of Christmas, The Santa Suit is the perfect read for a cold winter night, sitting beside your Christmas tree with a warm cup of hot chocolate. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.