Cover Image: On the Way to Christmas

On the Way to Christmas

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Member Reviews

Three short Christmas stories in the one book but they are really festive and fun to read. I don't always go for the short ones but this was well worth a read. 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

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These three holiday stories gave me that good sparkly feeling of a Christmas “glow” and made me excited for the upcoming holiday season. Each story was the perfect length for when you want a good story but you are too busy with holiday preparations for a really long story. I enjoyed all three! Highly recommend! I received an advance copy from the publisher and this voluntary review contains my honest opinions.

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An adorable book perfect for the Christmas season! Melissa Ferguson and Amy Clipston were the stand out stories for me in this one - I was especially so intrigued by the creativity of Melissa's train creation! What a FUN departure from the normal Christmas romance. Great job!

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I received an Advanced Reader copy from Netgalley of this novel. Each short story was delightful! The settings are all different from a train, to a small town. Life goals, relationships, and family play key roles. Of course, romances with a lifetime friend or a new found friend are building through unique experiences and holiday events. Relax with a hot chocolate, coffee or tea and enjoy these holiday stories!

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Three beautiful stories to get you in the mood for Christmas. Each story was interesting and had great characters in the stories. A Christmas Do-Over by Sheila Roberts is a story of Darby who through her life in school and also to her sister and family she was a mean person. She comes back home for Christmas and wants to change her life. Dashing Through the Snow by Melissa Ferguson Is a story of Willow who gets dumped after 7 years of dating and the eve of a romantic trip The Christmas Express. She decides to go on the trip her self and she meets so many people that she enjoys being with. She meets Oliver and his dad who own the Christmas Express. This is a delightful story. A Perfectly Splendid Christmas by Amy Clipston This story is about Kacey who loves living in the big city she comes home for Christmas to help her sister in her bakery. She meets her classmate Drew which she was in love with in high school. Will flames spark or will they just be friends? Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me to read and this is my own opinion.

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I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

One of my favorite things about an anthology is getting to try different authors. In this case, we have Sheila Roberts, Melissa Ferguson, and Amy Clipston.

The common thread between the stories is that they are Christmasy.

In Roberts' story, we have the mean girl return home for Christmas, repentant, but no one believes she's changed. Is there a chance for her to reconnect with her family and true friends? And what about the boy she hurt? He's better looking than ever, but he's not impressed to see her.

In Ferguson's story, we join the Christmasy fun on a train with elves (one with a book collection, plying cookies, and presents), a handsome conductor, and the train owner who resembles Santa. But with the demise of her love life, can Willow trust herself to enter a new relationship?

In Clipston's story, we have a woman return home to help her sister, but back at home, she discovers the boy she loved in high school is single. Since he didn't see her as more than a friend then, why would he now? And she always wanted to live in a city, not a small town.

As with all anthologies some stories spoke to me more than others, but the entire collection has a feel-good quality for the holidays.

I recommend this book and hope you love it!

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Such a cute little book with heartwarming Christmas stories. This one will be perfect for the holidays especially for readers that love short stories with a lot of heart.

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I liked this book. The one story I liked the most was the one by Sheila Roberts. I enjoy all her books and don't have a single complaint about them. The other two books were ok too. They were new authors to me and I enjoyed them. I am grateful that netgalley let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

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If you're in the mood for something light and heartwarming that will put you right into the Christmas spirit this holiday season, then this lovely novella collection might just be what you're looking for.

I adore Christmas stories, and love getting the opportunity to read new to me ones each and every year. When I found about this novella collection set during Christmas that features stories from three authors I've loved in the past, I knew I wanted to go ahead and give it a try.

Overall, I did enjoy this collection, although I would definitely say that I enjoyed certain stories more than others.

A Christmas Do Over by Sheila Roberts:

Sheila Roberts is usually one of my go to authors for charming Christmassy stories, and I had a feeling hers would end up being one I'd enjoy. I loved the originality of this one being about a former mean girl whose life has not turned out the way she's planned, and who ends up realizing that she might have missed out on the best things imaginable by having the attitude she did.

This one was definitely a winner, and I loved the cozy small town vibes, and the growth and maturity the reader gets to see in the main character as they follow along on her journey.

Final Rating 4/5.

Dashing Through the Snow by Melissa Ferguson:

Melissa Ferguson is an author who is really hit or miss for me, and unfortunately, this one ended up being a miss. I loved the premise; I mean what's not to love about a spectacular themed Christmas train setting that gives off all the Polar Express vibes. However, I found the characters were kind of annoying (except for Oliver and Clarence), and the entire story just seemed too improbable to be enjoyable. The writing was more comedic, and for some reason it just didn't work for me this time.

Final Rating: 2.5/5.

A Perfectly Splendid Christmas by Amy Clipston:

Amy Clipston's contribution was definitely my favorite of the three, which probably isn't surprising since she's one of my all time favorite authors. I enjoyed the fact that one was set within her fictional town, Splendid Lake, and how it's a kind of second chance romance, and a friends to something more romance.

The small town setting was beautiful, I loved the emphasis on family and friendships, and the entire story played out like the perfect plot for a made for TV holiday movie.

I breezed through this one quickly, and I was honestly sad when I reached the end.

A beautiful Christmas romance, and definitely the stand out of the trilogy in my opinion.

Final Rating: 4.5/5.

Thanks so much for Thomas Nelson for allowing me to advance read and review this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I will leave a review on Amazon and B&N on Oct. 11

On The Way to Christmas is a complication of three novellas. Two of the authors were new to me, as I had only read one of them in the past. Overall, I found each of the stories a fun read, each novella had a different concept. Each of these books will put you into the Christmas spirit. I would recommend this book to others.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

On the way to Christmas is a collection of stories set around Christmas time and perfect for Christmas romance lovers.. In A Christmas Do-Over we follow Darby who goes home for the holidays after she is fired from her job. While home she gets a rude awakening of who she is and how she impacted people around her. It was slow moving and quite predictable. In Dashing Through the Snow, we follow the sweet Willow who is dumped by her boyfriend just before their vacation and through some delightful people rediscovers the beauty of the season. The last story was by the talented Amy Clipston and follows Kacey who gets a second shot at love in a small town in A Perfectly Splendid Christmas . I recommend this book if you need a romance collection set around Christmas.

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Nice collection of short stories for those who love a sweet, lighthearted Christmas romance. In A Christmas Do-Over, Darby is home for the holidays after she is fired from her job. She comes to realize just how much of a mean girl she was growing up and works at becoming a better person. This was my least favorite of the three stories. I appreciated the storyline but personally wasn't crazy about the writing style.

In Dashing Through the Snow, Willow is dumped by her boyfriend just before they were to leave on a romantic two-week train trip. She decides to go alone and with the help of the train conductor, an elf, and an aging world adventurer, her heart begins to heal and she gains confidence in herself and a new purpose in life.

A Perfectly Splendid Christmas is my favorite of the three stories and was also the first book I've read by Amy Clipston. I didn't realize that she was writing anything other than Amish books, (not my favorite genre) so I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. I was pleasantly surprised and will be reading more from her. In this story, Kacey goes home to help her sister during a family crisis. She runs into Drew, a former friend and classmate. Their friendship is renewed and both want more but he loves the small town life and she loves the big city. They have to figure out how to overcome this big obstacle.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.**

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These three short stories were enjoyable. In the first, A Christmas Do-Over by Sheila Roberts, a mean girl has matured and returns home to face the music. In the second, Dashing Through the Snow by Melissa Ferguson, a young woman is jilted but still goes on a Christmas-themed Polar Express train trip for grownups. In the third, A Perfectly Splendid Christmas by Amy Clipston, a big city girl falls in love with a hometown guy and the reader wonders how they'll resolve it.

I had mixed feelings about this collection. The first, A Christmas Do-Over, was funny and snarky; the mean girl really does suffer for her sins, and then there's redemption. That was really good. The second, Dashing Through the Snow, was original and creative. The descriptions of the train cars were really rich! Good job. And the characters were original and interesting. However, the third story, A Perfectly Splendid Christmas, was slow and repetitive. I found myself skimming it.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me enjoy this Christmas collection.

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A Christmas Do-Over by Sheila Roberts
Former mean girl Darby returns home for the holidays, where there aren’t too many people happy to see her. And she hasn’t really changed much, but she’s trying. Will it be enough? A lovely story of making amends, forgiveness, second chances, and a HEA. I loved this story by one of my favorite authors.

Dashing Through the Snow by Melissa Ferguson
Willow and her boyfriend are supposed to be going on a two-week train trip on The Christmas Express. But when he dumps her, she decides to take the trip alone. She meets conductor Oliver, elf Ian, and aging world adventurer Clarence, who all are beneficial in helping heal her heart. She participates in new experiences and makes many new friends. A story about taking chances, new beginnings, and a HEA. Melissa Ferguson is a new-to-me author.

A Perfectly Splendid Christmas by Amy Clipston
Kacey temporarily leaves her big-city life to help her sister run her bakery during a family crisis. She reconnects with her former best friend and classmate, Drew. The more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow from a rekindled friendship to something more. But she’s set on returning to the city, and Drew loves where he’s at and has no desire to leave the small town. Is there any way the two can find a compromise? A story about following one’s heart and dreams with a HEA. Amy Clipston is a new-to-me author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Three novellas that’ll transport you to Christmas and warm you up. Grab a cup of cocoa, a cookie, and blanket to settle in and enjoy the stories.

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Anything can happen between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and this heartwarming, magical trilogy proves it. This entire trilogy was lighthearted and fun to read.
In A Christmas Do-Over by Sheila Roberts, Darby absolutely doesn't want to go home for the holidays. But, after a career set-back leaves her no more excuses to avoid going home, Darby slinks back to the small town she always wanted to escape when she was younger. Nobody except her parents and brother are particularly happy to see her, especially not her younger sister or childhood best friend, Gregory. Darby is working hard to become a better person but now she's going to have to face the consequences for her former mean girl ways. Has she grown enough to eat humble pie and make amends? I've never read anything by Sheila Roberts but I will definitely be reading more of her work. Darby and her family were such relatable characters. I could absolutely understand how it feels to have to face the music for past misdeeds. This book is such a sweet story of forgiveness and second chances.

In Dashing Through the Snow, Melissa Ferguson tells the story of Willow. When her boyfriend of seven years, breaks up with her right before they were supposed to leave for a romantic Christmas adventure, she decides to go for the two week train adventure on her own. She was completely heartbroken so she couldn't have predicted the hilarious rebound ride with conductor, Oliver, elf Ian, and aging former conductor and world traveler Oliver. As her heart heals, she begins to discover her sense of self worth. I absolutely loved Willow's sweet story! I loved watching her rediscover who she is and realize that she deserves far better than the way her ex treated her. This is a story of new beginnings and I absolutely loved every second of it. I'd love to read more of Melissa's work.

In A Perfectly Splendid Christmas, Amy Clipston takes us back to Splendid Lake and tells the story of Kacey. Kacey always dreamed of living in a city and she loves her life there. But, she returns home to Splendid Lake to help her sister run her bakery during a family crisis. While there, she falls in love with her former classmate and best friend, Drew. The only problem is she loves her life in the city and he's a hometown guy, through and through. While she can work from anywhere, Drew is a teacher and loved by his students. Is there love enough for one of them to uproot their life? As always, Amy Clipston wrote well rounded, relatable characters. In this sweet story, she shows that sometimes your new beginning might involve going back to your roots.

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Three enjoyable stories that made me smile and fell the festive atmosphere. They're well plotted and well written.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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I preferred one story over the others in the the 'On the Way to Christmas' by Shiela Roberts, Melissa Fergus and Amy Clipston. While 'A Christmas Do-Over' and 'A Perfectly Splendid Christmas' were delightful stories on their own, 'Dashing Through the Snow' was charmingly magical. It has such a message of hope and redemption, perfect for the Christmas season. I'm certain anyone will enjoy this special anthology.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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Three charming, yet very different Christmas stories.
I find it hard to know which one I liked best.
I've read other books by Melissa Ferguson, but the other two authors were new to me.
Ms. Ferguson's story is reminiscent of The Polar Express. A tale of a young lady taking a ride on a train for a Christmas celebration. The unexpected love story is a very sweet Christmas tale.

Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

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Three enjoyable holiday books to put you in the holiday spirit. You will enjoy each of these.
Restoration, forgiveness, delightful friendship and second chances bring special delights to these books.

I highly recommend this book. You will want to complete each story before you put the book down. I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson-Fiction and NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

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