Once Upon a December is a magical festive book that is a cozy Christmas romance. Julemarked is a special market that exists out of time and place. It appears at different Christmas markets around the world with no way to know where and stays for the three weeks prior to Christmas. The festive feel with the holiday food and drink, along with the seasonal atmosphere really created a cozy holiday feeling. Jack, a resident of Julemarked and Astra from our world are a sweet couple. Their meetings and relationship were endearing, so I hoped for them to figure out how to be together. This is a nice book to start the Holidays and stands out with the unique setting and plot from many Holiday romances.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Romance for the eArc. This is my honest review.

This book will make readers wish they could find and visit the Julemarked just to taste the kringles, even if they won't remember it once they're gone.

Jack lives in a magical place called the Julemarked that pops up in Christmas markets around the world. It's always Christmas in the Julemarked, and in exchange, the residents live long lives with everything they need. However, Jack finds himself drawn to an outsider who he sees every time the market comes to Milwaukee. Every year, he slips a carved figure - a nisse - in her bag, but the next year she doesn't remember him. He's determined to find a way to make a connection deep enough where she can remember him.

Astra's a librarian recovering from a bad divorce and celebrating having her friends back in her life. When she sees the cute baker at the Julemarked, she's drawn to him, especially when he slips her a nisse.

Sparks fly when Jack and Astra finally get to have a cup of hot chocolate, but despite their Christmas connection, their worlds are far apart. They must decide if the chance at true love is enough for one of them to give up all they hold dear.

This book is drenched in Christmas magic, with everything you want from a meet-cute Christmas romance: punny Christmas names - case in point, Jack's bakery: Kringle all the Way, awkward dinners with potential future in-laws and starry walks through the snow. After Astra finally remembers Jack, it takes longer than I would have liked for her to meet him again, but the author distracts us with a subplot about Astra stealing her beloved dog back from her ex. When Astra and Jack do reconnect, the romance sizzles, and the reader feels Astra's longing to put everything else aside for Jack.

This is a sweet treat, with just enough romantic angst to provide a foil to the nostalgic dreaminess of the Julemarked. Perfect for Christmas lovers everywhere.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Amy Reichart for the advanced copy.

****Publishing October 4, 2022****

A fun and entertaining story that will make you want to attend a Christmas Market and eat Kringles!

Astra, a librarian, recently divorced, reconnects with her college friends whom she neglected once she was married. They meet up once a year to attend the Milwaukee Christmas Market. Her ex-husband is inconsiderate and continues to give her trouble. Can she figure out a way to stop her ex-husband from interfering with her life and create the life she is longing for?

Jack is a baker where his family travels to different Christmas markets to sell their Kringles. When he encounters Astra and friends at a Christmas market , he is smitten with Astra. Will he have the courage to ask her out?

A unique Christmas story that will keep you entertained and turning the pages to find out Astra’s fate! Will she choose to live her current life or will she choose to join Jack and his family in their unique lifestyle? Is she willing to give up her current lifestyle for another man?

A fun and entertaining holiday read that will have you cravIng Kringles in the end. I loved how this author chose to have elements of magical realism in this story, it added to the magic of the holiday season.

Ooof, this is a tough one. I love Astra, her friend group, and her dog Bernie. Jack is a bit bland. I think Jack was a more interesting character in the flashbacks than he was in the "present" time. I believe it's because we see more of Astra's Outside interactions and daily living than we see Jack's Inside life. Most of what we see from Jack is his interactions with Astra and most of what we see from Astra is her time not with Jack.

This is also not at all the cozy, lighthearted read I was expecting (and hoping) for. The idea behind Julemarked is complex. I didn't understand how Julemarked worked until the end and even then I'm still unsure if I'm right. (I just keep thinking TARDIS that only lands in the month of December at any time and space...or, I guess, space within the human world. Is that even partly right?) Though, honestly, anything where there is a different counting system my brain can't compute.

But I love Julemarked even if I don't understand how it functions. The name of all the shops are so creative and cute. The place has the exact Christmas vibe I look for when reading Christmas-themed books. We don't explore the place much, but the introductory chapter to this magical place was so immersive and made me wish I could live there. Also, I HAD to stop mid-read to google kringles and see if they are a real thing (they are!) because I had never heard of them before. Now, thanks to Reichert's descriptions, I really want to try one.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It's is a very heartwarming Christmas story that, to me, is more than just purely a romantic love story. This is about a woman finding her happiness.

Magical. Complete escape. Full of hope and all things Christmas! Makes you happy!! I could feel and smell everything and loved these characters

As a fan of The Kindred Spirit Supper Club, I was excited to read this charming, magical holiday romance. Reichert once again transported me to a Wisconsin location filled with enough details to make me want to pay a December visit (right after I visit the Wisconsin Dells in the summer and hit up an amphibious boat tour ).
My heart would be breaking for Astra if it weren’t for all the sweet scene flashbacks that Jack inserted of their 15 years of interactions. It was nice to have a 37 year old heroine and a similarly mature man and they are definitely swooning for each other over and over again.
For me, this was a perfect holiday read. Light, magical, full of holiday themed cheer. Sweet characters with deep friends and families. Also great for fans of all the new microgenre of witches and magic related romance. I think ‘Kindred Spirit Supper Club’ is still my favorite but I’d never limit myself to just one Amy Reichert book! (Off now to try and find her back list to read until this one publishes in the fall).
Thank you Berkeley and NetGalley for the ARC!

Sweet in so many ways!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was totally not expecting this book! Reichert has crafted a romance for the ages, literally. What a special treat.

A bit of a fanciful story, we have been whisked away to a neverland of whimsey and treated to love unlike any we have experienced.

Imagine living in a world of baking and Christmas markets all year long, then meeting someone you have a connection with, only to be not able to date her or meet her outside in the world as we know it. Frustrating!

The author has put on her Christmas hat and conjured up all sorts of interesting details and sweetness that will have you wishing for the holidays! Spiked hot cocoa and holiday hats are galore!

The characters are fun and a delight to read and grow with too. Jack is my favorite as his heart is pure and sweet!

For a story that is a delight all the way around and a beautiful clean romance, Once Upon a December is a story that you will fall for with that sweet ending!

I just adore author Amy Reichert, and have read & enjoyed pretty much her whole back list. So thrilled to be an advance reader for her latest, "Once Upon a December", which I enjoyed tremendously, even in the summer heat! This charming tale of our heroine, Astra Noel Snow (!!), freshly divorced & looking for holiday magic at the Wisconsin Julemarked, who finds "insta love" with Jack in his Kringle shop, is everything I expected & more. I appreciate that the author threw in some magic realism, which is sort of her thing, also. Will very likely re-read during the holidays - highly recommend! My sincere thanks to the publisher & Net Galley for the complimentary DRC, the exchange of which did not effect my opinions.

4 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you to read it, if you ask me

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this free copy. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Book Summary:
To Astra Noel Snow, holiday spirit is a way of life. After her recent divorce, she's ready to cut loose and have some fun with her friends at their annual weekend visit to the Milwaukee Christmas Market. There she meets a handsome stranger who works in his family's bakery in the Julemarked and saves the best kringle (pastry) for her.

Jack Clausen lives in the Julemarked, with its snowy lights and charming shops that always stays the same. The world outside the Julemarked changes, as the inhabitants of the Julmarked magically leap from one December to the next every four weeks. He’s never minded this life until he meets Astra and shows him life outside of the magical alley.

After many dates during the month of December, some Yuletide magic, and the unexpected glow of new love, Astra and Jack must decide whether this relationship can weather all seasons, or if what they’re feeling is as ephemeral as marshmallows in a mug of hot cocoa.

Review:
As always, I really enjoyed the story written by Amy Reichert. I love the way she weaves in local information that makes me want to go wander around in nearby Milwaukee.

Even though it was May when I read it, the feeling of Christmas and the holiday cheer was ever present. I really enjoyed meeting the two main characters, but I loved most of the supporting cast (both major and minor). It was really hard to like the ex-husband even the littlest bit, so obviously he was written perfectly! I liked the little bit of magic thrown into the story without making it so out there it was unreadable.

Such an amazingly inspirational, heartwarming, feel good Christmas romance makes you giddy, lighthearted, see things from bright side by experiencing full holiday spirit!

The main characters’ names are truly epic: Astra Noel Snow and Jack Clausen who meet once upon a December at a magical Christmas market.

Astra who is heartbroken after her divorce, deciding to start from fresh, enjoying her freedom and Milwaukee Christmas experience!

On the other hand Jack Clausen stuck in the same place: a magical Christmas market where he meets the same girl at each year keeps forgetting who he is at each year!

But this year, things will be different. Jack gives himself a chance to discover the outside world with the guidance Astra, learning to leave his comfort zone to realize his misses opportunities.
What if their relationship may last more than one month, what if they have a slightest chance to spend years together?

This book is a soul healer. The chapters about friendship, family ties and beautiful depicted Milwaukee scenes made me swoon!

I was so close to give four stars but I didn’t like surprise baby plotline so much!

Overall: Amy E. Reichert is brilliant story teller who combines different genres perfectly. This adorable romance meets magical realism and fantasy!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Insta-love is not always my favorite, but I adored how this Christmas market was unlike anything else, with a magical setting + romance as perfect as the season.

I was lucky enough to WIN an advance digital copy of this title from the author, and I could not wait to start it! The title + cover art made it one I HAD to read, and as someone who normally devours as holiday reads as possible, I figured how could I NOT drop everything to read it, even if it was only May?!

After reading Reichert's previous release, The Kindred Spririts Supper Club, I was read for a story of love, family and friendship that was part cozy read, part suspended belief and it worked SO well for this book. I adored how Jack fell for Astra even as time went by differently in the Julemarked, something cheesy and wonderful in the idea of love living through the times that spoke to me.

"I like how even time can't keep two people who belong together apart."

Reichert made me want it to be the holidays, and this year I know I'll be watching for a nisse of my own, I had never eaten a kringle before but now I can't imagine NOT making it part of my holiday traditions! Pick this book up if you're one who loves to celebrate the season, cherish the moments and memories with family and friends and who may just believe in the impossible.

I adore Amy E. Reichert books. I loved the setting of this book and the magical touches in the Christmas market.
I really loved that we see Astra as a librarian and how hard that job is. I loved her dog Bernie and how hard she fought for custody.
I loved the friendship that Astra has with her girls and how they are the loves of her life.
I liked the love between her and Jack and how it evolves.
This is a really sweet book, that will be a definite hit at Christmas time.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

In my humble opinion, it is never to early to feel Christmasy vibes!! I cherished this book, as I really loved the main characters. The level of understanding they had was mature and real to envy about. Henceforth, it was a full five stars read for me.

It was a very quick, fun and an easy read for me. I really liked the vibes and the main characters. They were simply adorable.

Amy E Reichert always writes wonderful storylines and characters with her books. Once Upon a December is no exception. This is a cozy, sweet romance full of wonderful friends and family, even an adorable dog. Jack and Astra have been meeting for years in a magical Christmas market. He looks for her every year though she doesn't remember him. This book grabs your heart and makes you want to keep reading their story, You start cheering for Jack right away and want Astra to get on board quickly!

Thank you so much Amy E. Reichert for the opportunity to read an early copy of Once Upon a December! I absolutely loved this magical book! I loved Astra and Jack so much. I will definitely be buying a copy of this book when it comes out.

Full review posted to links after embargo is lifted.

I really liked this author’s last book (The Kindred Spirits Supper Club) and was hoping that this one would have the same *ahem* magical touch. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t quite hold up. The magic system here is a little tenuous, and Jack is reluctant to leave his safe bubble. Honestly, I found it irritating that the only way they could see being together is if Astra leaves her whole life behind, especially since the epilogue reveals that you can kind of choose which market you end up at? If Jack’s family is only living in the week before Christmas markets to prepare and then the market itself, it makes way more sense for him to leave. And I think the surprise baby plotline is not generally a crowd-pleaser.

TKSSC really benefited from its sense of place in the Wisconsin Dells - all the campiness of the parks and the duck boats, and the coziness of supper clubs. Reichert’s attempts to place you firmly in Milwaukee, though, feel heavy-handed and overly descriptive. There’s oodles of details on the views, the locations, the exact vibes - I think it would have been better to leave the reader to decide some of those scenes.

I think this is overall a fun book that’s going to find a home with a loving crowd of readers, and I won’t hesitate to recommend it. It just wasn’t quite for me.