This is delightful novel about a young woman, her family, and a ghost.

But could this ghost be more than a much needed friend in a big city? Read and find out.


Thank you NetGalley, publisher and author for cute opportunity to read and review this novel.

This was such fun to read - I really enjoyed it. This is a sweet, ghostly story with a touch of romance. I recommend this book to believe in a world filled with miracles, to experience love, and to have a heartwarming feeling. Such a good novela.

- This is a negative review.

Thank you to Calleia Press and NetGalley ****for an ARC of New York Miracle by Margo Laurie

For a Christmas novella which I expect to have some hallmark vibes (it's a Christmas novella it's a given) this was both cutesy and convoluted. This concept was brilliant execution just wasn't connecting with me. However, It's important to note that the fault does not lie with the author. Their storytelling skills were brilliant and had an ease that was commendable. Sometimes, things simply don't align. Right Book wrong time perhaps. Therefore I will not be posting this review to any other platforms.

Welcome to a novella with sentiment, clean romance, brief time-slip, and a ghost story. Yep, it has it all in a short, delightful read! New York Miracle by Margo Laurie is one of those books you feel like you just watched on the screen when you’re done reading, it’s that well-written!

Meet Ellie. She travels from Scotland with apprentice with her great-aunt, who makes and sells fans. During this time, she moves into a hostel. Meet James. He’s a former actor who spends his time at the hostel. He becomes friends with a woman from Scotland and confides in her about his last love, who lived at the hostel many years ago. Ellie decides to help James locate this woman, and thus the adventure begins.

I adored reading this novella! As someone who loves New York, especially New York City in the winter, I adored the setting and history of and in the story. I also really enjoyed how Laurie crafted a cast of characters who were quirky yet delightful. I’m looking forward to reading more magical stories from Laurie. Pick this one up for a cozy read on a winters day!

This was a perfect holiday read. A wonderful ghost story that had me glued to the pages. Absolute delight to read!
I just reviewed New York Miracle by Margo Laurie. #NewYorkMiracle #NetGalley
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I am a sucker for story with a New York setting! This was a sweet winter read with a bit of magic and mystery in the mix. I loved each of the characters and enjoyed Ellie’s journey of finding herself in a new city while confronting the past and tackling the future. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a fun Christmas read!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the Author, Margo Laurie, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. New York Miracle follows the story of Ellie, a Scottish lad on the way to America to intern with her estranged Aunt in making fans. During her stay, she encounters a strange young man who claims he's a ghost searching for his lost love. This novella has time travel, adventure, and glimpses into a historic era that we don't get to experience anymore. Me, being a New Yorker, appreciated this on another level. I enjoyed it so much! I can't wait to see what else Margo has in store for us.

I quite enjoyed this, the magic and the small mystery made it interesting. As Ellie tries to find her footing in New York, she finds herself navigating between the events of the past and the present. In the end, these parallels meet and something magical borns out of it. Winter in New York seems to be always magical. The characters were likeable and the story was captivating. It’s a great read for a snowy winter afternoon.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the book.

Ellie Peach lived a cosy life with her parents and worked for a local college in Edinburgh until she needed more and flew to New York, where her great aunt Berenice will teach her the art of making hand-held fans. When she gets to St. Teresa's Lodge, where she will live until she goes back home, she meets James Denny. He says he is a Broadway actor waiting for her lost love... since he was 25, which makes him a ghost.
Read this book if you believe in the impossible being possible.

Book 30 of 2023 - ✅! Thank you to NetGalley, Calleia Press & Margot Laurie for an ARC of New York Miracle in exchange for my honest review.

New York Miracle by Margot Laurie was a quick and cute novella, that I read for some Christmas in July (I started it in July) vibes. Ellie Peach, our MC, goes to New York for an apprenticeship with her great aunt’s fan-making company. While Ellie is at her accommodations, set up by her great aunt, she encounters a young man - James - who consistently hangs out around the entrance of the lodging, and he piques her interest.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

I very quickly figured out that James had some sort of connection to Ellie’s family, and figured that it was her great-grandmother due to James’ (who’s a ghost) age.

[END SPOILERS]

Laurie’s writing is vivid and compelling - I could certainly picture everything she was describing in my head, though I think the novella could have benefitted from being just a bit longer to really flesh out the paranormal and time-travel aspects (some characters were accepting of that just a little to quickly in my opinion).

If you’re looking for something short, Christmas-y and cozy, but not looking for spice (it was never marketed as a spicy book) this is a good choice! 3.5/5 ⭐️ overall!

#NewYorkMiracle #NetGalley

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this book.

Well, that was an EXCEPTIONAL lovely read.

I really enjoyed this book. The way the author described all the New York City elements was especially wonderful- I felt like I was walking around with Ellie and James and even though I visited back in January, I am itching to go jump on the first plane leaving NL for NYC!

Ellie journeys from Scotland to New York to work at her great aunt's fan company and somehow meets the enigmatic James and stumbles into a old-timey mystery and adventure. Please do not read the reviews before diving in, we all deserve a bit of magic in our lives and I wish you to be surprised by this book.

A very romantic book in the terms of nostalgia and as I wrote in my GR update, a warm cosy coming home hug. Would recommend this novella especially around the holidays.

This is a charming love story, and a love letter to a forgone era of NYC history.

This was an incredibly charming story, and a beautiful love letter to a forgone era in NYC history.

I posted an aesthetic video on my TikTok account as tribute: https://www.tiktok.com/@semperfidani/video/7261418823247596806

I admit that this wasn't at all what I expected, as it was a love story not of the main female character, but of a ghost, Ellie Peach arrives in New York to do an internship at her great-aunts fan making studio. She meets a ghost, James Denny, a this mysterious character who is just...there. Ellie, a kindred spirit in many ways, goes on a quest to discover what happened to Libby Dangerfield, the love of his life.

What I loved:
The author has an amazing ability to succinctly put you in the setting, I appreciate a writer who can so concisely describe something, but doesn't waste four pages talking about the colour of a leaf or something banal as that. It takes a skill to present exposition in a way that is engaging, but not just a filler of words. It starts off really strong, laying the foundation for the story in a way that is natural and intriguing. The dialogue is quite good, and the characters are charming. You truly get the sense of who the characters are, and I enjoyed their quirky ways. Overall, the author, Margo Laurie, is a really strong writer and I look forward to reading more of her stories.

Minor critique:
Though I thought that a certain situation that takes place in Central Park was intriguing. how it happened, and the impact that had on Ellie, could have been expanded and explored more. Given that it was a novella, there were scenes that took place in her workplace that honestly could have been cut to allow for more time to explore the Central Park arc and the immediate aftermath. It also could have allowed for more chapters to immerse the characters in those scenes (that were relatively lacking compared to the rest of the novel). And I'm not 100% sure that having a character like Marcus was necessary as it didn't really factor in the story, and when he did, it felt a bit contrived.

Overall, neither critique affected my enjoyment of the story though. All in all, it was a charming book and I would recommend it.

I want to thank Xpresso Book Tours for permitting me to read an advance DRC through NetGalley. In exchange, I offer my honest opinion.

This was a sweet winter novella with a sprinkle of paranormal activity. I did guess the plot twist of who Libby was, but that didn’t take away from the charm of the story. The ending had me tearing up a little bit. I loved the magic system regarding the ghost and going back in time; however, I wish we had gotten more detail on this. Also, I feel like the fan internship element was kind of sloppy and just thrown in there for a reason for her to be in New York. Overall, a charming story. I would recommend for a quick Christmas read.

3.5 stars

Ellie meets James when she travels from scotland to new York for an apprenticeship. All.is not as it seems, but maybe there is a reason the have met.

What a fun novella. It is a unique and touching story with fabulous characters and dialogue. A sweet fast read but a good one!

New York Miracle
Margo Laurie
4⭐️

Blurb: Ellie Peach travels to Manhattan for a fan-making apprenticeship. While staying at a historic boarding house, she meets the charming James Denny. He claims to be a Broadway actor waiting for his lost love. When Ellie offers to help search for her, it leads to old secrets and adventure...

This was such a cute and charming ghost story. I enjoyed the sweet story, adored the characters, and got swept up in the vivid NY setting. So much fun packed into a quick lil Christmas novella. I could absolutely see this made into a mini Hallmark movie.

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.