•𝐀𝐋𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰•

{𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒚 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒚}

❄️ Release Date: September 26, 2023 ❄️
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I didn’t know much about this audiobook before I started listening to it, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it included two short Christmas stories. I found both stories a bit lackluster, and overall, rather meh. I was hoping for a bit more because I’ve really been enjoying Melissa Ferguson’s books lately, but I guess it’s difficult to make any sort of incredible story with so few pages to work with.

I feel like the narrator did a decent job with the story she was given. She had a very pleasant voice and was easy to listen to.

Book 1:
🚂 “𝑫𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒏𝒐𝒘” 🚂

Thoughts: I struggled to connect with the characters, and honestly, I felt a bit lost through most of the story. There were some cute moments, however, they weren’t amazing enough to overshadow the less fun moments, in my opinion. I failed to enjoy the plot of the story—which seemed to be all about Willow rebounding after her long-time boyfriend dumped her—but I did appreciate that she was able to find a semblance of healing. I will say, the Christmas vibes were certainly on point with The Christmas Express and its staff.

Book 2:
🌲 “𝑷𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒀𝒐𝒖”🌲

Thoughts: I was not a fan of Theo—not even a little bit. He was just so unlikable, in my opinion, and I’m not really sure how readers are supposed to like his character. The romance wasn’t great and left me wanting. This story did not entertain me at all, and I found myself super disappointed with it. The Christmas vibes were pretty much nonexistent—just a Christmas tree farm.
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I received a complimentary alc from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio. All opinions listed are purely my own.

I received an audiobook arc from NetGalley for an honest review. I wanted to like this one, but it fell flat! I had no idea what was going on in the two short stories in this book. I rewind the audiobook so much hoping maybe I missed something but did not help. Really disappointed because I was looking forward to a fun and cute Christmas. Short story.

This is an audiobook review. Narrators did a good job and was pleasant to listen to.

Both of the stories were interesting. I did lose interest a couple of times only because of the very predictable happily ever afters. But I did finish.

Thank you to NetGalley..

Snowy Serendipity by Melissa Ferguson is a delightful 2-in-1 audiobook that’ll have you feeling all the warm, fuzzy holiday vibes. The first novella, Dashing Through the Snow, follows Willow, who’s left high and dry when her boyfriend of seven years dumps her just before a romantic holiday getaway. Not to be defeated, she jumps on the Christmas Express solo, where she meets a quirky bunch—including the charming conductor, Oliver—who help her heal and rediscover the magic of Christmas. The second novella, Pining for You, takes us to a Christmas tree farm in a cosy Virginia mountain town. Theo, a city slicker, returns to help out on the farm and, hopefully, win back his childhood friend Skye, who’s been holding onto some old hurts.

Both stories are sweet and uplifting, with Dashing Through the Snow standing out as a charming, fun-filled ride that’ll make you wish you were on that Christmas train yourself! While the second story isn’t as heavily tied to the Christmas season, it’s still a heart-warming second-chance romance. Talon David and Kayla Jackson give stellar performances, bringing the characters to life with warmth and wit. This audiobook is perfect for those who love a feel-good, easy listen with a bit of holiday cheer.

The audiobook features two quick holiday short stories. The first short story was a great premise: a newly single woman on a luxury holiday train - what more could you want?! Turns out quite a bit. It seemed hurried, and the characters didn’t feel fully flushed out. The ending was incredibly rushed, and it just didn’t hit the mark for me. The second story was more predictable. Second chance romance meets a Christmas farm with miscommunication thrown in for good measure. Again, the pacing felt rushed, the miscommunication drove me batty, and I couldn’t picture the two characters working in real life.

Cute sweet,clean stories. Willow's story was more enjoyable for me. The cast of characters were entertaining and comical. While I wanted just a little more, I'm glad the author didn't go any further. It was the perfect length. Theo and Skye's story was a sweet second chance romance. Although it wasn't my favorite between the two, I still enjoyed it. Both stories give just what you need if you're looking for if you're in between books and need a quick brain cleanse. The narrator was the right choice, delivering these stories in a way that kept my attention.

I received an ALC from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Snowy Serendipity includes two short novellas that have some aspect of the holiday added for a quick read around the holiday season.

Dashing Through the Snow

The first is set on a holiday train, where our main character Willow takes the two week train ride alone as she was left by her boyfriend (of seven years) and didn't want the tickets to go to waste. With situations being as they are she ends up giving up her suite to new parents with a unhappy baby (the tickets had to be purchased a year in advance), and she has a new train companion in an old gentleman named Clarence. It was a sweet short story with not much depth, but perfect for a quick read in between holiday activities.

Pining for You

The second story took place on a Christmas Tree farm and the people who work on it, whereas the owner is a lifetime friend to the daughter. This one I felt had so much potential but just didn't have enough pages to flush it out completely. It was quick, but didn't really feel like the holiday season.

Both these novellas would have been great starting point for a full on story and knowing how well Melissa Ferguson can write I could see these being flushed out in her style.

This audiobook features two very sweet Christmas themed novellas that are sure to get you in the holiday spirit. They got a little cringey and saccharine at points, but overall they were cute and perfect for the season. I'll definitely be holding on to this title to recommend to my social media community in December!

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction, NetGalley, and Melissa Ferguson for the opportunity to listen to the ALC of this audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Audio for sending the ALC of this audiobook. All opinions are my own

This was a cute little novella with 2 stories.

The first story, while moments felt rushed was cute. The idea of a luxury Christmas themed train ride made me dive into a search almost immediately. However, the characters left something to be desired, but I was all in with the train ambiance.

The second story in the novella fell pretty flat for me. The second chance felt too rushed, and I know it's a novella, but I have read other novellas that fully develop their story. I didn't believe the characters and their motivations.

Two stories in one audiobook. They left me wanting more. the last story of the audiobook was my favorite and I wanted a fulllllll story about the train. Melissa is becoming a must read author for me.

I delayed this review because I was unsure what to say, I really enjoyed the first story except that it was far far to short. I wish the whole book was the first story expanded. The second story was unfortunately far from the first and eventually didn't finish it after multiple attempts.

I love all things Christmas so this was a cute palette cleanser for me. Two for 1. Two separate stories. Two HEA!! Looking for a quick clean read? Read this!

Thanks Netgalley, author and team for the opportunity to listen

I loved the perfect romcom, so I wanted to give these a try! This was not my favorite of Melissa Ferguson. I always struggle with novellas. These were short but seemed to have a lot of info in them. Cute premise, but not super engaging and a little confusing at times.

3⭐️ 0🌶️ 4🎧

This book included two novellas. Both short cute holiday stories. I enjoyed both Dashing through the snow and Pining for you. While I enjoyed, I likely wouldn’t read again.

Two cute little Christmas novellas. I enjoyed both stories and thought they were sweet. Perfect palate cleanser between heavier books! Dashing Through the Snow was almost like an adult version of Polar Express. Pining for You was still cute but I didn't like it as much as DTTS. I also thought the narrators did a good job with the characters and bringing the story to life.

𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 ~ 𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐘 ~ by Melissa Ferguson ~ A thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this holiday novella duet. I usually wait until the season to read this genre, but I want to try to sprinkle them in this year and see if I like it that way.
This book includes two novellas that are not connected but share in the themes wrought by the holiday season.
The first story 𝐃𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐍𝐎𝐖 is cute. It gives all the vibes of a modern Polar Express with found family and romance. I enjoyed the first half, yet, while the finish was fine, it became a little cheesy and the end felt very rushed but it was cute and I would say a very weak ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 3 stars for that one.
The second story 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔, I genuinely didn't enjoy. The writing was really wonky and most of the time in the beginning I was downright confused about what was going on. If it was my reading personality, I would have (and probably should have), DNF’d this one. ⭐ 1 star for story #2.
⭐⭐💫 (2.5) For both stories and this book overall ( really carried by story 1)
This was fine but I am glad I read this now and it was not how I started my seasonal reads.
𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐥𝐥! 📚❤️🌲

Very cutesy plot line. Great book for a light holiday read.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to download and listen to the audiobook.

Two sweet winter novellas.

Overall: 4
Spice: 1 (kissing only and minimal)
Narration: 4

This audiobook includes 2 novellas -Dashing Through the Snow about a recently dumped young woman's adventure on a week long The Christmas Express train ride. The second story, Pining for You, which is a second chance romance set on a Christmas Tree farm.

I am a huge fan of Melissa Ferguson's books, so was happy to read and review this 2 for 1 audiobook. Both are sweet stories with Ferguson's usual excellent story telling. Pining for You isn't exactly a holiday story as it doesn't take place during the holidays, but its on a Christmas Tree farm so close enough. Highly recommend if you want a couple quick reads to get you in the holiday spirit. Perfect for plane, train or car trips.

This was a cute pair of novellas. There was a fun concept for the first, set on a 2-week holiday train. Even for a novella, I found there wasn't quite enough depth to get connected to the main love story, but I enjoyed the cast of characters and the christmas setting. The second novella was a cute second chance story.

Thanks to netgalley, the publisher, and the author for free access to the audiobook.

Dashing Through the Snow is a romantically sweet Christmas novella! Willow has just been dumped by her boyfriend. Leaving it all behind, she sets out on a two week romantic Christmas train ride alone. Meeting new faces aboard she starts to heal. Can the gentle Oliver win her heart? Really loved this novella. It was so sweet and was just seeped with Christmastime! I will definitely be trying other works by this author! (5 Stars Rating)

Pining for You is a cute second chance romance. Theo and Skye were once childhood friends who fell in love. After years of being apart, they meet at Theo’s Christmas tree farm. Misunderstandings and hurt from the past keep them apart. But soon old sparks fly. I thought this novella was sweet. I would have preferred more Christmastime vibes, especially given its location. But perhaps this was intentional and not meant to be a Christmas novella. (3 Star Rating)

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in trade for my honest opinion.