This is the second book in the Chestnut Ridge series. I have not read the first (And Then There Was You) but this novel works well as a stand-alone. However, it is apparent from many references in the storyline, that knowing the back story from the first novel would enrich the reader’s enjoyment.

Sheila Aldridge, a highly successful real estate broker from Richmond, VA, has sacrificed her personal life by focusing on her career and micromanaging her staff. When her best friend invites her to visit Chestnut Ridge for two weeks over Christmas, Sheila reluctantly agrees. What ensues is a transformation in Sheila’s perspective of small-town living – including a closely knit community and a budding romance.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Christmas theme, the cadre of Chestnut Ridge residents, and the heart-warming examples of selfless service and generosity (without being preachy). The descriptions of the annual Christmas Stroll (a stadium full of decorated trees) were enticing. The romance between Sheila and Tucker, the Fire Chief, was realistic and relatable. It is clear from the epilogue that at least a third installment is coming in the series. I look forward to its arrival.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

The rating has been rounded up from a 3.5 rating.
Christmas in Chestnut Ridge started off very slow with some parts hard to get through (maybe too much detail in the descriptions of the ornaments and prepping for the tree). The first 2/3 of the book I did not feel connected to the story or the characters, however the last 1/3 of the book changed that. The story line picked up and it was exactly what I was looking for in a Christmas romance. I did enjoy the progression of Sheila and Tucker’s relationship and I kind of wish the story was more focused on them and not so much on the Christmas Tree Stroll.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for a copy of "Christmas In Chestnut Ridge" in exchange for my honest review.

Whenever you open a Nancy Naigle Christmas story you know that you are in for a definite treat. You always feel the warmth and the love of the season wrapped up in a wonderful cast of characters.

In this story we meet Sheila Aldridge - a real estate agency who by all accounts is a micromanager and doesn't take time for herself. She's invited to Chestnut Hills in the Blur Ridge Mountains for Christmas by her best friend Natalie. She's never understood why Natalie moved from Richmond to her late husband's hunting cabin. Her new beau is Detective Randy Fellowes and she's made a life for herself with him.

Sheila meets Fire Chief Tucker and she starts to see that there is fun and joy in life, not just work. When a disaster strikes and even the reclusive Paul (Nathalie's former father-in-law) pitches in to help a family in need with a place to stay - Sheila realizes that she also enjoys helping people, she's just never taken the time to do it. The more she helps others, the more Sheila feels the sense of community that has been missing from her life. The highlight of her visit is the Christmas Tree Stroll - which is a joy to read about.

At the end of the story several of the recipes that were mentioned along the way are printed for the readers to try at home.

This is definitely a heartwarming Christmas story that I didn't want to see end. Definitely a more than 5-stars read!! I highly recommend "Christmas In Chestnut Ridge" for the holiday season.

Chestnut Ridge is a mountain town where tree farms are everywhere and it's always a White Christmas. When Sheila's and her best friend decorate a tree in the annual Christmas Stroll she learns more about herself and her community. And she discovers this is where she wants to be. At the same time, four young children have just lost their home to a fire weeks before Christmas and the fire chief is trying to help. Sheila offers her assistance, and as the town rallies to support the family, she discovers something that has been missing in her life as she gets to know the fire chief. This book is about community and Christmas during the most magical time of the year! It is just what you'll need when it's released this fall as you prepare for the Christmas season!

Who wouldn’t want to spend Christmas or anytime really in Chestnut Ridge. Loved this feel good story that made me feel I was living right in the middle of all of it!

Who doesn't love a good Christmas story? Nancy Naigle takes you a trip to Chestnut Ridge where Christmas is in full bloom and love is in the air. As you get into the story, it is as though you are also welcomed into the small town and have become part of the family. And along the way, you can't help but cheer for Sheila and Tucker. A must read!

Sheila goes to Chestnut Ridge for two weeks over Christmas. Her best friend lives there and wants her to help decorate one of the Christmas trees for the Christmas Tree Stroll. While there she meets the fire chief, Tucker, and decides she would like to get better acquainted. Sheila has her own real estate company but is not close to anyone and within days she feels like she belongs in Chestnut Ridge. This is a wonderful story about helping in the community and supporting people you care about. I loved the way Tucker responded to Sheila’s mother. Creativity and love flow from this book!

This is such a fun Christmas book. I loved Sheila. She is such a sweet woman with a huge heart. Tucker is the kindest man. The storyline was the perfect Christmas story. I finished the book with a warm heart. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This was such a cute Christmas read! One of the main characters, Shelia, goes to Chestnut Ridge to visit a friend for Christmas. During her time in Chestnut Ridge she attends the towns Christmas events and helps her friend decorate a tree for the annual Christmas Tree Stroll fundraiser. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from Nancy Naigle. Thank you to the publisher, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

What’s better than a small-town romance? A small-town CHRISTMAS romance! Girl boss Sheila is off to Chestnut Ridge for the holidays. She’s been recruited by her best friend Natalie to help in the town’s annual festival/competition, The Christmas Tree Stroll. It was not easy for Sheila to agree, considering her workaholic ways, but Natalie is insistent Sheila MUST experience the Magic that is Chestnut Ridge during the holiday season. Upon arriving, it doesn’t take long for Sheila to notice what Natalie meant. Chestnut Ridge is a close-knit community that prides itself in going above and beyond for its residents. We see this right away when the town rallies around a family who loses their home in a fire and is displaced for the holidays, Sheila is so moved by everyone’s efforts to help them that she throws herself into the cause as well.

Soon after, she meets Tucker, the town’s Chief Firefighter. They both hit it off right away and Sheila is excited to spend more time with the town’s hunky Fire Chief for a fun holiday fling. She does not live in town after all! Will these two crazy kids have the courage to upend their lives to stay together? I guess you’ll have to read and find out!

Christmas In Chestnut Ridge is a cute, feel-good, YA romance about finding your people and finding the courage to change what you’ve known all your life, if need be, in order to find happiness and fulfillment. I found the book to be easy to read, well written, with a big group of sweet, lovable characters. Someone who might also enjoy this book is someone looking for a low impact, anxiety free, quick read during the hectic holiday season. If you want to curl up by the fire and read about a happy story with a happy ending, this is the book for you.

I did however find the book to be a little on the slow side. We don’t see Sheila and Tucker have more than a couple run-ins until Chapter 14, which was almost 40% into the book. It almost felt like I read two books. The first half being a story about a woman who finds a sense of Community in the town of Chestnut Ridge and the second, her romance story. I would have liked to see more of Sheila and Tucker interacting and getting to know each other in the beginning half of the book instead of it being all packed into the second half.

You should also know that this is the 2nd book in a series, the first book is her friend Natalie’s story and although I was able to read this as a standalone just fine, there was a lot of referencing the first book, and not all of it was thoroughly explained.

Thank you to the publisher, St Martin’s Press, for providing an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a delightful story where the spirit of the Christmas season abides all year. The residents of Chestnut Ridge love Christmas and their neighbors. They are always eager to help each other and to celebrate the season. The sweet romance between Sheila and Tucker is almost a backdrop to how this town comes together to help anyone in need. They literally open their homes and hearts to provide for their neighbors. The get-togethers are mind-boggling but what you would expect of a small town where no one is treated like a stranger. This book takes the magic of Christmas and warms you up as though you are enjoying one of the flavors of hot chocolate so enticingly detailed by this author. Maybe I will get to enjoy other holidays in Chestnut Ridge. I'm sure they will be just as magical.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Loved Sheila and Tuckers book. If it takes place at Christmas how can it be bad. I really needed to read this at this time and was surprised how much changing Sheila did. Fun town to live in too.

Christmas in Chestnut Ridge by Nancy Naigle follows Sheila Aldridge, a city girl who heads to the mountain town of Chestnut Ridge to spend the holidays with her best friend Natalie, and helps to decorate a tree in the annual Christmas Tree Stroll fundraiser. I’m a big fan of Christmas romance books and the author Nancy Naigle.

Sheila embarks on a journey of self-discovery in this heartfelt love story set in a charming tight-knit community. There are plenty of Hallmark vibes with twinkling lights, hot chocolate, and a Christmas tree competition which sounded so fun. I adored the setting and the sense of community in this small town.

This is the second book in this new series and can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading the first book to get to know all the fabulous characters.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and Netgalley for the advanced copy for my honest review.

This was a cute story. My mind di wander a few times, but overall a solid read...Will be great to sit by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate in the winter.

A sweet Christmas read of Sheila visiting her friends in Chestnut Ridge and meeting Tucker, the fire chief and romance ensues. While I did enjoy this one and would highly recommend it, I must admit I did find Tucker falling so quickly a bit odd. Otherwise, a good one for the holiday and a sweet story of a town pulling together to help those in need.

Another fun Christmas story by this author. I look forward to her books every year. I would love to find a town like Chestnut Ridge.

I enjoyed this book. I love reading books by Nancy Naigle. This one was romantic and heartwarming. It was really easy to read. I even had tears in my eyes in some parts. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review

I wish I had read this during Christmas time! It’s the perfect book for the holidays. The dual POV is something that I love. The town and community truly stood out for me.

<b>3.5 stars, rounded up</b>

I don’t know that I’ve ever read a Christmas book in April before, but this book sounded so cute that I read it early!

Apparently this author has written many Christmas books, but I’ve never read anything by her before.

This book was truly a Hallmark movie in book form. The main character is a city girl who comes to a small town to spend Christmas with her best friend. There were so many Christmas feels in this book! Plenty of hot chocolate, a charming Christmas Tree Stroll, and a Christmas tree decorating competition made me want to curl up in front of a fire on a cold snowy day even though it’s literally spring.

I really enjoyed the setting as well. The author mentioned in her dedication that the town is based on a town that she loves and that love really came through in her writing. I want to visit the small town - it was so cute!

However, while I loved the setting and atmosphere, the characters didn’t really stand out, which I think is because some of the dialogue didn’t always feel natural.

But this is definitely a read I’d recommend for those who love a good Christmas book - I know I do!

Such a cute and cozy read. Highly recommend. I enjoyed it so much that I finished the novel in one sitting.