Ahhhh, Christmas reads are my absolute favorite. Be sure to grab a blanket and get cuddled up next to the fire with this read. The story reminded me a lot like the movie "Mama Mia". I loved how the book was located in Aspen, CO, one of my favorite cities. The details and how the town was decorated for Christmas was great. It's definitely a page turner, as you wonder who this "mystery man" is.

I wanted to love this - the potential was there but much of the story felt forced to me and this failed to capture my interest. I read this over a few weeks, since I was never able to really get into it.

I wasn’t the right reader for this.




Thank you to St. Martin’s Griffin and NetGalley for the DRC

I enjoyed the pacing of the book. I loved the characters, the sister dynamic and the grief they are going through in their own way with the passing of their mom. I love Caroline's mission to find out about their mom's past and a mysterious lover she kept from them. It's got romance, and mystery.

I really, really wanted to love this novel but unfortunately.. It just didn’t work for me. The stunning cover drew me in and I was excited to read this one! The setting in Aspen was done well and I loved reading about all the different local places and the historical prevalence of the area. The descriptions of the setting were done really well and made me want to transport myself to Aspen immediately.

There were a lot of different stories to follow within this book, and I didn’t feel they worked together or supported the main plot enough for me to love them. It felt like there was way too much going on to the point that I just got very confused and didn’t get the story at all.

Caroline and Daphne constantly went in circles with the same problems until they just.. didn’t. This string of conflict didn’t have enough resolution for me to contribute to their relationship developing in any substantial way. Multiple times I just thought “girls, we’ve done this already, get over it!”

I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. They didn’t feel loveable and were very one dimensional. Unfortunately the romance also fell flat and I didn’t feel a real genuine connection between any of the main romances. I would have loved to have read more relationship development between the couples and less about Caroline’s mother and the author she had a strange connection to.

I did enjoy the ending of the book and how the author tied in all of the women making different choices for themselves about love and their careers across time. I wish these ties would’ve been more prevalent throughout the story.

I’m sure there’s an audience for this book and they would absolutely love it, it just didn’t work for me!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I wouldn’t call this a “Christmas” book per se. It happens to be set between Christmas and New Year’s but the story isn’t really Christmas centric. In fact, there are a lot of stories going on here, maybe too many. You have the main character Caroline, her sister Daphne, their relationship, recently passed mother, their romances, mother’s romance, a new author, an older author thru letter flashbacks, etc. It’s a lot. I actually thought this book was going to be Anna and Elsa fanfic at first given where the story was going, but it did not end that way. I appreciated the scenery descriptions and am curious to see Aspen in winter. There is no spice in this book. A library read at best.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I got this as an ARC, and I have to say this novel was absolutely fantastic.
Caroline, upon discovering a letter addressed to her late mother, decides to go to Aspen during the Christmas holidays. Her sister, Daphne, and her new fiance, tags along as they don't want to spend Christmas apart.
In Aspen, Caroline meets a charming and handsome man named Max.
All four adults are on individual journeys to find themselves, and love along the way!
There are no spices whatsoever, but this story doesn't require it at all. It is a beautiful story without it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Anita Hughes

The setting of Aspen, Colorado during the Christmas season is the highlight and star of this book. The holiday season atmosphere and setting was thoroughly enjoyable.

I liked this book but it didn’t completely draw me in. There were some secondary storylines that didn’t add to the story for me, including a packet of old letters that the main character read throughout the book, a local writer’s work at editing a book based on his own experience, and the main character’s sister’s relationship. I believe it would have made it more interesting and convincing to me if the main characters had more page time together, because I was not invested in them ending up together. I also think that there was a huge surprise twist revealed right towards the end of the book that was quickly brushed away.

Although this is a Christmas story, there was an overarching sense of loss and sadness due to the main character’s grief and coming to terms with her mother’s recent death. This may not affect some readers as much as others.

Overall, I think that this book has some charming moments and it is going to appeal to a lot of readers.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.

This was the second book I read by this author and while I loved the setting, I had some issues with the story. I also had trouble connecting to the characters. Caroline was hard to relate to, I didn’t like Daphne, and while I liked the story set in the past at first, I hated Teddy more and more as the flashback progressed. He was manipulative and came on way too strong. I couldn’t understand what the woman from the flashback saw in him.

This was an odd Christmas book in that Christmas Day was at around the 30 percent mark and the bulk of the story covered the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. As such, there weren’t a ton of Christmas feels, but I did like what there was, and I loved hearing about how the town decorated.

Overall this was okay, but not my favorite Christmas read. It would be a good book to read after Christmas since the majority of the story is set then anyway.

Having read and enjoyed “Christmas at the Lake” by this author (4 Stars), I was looking forward to a new Christmas story set in Aspen. Unfortunately, this one did not match my previous experience.

The detailed descriptions of Aspen captured the beauty of the area and evoked the spirit of the season. However, I never engaged fully with the storyline for the following reasons. The main characters were not that likeable - primarily because the romances lacked authentic chemistry and were full of turmoil. In addition, I found myself becoming annoyed at the protagonist’s interference in her sister’s life when she had significant issues of her own to resolve. The insertion of a series of letters as a subplot, while interesting, seemed disruptive to the flow of the story. A twist at the end did add much needed dimension, but the conclusion itself was weak and too vague.

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.

Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes was an enjoyable read. The characters and storyline were believable and the mood of a Christmas story in Aspen was. entertaining. The family dynamics made the story.Read this story to find out how the sisters worlds go through transitions and how love come into their lifes. Thank you to Net gallery for allowing me to read this novel prior to its publication.

I was really excited to discover Hughes's latest novel, because I remember really enjoying A Magical New York Christmas and Christmas in Vermont.
With Christmas in Aspen, you get all the cosy vibes of the holiday season thanks to the setting and atmosphere. It quickly becomes bittersweet and poignant because the two sisters deal with their grief from losing their mother. Sadly, despite the writing qualities, the issues related to that situation tend to become rather repetitive (Caroline fussing over her sister's own life decisions, the sadness over the absence of their mother...). Besides, I wasn't sold on the romance; I didn't find the magic I loved in her previous books.
Thanks you to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the opportunity to read Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes. I will always read whatever Ms. Hughes writes and know i will never be disappointed. Christmas in Aspen is a delight.

Anita Hughes' A Magical New York Christmas is one of my favorite holiday romances, so I was expecting a lot from her upcoming book, Christmas in Aspen. But for a number of reasons, I just couldn't get into the story of two sisters who spend the holidays in Aspen to feel close to their recently deceased mother.

Older sister Caroline is a literary editor who is in danger of losing her job if she doesn't find a viable manuscript in the near future. She is someone who believes in short relationships only, so she is caught off-guard when she meets an attractive man in Aspen who seems to be looking for something more. Caroline is also in Aspen to look for a man who has been writing to her mother about their romance in Aspen, one Caroline knows about only after finding his letters. Younger sister Daphne has gotten engaged to her boyfriend after a 2-month relationship, but Caroline feels she might be jumping the gun, especially when she moves up her wedding date to occur during their Aspen trip.

The author successfully portrays Aspen as a perfect vacation spot, especially during December, but I didn't feel the joy when the characters engaged in the town's holiday festivities. I also felt that Caroline's new relationship with Max was unconvincing, and I didn't understand what they saw in each other. One subplot fueled by a series of letters from an author who recently became a client of their mother's and wanted to explain the history behind her 40-year dry spell didn't land for me, especially the twist at the end of the book. And I felt that some of the conversation was stilted. This story would be perfect for a Hallmark movie, but it was missing the magic for me.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

A great cozy read for the holidays!! Christmas in Aspen was my first Anita Hughes book and it won't be the last. This is a charming story that takes Caroline, an editor, to Colorado for the holidays. I loved how Anita intertwined the letters from her mother's friends throughout the story.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the ARC.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for a honest review.
Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes was just okay for me. I really wanted to connect with Caroline but I just never did. The story was interesting but a little too much information about editing books, this of course makes sense because Caroline is an editor but I started to skim those parts

For fans of Anita Hughes, Christmas arrived early in Aspen. Leaving NYC behind for the holidays, Caroline travels to Aspen to solve her mother's last mystery. A mailed letter leaves instructions to meet by Santa's mailbox on New Year's.

Still reeling from her mother's death two months prior, this seems like an unexpected gift and Caroline wants to unwrap the truth. From the first night, things take an surprising turn and readers will delight in the charm of the characters and the picturesque surroundings. Will Caroline discover Annie's secret or 'drop the ball' on final memories?

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of 'Christmas in Aspen' in exchange for an honest review. I'm fan of the author's of work and this novel rings in the special memories of the season.

First off, a big shoutout to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for hooking me up with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest take.

Diving into this book, it was my first time with this author. While I totally vibed with the setting and the big themes, the writing style didn't quite hit the mark for me. I mean, I wanted to root for Caroline and her love interest, but it felt like they were missing that spark, you know? And don't get me started on how some plot points felt a bit forced, like they were trying too hard to make a point.

The dialog felt a tad awkward. Honestly, getting through this book felt like a bit of a slog. But hey, it wasn't all bad. There were some cool moments sprinkled throughout. Overall though, while I can see the potential, it didn't quite hit home for me.

There is a nice holiday story year but I kept losing interest with the writing style and the dialogue felt awkward to me that I just couldn’t stay focused on the story to read it.

With that said it was a fun holiday read that fits well with all the Hallmark Christmas movies that we all love ever year and it’s worth a quick read over the holidays.

Thanks to NetGallery and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes, it is not your typical holiday read. It’s full of so much emotion & depth & I loved every second. I will definitely do a reread of this one during the holiday season. Think the best of the best Hallmark movie you’ve seen- I hope this one becomes a movie!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press|St. Martin’s Griffin for the ARC copy of this book.

I received this book from the publisher for honest feedback. The opinions stated on this review are strictly my own.
I really like this story line from the beginning.
Caroline and Daphne had lost their mother to cancer a couple of months prior to Christmas. Caroline was still struggling and Daphne had met the man of her dreams and planned on getting married as soon as possible. Caroline was not happy about this.
Caroline found a letter in her Mother's things from a man telling her he'd met her in Aspen on New Years Eve. Caroline didn't know who this might be but she had to find put. Caroline, Daphne and Luke all ended up in Aspen for Christmas.
Many surprises and love around the corners.
Definitely recommend for a few good Christmas story.