Christmas. It's a joyful time of year for some and a painful and difficult time for others. There are so many expectations, so much pressure, and often disappointment. Yet there is also joy, wonder, and connection. Sometimes, in the midst of all of this, we learn new things about ourselves or have experiences that cause us to reflect on our lives and relationships. The lovely stories in this book encompass all of these things and more. It's a wonderful seasonal collection that hits just the right note for me. The stories are not saccharine sweet, but they're uplifting, hopeful, and perfect for the season. The book was a joy to read and I think it would be a great gift for yourself or someone else. This is a collection I'd re-read every holiday season.

Thank you NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for this Christmas ARC. Winter Sky by Shelley Thompson is a collection of 12 heartfelt stories about love, loss, and the importance of remembering what we have and what we should cherish.

Two stories stood out for me: December 1945, with its quiet poignancy, and the titular Winter Sky, which beautifully captures the reflective tone of the season. Each story invites you to slow down, sit by the fire, and take in the bittersweet magic of winter.

This is a thoughtful, reflective read—perfect for the holiday season. ❄️✨
Release Day: 21st October 2025

Shelley Thompson does a fantastic job in writing this book, it had that collection of short stories and had that writing style that I was wanting and enjoyed the overall feel of this in a winter setting. Each one was so well written and was engaged from start to finish.

This collection of 12 stories set during the Christmas seasons of past and present. The stories were unique in their own way, but all evoked the joy and sadness of the season - when as an adult, you remember what it was like when you were a child, and the melancholy that comes when one remembers how different life is now. A passage in The Compass encapsulates this well - "Christmas. A Time when we're drawn back home whether we want to be or not. Like the arm of a compass swinging to North, we're pulled back to those who wait for us there... and those who don't."

Winter Sky by Shelley Thompson is a compilation of short stories and reminisces written about her childhood in Canada during the Christmas season.. The stories are bittersweet vignettes about everyday occurrences that made a big impact on the narrators..

“Christmas is hard.” The young women spoke gently.
“Christmas. Birthdays. Looking forward, looking back. Wanting the truth more than at any other time.”

Winter Sky by Shelley Thompson is a beautiful collection of bitter sweet short stories that somehow felt like a warm hug.
I loved reading all of the characters story’s my two favourite being “A Beakful Of Berry” and “The Compass”.
The characters in Shelly Thompson story’s felt real and familiar to me each one pulling you into their world for a short period of time.
The beautiful illustrations by Bee Stanton are a lovely touch to this book.
Thank you NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the chance to read an ARC copy of this beautiful book.

❄️ COMING: 21st October 2025 ❄️

Summary:
"Winter Sky" is a collection of short stories about the Christmas season, highlighting the challenging emotions this time of year can conjure up, such as grief, longing and loneliness.

My Thoughts:
I was very conflicted on how to rate this. On one hand, the writing was beautiful. These stories very eloquently portrayed some of the more melancholy feelings the festive period can evoke for many of us. And the illustrations at the start of each new story were really charming.

However, I did struggle to get into a lot of the stories (although this is more of a personal preference issue as opposed to an issue with the book). Due to this, I found it a bit of a struggle to remain engaged. But nevertheless, the prose was lovely.

"The Thing of It Is" was my personal favourite story in this collection, and was the one that maintained my focus the most. I really liked the character "Cob MacDonald" and loved how the story highlighted the significant positive impact a person can have on others, whether they realise it or not. I also found the emphasis on how this positive impact often outlives the person a rather bittersweet thought. As a parent myself, I felt that this story's sentiment of parents wanting their children to be happy even if the decisions the child makes in order to be happy hurt you, an incredibly truthful statement.

Overall:
This collection of short stories was reflective, poignant and bittersweet. But unfortunately, I personally did not resonate with them as much as I had hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley, Shelley Thompson and Nimbus Publishing | Vagrant Press for gifting this eBook in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Nimbus Publishing for an ARC of this story collection. I loved this short story collection and I am not one to enjoy short stories but I could picture each one like I was there. It is a mix of contemporary and historical stories set in Nova Scotia at Christmas, mostly about families. Reading it was like having a grandparent orally tell you the story - that is a hard thing for an author to do and Shelley Thompson did it beautifully.
There are nine stories in this collection and my favourite one was The Compass - it was lovely. I think this would be a great Christmas present for family and friends. .