Review: The White Christmas Inn by Colleen Wright
“As the inn appeared on the crest of the snow drive, nestled in the folds of the gently rolling Vermont foothills, Molly Winslow actually laughed out loud.”
The Basics
Title: The White Christmas Inn
Author: Colleen Wright
Published: 2018
Publisher: Howard Books — Simon & Schuster
Pages: 277
Format: Paperback
Genres: Fiction — Contemporary fiction, Holiday, Romance, Contemporary romance, Holiday romance, Clean romance
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Book Synopsis
When a snowstorm hits Vermont just days before Christmas and closes down all of the roads, the guests at the Evergreen Inn find themselves hunkering down at the inn for the duration of the storm. For Molly, a children’s book author racing to meet a publishing deadline, the snowstorm is a welcome arrival that will prevent her from becoming distracted. That is, until Marcus, a widower with two daughters, arrives and immediately affects her concentration.
Hannah, another guest, is simply trying to make it through the next couple of days. She was supposed to have been married at the inn, but her fiancé called off the wedding the same day that the storm hit. While she’s trying to cope with the loss, her childhood friend, Luke, shows up and starts to make her wonder if what she had with her fiancé was really love.
Geoffrey, a cranky Brit, who arrives at the inn to seek shelter from the storm is off-putting to everyone, except Iris, the former owner of the house that is now Evergreen Inn. Although seemingly mismatched, the two find common ground and form an instant connection.
Meanwhile, Tim and Jeanne, the inn owners, are struggling to make both their marriage and inn stay afloat. With bookings down, they are unsure if they will be able to keep the inn open past Christmas.
And then there’s Audrey, whose husband is currently on leave from the army but is unable to make it up to Vermont due to the storm. Will Audrey be stuck spending the holidays alone?
My Review & Overall Thoughts
TLDR: A charming, feel-good Christmas romance that will have you wishing the book were longer.
The White Christmas Inn is a quintessential Christmas romance. It is set during the days leading up to Christmas at an idyllic Vermont inn and follows several romances. Each chapter focuses on one character and their respective romance, giving the book a Love Actually vibe. This switching back and forth between storylines also moves the plot along at a nice pace. Many of the chapters end on a cliff hanger, and as a result, I would often finish one chapter only to keep reading through the next couple of chapters so that I could get back to that character’s storyline and see what happened next.
Speaking of characters, The White Christmas Inn has a great cast of them. From Geoffrey, the cantankerous Brit, to Molly, the children’s book author, the characters all feel realistic, which isn’t always a given in holiday romance books. Oftentimes, the characters in holiday romances can come across as exaggerated in some way: too happy, too corny, too perfect, etc. The characters in this book, however, feel relatable, as they are all flawed and have some source of stress in their life. I also adored all of the romances; they were each sweet in their own way.
Besides the characters, another aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was its setting. Having grown up in New Hampshire along the border of Vermont, I have a soft spot for the Green Mountain state and am a sucker for any book that is set there. Plus, the Evergreen Inn is precisely the inn that one dreams of staying at when visiting New England: horse-drawn sleigh rides, home-cooked meals, a historic building, and hospitality to boot. I can’t think of a better place to be stranded at during a winter storm than the Evergreen Inn.
The not so good
There is one rather glaring typo early on in the book. Namely, an elderly couple is introduced on page 45 as Frank and Eileen, but two pages later, they are referred to as Bob and Eileen. I also would have liked to have seen more interactions between Iris and Geoffrey, as I thought they were an entertaining pair.
Overall
This is a lovely, feel-good Christmas story perfect for cozying up with during the holiday season. I wish the book had been longer, as I could have kept reading about the Evergreen Inn and its guests.
What are some of your favorite holiday reads? As always, let me know in the comments below.
