A Nantucket Christmas | Book Review

STATS:
Author, Nancy ThayerHardcover, 224 pages
Published October 29th, 2013 by Ballantine Books

Description from Goodreads:
Known for her heartwarming observations of family life, New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer showcases her beloved Nantucket’s snowy off-season in this emotionally gratifying and utterly entertaining story.
Holidays on this Massachusetts island are nothing short of magical, from the jolly decorations on the Brant Point lighthouse to the much anticipated Christmas Stroll, in which merrymakers promenade through quaint streets adorned with Yuletide cheer. The season’s wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. Their home is already full of enticing scents of pine, baking spices, and homemade pie.
But the warm, festive mood is soon tempered by Nicole’s chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arms’ length—or, better yet, out of the picture altogether—Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole’s holiday preparations. Nicole, however, is not about to let anyone or anything tarnish her first Christmas with her new husband.
Nancy Thayer’s wonderful tale reminds us that this is the season of miracles. Before the gifts are unwrapped, surprise visitors appear, and holiday joy comes to all, both naughty and nice.

My Thoughts:
This was a very short and easy read. Nicole has married Sebastian. She never had children, but wanted them, and he has a spoiled rotten daughter from his first marriage. I have to say that Kennedy being terrible is not just her own fault. She learned it from her "perfect" mother. The kind of mother that thinks she is better than everyone else in the community and likes to make sure they know it. The kind that you can never make happy or live up too.
Kennedy is pregnant and her family is spending Christmas with Sebastian and Nicole. She of course hates Nicole and wants her parents to get back together. A point that a grown woman with children should really just get over, but instead she sets out to ruin Christmas and make Nicole look bad.
Nicole does everything that she can to make Christmas a dream. She prepares meals ahead, makes a room for Kennedy on the first floor to keep her from walking up stairs, and decorates a room for their young son to have of his own.
Of course, nothing turns out the way that it was planned. Some for the good and some for the bad, but in the end we can tell how the dynamics of the family will be changed.
I was a little surprised that a few of the chapters were from a stray dogs point of view. Which I am sure you will think is a little odd, but it was nice. I think that they were placed perfectly in the book to keep me from wanting to kill Katya and Kennedy more than I should. And to make me not want to shake Nicole into fighting back for herself. All in all, it was a great Christmas feel good story.

It is important for me to note that I received this ebook from Ballantine Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.