The Christmas Shop
A Novel
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3.9 • 10 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
From USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle, The Christmas Shop is a heartwarming Christmas story about finding your passion for life and love.
A holiday retelling of You've Got Mail that will make you fall in love with the Christmas Season!
Angela Carson wants nothing more than to be the third-generation to run her family’s holiday store, Heart of Christmas, successfully. They’ve weathered over sixty tourist seasons, major hurricanes, and urban sprawl, in their old decommissioned lighthouse. But the national chain that set up shop in their small North Carolina town of Pleasant Sands may be more than Heart of Christmas can survive.
Encouraged by her niece to ask Santa for help through the Dear Santa app, Angela gives in and lets the words fly in a way that, if Santa were real, would no doubt land her on the naughty list. What’s the harm when it’s just a computer-generated response?
Geoff Paisley has been at his mother’s side running the mega-chain Christmas Galore for the last ten years. When his mother falls ill, Geoff promises to answer the Dear Santa letters in her stead. Soon he realizes the woman he’s been corresponding with on Dear Santa is Angela. How could the woman that grates his every last nerve in person have intrigued him so deeply through those letters?
When Geoff reveals that he’s her Dear Santa, will Angela be able to set aside their very public feud to embrace the magic of the holiday and possibly find true love?
* Originally published as Dear Santa
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Naigle (the Boot Creek series) disappoints with this snail-paced homage to You've Got Mail. Angela Carson's long-standing family Christmas store is in trouble, and the profits dwindle even more when Geoff Paisley opens a branch of his own Christmas store chain nearby. Convinced by her seven-year-old niece to use an app to write Jolly Old St. Nick, Angela pours out all her woes and worries, expecting to get an automated reply. Geoff's life is running his family business, which also owns the Jolly Old St. Nick app. When his mom becomes ill, he agrees to answer the letters for her and is surprised to learn that his favorite pen pal is his feisty competitor, whom he's admired at a distance. After a very public argument, Geoff extends an olive branch, leading to a chance at love. The small beach town of Pleasant Sands as a setting for successful Christmas stores is hard to believe in, as is the software that picks certain letters to be answered personally. The plot lacks the finesse of the movie, and Angela's secret identity is so thinly veiled it's laughable. The story focuses on the protagonists' individual lives more than their budding relationship, and the mundane dialogue only adds to the disappointment. Readers should look elsewhere for both romance and holiday cheer.)
Customer Reviews
Dear Santa
ARC for honest review with no compensation, received from Negalley and St. Martin’s Press
Angela is the owner of Heat of Christmas, a store that has been in her family for generations. She has seen the times changing but when another store comes to town, Christmas Galore she knows she can no longer compete. She knows she has to make the hardest decision ever and when her niece tells her to email Dear Santa and ask for help and a miracle she does. What she doesn’t expect is to get a personal email back which then starts a wonderful romance until the truth comes out as to who Dear Santa really is....Geoff the owner of Christmas Galore!!
This book is what Christmas is all about...hope, holiday spirit and love!!
A Christmas romance
Dear Santa by Nancy Naigle has us traveling to Pleasant Sands, North Carolina. Angela Carson owns Heart of Christmas located in an old lighthouse in Pleasant Sands, North Carolina. She is the third generation to run the store, but Angela is unsure how much longer the store can survive. Business has not been as brisk this year and it has gotten worse since Christmas Galore opened. While Heart of Christmas sells one of a kind handcrafted items, Christmas Galore carries more affordable options. Angela’s niece suggests she write to Santa via the Dear Santa app (sponsored by Christmas Galore) for help. Angela takes the opportunity to vent and waits to see what type of response she receives. Geoff Paisley manages Christmas Galore with his mother, and they move every two years to open a new location. Dear Santa is Rebecca Paisley’s special project and answers certain letters personally. When Rebecca becomes ill, she asks Geoff to answer the letters for her. A letter from Anita C. Miracle intrigues Geoff and he soon begins writing to her on a regular basis. When Geoff learns that Anita C. Miracle is Angela he is surprised, since they clash whenever they run into each other. Is there a chance for these two to reconcile their differences? See if the magic of Christmas can work on Angela and Geoff in Dear Santa.
Dear Santa is the perfect book for those who love to watch the Hallmark Christmas movies. It is nicely written with a cute romance and the story progresses along at a steady pace. I enjoyed the Dear Santa letters are the beginning of the chapters along with the trivia for Pleasant Sands, North Carolina. I liked the Angela’s store, Heart of Christmas. The store is in a lighthouse that features handcrafted items in a cozy atmosphere which I think is a wonderful idea. It is a shame that Angela did not keep up with the times. She was still running the store the same way it had been since the beginning (no online presence). Pleasant Sands sounded like a charming coastal town with friendly residents. I admit that I was not a fan of the main characters (Geoff and Angela) and especially disliked Angela’s sister, Marie (not supportive of her sister’s store). My favorite character was Angela’s niece. I did appreciate that Angela grew from her experience and I liked the epilogue. I did find that Dear Santa was very similar to the popular movie You’ve Got Mail. There is a secondary storyline regarding Rebecca Paisley and how she met Geoff’s father along with Virgil, their operations director. Unfortunately, the storyline seems to peter out and readers are left with unanswered questions. I was curious how Geoff did not realize he was writing to Angela write away. It was extremely obvious (Angela’s niece would have figured this one out sooner). I kept hoping for a different solution for Angela’s store and was disappointed how this thread played out. I wanted to give Angela a good talking too and suggest ways to improve her business. I am giving Dear Santa 3 out of 5 stars. Dear Santa is a book for readers who love feel-good romance novels.
An enjoyable read
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.
This was an enjoyable read. It really gets you in the mood for Christmas. It was a little depressing that Angela was losing her store that had been in her family for several generations though. The romance took some time in developing and that was very realistic (none of that insta-love generally seen in romance novels.) The story and the romance developed over time and was interesting to read about. Angela at times seemed a little mean spirited but she had a lot on her plate so it made the character so believable. I truly enjoyed Geoff's character though. He was so busy with work and having his mother having a heart attack really helped him to "stop and smell the roses."
Having the book written in a dual POV, helps me the reader to understand the character's actions and speech so much better. Again I really enjoyed this story!