Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes Book Review: Unraveling Family Secrets and Holiday Romance @StMartinsPress

In Christmas in Aspen, a mysterious letter leads Caroline to Aspen, where love and family secrets await.

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to St Martin’s Griffin for inviting me to read the ARC of this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Summary:

In this heartwarming holiday tale, editor Caroline Holt escapes to her late mother’s cabin in Hudson, seeking solace from heartbreak and burnout. Her plans for a quiet Christmas take an unexpected turn when she discovers a mysterious love letter addressed to her mother from a man in Aspen, Colorado, who promises to meet her on New Year’s Eve. Intrigued, Caroline flies to Aspen to uncover the truth, but her journey becomes even more complicated when she crosses paths with another man who unexpectedly captures her heart. As Caroline unravels her mother’s hidden love story, she also confronts her own fears of love, gaining a chance to rewrite her future.

My Thoughts:

Christmas in Aspen by Anita Hughes offers a festive and mysterious setting, full of potential for a heartwarming holiday story. The premise intrigued me right away: Caroline Holt, an editor burdened with burnout and grief over her mother’s death, finds a mysterious love letter from her mother’s past. The letter sets her off on a journey to Aspen to uncover the truth. But what she discovers leads her to not only untangle her mother’s secrets but also face her own fears of love and loss.

The setting of Aspen at Christmas was one of the elements I was most excited about. Hughes creates an interesting backdrop for the story, though I wished it had been explored in more detail. There were hints of the holiday charm Aspen has to offer, but I found myself wanting more—more descriptions of the decorations, festivities, and that quintessential Christmas magic the town could have brought to life.

I also appreciated Caroline’s emotional journey as she worked through the grief of losing her mother while trying to understand who this mysterious man at Santa’s Little Red Mailbox was. It was a compelling enough reason for Caroline to embark on the journey to Aspen, and it hooked me early on. However, while that aspect of the story carried weight, I felt the book struggled with cohesion.

Surprisingly, the synopsis left out two major subplots that I think had a significant impact on the story. One of these involves Caroline’s sister, Daphne, who arrives in Aspen unexpectedly with her fiancé. This subplot added a layer of complexity to Caroline’s life, as she wrestled with her feelings about her sister’s sudden engagement. It also allowed Daphne to push Caroline to reconnect with a part of herself that had been buried. I actually found this storyline quite enjoyable, as it provided some warmth and emotional depth.

The other subplot—centred around a series of letters Caroline finds—felt disconnected from the main narrative. The letters seemed to promise revelations about Caroline’s mother, but their importance was only truly revealed late in the book. By then, they felt like a distraction, pulling me away from what should have been a more focused storyline.

As for the characters, while they were somewhat interesting, I struggled to connect with them on a deeper level. Caroline’s romantic interest had a charming and mysterious vibe, but I felt like both he and Caroline were somewhat emotionally distant, which kept me from fully immersing myself in their connection. Ruby, the romantic interest’s niece, was meant to be precocious, but she leaned a bit too far into being unbelievable for my taste.

Despite these mixed feelings, there were moments I genuinely enjoyed, like the surprise revelation about who Caroline’s mother had planned to meet at Santa’s Little Red Mailbox. That twist caught me off guard and added some emotional weight to the end of the story.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, Christmas in Aspen has its shining moments, especially when it dives into themes of love, loss, and healing. Still, I couldn’t help but wish for more cohesion in the storytelling and a deeper exploration of Aspen’s Christmas charm. For those looking for a light holiday read with a bit of mystery, it might hit the right notes, but I was left wanting a bit more from this festive tale.