The Book Club Hotel - Sarah Morgan

[goodreads]

Title: The Book Club Hotel (a.k.a. The Christmas Book Club)
Author: Sarah Morgan
Genre: Christmas, Chick-lit
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 330
Date read: November 2024

With its historic charm and picture-perfect library, the Maple Sugar Inn is considered the winter destination. As the holidays approach, the inn is fully booked with guests looking for their dream vacation. But widowed far too young, and exhausted from juggling the hotel with being a dedicated single mom, Hattie Coleman dreams only of making it through the festive season.

But when Erica, Claudia and Anna—lifelong friends who seem to have it all—check in for a girlfriends’ book club holiday, it changes everything. Their close friendship and shared love of books have carried them through life's ups and downs. But Hattie can see they're also packing some major emotional baggage, and nothing prepares her for how deeply her own story is about to become entwined in theirs.

In the span of a week over the most enchanting time of the year, can these four women come together to improve each other’s lives and make this the start of a whole new chapter?


Rounded up on goodreads because of the sheer delight it brought me to read. I would have read this in a single setting if it hadn't been for that pesky sleep getting in the way! As it was, I started it Sunday evening and finished it Monday morning before work X-D

More a "December-book" than a "Christmas-book", so not too christmassy to read in the start of November, but an excellent way to kick off the season. I actually hadn't realized it was christmassy at all when I picked it up, as neither the Danish title ("The Book Club in Vermont") nor the back blurb gave it away. It wasn't until I went to add it on goodreads, and discovered I already owned a kindle version called "The Christmas Book Club" that I realized I had once again been foiled by two different titles to the same book!

Fortunately it was an absolutely delightful book, so I really don't mind owning both an e-copy and a physical copy. Of course I had seen the ending a mile away, but I enjoyed seeing how the characters got there, and loved that there was no pesky "third act break-up" and no miscommunication. Instead what I got was a group of friends who'd clearly go through fire for each other, an established couple who made mistakes but TALKED about them, an adorable and precocious 5-year-old, and the most charming setting I could have wished for.

My only complaint is that I can't go visit Maple Sugar Inn myself now! This could easily become a Christmas stable for me.