Thursday, November 21, 2024

Reviews for MAKING CHRISTMAS AGAIN!

So far, MAKING CHRISTMAS AGAIN has gotten some very wonderful reviews and I am grateful to those who took the time to write and post their thoughts on this novella. 

A. Klumpers wrote, 

     "'Making Christmas Again' by Penelope Marzec is a heartwarming story, but that doesn’t mean it’s trite or cliche. Before our hearts can warm, they run a gamut of emotions. (Or at least they do if you’re an empathetic reader. If you’re the clinical type who doesn’t jump right into the characters’ skin (or shoes) you can still enjoy a good story told with good writing.)As I was saying—while this is ultimately a tale of joy, it first plunges us into the bleak sorrow of Celeste. Life has thrown her a surplus of grief. Her beloved sister died before she reached her teens. Her father died while still in his prime. And she’s just come home to her ‘lovely, small, unremarkable” hometown because her mother has died. There is nothing for her in Apple Hill, New Jersey. But she’s burned her bridges with her job in Kentucky when she turned whistleblower against her corrupt boss. She is a broken woman and we don’t really know if she has the moral fortitude to get through her grief and anxiety and a man living in her basement.
     Sawyer doesn’t really LIVE in her basement. Just keeps his stuff there and sleeps there when blizzards—which are apparently common in NJ—hit. Sawyer is grieving the loss of his wife, trying to keep his business afloat, and showering love on his adorable little son Glenn. Who, like Celeste’s beloved sister, has Down Syndrome.
     The author has a deft touch with characterizations. Sawyer is a man of faith who struggles with his heartache but is always trying to be the hands and feet of Christ. Celeste is complex—prickly and vulnerable and unreasonable and wise. How Sawyer reconciles his fear of loss with hope for the future, how Celeste finds a strength outside herself that empowers her to be vulnerable, and how the endearing Glenn holds both their hands and hearts makes for a satisfying Christmas story."

C. Revell wrote,

"Celeste returns home in a snowstorm after the death of her mother - to find things have changed without her being informed. For one thing her mother rented out the basement to a stranger named Sawyer and his cute but messy son Glenn, who like her sister has Downs Syndrome. And for another her mother rewrote her will to include Sawyer.
Lots of snow, action and Christmas make this a page turner and a yummy tummy enjoyable read. (Right!)
PS read the book to get the above reference."


Carol J. wrote,

"Making Christmas Again by Penelope Marzec is a heartwarming Christmas romance. After losing her job because she discovered some financial discrepancies at work, Celeste Greenfield returns to her family home. Because her mother recently passed away, she expects the house to be empty. But she discovers her mother has leased the basement to a single father, recently widowed, and his young Down Syndrome son, Glenn. This arrangement causes all sorts of sweet scenarios. Celeste and Sawyer are attracted to each other, yet are afraid to let themselves begin a relationship. He is working through the loss of his wife, and she is working through her loss of faith. But when the whole town comes together to support them by planning a live nativity to make Christmas again, Celeste’s heart softens. The characters are likable and inspiring. Glenn adds so much warmth to the novella. This is a charming and moving story about two broken people who turn their hearts toward God and toward each other."

M. Jean P. wrote,

"Sometimes you find your future in returning to the past. This point is so beautifully illustrated in Penelope Marzek’s Christmas novella, Making Christmas Again. Celeste is no stranger to loss. At a young age she sustained the loss of her father and her younger sister. She’d recently relocated to Kentucky for her dream job only to have it turn into a nightmare. When her mother unexpectedly passes away, Celeste returns to her childhood home in New Jersey to settle her affairs and discovers a man is renting her mother’s the basement. His presence in the house is an inconvenience to say the least. Celeste had hoped to sell the house quickly and get back to her life in Lexington. She doesn’t want anything to do with the handsome renter – or the God that he claims cares about her. The blow is softened when the man’s adorable special needs son, Glenn, steals Celeste’s heart. (He might just steal yours, too!) The author did a masterful job with these characters. I loved Celeste, Sawyer and Glenn."

Miriam T. wrote,

"A touching Christmas story filled with love. This novella does a great job of showing how difficult loss can be, especially near Christmas, but also the beauty God can bring into our lives after loss if we let Him. Celeste’s struggle to forgive and trust God after experiencing so many losses was heartfelt and relatable. I enjoyed the sweet romance between Celeste and Sawyer, as well as Celeste’s relationship with Sawyer’s son, Glenn, an adorable three-year-old with Down Syndrome. This is a sweet story of forgiveness, second chances, and love."

K. Malley wrote,

"When Celeste travels home to New Jersey after her mother’s death, she’s shocked to find a man and his adorable son in her mother’s basement. Sawyer is doing his best raising his son after the loss of his wife, but his faith in God never wavers. Celeste falls for little Glenn, who has Down Syndrome, as he reminds her so much of the sister she lost who had the same condition. Glenn is a wonderful little boy that you can’t help but smile at whenever he enters the story. Making Christmas Again is an inspirational story of Celeste returning to the God she shunned when she lost her sister. This heartwarming tale makes you root for Celeste and Sawyer to find happiness together. Along the way, they deal with blizzards, power outages, and an accident, all made better with the help of cookies!"

S. Baganz wrote,

"Reading Penelope Marzec's book Making Christmas Again is compelling, because sometimes Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas. Have you ever experienced that?

Celeste has a lot going on. Her mother died so she's gotta leave a challenging job situation to go home to settle affairs. She's the only remaining person in her family which is terribly sad. She also had broken up with a menacing boyfriend/boss and had uncovered his embezzlement and was a whistleblower, only her employer doesn't realize this yet. She also left her mother's faith behind her, focusing more on numbers than the intangible.

She arrives home to find someone living in her mother's basement. Make that two someones! One is a little boy has Down Syndrome which her deceased sister also had, so now she's missing her mom and her sister and there's a snowstorm.

Sawyer is the father to this precious little soul and is also grieving Mrs. Greenfield's death as she had been so helpful to him with his son after his wife died and had encouraged him in his business, even renting her basement space for his work. Celeste hadn't been told. Now he has a new landlord who can't see past her own grief and challenges to trust, much less celebrate the faith her mother held dear.

Death, upheaval, an extra chromosome, snow, and other challenges face these two characters as they find their way through each day to understanding each other and maybe even falling in love. But will Celeste stay in town or will she return to her employer leaving Sawyer's heart broken?

Through all the twists and turns, challenges, and snowstorms, these two people might find a miracle yet and Christmas might once again be cherished and celebrated."


I am so thrilled with the reviews! I hope you'll download the book and find it just as good as these reviewers thought. 

You can find it everywhere!


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