Book Perfume

Is there any better feeling than reuniting with loved ones after being apart for so long?

Sure, I mean real-life family and friends, but I also mean fictional characters I didn’t know I’d see again.

When I learned that Kristy Woodson Harvey was writing a fourth installment to her beloved Peachtree Bluff series, I was like a kid on Christmas morning—which is fitting, because Christmas in Peachtree Bluff gave me all of the warm and fuzzy holiday feels.

Christmas in Peachtree Bluff takes us back to the quirky, coastal Georgia town we first came to know in Slightly South of Simple, returning us to the welcoming arms of the Murphy family on the eve of Thanksgiving. With eldest daughter Caroline in the midst of a divorce, her fifteen-year-old, Vivi, begins acting out. While Vivi’s teenage theatrics may threaten to put a damper on the holiday cheer, they’re no match for the hurricane barreling towards the island. As the storm of the century wreaks havoc, it’s up to Caroline, Sloane, and Emerson to rescue their family and maybe save Peachtree Bluff’s Christmas spirit along the way.

Everything about this novel filled me with pure joy and warmed my soul faster than you can say cocoa and cookies. Kristy Woodson Harvey’s characters are instantly lovable, and when you tie that up with yuletide magic, the results are nothing short of spectacular. I fell for the inhabitants of Peachtree Bluff when I first met them in 2017, and every time we meet again, it’s like catching up with old friends. Although the series, originally planned as a trilogy, wrapped up perfectly with The Southern Side of Paradise, the plot of Christmas in Peachtree Bluff is fresh, compulsively readable, and kept me hooked with laughter, tears, and a full heart until the very last page. I could read about this cast of characters forever, and if it weren’t fictional, I would pack up and move to Peachtree Bluff tomorrow—especially now that I know how they celebrate the holidays.

If you really love Christmas (cue the song from Love, Actually), you can’t miss this holly, jolly read. You don’t have to read the other books in the series to enjoy this one, but the relationships and layers of family secrets will be all the more satisfying if you do. If you’re craving a book that will have you counting down to Christmas, bundle up in holiday joy and give yourself the gift of a trip to Peachtree Bluff.

Christmas in Peachtree Bluff is available everywhere today! Pick up your copy at your favorite retailer, or order it from Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, IndieBound, Target, Amazon, or wherever you buy your books. For more on the always amazing Kristy Woodson Harvey, visit kristywoodsonharvey.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.