Happy Release Day!
Congrats Iva-Marie
on release today of
Christmas People!
Christmas People by Iva-Marie Palmer
Holiday, Romance, Magic Realism, 304 pages
Published September 30, 2025, by St. Martin's Griffin
Some people are Christmas people, but Jill Jacobs is most certainly not. She hasn’t been ever since her hometown love broke her heart on Christmas Day three years ago. After that, Jill moved to L.A. to pursue her dream of becoming a screenwriter. She hasn’t been home in years to avoid her ex, but this winter she finds herself back in drab, suburban Illinois for the holidays.
After one very hazy night, Jill wakes up to a hometown that's filled with jolly neighbors, covered in pristine white snow, and shimmering with the smell of nutmeg. She realizes that this is more than just a bad hangover… she's stuck in a Heartfelt movie. One set in her town, starring real people from her life, including her family, her high school crush (uber perfect, owns a bakery, and definitely a Christmas Person), and of course, her ex —handsome as ever and now exclusively clad in plaid flannel.
The only way out of this bizarro world is to complete the plot of the movie, including a holiday bake off and a cookie-sweet love story. To get home in time for Christmas, Jill must act out a picture-perfect holiday romance with the one that got away, all while her ex watches on. Fa la la la freaking la….
My thoughts about Christmas People ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First line—"This woman could be me if I'd made better choices. Or I could be her is maybe what I really mean."
Christmas People is the perfect Hallmark Christmas movie that's inside a story that isn't a Hallmark Christmas movie. Does that sound crazy? It kinda is.
Jill finally goes home for Christmas, after 3 years of avoiding her hometown. And avoiding her ex. After she overindulges one night out on the town, she wakes up to find herself in the perfect Christmas town with everyone filled with the Christmas spirit. It's a lot to wrap her head around. She is surprised at the changes in people but more surprised at herself and how much she is enjoying this new world. What will happen when she 'wakes up' to her real reality?
Christmas People was a very enjoyable, fun escape for me and I loved every minute of it, savoring all of the holiday cheer and adventure. I'm a sucker for Christmas stories this time of year and this one was an excellent getaway read. I highly recommend it if, you too, love Christmas stories, especially if you are a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies.
I received an ARC of Christmas People and this is my honest opinion.
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About the author
Iva-Marie Palmer is the author of the young adult novels Gimme Everything You Got and The End of the World as We Know It. She also wrote the Gabby Garcia's Ultimate Playbook series and Oh My Dog! for middle grade readers, as well as the books Romeo, Juliet and Jim and the Edgar Award-nominated The Jules Verne Prophecy with co-writer Larry Schwarz. Christmas People is her first adult novel.
Before writing professionally, Palmer worked as an award-winning community news reporter in Chicago's South Suburbs and as a web editor for the Walt Disney Company. She also got to know many a Christmas person working at a Hallmark store through high school and college.
Palmer now resides in Burbank, California with her husband and two sons. ~ Goodreads
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