Winter Street (Winter Street, #1)

by Elin Hilderbrand

In bestseller Elin Hilderbrand's first Christmas novel, a family gathers on Nantucket for a holiday filled with surprises.

Kelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket's Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four - Patrick, Kevin, Ava and Bart, all of them grown and living in varying states of disarray.

As Christmas approaches, Kelley is looking forward to getting the family together for some quality time at the inn. But when he walks in on his wife Mitzi kissing Santa Claus - or the guy who's playing Santa at the inn's annual party - utter chaos descends. With the three older children each reeling in their own dramas and Bart (a Marine) unreachable in Afghanistan, it might be up to Kelley's ex-wife to save Christmas at the Winter Street Inn.

Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, a small house fire, many shots of whiskey, and endless rounds of Christmas caroling, in this heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays.

• ISBN10: 1322200815
• ISBN13: 9781322200811
• Publish Date: 1 January 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 12 May 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little Brown and Company
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 1.5 stars

I didn't care much for the book. For the most part I was either bored or irritated. Wasn't a fan of the narration either. Not bothering with the sequels, no matter how much I want to read Christmas themed books whenever December rolls around. That kind of family drama doesn't interest me.

[Liz (Bent Bookworm)]

What’s this? A re-read? What is the world coming to?!?

My husband bought this book for me a couple of years ago. I read it then, and gave it 3 stars. I was just really “eh” about the whole concept and all the people and relationships. I’ve recently heard people raving about Elin Hilderbrand though, and I thought well…maybe I missed something? I wasn’t in a great head-space at the time I read it, so maybe it was me and not the book. I also have some vague recollection of thinking it was a standalone and when I got to the end it clearly wasn’t and I was put out. Now, there are three more books in this series and after reading this again I’m very eager to get to them! Not sure if I’ll make it this season or if they will have to wait until next year. I do love having a FINISHED series to binge.

Winter Street is the story of a multi-layered family that is falling apart at the seams. Despite all that, there are enough threads of happiness woven throughout to keep one reading AND to make one hope that maybe after all, everything will work out for the Quinns.

This being the first in a series of four, there is a lot of ground level introductory work going on. The cast is large and varied, and I was quite impressed that Hilderbrand managed to make everyone different enough to keep them straight. The story too, seems to be quite complex, as there’s not only the many different romantic relationships going on (and ending), but the whole plotline with the inn as well! Some reviewers have complained about the sheer amount of drama in this book – and yes, there is that. A lot of it. But coming from a family that loves to infuse the holidays with as much drama as humanly possible, it really struck a nerve and I thoroughly enjoyed the telling.

If you are looking for a happily ever after, this probably isn’t it. At least not in this particular book – I’m personally holding out hope that maybe there will be a HEA for everyone in the end of the series! But this story appeals, I think, to a large audience – both people from the Quinn kids’ generation (late 20s-30s) and those of their parents’. Life and love doesn’t end when the kids grow up! Yay! Maybe I’m getting old myself, but I love stories like that. Life is also never simple, never cut and dry and easy…at least not in my experience, and this story illustrates that SO well. Life is messy. But it can still be beautiful.

4/5 stars.

1.5/5 flames, because while there isn’t MUCH going on in the way of sex and making out, etc., what there was was cute and sweet and I wanted there to be more, particularly between certain characters!

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[kimbacaffeinate]

Kelley Quinn owns a local B&B with his second wife Mitzi and is looking forward to the holiday, despite concerns about the B&B’s finances. Kelley’s first clue that this Christmas will be different begins when he walks in on his wife kissing Santa Claus. The two have one child, a son Bart, who is stationed in Afghanistan. His oldest son Patrick a highly successful broker and happily married father of three is in trouble. His daughter, Ava a local schoolteacher is in a stalled relationship and not at all-happy. His youngest son from his first marriage is having an affair with their French-maid. His ex-wife a wildly successful news broadcaster is planning to spend the holiday on a nice warm beach far, far away.

The tale that unfolds in Winter Street is not your typical holiday story, but takes us into the lives of this close-knit family as Hilderbrand shares a not so perfect Christmas. Delivered from each of the Quinn’s perspective we follow each of the stories as we move through the holiday, discover truths, and band together. Quirky, heart-felt, and genuine I enjoyed learning about this family.

Winter Street takes place between the 23rd and 25th of December and it was a delightful listen thanks to Erin Bennett who did a lovely job with the narration. While I became caught up in all of the many threads, I would have liked more depth to the characters. This is not a warm fuzzy holiday listen, nor is it dark it is simply a glimpse into one family’s not so perfect holiday. Because the tale ends soon after Christmas dinner, there were unanswered questions. At first, I thought I was missing part of the audio. However, I have learned that these characters and their story will appear again. It is my hope we see each character further developed.

Winter Street was an enjoyable listen and despite wanting more, I thoroughly enjoyed spending the holiday with the Quinn’s of Nantucket.

Audio provided by publisher