Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand

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.

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

4 of 5 stars

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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

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 November, 2014: Finished reading
  • 6 November, 2014: Reviewed