Elin Hilderbrand’s books are usually a staple of my summer reading, so it was great reading a holiday title from her. The conclusion to Hilderbrand’s trilogy about the Quinn family, Winter Storms chronicles a year in the lives of the various family members, culminating in a holiday season that brings the entire family back to Nantucket to celebrate. Only two things mar the perfect Christmas — Mitzi and Kelley’s son Bart is MIA in Afghanistan and a powerful blizzard threatens to disrupt travel plans.

Winter Storms is a heartwarming family story that is just a delight to read. It’s a really quick read as well, at 242 pages, and as the conclusion to a trilogy, the story seems mainly poised to move each character to their version of a happy ending. I loved the character of Margaret, and how she remains friends with her ex. I also really liked the relationship between Patrick and Jennifer, and how Jennifer’s addiction to prescription pills was somehow fuelled by her stress at keeping their family going while Patrick is in prison. Ava annoyed me at first, with her inability to choose between two men in love with her, and the way her story turned out made me laugh. And Mitzi and Kelley’s determination to have the entire family together for the holidays was really sweet. This book is a wonderful holiday read, and also just a feel-good story to keep the holiday feeling alive in the new year.

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Thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.