2.50 stars
-
TW: Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, Death of parent
-
After travelling the world, Maddison returns home to help her sister run her family's Christmas Tree farm. Tensions are high between these two siblings, as they can't seem to agree on what should happen to the farm, Maddison wants to see their family legacy grow, while Addie would prefer to sell the farm - due to sales not dealing well and being in the red. I found the tension between the siblings unnecessary, Addie seemed always to find something to complain about.

I appreciated the behind-the-scenes of what it's like to run a farm, my heart broke for Maddison who kept putting in the hard work to meet important deadlines. There's somewhat of a romance plot between Maddison and the neighbour next door. This is penned as a second-chance romance, but I felt the romance aspect was missing.

Gavin Thompson - a former high-school flame, may break Maddison's heart all over again when his development plans could ruin the farm. I had hoped for more tension between these two, as soon as his daughter Lilly begins to work on the farm things seem to be ok. Being a widow, Gavin has a hard time opening himself up once again, I wish the author had done a better job writing these characters grieving. Also, do they get engaged after one date? And suddenly everyone's ok with this relationship?

I wish this had been longer!!! I would have liked more character development, or to even see the relationship between Gavin and Maddison evolve!
-
I want to thank Revell, Melody Carlson, and NetGalley for a copy of The Christmas Tree Farm in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions on this early copy are my own. The Christmas Tree Farm was published on September 3rd, 2024. You can order your copy online today!

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my gifted copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard many wonderful things about this book and have read many fantastic reviews. Unfortunately, The Christmas Tree Farm just wasn't for me. The writing and characters felt underdeveloped, and I just wasn't able to become fully invested in the story for various reasons. For example, the drama between the sisters just wasn't for me. That being said, I did enjoy the setting, and I do enjoy the single dad trope.

If you are wanting a quick, Hallmark-like read for Christmas, this title may interest you!

Two sisters have inherited the family's Christmas tree farm. The younger sister has stayed on the farm for her adult life, maybe 10-12 years. The older sister, Madison, has travelled extensively after college and was repeatedly told that she didn't need to "come home" to help. When Madison's teaching assignment ends, she returns for the holidays, hoping to lend a hand. What she finds is a farm on the brink of closing. The younger sister doesn't have the heart for the business anymore.
Of course, the sisters bristle one another. They have to find common ground to make the farm ready to put up for sale.

This was a super cozy read but unfortunately I didn’t get a wow factor from it. It was very hallmark like which I don’t kind but it fell short for me.

A lovely Christmassy read. Sweet romance and I loved the story surrounding the family. Made me want to go and work at a Christmas Tree Farm.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute! I wanted to keep reading until I finished. It had a cute plot and I enjoyed the main character.

It did seem to end pretty abruptly so I wish more things would have been addressed at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Revell for this ARC. I loved this book and all books by Melody Carlson. She is one of my auto buy authors. I would definitely recommend this book.

90% of this book is good. I loved the setting of the Christmas Tree Farm and how it was able to support the family and the drive that Madison had to make the Tree Farm succeed again. The lovely neighbors and the kindness and help they provided Madison with was nice as well, due to how she was struggling to get all of the new trees planted herself. I loved seeing the friendship start growing into more. However, I feel like the relationship with the sister was just something that was put in place to cause conflict. They didn't interact much at all despite living and working together unless it had something to do with the neighbor, which was frustrating and annoying all at the same time. The holidays themselves in this book and how the farm was able to keep going was inspiring and I loved seeing so many of them working together to make it work.

However once again with Carlson's book, the very ending did slightly ruin it for me. It's okay for two characters to just keep dating especially when they've just started dating to begin with. We don't need a marriage proposal!

A lovely short story which really makes you feel festive. I could smell pine whilst I was reading this and I wish it could have been longer. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Madison McDowell returns to her family's Christmas tree farm in Oregon after teaching overseas, only to find it damaged by wildfire and neglected by her sister Addie, who wants to sell it. Facing the challenge of restoring the farm, Madison must also navigate her complicated feelings for her former high school flame, Gavin Thompson, who plans to turn his neighboring property into a dirt bike track. With determination and unexpected help, Madison strives to save the farm and mend her relationship with her sister.

Returning to her family's Christmas tree farm in Oregon, Madison McDowell faces numerous challenges, from wildfire damage to strained family relationships. This heartwarming story beautifully captures her determination to restore the farm and mend bonds with her sister. The author masterfully weaves themes of resilience, love, and community, making it a truly inspiring read. Madison's journey is both touching and empowering, reminding us of the importance of perseverance and the strength of family ties. A must-read for anyone who loves stories of hope and redemption.

Thanks to NetGalley and Revell for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Tree Farm is a lovely holiday novella by Melody Carlson. Madison McDowell has returned to the family’s Washington state Christmas Tree Farm after being on a 5 year teaching contract in Mongolia and in the wake of her grandmother’s passing. Her sister, Addie, had been with their grandmother and stayed on thereafter even though the farm was really the last place she wanted to be. Both Addie and their mom were city girls at heart and not happy on the farm.

Madison and Addie had jointly inherited the farm and Addie very much wanted to sell the property, to the point where she might be misleading her sister about the financials. When Madison wholeheartedly tackles tree sales, wreath making, and decorating with the help of Lily, the daughter of her neighbor, her teen boyfriend and widower Gavin Thompson. And, although Addie calls dibs on Gavin, it is the chemistry between Madison and Gavin that ignites.

With misadventures and misunderstandings, this story will bring a smile, and perhaps a tear, to the readers. I very much enjoyed this story and I do recommend it!

This book is a novella which details the return of Madison to her family Christmas tree farm that is currently being run, not very successfully it seems, by her sister. Madison is determined to try and get the business back on track whilst her sister seems determined to see it fail. Added to this challenge is the fact that Madison's high school sweetheart is living right next door with his daughter who seems intent on establishing a dirt bike track right next to the farm which Madison is less than pleased about. Despite the attraction to Gavin, her neighbour, who has returned to the town after being widowed, still being there, her sister now seems to0 have designs on him.

This book provides the warm and fuzzies that you expect of a Christmas romance but also is great at also making you feel the frustration that often bubbles up around families during the festive season.

It was a great quick read and this is the first book that I have read by Melody Carlson but I will most definitely make sure I get to read more of her work.

This was a sweet Christmas novella to kick off the holiday season. A lot of sweetness and characters who were easy to connect with and root for.

I received this for review. This was a very enjoyable Christmas novella. Melody Carlson leads toward Christian fiction and I really enjoy that about her writing. For years now I have been enjoying her Christmas books and look forward to a new one every year
This story takes place on a Christmas Tree Farm, so immediately it’s a yes for me dog. A young woman returns to the family farm after a devastating fire in the hopes of fixing up the farm and her relationship with her family. A very wholesome light family story that I very much enjoyed reading with the Christmas tree lights on next to me.

This is a great book where what is really important wins out. The characters are likeable and relatable. The story line is easy to follow and enjoyable.

I feel like I might be the only outlier regarding this book, but I really have to say I didn't enjoy this novella much at all. The things that I did like were the Christmas tree farm vibes. I loved the celebrations in the book. I found there to be so many more things I didn't really enjoy, unfortunately. I found the characters to be not likeable in the least bit. I thought the romance element was extremely rushed, especially at the end. I just didn't have all the lovely Christmas vibes that I wish that I left with when I finished this book. While it is not for me, it could potentially be your cup of tea so it might be worth checking out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

This is very seasonal, very Christmassy... but I really didn't enjoy it. I couldn't get along with the characters - the sister, Addie, is completely selfish and acts about thirteen years old when she's in her thirties; she goes the whole novella telling Madison that Gavin is "hers" and she has "dibs" or whatever, but then all of a sudden that's completely forgotten about and never brought up again? The ending was so rushed as well, and all of a sudden started bringing in forcing other people to go to church who don't want to go? It was very weird. Also, I HATE when siblings are written as talking to each other with "baby sis" and "big sis". No siblings talk that way! Stop it!

(Another major ick I have with the love interest is that he seems to not actually like his children. He has two daughters and whenever he talks about them to anybody, especially the older daughter - whose mother died not all that long ago, so you can forgive her for being a bit standoffish - he seems so ashamed of them? And disses on them? Pretty shit dad if you ask me).

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cozy, heartwarming book. I enjoyed it a lot!

Congratulations! Your review for The Christmas Tree Farm,
captioned below, has been published. Visit
<https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=88745> to view your
published review.

Please share your review via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest,
Instagram and other social media venues. Include the #FFreview
hashtag or @FreshFiction in your posts.

This was a sweet second chance romance with single (widowed) father set on a Christmas tree farm trying to make a comeback after a wildfire affected the local river valley. I thought the characters were excellent until they came together to interact. That is unfortunately where the writing suffered, in my opinion. Sisters Madison and Addie were so immature they drove me crazy, and even their mother wasn't much better. Madison was quick to judge Gavin's daughters (though she quickly warmed up to Lily who turned out to be a hard worker) and very much wanted things her way after returning from working in Mongolia for several years. I understand wanting to carry on her family traditions and legacy but I understood why her sister struggled with such a rapid change. AND. Whew, whiplash at the end, but still, very warm and sweet.