Reviews for Twelve Days Of Christmas

by Debbie Macomber

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Friendly Julia Padden cant stand her grumpy neighbor, Cain Maddox, but when her best friend goads her to kill him with kindness for the Christmas season, both their lives begin to change for the betteruntil he discovers shes chronicling the experiment on a blog.Julias life isnt perfect, but she has a job at Macys that pays her bills while shes looking for a marketing position. She also volunteers at her church and at the Boys and Girls Club, which helps her stay in the holiday mood even when she cant get back to visit her family because of her hectic retail schedule. She tries hard to keep a positive attitude, so perhaps thats why her neighbor across the hall in her apartment building is so vexing. He seems to go out of his way to be unpleasant. But when shes complaining about the man, her best friend challenges her to be even kinder, in the true spirit of the seasonand encourages her to use the experience as blog fodder, since Julia is in the running for a corporate social media position and her success depends on her ability to create a successful audience. So she begins, 12 days before Christmas, but as the days pass, she discovers that her kind acts have softened not only Cains demeanor, but her heart as welland created a huge blog following. The two become friends, and Julia learns how painful Cains life has been and exactly why he keeps himself at arms length. Just when it looks like theyll be hanging stockings together, Cain discovers Julias blogwhich pushes every abandonment and trust button he has. Time is running out, but Julia knows that a job and a blog are nothing compared to the forever happiness just beyond their grasp, and making it right will be the best Christmas gift ever, if she can just figure out how. Another heartwarming seasonal Macomber tale, which fans will find as bright and cozy as a blazing fire on Christmas Eve. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Christmas is approaching in bestseller Macomber's latest holiday contemporary (after Dashing Through the Snow), and Julia Padden has barely enough time for all her holiday activities: she's working full-time at Macy's, she volunteers at a Boys and Girls Club, and she has just begun her first blog in an attempt to get a job at a Seattle software company. In the midst of all this bustle, she keeps running into her grumpy next-door neighbor, Cain Maddox, and she is disappointed by his eye-rolling avoidance of her sociable overtures. At the suggestion of her best friend, Julia decides to devote her blog to her daily "kindness campaign," in which she chronicles her overtures to Cain and his response. The blog becomes wildly popular, as readers are entranced by Julia's efforts to befriend Cain, support her ongoing efforts, and cheer on their growing intimacy. But the spirit of Christmas doesn't have much time to work lasting magic on the reserved Cain before he learns he's being portrayed as Scrooge on Julia's blog. Macomber's celebrated warmth and flair for storytelling make this a fun holiday frolic despite the overly perky heroine and predictable plot. Agent: Theresa Park, Park Literary & Media. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Julia Padden is vying for a social media job at a software company-whoever generates the largest online following in the month of December gets the position. So far Julia's blog isn't stirring much interest, but when her infuriating Scrooge of a neighbor, Cain Maddox, steals her newspaper, she's inspired to write a new post about killing him with kindness for the next 12 days until Christmas. The piece takes off and Cain seems to be responding to her efforts. But what will happen to their burgeoning relationship when Cain finds out about the blog? VERDICT Macomber's annual holiday novel (Dashing Through the Snow) is a sweet, feel-good romance that may even inspire you to kill someone with kindness during the hectic Christmas season. [See Prepub Alert, 4/18/16.] © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.