Publishers Weekly
07/29/2024
In the satisfying latest from Hahn (The Lifestyle), a singer contends with family secrets and a new romance. Mel Hart is content performing in a Chicago wedding band with her boyfriend, Dan. After Dan accepts a lucrative touring gig with another band, the two break up, leaving her with no place to live. She’s also reeling from the unexpected death of her mother, Connie, whose alcoholism gravely impacted their relationship, and her grief swells when she moves back into Connie’s house two weeks before Christmas. There, she has a surprise visit from Connie’s old friend Barbara, who tells Mel about Connie’s early career as a singer-songwriter and surprising connection to a now-prominent country star. In a charming subplot, Mel falls hard for Barbara’s soon-to-be-divorced son Henry, a doctor. Hahn elicits sympathy for Mel and Connie in plaintive flashbacks to Christmases past and tense mother-daughter moments, like when a teenage Mel kept her dating life secret from Connie, who tried to protect her (“Between the two of us, hadn’t I been the one making good decisions,” Mel reflects). This feel-good holiday novel has just the right amount of grit. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"Mixing elements of a fun romantic comedy with thoughtful conversations on regret and grief plus a dash of spicy revenge, the end result is a holiday story where each page becomes a present to unwrap.”
–Booklist, starred
"Hahn’s second novel... explores love and grief and the complexity that comes with both. Fans of Kristan Higgins and Mhairi McFarlane will find much to love here.”
–Library Journal
"Satisfying… Charming… This feel-good holiday novel has just the right amount of grit.”
–Publishers Weekly
"An exquisitely written, tender, big-hearted exploration of love, grief and family, Home for the Holidays absolutely sparkles. I loved every second and every page.”
–Allison Winn Scotch, bestselling author of The Rewind
"This is the perfect big-hearted novel to curl up with! A Home For the Holidays explores grief, love, and family secrets with a heavy dose of charm and Christmas magic. Taylor Hahn’s writing is honest, emotionally generous, and just so funny. I couldn’t love it more!"
–Jennifer Close, author of Marrying the Ketchups
"Taylor Hahn is back with a warm-hearted holiday novel about second chances, found family, and maybe even a Christmas miracle or two. Readers will devour this charming page turner and root for wedding singer Mel Hart to find healing, a fresh start, and, maybe most of all, A Home for the Holidays. This feel-good book packs a big emotional punch—and Taylor Hahn has quickly found a place on my personal list of auto-buy authors."
–Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of A Happier Life
“A deeply moving portrait of mothers and daughters, A Home for the Holidays is perfect for readers who like their heartwarming holiday stories cut with a dash of Joni Mitchell's ‘River.’ Taylor Hahn had me laughing one moment and weeping the next with this stunner of a novel.”
–Laura Hankin, author of One-Star Romance
“Taylor Hahn performs magic by exploring the deepest reaches of loss, love, and finding ourselves, and does it with humor, wit, and a flair for serendipity. She reminds us that even our most well-worn stories about our loved ones—and ourselves—can surprise us if only we are willing to take a closer look. This book is for anyone who has ever yearned for a mother and felt the singular grief of a too-soon, complicated loss. A Home for the Holidays holds all the complexities of grief and just what it takes to carve your own path out of the rubble. Redemptive, relatable, smart-funny, and yes, romantic, this novel will make you believe in second chances. I will never forget these characters. Be ready to fall in love.”
–Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman and Godshot
“A Home for the Holidays is a wonder. Taylor Hahn has written a pitch-perfect novel about grief, healing, and coming to terms with family secrets. I fell in love with Mel, a wedding singer who must re-examine the meaning of home after her mother’s passing, and in doing so, opens herself up to a more expansive definition of family. Heartwarming, true, and ultimately playful, this novel will stay with me for a long time.”
–Crystal Hana Kim, author of The Stone Home
Library Journal
09/01/2024
Wedding singer Mel Hart has always had a mixed relationship with Christmas. When Mel was a child, her mother, divorcée Connie, did much to keep the myth of Santa alive for her. But as Mel grew older, she realized that her mother's creative impulses were fueled and complicated by her addiction to alcohol. As an adult, Mel loves her, but nothing has changed in regard to Connie's alcohol dependency, other than her mother seems to be getting sicker. As Christmas approaches Mel gets a call that Connie has died. As grief, guilt, anger, and regret take hold, Mel gets a surprise lifeline. A woman named Barb shows up on her doorstep, claiming to have once been her mother's best friend. She insists that Mel come home with her. Once at Barb's house, Mel learns of a different part of Connie's life. As she grapples with all that she learns, Mel finds new connections with her mother, a way to move forward in her own life, and a possible new love interest. VERDICT Hahn's second novel (after The Lifestyle) explores love and grief and the complexity that comes with both. Fans of Kristan Higgins and Mhairi McFarlane will find much to love here.—Jane Jorgenson
