Rating: 4 out of 5.
I’ve been reading works by Tracy Krimmer for over a year now and they draw me in every time a new one is released. Tracy has a knack for creating characters that feel like people you know and relate to and her stories always read like the best 80s and 90s rom-coms in novel form. Her stories have a charm that ranks among the likes of When Harry Met Sally, You’ve got Mail, and The Wedding Singer. They are always worth checking out if you’re in the mood to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and fall into a cozy romance. Her latest release, The Charming Winter, is no different.
The Premise:
In the wake of a messy divorce, Holly is trying to put her life back together. But between the massive debt her ex left her with, having to move back in with her parents, and her less than ideal retail job, it’s safe to say she’s a bit down on her luck. When Levi, the brother of a former childhood best friend, shows back up in town, emotions long forgotten bubble back up the surface. But Holly is quick to learn that sometimes the best way to move forward is to find closure with people and events from your past.
My Thoughts:
There were a lot of things about this book that I really enjoyed. For one, the 90s nostalgia was entirely on-point. From what I understand, it’s a big theme of the the Rewind series. The Charming Winter is book 3 in the series, but can easily be read as a standalone. (I can attest to this as I have yet to dive into the other books in the series.)
Secondly, as mentioned before, Krimmer is just fantastic with her characters. Even though there were a few moments where Holly drove me a bit nuts (she’s not the best communicator at times) she, along with the rest of the cast feel like real people. I’d almost swear that Krimmer was writing about her best friends, she seems to know them so well.
I also really loved the setting of this one. Not only was there a lot that felt down-to-earth in both Holly and Levi’s jobs, but I think Krimmer captured the feelings of being an adult living back with their parents well and there were moments where I felt like I right there with the characters. I could imagine the drudgery of dealing with less than stellar employee you can’t do much about, and I felt like I knew exactly what Holly’s parent’s kitchen felt like as she sat there, trying to get her parents to give her space to deal with her own things. And, of course, the fact that it takes place in winter adds to both the cozy feelings and helps you commiserate with the “ugh, I have to deal with the snow” type feelings.
For me, the only thing that kept this from being a 5 star read was the pacing. This story is short and quick, which has it’s perks, but I found myself wishing there was more. I wanted to be more emotionally invested in the characters and, in some instances, I felt like I wasn’t feeling the entire impact of some of the more emotional scenes. I wanted more flashbacks of Holly and Amy so that I better understood how strong their bond was, more backstory between Holly and her ex, Owen, so that her sympathy for him had more context, and – of course – more interactions between Holly and Levi when they were younger to see bits of that relationship developing (because they are super cute together!)
Lasting Impressions
If it’s not evident by this being my forth positive review of Krimmer’s works, I think she is a great addition to the romance writer/book community. She brings a voice and stories that seem to feature Gen-X characters finding love and navigating life when they’re past that early-to-mid 20s point of discovering who they are, which is something I really appreciate. Her characters are always seem to be people with lives and baggage who are relatable and lovable – people who might have their flaws but always find they are worth the love around them. I continue to look forward to jumping into more of Krimmer’s books and checking out the stories in the rest of the Rewind series.
A quick thank you to Tracy Krimmer for sending me an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel, The Charming Winter. I am voluntarily writing this honest review.
