Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for A Bookshop for Christmas by Heidi Chiavaroli, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About The Book
Title: A Bookshop for Christmas
Author: Heidi Chiavaroli
Publisher: Hope Creek Publishers
Release Date: October 20, 2026
Genre: Christian Women’s Fiction
Seven estranged cousins. One ambitious project. A hundred ways it could all go very wrong.
When Brooke’s beloved grandparents die unexpectedly, their final wish brings her scattered family back to Hope Creek, including Jeremiah, the boy she once loved—the same boy who abandoned them when the Chilton clan disintegrated years ago. Despite the long-held grudges and awkward secrets that kept them all apart, Brooke and Jeremiah convince the Chilton cousins to help honor their grandparents’ last request: to take the old church they saved from destruction and turn it into a bookshop that will serve their beloved community.
And to do it all before Christmas.
But repurposing the church building may be easier than healing the deep wounds that tore their family apart. Secrets, both old and new, threaten to destroy Brooke and Jeremiah’s hope that this project could be a new beginning for all of them. With the bookstore’s opening day fast approaching and everyone’s lives upended, each cousin must discover for themselves that the greatest inheritance their grandparents left behind wasn’t a building—it was the gift of forgiveness, the power of second chances, and the enduring hope of Christmas.
Excerpt
Brooke was seven years old the first Christmas Jeremiah came to them. The snatch of time took up space in her mind like a sticky marshmallow ball of pleasant memories—gingerbread smiles, warm wool hats, clustered cousins, and grandparent giggles.
Jeremiah had climbed out of Uncle Curtis’s truck, his mother—Uncle Curtis’s new wife, Kendall—behind him.
The first thing Brooke noticed was the tear running down the side of Jeremiah’s coat. The second thing was of more worth—how his mother’s hands rested protectively on the puffy shoulders of that torn jacket. As if she was ready to do battle with anyone who so much as looked at her son sideways.
Brooke wondered what it would feel like to have a mom like that.
“Hey.” Six-year-old Shawn ran up to Jeremiah. “Want to build a snow fort?”
Kendall’s hands fell from her son’s shoulders as Jeremiah ran off with Shawn.
And just like that, Jeremiah was one of them. The cousins—a chaotic ball of energy and new ideas and adventure and igloo forts and stories and hot chocolate.
Jeremiah didn’t look like them. While the hair atop the six cousins’ heads was an array of yellow one might find in a paint store selection and their skin the result of their English heritage, Jeremiah’s skin was darker, his hair and eyes as brown as milk chocolate.
And yet Brooke always thought there was something golden about him. As if the fringes of him were lit by an ethereal glow. As if he belonged in the Storybook Bible that Gram had given her, a picture of a host of angels announcing the birth of the tiny Savior.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Author’s Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
My Impressions:
If you are ready for some great Christmas reading, then you definitely need to pick up A Bookshop for Christmas by Heidi Chiavaroli. This contemporary novel featuring a big and a bit dysfunctional family is full of heart and the importance of legacy. The heads of the Chilton family are tragically gone, and their grandchildren are left to build on their grandparents’ belief in hospitality, community, and sticking with others through the good and the bad. Each of the 7 cousins have things to work through in their lives, but they have a strong desire to fulfill their grandparents’ dream — turning a decommissioned church into a bookstore that will serve as a hub for their small Cape Cod town. Although not all 7 cousins were given a big role in the plot of A Bookshop for Christmas, the author created a good ensemble cast, and those that were most developed really resonated with me. Their struggles were real. They had disappointments, failures, and big regrets, but they each chose to look to the faith of previous generations to rekindle their own lives. There was real growth that looked like real life. The concept of the bookshop was also heartwarming — bringing community together. The author incorporated the Rule of St. Benedict into the plot, and I am grateful to have learned about it. I was not familiar with it, since my faith is informed by a Protestant tradition, but I loved that the concepts could be incorporated into any Christian’s life. The novel’s cozy, Christmas-y vibe is perfect for the holiday season. It has warmth, faith, and a nice touch of romance while centering on reconciliation and forgiveness. It’s the perfect addition to your TBR.
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased the ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Also Available
About The Author
Heidi Chiavaroli is the award-winning author of several books, including Freedom’s Ring, The Orchard House, The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast series, and the bestselling Draw Close to Jesus: 40 Encounters with the Savior for the Sacred Season of Lent. She makes her home in Massachusetts with her husband and their two sons.
Connect with Heidi by visiting heidichiavaroli.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a copy of A Bookshop for Christmas and a $75 Amazon Gift Card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 3, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 10, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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