Once Upon a December
By: Amy E Reichert
Published Year: 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 336
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): With a name like Astra Noel Snow, holiday spirit isn't just a seasonal specialty--it's a way of life. But after a stinging divorce, Astra's yearly trip to the Milwaukee Christmas market takes on a whole new meaning. She's ready to eat, drink, and be merry, especially with the handsome stranger who saves the best kringle for her at his family bakery.
For Jack Clausen, the Julemarked with its snowy lights and charming shops stays the same, while the world outside the joyful street changes, magically leaping from one December to the next every four weeks. He's never minded living this charmed existence until Astra shows him the life he's been missing outside of the festive red brick alley.
After a swoon-worthy series of dates, some Yuletide magic, and the unexpected glow of new love, Astra and Jack must decide whether this relationship can weather all seasons, or if what they're feeling is as ephemeral as marshmallows in a mug of hot cocoa.
First Impressions
This cover is very cute and felt very wintery to me. I was all in on a romance that involved Kringles, Milwaukee, Christmas, and a little bit of magic. That’s all I needed to know.
What I thought
Astra lives in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Jack lives in a magical world called Julemarked. Every time he visits Milwaukee, he falls more in love with Astra. Astra never remembers meeting him. Until she does.
I don’t know how to describe this book without rambling on for ages. It’s a bit complicated. Julemarked is a magical universe that exists out of time. It essentially only exists in December and it shows up in different Christmas markets all over the world on December 1st. Sometimes it’s in a chronological order of years, other times it’s not. But one thing is consistent; no one ever remembers Julemarked after it’s gone.
What I truly appreciated about this story was the explanation about Julemarked and some of the rules. I think sometimes when you have these types of stories you’re left just having to ignore giant holes, in hopes of just enjoying the story for what it is. Reichert does a great job filling in those holes. When I was explaining this book to some of my friends, they obviously had a bunch of questions. I found that I was actually able to answer most of them with what had been provided for me in the book!
At the beginning, the book alternates with Astra’s present day life and Jack’s memories of the other time’s they’ve met. I loved being able to see him fall in love with her without her remembering who he is. They were cute together and I think it helped to get over the fact that they only got to “know” each other over the course of 24 days. In reality (well… in magical reality?), it had been 15 years.
Being a Midwestern girl, I adored that this book took place in Milwaukee. It felt very true to what I know of Wisconsin in winter, even though I’ve never been to their Christmas market. The friendships between Astra and her girlfriends was very well written. I loved reading about women supporting women and how they had been friends for so long.
My biggest issue with this book was trying to figure out how it was going to end. In order for them to end up together, either Astra was going to have to leave the real world and all of her family and friends to live in Julemarked, or Jack was going to have to leave his family, friends, and magic behind to live in the real world. Neither of these felt like good solutions to me, so in a way, I knew I was going to be disappointed no matter what. I will admit, that it didn’t turn out as badly as I worried that it would.