Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday
Published by Random House Publishing Group on October 14, 2025
Format: Audio/Physical (336 pages) • Source: Library, Spotify Audiobooks
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A sentimental advertising creative and a blunt, no-nonsense bar owner find a second chance at love while binge-watching iconic holiday movies in this poignant and heartwarming romance, from the author of Charm City Rocks and All Together Now.
“Norman weaves nostalgic references to modern holiday classics . . . throughout this comforting romance.”—The Washington Post (Noteworthy Books of the Month)
The new year had barely begun when Grace White and Henry Adler both lost their spouses. Now, nearly a year later, the first holiday season since their "Great and Terrible Sadnesses" approaches. Although their mothers scheme to matchmake the two surviving spouses, it’s clear that neither is ready to date again. Yet no one understands what they are going through better than each other, and a delicate friendship is born.
When Henry sees an ad for a Christmas movie marathon—once an annual tradition for him and his wife—Grace offers to watch some films with him, despite her aversion to a few of his picks. Her two young kids, Ian and Bella, also join in whenever possible—bedtimes permitting, of course.
With each movie, Grace and Henry’s shared grief eases as they start to see a life beyond the sadness. But as they draw closer, other romantic possibilities leave them uncertain about their future together. Is their bond merely the result of loneliness and shared circumstances, or have they found something that’s worth taking a shot at . . . again?
Story
I was not expecting a five-star Christmas book because unfortunately it’s very rare for me, but I just adored this. The story follows Grace and Henry, two widows (widowers?) who are still freshly grieving losing their spouses but their moms push them together for a little meet cute. They become friends first and bond over holiday movies. Grace has two kids, owns a bar, and recently adopted a crazy puppy. Henry is alone, avoiding the house he owned with his late wife, and on hiatus from work.
Wintery Setting & Holiday Feels
Grace and Henry have various conversations by phone or in-person watching holiday movies and analyzing them. There are different sections in the books with Christmas movie names so the reader has an idea of what they’ll be discussing or what references will be made, but that was really the most Christmassy part of the movie. It was technically a part of the plot but I certainly wanted more from it.
The other “issue” with the holiday feels is that this is a book heavily focused on grief – both the expected deaths from illness and the unexpected deaths from an accident/tragedy. It made for a VERY heavy read at times, which you all know is not my preference… especially for a festive book.
Overall
As you can tell, I adored this book. I loved Grace and Henry so much – their banter and slow-burn relationship as they realized it was okay to move forward with their lives was SO good. There were some parts that made me teary-eyed for sure. I’d highly recommend if you want a snowy holiday story with some good movie analysis and recommendations, but don’t expect a cozy and happy one.
The Christmas Keepsake by Annie Rains Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fantasy
Published by Grand Central Publishing on October 7, 2025
Also by this author: Christmas on Mistletoe Lane, Springtime at Hope Cottage, Snowfall on Cedar Trail , Starting Over at Blueberry Creek, Sunshine on Silver Lake, Season of Joy, Reunited on Dragonfly Lane, The Summer Cottage, The Christmas Village, The True Love Bookshop
Format: eARC (352 pages) • Source: Publisher
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This heartwarming small-town holiday love story about hope and healing from USA Today bestselling author Annie Rains is perfect for fans of Susan Mallery and Jenny Hale!
Sometimes the best gifts aren’t under the tree.
Everyone has a story to tell. And for Mallory Blue, her grandmother Nan’s community theater and annual Christmas play has been a beloved tradition for as long as she can remember. But this year is different. With Nan losing her memories to dementia, Mallory has taken on more than she can handle—including directing this year’s show.
Two things are keeping Mallory going: A journal that tells the story behind each handmade ornament on Nan’s tree. And Hollis, who volunteers to play Santa to spend time with Mallory and prove he’s no longer the rebellious boy she knew growing up.
As Mallory reads through Nan’s entries, she realizes there’s so much she never knew about her grandmother. And when Mallory has big decisions to make in both her personal and professional life, it’s Nan’s wise advice and Hollis’s steadfast support that will hold the key to this year’s holiday magic.
Story
Annie Rains has been one of my favorite cozy (and often Christmassy) writers in recent years. Her Sweetwater Springs series remains a favorite, as well as the spinoff Somerset Lake. I very much enjoyed her standalone Christmas book a couple of years ago as well. Unfortunately the first book in this new series wasn’t my favorite so I was definitely hoping for better luck with this second installment!
This story follows Savannah’s best friend Mallory as she cares for her grandmother with dementia. She is determined to run her grandma’s Christmas play one more time before potentially shutting down the theater. Most chapters end with a passage from Grandma Nan’s memory book, along with an ornament to put on her tree, so there’s kind of a “dual timeline” that also shares Nan’s unexpected history with Mallory before it’s gone from her memories. The love interest, Hollis, is Mallory’s childhood crush who grew up in foster care. He loves dogs and is struggling with the idea of taking over his foster dad’s construction business; he wants to run his foster grandfather’s tree farm and open a dog boarding/training facility.
The story is a bit melancholy – there’s a lot of tragedy, health issues, loss, grief, and overall sad feelings that pretty much every character deals with. Not exactly what I’m looking for during a holiday book but it has worked for me occasionally in the past.
I loved Hollis’s care for dogs and Mallory’s care for her family. It was also enjoyable reading Nan’s memory book and seeing how she dealt with tragedy and her bumpy life.
Wintery Setting & Holiday Feels
As I mentioned, there’s a sad undertone throughout the book that doesn’t lend itself to a cheerful holiday read. It was definitely happy by the end, with all of the characters carving their paths. The biggest “Christmas” elements were the memory tree and ornament discussion, along with the holiday play that was central to the plot. Personally those elements needed to be way beefier for me to get the right level of holiday feels to balance out the otherwise depressing plot points.
Overall
I definitely enjoyed this more than the first installment in this new series and hope, as always with Annie Rains books, that there are more to come. The vet who makes a brief appearance in this book mentioned recently going through a breakup so naturally my ears perked up that perhaps she could get a future story. In any case, this book is good for those who want deeper holiday stories.
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