• It Started with Christmas

  • By: Jenny Hale
  • Narrated by: Helene Maksoud
  • Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (360 ratings)

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It Started with Christmas  By  cover art

It Started with Christmas

By: Jenny Hale
Narrated by: Helene Maksoud
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Publisher's summary

A beautiful, feel-good Christmas story. You’ll laugh, cry, and fall in love with this wonderfully warm and magical festive romance….

Holly McAdams loves spending the Christmas holidays at her family’s cozy cabin, with its little red door and twinkling lights, tucked in the snowy hills outside Nashville. But this year will be different. Someone unexpected is joining them....

After Holly and her beloved Nana struggle through a snowstorm to reach the cabin, they discover gorgeous and wealthy Joseph Barnes, who has been renting the cabin for the last few weeks, is now snowed in. And it looks like he’ll be staying for the holidays.

Determined to make the best of the surprise situation, Holly tries to bring everyone together by baking delicious treats and decorating the cabin with plenty of festive sparkle. She finds herself growing close to handsome Joseph, who is unlike anyone she’s ever met before, even if Nana isn’t so keen on the dashing stranger with the mysterious past.

But charming and irresistible musician Rhett Burton is also back in town. Thrown into close proximity with the person who used to be her best friend and the man who broke her heart, Holly realizes it’s time to face her feelings and figure out what she really wants from her life. But to complicate things, both Joseph and Rhett have secrets to reveal....

Will Holly be able to find herself and the love she’s always dreamed of this Christmas?

Discover the joy of Christmas in this gorgeous novel, celebrating the importance of friendship, the magic of love, and finding happiness by being true to yourself.

©2018 Jenny Hale (P)2018 Bookouture

What listeners say about It Started with Christmas

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
    33
  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    9

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

a great story

i was not a fan at the beginning with some of the forced southern accents, but gave it a second try and so glad i did. this is a wonderful story. it keeps you guessing up to the end.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

disappointing

character development was inconsistent. behaviors and event did not add up. very disappointed after reading other reviews. I just couldnt like the main character, she was stupid, and the others were underdeveloped.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I don’t care foe the characters

If you are looking for women that don’t let other adults tell them what to think and do and men that don’t pout like little kids when they don’t get their way then this isn’t the book for you.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story

I enjoyed the story. Was a little put off by the way the performer pronounced been. And she had to say it a lot.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • JG
  • 04-06-20

Pleasant story, nice escape for a little while

Although I enjoyed the story, it felt as though we didn’t get too deep into a lot of the characters. I was also distracted by the southern drawl by the narrator juxtaposed with her pronunciation of “been” and “against”. Those are my only small negatives, the story was uplifting and I would recommend for anyone wanting a holiday story (any time of year).

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Don’t do it.

I was looking for a cute and fun book to help put me in the Christmas spirit. After about 15 minutes I questioned if I would be able to finish.
After an hour I knew for sure it wasn’t going to happen.

This was my first audible return.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

It Started With Christmas

Her Poppa passed away which was so very sad 😢. I loved my grandfather more than words can say and I have cried 1 million tears over loosing my Papa. This was Holly and Nana’s first Christmas without Poppa. And she met Joseph Barnes who was actually the love of her life. She had mixed feelings about him, and was planning his wedding. Her Poppa had hidden a box in the barn to give to Nana. This would be the last gift she would receive from Poppa. This was a wonderful audiobook, so heartfelt, warm and inviting. I was hoping Rhett called Holly onto the stage that Joe would be there. This was such a heartfelt audiobook that it brought tears to my eyes. I truly loved this story. Hopefully the next audiobook Joe will propose marriage to Holly. Looking forward to next audio.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tennessee accents

The story was good but the Tennessee pronunciation of some words was not accurate. I was born and raised right outside Nashville and the pronunciation of certain words were annoying to listen to.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Painful....

I thought this story would NEVER end. Too much repeating itself over and over and over and over and (you see where I'm going?) Never really felt a spark between the main characters and the granny was just TOO angry and really almost unnecessary - as was Rhett.
The narrator would have been perfection itself had she not attempted a Southern accent. NO, just NO!
Save yourself the pain...
On the plus side - We'll Always Have Christmas (by the same author and narrator) was VeRy good!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

Another Christmas story romance WIN by Jenny Hale. Love the characters, story line and the narrator. Never a typical plot or ending. Keeps you wanting more!

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