Jack Clausen works with his brothers in the family bakery, Kringle All the Way. Living in the Julemarked, a magical alleyway filled with holiday-themed shops that only exists during the month of December and jumps around to different locations around the world, Jack is content baking his kringles until one year when he meets Astra Snow as she is visiting the Milwaukee Christmas market. Over the years they continue to meet, with Astra forgetting each encounter due to the magic of the Julemarked and Jack falling more in love with this woman from the Outside. But this December, Astra takes a chance and asks Jack out and after a series of dates, the two must decide if their relationship can last.
I was a little slow to pick up that the Julemarked was a magical alleyway. I didn’t quite understand what was happening but once I figured out what it was and how it worked, I was into the story. I also don’t know how I feel about the fact that Jack and Astra kept meeting but then she kept forgetting that they’d met but he didn’t. It felt a tad bit stalker-esque but I don’t know – maybe I’m reading too much into it.
I did not love how much of a doormat Astra was regarding her ex-husband. I really wanted her to stand up for herself and instead of tricking her ex-husband into doing what she wanted, I wish she had confronted him and told him what she thought.
I did love the friendship between Astra and her friends and how everyone was there for each other. The romance was sweet and I loved the setting of a Christmas market. I wanted to visit all the stores in the Julemarked. Who knows, maybe I have and I just don’t remember.
I would probably rate this book 3 stars. It could be higher but I wasn’t as invested in Jack and Astra as a couple as I think I should have been. I felt like as much as they were the main couple pairing in the book, the book didn’t spend that much time on their relationship. Plus, there is a storyline near the ending that I didn’t particularly enjoy.
Now I have the song “Once Upon a December” from Anastasia stuck in my head and I need to go listen to it. Also, where is a bakery in Seattle where I can buy a kringle?
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