Waiting for Christmas by Lynn Austin

Waiting for Christmas
by Lynn Austin

ISBN-13: 9781496476289
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Released: September 1, 2024

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
For the first time in her privileged life, Adelaide Forsythe won’t be swept up in society events for Christmas. That’s not to say her transition from Miss to Mrs. has been without challenge. Though she doesn’t regret marrying for love instead of wealth, she can barely light the hearth or cook more than burnt toast. She feels woefully unprepared to run her own household.

Then, on the first Sunday of Advent, winter winds bring change through two unlikely means: a young orphan boy, hiding near Adelaide’s front steps, and a seasoned housekeeper who seems too good to be true.

The boy, Jack, claims he isn’t an orphan at all and is desperate to reunite his family. Adelaide and her husband Howard work tirelessly to help Jack, while Adelaide’s new endeavors open her eyes to a world beyond her past experience—and all the challenge and possibility it holds.


My Review:
Waiting for Christmas is a Christian novella set in 1901. It's a continuation of the events from the story "All My Secrets." Howard wants to be the provider for his wife and insists that she keep the money she inherited in reserve in case of emergency. Adelaide wants to live life as a normal housewife, but she doesn't know how to cook or clean. Howard doesn't want her doing that anyway, so they hire a cook and someone to clean the house. Adelaide intends to live within her budget, but expenses pile up as she tries to help an 8-year-old boy find his younger sister after they're separated when their mother died. And how can they let his father know where to find Jake when his ship returns on Christmas?

Historical details about tenements and orphanages were woven into the story. The main characters were likable, complex, and acted realistically. Adelaide and Howard had to work through certain expectations they had for their marriage. Adelaide methodically tried to track down Jack's sister, and Howard helped when he didn't need to be working. In my experience, an 8-year-old would have remembered a great deal more about his father's job and ship than Jake did, but, hey. And after one miracle, I would have thought Adelaide and Howard would have been more positive about another happening, but instead they tried to solve certain problems before they even occurred. Still, it was a nice story. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable, well-written Christmas novella.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.