Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand is a Christmas-themed book set in Nantucket, focusing on the Quinn family gathering at the family-owned inn. The story revolves around the family members dealing with various personal and relationship challenges over the course of three days during Christmas. The book is narrated from different points of view, providing insights into the family dynamics, dramas, and celebrations during the holiday season.
The writing style of Winter Street combines comical situations with real-life emotions, creating a light and enjoyable read for the holiday season. The book delves into themes of love, redemption, forgiveness, and family bonds, offering a mix of drama and humor within the setting of a festive Christmas celebration at the Winter Street Inn in Nantucket.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings for Winter Street include themes of infidelity, emotional distress, military trauma, and personal crises within the family.
Has Romance?
There is a medium level of romance throughout Winter Street, with intertwining personal relationships and romantic subplots among the family members.
From The Publisher:
In bestseller Elin Hilderbrand's first Christmas novel, a family gathers on Nantucket for a holiday filled with surprises.
Kelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket's Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four, all of them grown and living in varying states of disarray. Patrick, the eldest, is a hedge fund manager with a guilty conscience. Kevin, a bartender, is secretly sleeping with a French housekeeper named Isabelle. Ava, a school teacher, is finally dating the perfect guy but can't get him to commit. And Bart, the youngest and only child of Kelley's second marriage to Mitzi, has recently shocked everyone by joining the Marines.
As Christmas approaches, Kelley is looking forward to getting the family together for some quality time at the inn. But when he walks in on Mitzi kissing Santa Claus (or the guy who's playing Santa at the inn's annual party), utter chaos descends. With the three older children each reeling in their own dramas and Bart unreachable in Afghanistan, it might be up to Kelley's ex-wife, nightly news anchor Margaret Quinn, to save Christmas at the Winter Street Inn.
Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, a small house fire, many shots of whiskey, and endless rounds of Christmas caroling, in this heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays.
Follow the Quinn family through the entire Winter Street Series:
Winter Street
Winter Stroll
Winter Storms
Winter Solstice
Ratings (5)
Incredible (2) | |
Loved It (2) | |
Liked It (1) |
Reader Stats (9):
Read It (7) | |
Want To Read (2) |
1 comment(s)
“Winter Street” is a entertaining novel filled with romance, humor, and drama. The novel takes place over a total of three days (December 23-25) and follows the lives of the Quinn family which consists of patriarch Kelley, Kelley’s ex-wife Margaret, and his four children: Patrick, Kevin, Ava, and Bart.
When the novel begins, it’s December 23 and Kelley is preparing for the annual Christmas party at the Winter Inn, which is a inn he operates with his second wife Mitzi. As Kelley is taking care of last minute preparations, he accidentally walks in on Santa and Mitzi making out. Kelley is saddened by Mitzi’s infidelity and is even more shocked to discover that her relationship with Santa aka George has been going on for quite some time.
Patrick, the eldest Quinn, is viewed by his sibling as the golden boy. As a hedge fund manager, he appears to have a perfect life with a beautiful wife and three sons. Unbeknownst to his family, he has recently been flagged for criminal activities and is at risk of losing everything he’s worked for and those he loves.
Kevin, the second oldest Quinn is the wayward son who went against the grain, married young, didn’t complete college and is back in Nantucket working as a bartender. Although his marriage ended sometime ago, he has sworn off love because he doesn’t want to experience hurt again.
Ava, the only girl of the Quinn family, is a music teacher at the local elementary school. Ava is upset because her long time boyfriend Nathaniel has not proposed to her despite them being together for years. Although her friend and co-worker Scott had romantic feelings for her, she has long ago put him in the friend category and holds out hope for a proposal from Nathaniel.
Bart, the youngest Quinn, is the only child from Kelley’s marriage to Mitzi and at age nineteen, has joined the Marines. Although Bart is usually in regular contact with his family, he’s been unreachable since being stationed in Afghanistan which has the whole family worried.
The recent upheaval of Kelley and Mitzi’s marriage has Kelley in a bad mood and leads him to cancel the annual Winter Street Inn Christmas party. Ava saves the day along with Isabelle, an employee at the inn.
This was a quick and enjoyable read and I was surprised by how much I like the book since I’m not a person who usually likes to read books with a Christmas setting. The author does a great job of creating a story filled with realistic characters, relatable dialogue and a good amount of romance.
What can you read after
Winter Street?
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