Christmas Book Review: Yesterday’s Christmas by A.M. Heath // 12 Days of Christmas 2020 Day 3

❄ It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas🎶 Well, it’s at least looking snowy, which is unusual but not unheard of here. As I’m writing this (on 12/15), there are large snowflakes falling outside my window. Surprisingly, I’m writing this around noon at home because my library decided to close for the day preemptively due to weather. My readers from places that regularly get snow are probably rolling their eyes now, but I am very happy for this snow day and the chance to get a few extra things done at home.

This is a busy day for blogging! This post is linked up with Faith for the 12 Days of Christmas blog party and Tarissa for #ALiteraryChristmas, and I will have a separate post linking up to this week’s WWW Wednesday. It’s a snowstorm of posts about good books!

The purpose of #ALiteraryChristmas is to share all the Christmasy books we read! To participate, make a list of Christmas-themed books you want to read, and get started! You can share your list, updates, and reviews through the linkup on Tarissa’s blog here.

The 12 Days of Christmas blog party is all about sharing Christmas cheer by posting each day about something Christmasy. You can find all of the details and a list of participants on Faith’s blog.

Both of these linkups also have an associated giveaway, so be sure to check out the host’s pages for more info about that. Now, for today’s Christmas book review!

About the Book

Title: Yesterday’s Christmas (A Season Passed #2)

Author: A.M. Heath

Genre: Christian Romance Fiction – Christmas, Dual Timeline

Synopsis: During a snowstorm, Betty Tanner finds herself stuck with her estranged husband. Spending Christmas with Glenn wasn’t what she had in mind, and her thoughts reluctantly travel back three decades to their first Christmas together, when another snowstorm caused her to wreck her car outside the Tanner home …

1954: Stranded with the Tanners over Christmas, Betty is forced into the company of Glenn, who has spurned her for years. But as the snow falls outside, the walls between Betty and Glenn begin to melt, revealing a side of him she never knew existed. A side she longs to know better.

Pride and bitterness can make a beast out of anyone. And the hardships they face in their relationship are of their own making. But can following Christ’s ways lead Betty and Glenn to the reconciliation they long for?

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Other books by this author reviewed here: Dance with Me (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐), Project Scrooge (⭐⭐⭐), Hearts on Lonely Mountain (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

My Thoughts

Yesterday’s Christmas is a lovely story about reconciliation set against a backdrop of Christmas and romance. Betty and Glenn’s story is painful, but ultimately one of hope and forgiveness. And, yes, I basically just spoiled the ending – but would a Christmas story featuring conflict really be worthwhile if the characters were still feuding at the end? I don’t think so.

This is a dual-timeline story with the interesting twist that both timelines feature the same characters. The author does a good job of showing parallels the lessons learned in each timeline without making them the same story, told twice. It’s fun to see the same characters at different points of life, and the details of each timeline enhance the other.

The Verdict

If you’re looking for a less-generic Christmas romance, Yesterday’s Christmas is a wonderful choice. I have not read the first book in the series, If Only It Were Yesterday, but it is on my eventual TBR list and I think all of the books in the series are standalones which can be read in any order. Yesterday’s Christmas is more serious than a lot of the Christmas books I have read, but the end is still heartwarming and in line with the real story of Christmas. Four stars and confidently recommended to adult readers and older teens. It isn’t inappropriate for younger readers, but I don’t think they would enjoy or “get it” as much.

A.M. Heath is easily one of my favorite indie authors. If you’re looking for a Christmas book that veers away from most of the Christmas stereotypes while still presenting a heartwarming story, I hope you will give Yesterday’s Christmas a try!

As a reminder, for more bookish and Christmasy posts, check out Tarissa’s Literary Christmas linkup and Faith’s 12 Days of Christmas linkup.

Finally, I just keep thinking about this song while writing this post, so I’m sharing it, too