A Merry Little Lie by Sarah MorganMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a super cute Christmas story that follows 3 siblings and their partners gathering at their childhood home for the holiday. Each of the siblings has a big secret they have been keeping from their normally close-knit family, and Mom Jenny is anxious to have one last perfect Christmas before everything changes. It had all of the feels of a cozy Hallmark-style movie. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and how each character was genuinely interested in the feelings of their family members and in resolving conflict in a respectful and peaceful manner. We don’t often get to see healthy conflict resolution in the media we consume. Each of these secrets had the potential to cause some serious emotional damage, but the characters approached the revelations seeking to understand and heal instead of blame and reject.
There were several different twists in the story. One, I predicted pretty early on, but then was led to reject my prediction – a pretty clever redirect by the author! The main point of the story was that keeping feelings bottled up, swept under a rug, or creating little white lies to “protect” others is never going to lead to anything but isolation and hurt feelings. Being open, honest, and emotionally mature is always the best way to go.
This felt very authentic – coming from someone who is used to having large, chaotic family holiday get-togethers with plenty of drama. And of course, all of the adult sibling squabbling, which always seems to crop up, no matter how old you get.
I would enthusiastically recommend this to my friends, especially as the nights get colder and longer and the holiday season approaches. Bake some cookies, make some hot chocolate, and settle in for a enjoyable night!
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I was able to read and review this book before it is released thanks to Netgalley! It is scheduled to be released on October 7, 2025. Below is a sample of the book from Amazon.
Paroxysm of Giggles / Critical Mass 