As a young teen, I read The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessing every year because I had lost a parent very young, and had heart problems. I connected to Nathan Andrews so much. I found these stories beautiful and full of magical kindness.

But, now as an adult, I read the entire series this Christmas time and I am wildly disappointed with where it goes. Gloria and Miriam take over the entire series from the point they are introduced in book four. I know they are a fan favorite, but I did not connect with them in the same way I connected with Nathan and Robert in books prior. I did not enjoy Gloria's spunky old lady caricature. I did not enjoy the bickering between her and Miriam that was constant. I didn't enjoy the fact Glory's place usurps the entire plot for most of the series. I love that she does social work and gives back the the community, but that's where my fondness ends.

I was so tired of reading the same thing. So many of the books have name mix ups and dramatic irony that feels over done to death (ie. Chaz/Matthew/Zack. Kelly/Lauren. Mary Richards/Gloria. Gigi/Andrea). It's the same thing over and over and over. It's sad because I felt the first three novels were so good. Original and heartfelt. Deep and inspired. But somewhere, around book 4/5, that ended for me.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The duel storylines from 1972 and 2012 were interesting and went together well. The ending when they were all brought together was sweet and so nice to see all the little pieces finally go together and the mystery of who owned the recipes and table first was finally found. There was a lot going on in this book and because of that at times it felt like too much was happening, but it also worked and made sense to have so much going on because of the duel storylines and because all of this series are companion novels several of the characters we had already met before.

I think if you've read the rest of the series you will enjoy/love this one as well.

I'm not really sure where the series can go from here, but as always I'm interested in continuing it if more books get published.

Haha, what? I'm not giving stars to this because even though it was not a book I liked or enjoyed, I was definitely not the target audience. I was just looking for a Christmassy book for the book group- and totally missed the fact that this was #10 in a series (although it mostly worked as a standalone) and was Christian/inspirational fiction. That is a pass for my group.

This book contains the stages of Cancer that I watched my Dad go through, the bargaining that you go through. I found myself in full on ugly tears twice during reading this book because I understand. It might not resonate the same with others, but it made me feel all the things.

You have two POV’s in this story. The telling of a family from 1972 building this table and using the recipe cards, and a family in 2012 joined together by the recipe cards found in that table. The recipes are personal and very heartfelt. The desire to return the cards to the family where they belong is the backbone of this story.

I will say this book is a clean contemporary story, there were a little too many references to praying and God for my tastes but I could overlook it. I would still suggest reading it if you love stories of families finding hope, love, and feel good times even in times of struggle.

I received this as an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable quick read. This story has got a storyline in the present and one in the past. I like how in the end they came together. I liked how recipes were used throughout the book, but it did seem to slow down the book. IFor me this was the first book I read by this author, and I didn't feel like I missed anything. So this can definately be read as a standalone.

The Christmas Table by Donna VanLiere is part of the Christmas Hope series. Lauren’s story started in The Christmas Town and I recommend reading it prior to beginning The Christmas Table. All the books in this series are a delight to read. I thought The Christmas Table was well-written with steady pacing. The characters are realistic and relatable. They have fears, joys, heartaches, and tribulations just like real people. This is a dual timeline novel that takes readers between 1972 and 2012. Joan Creighton along with her husband, John and their two children are looking forward to the holidays. John is determined to build the family a dining room table out of walnut he found in an old barn. While Joan tackles the recipes given to her by her mother. Their lives are upended when Joan is diagnosed with breast cancer. Things begin to look grim for the family when John meets someone who gives him hope. Lauren Mabrey discovers she is pregnant which thrills her and her husband, Travis. She wants to make sure that her child has a warm, loving home to grow up in. Her friends from Glory’s Place begin the makeover under bossy Miriam’s direction. Lauren finds handwritten recipe cards in a dining table that she purchased. They contain detailed instructions along with family memories. Lauren wants to return the recipe cards to their rightful owner and sets out to find them based on clues in the stories. I like how the author tied the two stories together. We see Lauren learning to cook using the cards and enjoying the special tales on each one. The ending was touching. Some of the recipes from the book are included at the end. I am looking forward to trying Aunt Dee Dee’s Peanut Butter Fudge (I have been trying to find the right recipe for years). The Christmas Table would make a charming Christmas movie. I enjoyed reading The Christmas Table which is a heartwarming, faith filled tale.

Nice feel-good story and great recipes. Predictable, but it's Christmas!

Sweet listen. Really enjoyed the parallel stories.

A sweet Christmas story. I love that the author reads it, as I think this just adds to the story when we can hear the characters as she intended them to sound.

What a sweet holiday read with a happy ending that comes full circle! There are some parts that will stick me - “the wind” for example…. you’ll know what I mean when you read it. I loved the bonus recipes at the end!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️. Also super fun that this author is from Franklin, TN - where we currently live!