For wedding singer Mel Hart, the holidays have always retained a certain magic. Her mother, Connie, always managed to pull off spectacular Santa hijinks that convinced Mel to keep believing in Santa way longer than other kids. Those moments meant everything to Mel because the rest of the year, life was unpredictable because of her mother’s alcohol use.

But two weeks before Christmas, Mel gets a call from the hospital: her mother has died.

Then a woman shows up on Mel’s doorstep, claiming to be Connie’s estranged best friend, promising to tell Mel a different narrative—one in which Connie was almost a famous country music star, if only a man hadn’t gotten in the way. Instead of spending Christmas alone in her dead mother’s house, Mel agrees to stay with Barb for the holidays, finding herself in the middle of Barb’s complicated family and uncovering secrets while fighting an attraction to Barb’s in-the-middle-of-a-divorce son. As Christmas approaches, Mel reckons with how little she knew about her mother’s past while reexamining her own future.

When the wind gets brisk and the days grow short, cozying up with a holiday read is one of my favorite indulgences. And let’s face it: I’m usually looking for the same key elements. Fireside hangs and fuzzy feels? Check. Scrumptious cookies and twinkling snowflakes? Check. Spending time with a stranger who spills the tea about Mom’s almost-famous country music career? …Er, now that might be a new one.

Christmas this year won’t be the same for Mel, a Chicago-based singer who’s just learned of her mother Connie’s death. Though Mel clings to recollections of her mom’s iconic Yuletide shenanigans, more recent memories are tainted by Connie’s alcohol dependence. Maybe that’s why Mel feels reluctant to accept a Christmas invitation from Connie’s former BFF Barb (and Barb’s handsome son, Henry). Little does Mel know, a different story about her mother awaits—if she can find the courage to face Connie’s turbulent yet sparkling past.

In this cozy yet complicated, relatable, and utterly real story, Taylor Hahn offers a new perspective on letting go and letting love in. It’s a charming tale full of festive cheer that invites reflection on the past and celebrates the future—and if that’s not a reason for the season, I’m not sure what is.