{ Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners - TLC Book Tour - GIVEAWAY }

 
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Park Row; Original edition (October 16, 2018)

A formidable matriarch learns the hard way that no family is perfect in this witty, sparkling debut novel

Dearest loved ones, far and near—evergreen tidings from the Baumgartners!
Violet Baumgartner has opened her annual holiday letter the same way for the past three decades. And this year she’s going to throw her husband, Ed, a truly perfect retirement party, one worthy of memorializing in her upcoming letter. But the event becomes a disaster when, in front of two hundred guests, Violet learns her daughter Cerise has been keeping a shocking secret from her, shattering Violet’s carefully constructed world.

In an epic battle of wills, Violet goes to increasing lengths to wrest back control of her family, infuriating Cerise and snaring their family and friends in a very un-Midwestern, un-Baumgartner gyre of dramatics. And there will be no explaining away the consequences in this year’s Baumgartner holiday letter…

Full of humor, emotion and surprises at every turn, Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners brings to life a remarkable cast of quirky, deeply human characters who must learn to adapt to the unconventional, or else risk losing one another. This is the story of a family falling to pieces—and the unexpected way they put it all back together.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

About Gretchen Anthony

Gretchen Anthony is a Minnesota-based writer and humorist whose work has been featured on scarymommy.com, medium.com and thewritelife.com. She’s also spent decades as a ghostwriter and has written for some of the best personal brands in the United States, from CEOs to doctors and start-up superstars to BBQ pros. Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners is her first novel.

Connect with Gretchen

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My Thoughts:

So at first glance, you may be thinking this is a Christmas book, right?  Well, yes and no, because though the holidays are mentioned and the book is primarily about the Baumgartners annual holiday letter, there is so much more to this story.

It had me in stitches, Gretchen Anthony paints a picture of a matriarch and her not so functional family, through a series of events, flashbacks and hilarious moments. 

Violet is the matriarch, writing the annual holiday letter, anxiously anticipating her husband's retirement and about to discover er daughter Cerise's secret.  The minute she does though, all hell breaks loose and she is left trying her very best to pull back together a family that should on the outside, have everything going for them, but on the inside a turmoil of ups and downs and twists and turns.

I honestly think that this would make a great Christmas gift for  the book lover in your family.


The Giveaway:

Once again, the publishers have offered to give a copy out, to a lucky winner.  (US only)

Please leave a comment down below letting me know if you would keep this book for yourself, or if you would gift it and to who :)  Be sure to include an email address so that I can contact you if you're picked the winner.

I will draw a winner on Friday.  Good luck!!!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours and Harper Collins, for providing me with a review copy.