A Home for the Holidays

A witty, warmhearted novel about coming to terms with grief, taking a chance on unexpected connections, and finding family in time for the holidays

For wedding singer Mel Hart, the holidays have always retained a certain magic. Her mother, Connie, always managed to pull off spectacular Santa hijinx 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. 

A Home for the Holidays is a moving exploration of complicated grief, mother-daughter relationships, loving someone with addiction, and the redemptive power of opening one's heart to love in all its forms.


Genre: Romance

"Taylor Hahn performs magic by exploring the deepest reaches of loss, love, and finding ourselves, and does it with humor, wit, and a flair for serendipity. She reminds us that even our most well-worn stories about our loved ones - and ourselves - can surprise us if only we are willing to take a closer look. This book is for anyone who has ever yearned for a mother and felt the singular grief of a too-soon, complicated loss. A Home for the Holidays holds all the complexities of grief and just what it takes to carve your own path out of the rubble. Redemptive, relatable, smart-funny, and yes, romantic, this novel will make you believe in second chances. I will never forget these characters. Be ready to fall in love." - Chelsea Bieker

"This is the perfect big-hearted novel to curl up with! A Home For the Holidays explores grief, love, and family secrets with a heavy dose of charm and Christmas magic. Taylor Hahn's writing is honest, emotionally generous, and just so funny. I couldn't love it more!" - Jennifer Close

"A deeply moving portrait of mothers and daughters, A Home for the Holidays is perfect for readers who like their heartwarming holiday stories cut with a dash of Joni Mitchell's 'River.' Taylor Hahn had me laughing one moment and weeping the next with this stunner of a novel." - Laura Hankin

"Taylor Hahn is back with a warm-hearted holiday novel about second chances, found family, and maybe even a Christmas miracle or two. Readers will devour this charming page turner and root for wedding singer Mel Hart to find healing, a fresh start, and, maybe most of all, A Home for the Holidays. This feel-good book packs a big emotional punch - and Taylor Hahn has quickly found a place on my personal list of auto-buy authors." - Kristy Woodson Harvey

"A Home for the Holidays is a wonder. Taylor Hahn has written a pitch-perfect novel about grief, healing, and coming to terms with family secrets. I fell in love with Mel, a wedding singer who must re-examine the meaning of home after her mother's passing, and in doing so, opens herself up to a more expansive definition of family. Heartwarming, true, and ultimately playful, this novel will stay with me for a long time." - Crystal Hana Kim

"An exquisitely written, tender, big-hearted exploration of love, grief and family, Home for the Holidays absolutely sparkles. I loved every second and every page." - Allison Winn Scotch