If you’re looking for just a nice, sweet story for the Christmas holidays, Debbie Macomber’s A Ferry Merry Christmas will fit the bill. There are no surprises, but it’s a satisfying story.

Two days before Christmas the Washington State Ferry running between Bremerton and Seattle is full with people heading to friends and family in Seattle. Some of the people, such as James, are desperate to reach there. James’ wife Lilly is about to give birth, and they only moved there recently, so they have no family or support network. Virginia hopes to meet up with her twin sister after they had an argument two years earlier that tore them apart. Harrison is in the Navy, and he’s planning to meet up with his sister. Avery Bond and her brother, Reed, lost their beloved grandmother a year ago. Avery’s meeting Reed in Seattle to celebrate a lonely Christmas together. Beth and six-year-old Olivia are surprised to find Beth’s husband, Logan, on the ferry. The couple is separated, but they all still love each other. Then, the ferry stops moving.

For the first time in memory, the ferry is stalled in the Sound. People are angry and upset, knowing they have family and friends waiting at the terminal. Jobs are in jeopardy, plans are ruined, and a baby might be born without its father present.

It’s not a happy group on the ferry. But, this is a Debbie Macomber book, and, naturally, there will be one or two twists that bring people together. There’s a happy ending, and an epilogue set a year later. As I said, it’s a cozy, sweet book, just what you would expect from the author and the season. It’s predictable, but satisfying.

Debbie Macomber’s website is https://debbiemacomber.com/

A Ferry Merry Christmas by Debbie Macomber. Ballantine, 2025. 272p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from the publisher, through NetGalley, with no expectations.