Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

Elfrida Phipps, a retired actress seeking peace, leaves London for a quiet village in Hampshire. When tragedy strikes her friends, she finds herself traveling to the small Scottish town of Creagan, taking refuge in a large, empty house overlooking the sea.

There, a group of strangers—each carrying their own griefs and disappointments—come together unexpectedly as Christmas approaches. As the days grow shorter and the snow begins to fall, their lives intertwine in ways none of them could have foreseen, bringing renewal, hope, and the warmth of new beginnings in the heart of winter.