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portybelle's review
5.0
I read this after seeing so many reviews from fellow bloggers saying how much they had fallen in love with the story and its characters. I saved it to be my last Christmas read this year and, oh my goodness, what a great decision that was!
Viola is a musician in the orchestra for a London Opera company and plays, you've guessed it, the viola! It was really interesting to get a glimpse into her life as a professional musician with all the practice, passion and dedication that involved. When travelling by tube one day, she has a rather unpleasant encounter with a fellow commuter and just afterwards she meets Nate, who comes to check she is alright and who she is immediately attracted to. Nate is a lawyer and, as she soon finds out, a governor at a local primary school where she has been tasked with organising the nativity as community outreach work.
I really enjoyed the parts about the Nativity, many of which brought back memories of helping when my own children were little. I found lot of the nativity scenes quite amusing and others rather poignant. From the boy adamant that he wanted to be an armadillo, to the pushy parents wanting the best role for their child, to the quiet child getting her chance to shine, there was much that anyone involved in a nativity either as an organiser or a proud parent will recognise. And I absolutely fell in love with little Grace, Nate's daughter.
Grace's life has been rather well planned by her mother with little room for spontaneity and as Viola got to know her, her heart went out to the little girl. For reasons that will become clear if you read the book, Viola became very involved in Nate and Grace's life and it was so lovely to see Grace begin to blossom and have the chance just to be a little girl, not a perfect child.
So there's all of that and I haven't even mentioned what goes on between Viola and Nate. These are two characters you will adore I'm sure, as they move towards a happy ending but with one very big problem which threatens to derail their developing relationship. The story shows that what is important at Christmas isn't being apparently perfect but spending time with the people you love, having fun together doing the things you enjoy and making happy memories to look back on and treasure. It is a gorgeously romantic story and there's snow, lots of snow. A truly magical Christmas tale to warm the heart.
Viola is a musician in the orchestra for a London Opera company and plays, you've guessed it, the viola! It was really interesting to get a glimpse into her life as a professional musician with all the practice, passion and dedication that involved. When travelling by tube one day, she has a rather unpleasant encounter with a fellow commuter and just afterwards she meets Nate, who comes to check she is alright and who she is immediately attracted to. Nate is a lawyer and, as she soon finds out, a governor at a local primary school where she has been tasked with organising the nativity as community outreach work.
I really enjoyed the parts about the Nativity, many of which brought back memories of helping when my own children were little. I found lot of the nativity scenes quite amusing and others rather poignant. From the boy adamant that he wanted to be an armadillo, to the pushy parents wanting the best role for their child, to the quiet child getting her chance to shine, there was much that anyone involved in a nativity either as an organiser or a proud parent will recognise. And I absolutely fell in love with little Grace, Nate's daughter.
Grace's life has been rather well planned by her mother with little room for spontaneity and as Viola got to know her, her heart went out to the little girl. For reasons that will become clear if you read the book, Viola became very involved in Nate and Grace's life and it was so lovely to see Grace begin to blossom and have the chance just to be a little girl, not a perfect child.
So there's all of that and I haven't even mentioned what goes on between Viola and Nate. These are two characters you will adore I'm sure, as they move towards a happy ending but with one very big problem which threatens to derail their developing relationship. The story shows that what is important at Christmas isn't being apparently perfect but spending time with the people you love, having fun together doing the things you enjoy and making happy memories to look back on and treasure. It is a gorgeously romantic story and there's snow, lots of snow. A truly magical Christmas tale to warm the heart.
dlperin's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
lexibuh's review against another edition
5.0
Hands down best single dad Christmas book ever. Catch me sobbing on the floor
lobo1tomia's review against another edition
4.0
Természetesen én is azok közé tartozom, akiket meg lehet venni angol romantikus történetekkel, főleg ha télen meg mondjuk Notting Hillben játszódnak. Szóval már a címmel és borítóval megismerkedve eldőlt, hogy kíváncsi vagyok Jules Wake történetére, főleg hogy utána olvasva csak pozitívakat olvastam róla. S bár már a karácsony elmúlt, de azért még így is nagyon jó volt kicsit elmerülni az angolok ünnepi készülődésében.
Jules Wake regényében tényleg a karácsonyi készülődésről van szó, nagyon humoros az egész betlehemes előadás készülődése, hogy milyen elvárások vannak a szülők részéről (minden gyerek szerepeljen, tűnjön ki a kosztümében stb.) ami miatt pont a régi történet alapelemei vesznének el. Szerencsére Viola mindezt jól látja és a kezdeti kétségbeesés után talpraesetten kezeli is. Még szerencse, hogy annyira jól bánik a gyerekekkel. A történetnek még ez a másik igazán kellemes vonala: Grace és Viola kapcsolata nagyon hihetőn és okosan van kibontva.
Nekem problémám igazából a végével volt, már alig volt hátra 50 oldal amikor jött a nagy csavar meg még egy lapáttal rátét, hogy aztán minden megoldódjon 5 oldalon. Szóval kicsit aránytalan volt a felépítése a történetnek, a végének hosszabb részt lehetett volna adni, a közepéből pedig pár eseményt elhagyni.
Ennek ellenére nagyon kellemesen szórakoztam és valóban még így januárban is jól esett angol karácsonyi szokásokról, ételekről olvasni és egy kicsit nosztalgiázni.
Julews Wake regénye a Netflix karácsonyi romantikus filmjeihez hasonlóan jólesett: pont ez az, amire szüksége van az embernek az ünnepek előtt/alatt/után és biztos, hogy innentől bérelt helye lesz a decemberi könyvajánlókban.
Részletesen: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2022/01/09/jules-wake-hoeses-notting-hillben/
Jules Wake regényében tényleg a karácsonyi készülődésről van szó, nagyon humoros az egész betlehemes előadás készülődése, hogy milyen elvárások vannak a szülők részéről (minden gyerek szerepeljen, tűnjön ki a kosztümében stb.) ami miatt pont a régi történet alapelemei vesznének el. Szerencsére Viola mindezt jól látja és a kezdeti kétségbeesés után talpraesetten kezeli is. Még szerencse, hogy annyira jól bánik a gyerekekkel. A történetnek még ez a másik igazán kellemes vonala: Grace és Viola kapcsolata nagyon hihetőn és okosan van kibontva.
Nekem problémám igazából a végével volt, már alig volt hátra 50 oldal amikor jött a nagy csavar meg még egy lapáttal rátét, hogy aztán minden megoldódjon 5 oldalon. Szóval kicsit aránytalan volt a felépítése a történetnek, a végének hosszabb részt lehetett volna adni, a közepéből pedig pár eseményt elhagyni.
Ennek ellenére nagyon kellemesen szórakoztam és valóban még így januárban is jól esett angol karácsonyi szokásokról, ételekről olvasni és egy kicsit nosztalgiázni.
Julews Wake regénye a Netflix karácsonyi romantikus filmjeihez hasonlóan jólesett: pont ez az, amire szüksége van az embernek az ünnepek előtt/alatt/után és biztos, hogy innentől bérelt helye lesz a decemberi könyvajánlókban.
Részletesen: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/2022/01/09/jules-wake-hoeses-notting-hillben/
vanessa_issa's review
3.0
Thanks to One More Chapter for the ARC!
Nice novel for those who enjoy Christmas stories.
Nate Williams is a governor at a primary school in Notting Hill. His mother-in-law is a friend of the Opera House. Their nativity is one of the best events of the year. When the usual teacher, Mrs Davies, goes down with appendicitis, they need to find someone to replace her.
Viola Smith plays in the orchestra for the London Metropolitan Opera Company and that's how she gets invited to help with the school's musical project.
When Nate meets her, there's an instant chemistry between them. But, things are not so simple. His wife, Elaine, is "taking a break from family" and working in another country. It's been almost a year since she went away. Grace, their daughter, is a charming little girl who dreams of the day when her mother will return, without realizing that she is not exactly excited to come back.
So, what should Nate do in this situation? Should he try to recover a broken marriage, or deal with all the challenges of starting a new relationship, even though he knows it's complicated to have a child emotionally involved in this mess?
It's a quick read, but really enjoyable nonetheless. Some moments were a little boring for me, especially those about members of Viola's family who weren't so relevant to the story. I was waaaay to anxious to know what would happen to the couple. I honestly didn't care about the other characters.
But I liked how the subject was addressed. It's not as if Viola was stealing someone's husband, she was actually helping him to fix a very broken home. She truly cares for the child, which is something that the real mother doesn't seem to do. I think it's a nice, hopeful, romantic Christmas story.
Nice novel for those who enjoy Christmas stories.
Nate Williams is a governor at a primary school in Notting Hill. His mother-in-law is a friend of the Opera House. Their nativity is one of the best events of the year. When the usual teacher, Mrs Davies, goes down with appendicitis, they need to find someone to replace her.
Viola Smith plays in the orchestra for the London Metropolitan Opera Company and that's how she gets invited to help with the school's musical project.
When Nate meets her, there's an instant chemistry between them. But, things are not so simple. His wife, Elaine, is "taking a break from family" and working in another country. It's been almost a year since she went away. Grace, their daughter, is a charming little girl who dreams of the day when her mother will return, without realizing that she is not exactly excited to come back.
So, what should Nate do in this situation? Should he try to recover a broken marriage, or deal with all the challenges of starting a new relationship, even though he knows it's complicated to have a child emotionally involved in this mess?
It's a quick read, but really enjoyable nonetheless. Some moments were a little boring for me, especially those about members of Viola's family who weren't so relevant to the story. I was waaaay to anxious to know what would happen to the couple. I honestly didn't care about the other characters.
But I liked how the subject was addressed. It's not as if Viola was stealing someone's husband, she was actually helping him to fix a very broken home. She truly cares for the child, which is something that the real mother doesn't seem to do. I think it's a nice, hopeful, romantic Christmas story.
hrc0307's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
vzsofi_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended by Erica. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Snotting%20hill%20in%20the%20snow%20wake__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
lianareadsblog's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
What could be best for Christmas than spending it in London? I love the setting of this book, I loved the characters and everything that comes with them, and I cannot recommend this book enough for the lovers of the romance genre and more so it’s a great book for a Hallmark movie. Romance at its best in winter.
What could be best for Christmas than spending it in London? I love the setting of this book, I loved the characters and everything that comes with them, and I cannot recommend this book enough for the lovers of the romance genre and more so it’s a great book for a Hallmark movie. Romance at its best in winter.
liatrek's review against another edition
5.0
This was the perfect Christmas book. The characters are lovely and you ache for each of them to get that happy ending❤️