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jpgrina's review
3.0
This is my first Christmas-related read for the year and I'm off to a good start. Four Christmases and a Secret made me feel warm inside because 1) it's set during the holiday season; 2) it has the friends-to-lovers trope aka my favorite in romance even though it was quite the slow-burn; 3) Uncle Terence and his bookstore; 4) Christmas party in a bookshop - I mean, how amazing is that; and 5) Stanley.
There were still things that bugged me though was how Daisy's mom annoyed me at the beginning who kept insisting that her daughter should be dating/married and that kind of talk irks me. Some scenes between Daisy and Ollie were kind of confusing too when it comes to their relationship but oh well.
Overall, this was a quick read and quite slow at some point. Still, it was enjoyable than I thought.
Quick Review: Four Christmases and a Secret by Zara Stoneley @ Like Chai Tea
There were still things that bugged me though was how Daisy's mom annoyed me at the beginning who kept insisting that her daughter should be dating/married and that kind of talk irks me. Some scenes between Daisy and Ollie were kind of confusing too when it comes to their relationship but oh well.
Overall, this was a quick read and quite slow at some point. Still, it was enjoyable than I thought.
Quick Review: Four Christmases and a Secret by Zara Stoneley @ Like Chai Tea
broomsreviews's review
5.0
An absolute delight of a festive read! Zara Stoneley’s heartwarming romantic comedy provides the reader with a perfect mix of great characters and magical storytelling. A novel that is very hard to put down and as the title suggests: 4 Christmases!
Please note my review contains spoilers.
Act 1: Must Try Harder
Set in 2017, Daisy is attending the annual Christmas Eve party at Uncle Terence’s bookshop. Although she was meant to be showing off her new boyfriend, Daisy is instead armed with her flat mate and shelter dog Stanley.
In a bid to avoid awkward questions, Daisy attempts to keep herself as low key as possible until her head is turned by a handsome stranger. That man being Oliver Cartwright - a child friend and past mistletoe snog.
As the pair are reacquainted, talking about their lives, Daisy receives news that the newspaper she currently works for will be merging and her job may not be safe in the new year.
After a bit of drunken research and a reassuring chat with her mum, Daisy decides to take matters into her own hands and begin a fresh start.
Act 2: New Year, New Me
Skipping to March 2018, Daisy is in the midst of prepping for an interview at the newly merged newspaper. Encouraged by Frankie, her flatmate and friend, Daisy sets her sights on a managerial role which will offer her the new start she desires.
After a lengthy journey, Daisy is caught off guard when she is met by the charming Tim instead of James who has had a family dog emergency. Interviewed in an informal way, Daisy is asked about her ambitions and what really interests her where she begins talking about her favourite books with delight. Her enthusiasm works and Daisy is offered the role as Junior Reporter - delight turns to dread when she realise the job will involve relocating.
Daisy’s nervousness soon subsides when Uncle T kindly offers her use of his flat in Stavington. The only catch... Ollie will be her part time flat mate! Although met with initial dread, Daisy finds that Ollie is still her sweet, supportive childhood friend and dog kidnapper extraordinaire.
Within this act, Daisy also dates Tim - the charming interviewer but as it turns out not so great boyfriend. After a moving in together proposal, Daisy discovers that Tim is not her forever after and is instead spending an increased amount of time thinking about Ollie.
Act 3: Nothing’s going to stop me now
This act again starts with Uncle T’s Christmas Eve party and a newly single Daisy who is definitely ready to mingle her way to Ollie. All is going well until an unexpected tragedy occurs that will change the course of Daisy’s future forever.
Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster!
5/5
Please note my review contains spoilers.
Act 1: Must Try Harder
Set in 2017, Daisy is attending the annual Christmas Eve party at Uncle Terence’s bookshop. Although she was meant to be showing off her new boyfriend, Daisy is instead armed with her flat mate and shelter dog Stanley.
In a bid to avoid awkward questions, Daisy attempts to keep herself as low key as possible until her head is turned by a handsome stranger. That man being Oliver Cartwright - a child friend and past mistletoe snog.
As the pair are reacquainted, talking about their lives, Daisy receives news that the newspaper she currently works for will be merging and her job may not be safe in the new year.
After a bit of drunken research and a reassuring chat with her mum, Daisy decides to take matters into her own hands and begin a fresh start.
Act 2: New Year, New Me
Skipping to March 2018, Daisy is in the midst of prepping for an interview at the newly merged newspaper. Encouraged by Frankie, her flatmate and friend, Daisy sets her sights on a managerial role which will offer her the new start she desires.
After a lengthy journey, Daisy is caught off guard when she is met by the charming Tim instead of James who has had a family dog emergency. Interviewed in an informal way, Daisy is asked about her ambitions and what really interests her where she begins talking about her favourite books with delight. Her enthusiasm works and Daisy is offered the role as Junior Reporter - delight turns to dread when she realise the job will involve relocating.
Daisy’s nervousness soon subsides when Uncle T kindly offers her use of his flat in Stavington. The only catch... Ollie will be her part time flat mate! Although met with initial dread, Daisy finds that Ollie is still her sweet, supportive childhood friend and dog kidnapper extraordinaire.
Within this act, Daisy also dates Tim - the charming interviewer but as it turns out not so great boyfriend. After a moving in together proposal, Daisy discovers that Tim is not her forever after and is instead spending an increased amount of time thinking about Ollie.
Act 3: Nothing’s going to stop me now
This act again starts with Uncle T’s Christmas Eve party and a newly single Daisy who is definitely ready to mingle her way to Ollie. All is going well until an unexpected tragedy occurs that will change the course of Daisy’s future forever.
Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster!
5/5
debz57a52's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I started this book because I thought it would be one of those sweet Christmas romances, with lots of little kisses, missed opportunities, etc. It starts off that way in the first chapter/prologue, and then there's a LOT of nothing. Well, not nothing: a lot of distractions, a lot of inner monologue, a lot of self-doubt. For like, 300 pages. It was hard to be in Daisy's head for all that. It was good reading, and I think if it's what I was looking for, I would like this book better. But as it stands, I thought it would be a lot of fluff and a quick read, and it was not.
Also, and it's not just this book, but one of the things that bothered me is that Ollie is Daisy's friend. She says this in her narration over and over again, and even tells friends this. In real life, there's a lot of misunderstanding about whether men can be friends with women without being in bed with them. I come down on the "yes" side, but every time a straight man in one of these romances seems a little kind - believing in a woman, supporting a woman, helping out a woman, which Ollie does in spades - the straight woman so often finds the man far more attractive than before and goes for the kiss when it feels right. I can't think of a single romance I've read recently where a woman has a male friend and retains that man as just a friend. Is it any wonder that heterosexual men in real life are confused about being put in the friend zone, a term I find personally insulting?
Also, and it's not just this book, but one of the things that bothered me is that Ollie is Daisy's friend. She says this in her narration over and over again, and even tells friends this. In real life, there's a lot of misunderstanding about whether men can be friends with women without being in bed with them. I come down on the "yes" side, but every time a straight man in one of these romances seems a little kind - believing in a woman, supporting a woman, helping out a woman, which Ollie does in spades - the straight woman so often finds the man far more attractive than before and goes for the kiss when it feels right. I can't think of a single romance I've read recently where a woman has a male friend and retains that man as just a friend. Is it any wonder that heterosexual men in real life are confused about being put in the friend zone, a term I find personally insulting?
ellesea's review
5.0
A Christmas themed novel perfect for any time of the year.
Uncle T's infamous annual Christmas Eve party looms signalling it's time for Daisy Dunkerly to dig out her festive jumper and flashing antlers, although she's not in the festive mood this year. It's a yearly reminder of Ollie Cartwright and a teenage kiss under the mistletoe and the fact he's now a doctor and she's failed to live up to expectations. With Stanley her foster dog in tow, she heads to the bookshop party venue hoping some seasonal luck will rub off on her.
It's easy to understand and sympathise with Daisy and how her life has panned out over the years. A star pupil with ambitions, her life is a shadow of what she could have achieved. To make things worse, her mother is a friend of Ollie's mum who's favourite topic of conversation is bragging about her son's accomplishments. Growing up, constantly compared to him is a constant reminder of her shortcomings.
Full of laughter with an overload of puppy love, the main plot's centred around Christmas but there's much more to the narrative than a seasonal chicken vol-au-vent and Pringles. It's about second chances, building confidence and realising some people are not who they seem...both positive and negative. Packed with emotions, secrets are revealed, deceitful acts uncovered yet the overall mood of this novel is upbeat. Who doesn't love a second chance?
Everyone loves a happy ending and Ms Stoneley delivers one with touching sentiment and it's a fitting finale to this delightful rom-com.
4.5 stars
***arc generously received courtesy of the publisher One More Chapter via NetGalley***
Uncle T's infamous annual Christmas Eve party looms signalling it's time for Daisy Dunkerly to dig out her festive jumper and flashing antlers, although she's not in the festive mood this year. It's a yearly reminder of Ollie Cartwright and a teenage kiss under the mistletoe and the fact he's now a doctor and she's failed to live up to expectations. With Stanley her foster dog in tow, she heads to the bookshop party venue hoping some seasonal luck will rub off on her.
It's easy to understand and sympathise with Daisy and how her life has panned out over the years. A star pupil with ambitions, her life is a shadow of what she could have achieved. To make things worse, her mother is a friend of Ollie's mum who's favourite topic of conversation is bragging about her son's accomplishments. Growing up, constantly compared to him is a constant reminder of her shortcomings.
Full of laughter with an overload of puppy love, the main plot's centred around Christmas but there's much more to the narrative than a seasonal chicken vol-au-vent and Pringles. It's about second chances, building confidence and realising some people are not who they seem...both positive and negative. Packed with emotions, secrets are revealed, deceitful acts uncovered yet the overall mood of this novel is upbeat. Who doesn't love a second chance?
Everyone loves a happy ending and Ms Stoneley delivers one with touching sentiment and it's a fitting finale to this delightful rom-com.
4.5 stars
***arc generously received courtesy of the publisher One More Chapter via NetGalley***
louiseog's review
4.0
Everything I need in a book.
Lovely heroine, bookshop, stray dogs....
Set around four Christmases we see a story develop. It is October I'm not remotely Christmassey yet but it worked for me - don't be put off by the title!
During these four years we watch Daisy grow but keep the things that made her amazing. Not quite a fluffy as the cover would make you think with lots of issues around friendship, image and confidence which really made me think
Great
Lovely heroine, bookshop, stray dogs....
Set around four Christmases we see a story develop. It is October I'm not remotely Christmassey yet but it worked for me - don't be put off by the title!
During these four years we watch Daisy grow but keep the things that made her amazing. Not quite a fluffy as the cover would make you think with lots of issues around friendship, image and confidence which really made me think
Great
stephaniesbookreviews's review
3.0
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley. It does not impact my review.
When it comes to gearing up for the holidays, I don’t typically want to see anything Christmas-related until after Thanksgiving. However, I will always make an exception for two things: Hallmark Christmas movies and Christmas-themed books. Throw in that beautiful cover and I was all in for Four Christmases and a Secret.
This is one of those books where I don’t feel the synopsis does the story justice. It’s slightly misleading and doesn’t really explain about what the book really is. While there are definite Christmas and Romance themes, I really felt like this one fell more into the Women’s Fiction category. Daisy is quite a mess when we first meet her and a big part of the book is made up of her getting her act together. With a lot of encouragement and support from Uncle Terrence and Ollie, she gets her confidence back and figures out what she actually wants out of life. I did like her journey and found her a likable character. I also loved Ollie, Uncle Terrence, and Daisy’s mother. It seems to be a bit of a Stoneley signature for the main character to have a very loud, outspoken, quirky mother and she was on full display here. The only character I didn’t really like was Daisy’s best friend, Frankie, who I thought was awful right from the beginning.
I enjoyed the friendship and romance between Daisy and Ollie. I thought they fit really well together. I felt like a lot of their relationship was kind of glossed over, though. In one scene they’re having their first real kiss and then in the next they’ve been ‘together’ for awhile and we didn’t get to see any of that discussion or proper dates or anything like that. The first time they say they love each other is off page, as well. I didn’t really know how serious they were or where they were at in the relationship because there were jumps in time and a lot of the development happened between scenes. I thought this could have been handled a little better, but I still shipped them and was happy where they ended up.
Overall, I enjoyed Four Christmases and a Secret. I liked the characters and the romance and the journey of self-discovery Daisy went on. It ended up being a lot more serious than I thought it would be – more Women’s Fiction than Romance – but it still worked for me. It definitely put me in the mood for some good holiday themed movies and books. I look forward to checking out more from Stoneley in the future.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars
When it comes to gearing up for the holidays, I don’t typically want to see anything Christmas-related until after Thanksgiving. However, I will always make an exception for two things: Hallmark Christmas movies and Christmas-themed books. Throw in that beautiful cover and I was all in for Four Christmases and a Secret.
This is one of those books where I don’t feel the synopsis does the story justice. It’s slightly misleading and doesn’t really explain about what the book really is. While there are definite Christmas and Romance themes, I really felt like this one fell more into the Women’s Fiction category. Daisy is quite a mess when we first meet her and a big part of the book is made up of her getting her act together. With a lot of encouragement and support from Uncle Terrence and Ollie, she gets her confidence back and figures out what she actually wants out of life. I did like her journey and found her a likable character. I also loved Ollie, Uncle Terrence, and Daisy’s mother. It seems to be a bit of a Stoneley signature for the main character to have a very loud, outspoken, quirky mother and she was on full display here. The only character I didn’t really like was Daisy’s best friend, Frankie, who I thought was awful right from the beginning.
I enjoyed the friendship and romance between Daisy and Ollie. I thought they fit really well together. I felt like a lot of their relationship was kind of glossed over, though. In one scene they’re having their first real kiss and then in the next they’ve been ‘together’ for awhile and we didn’t get to see any of that discussion or proper dates or anything like that. The first time they say they love each other is off page, as well. I didn’t really know how serious they were or where they were at in the relationship because there were jumps in time and a lot of the development happened between scenes. I thought this could have been handled a little better, but I still shipped them and was happy where they ended up.
Overall, I enjoyed Four Christmases and a Secret. I liked the characters and the romance and the journey of self-discovery Daisy went on. It ended up being a lot more serious than I thought it would be – more Women’s Fiction than Romance – but it still worked for me. It definitely put me in the mood for some good holiday themed movies and books. I look forward to checking out more from Stoneley in the future.
Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars
itsallaboutthebooksuk's review
4.0
First of all I have to say I absolutely love the cover for Four Christmases, it’s very cute and christmasy and makes me feel all festive but I’ll admit I did have reservations about reading this book, it was September when I picked it up and I don’t start thinking about Christmas until I really, really have to, bah humbug, but I was pleasantly surprised that despite its title it isn’t overly christmasy but it did give me a little bit of excitement for Christmas.
Daisy and Ollie grew up together, they were always in competition with each other and now Ollie’s a successful surgeon and seems to be quite lucky in love where as Daisy flunked her A levels, has no boyfriend and stays in her friends box room where there isn’t enough room to swing a cat and having to attend Uncle T’s Christmas party year after year wearing a silly Christmas jumper and listening to her mum and Ollie’s mum Vera who are best friends talking about how brilliant he is, just isn’t Daisy’s idea of fun at all.
Daisy hasn’t seen the very clever geeky Oliver Cartwright for thirteen years and really doesn’t understand the fuss, that is until he turns up at Uncle T’s party all buff and swoon worthy.
Daisy is a wonderful character, she’s kind, caring and has a real passion for books. She’s someone you’d love to have as a friend and I was absolutely rooting for her all the way through the book. She’s clever and funny and I loved how much she loved Stanley the dog who I absolutely adored as well. He’s a real character, mischief maker and I just wanted to give him a great big cuddle.
All the characters really seem to come to life, most of them adorable, funny and full of life but there are a couple that got my heckles up and because Daisy’s so likeable I felt quite protective and frustrated that I couldn’t tell her to watch out.
I totally adored Four Christmases and a Secret, it’s such a feel good book but it’s also got a touch of mystery, it’s sad in parts but it’s also very funny too. It’s also very easy to picture everything in your head as you read, the bookshop especially where Uncle T turns it into a magical wonderland for his parties. I could easily have jumped straight into the story and lived in that shop.
From beginning to end I was totally hooked and was left feeling all warm and fuzzy. Even though this is a Christmas themed book it could easily be read any time of year and I will definitely be recommending it.
Daisy and Ollie grew up together, they were always in competition with each other and now Ollie’s a successful surgeon and seems to be quite lucky in love where as Daisy flunked her A levels, has no boyfriend and stays in her friends box room where there isn’t enough room to swing a cat and having to attend Uncle T’s Christmas party year after year wearing a silly Christmas jumper and listening to her mum and Ollie’s mum Vera who are best friends talking about how brilliant he is, just isn’t Daisy’s idea of fun at all.
Daisy hasn’t seen the very clever geeky Oliver Cartwright for thirteen years and really doesn’t understand the fuss, that is until he turns up at Uncle T’s party all buff and swoon worthy.
Daisy is a wonderful character, she’s kind, caring and has a real passion for books. She’s someone you’d love to have as a friend and I was absolutely rooting for her all the way through the book. She’s clever and funny and I loved how much she loved Stanley the dog who I absolutely adored as well. He’s a real character, mischief maker and I just wanted to give him a great big cuddle.
All the characters really seem to come to life, most of them adorable, funny and full of life but there are a couple that got my heckles up and because Daisy’s so likeable I felt quite protective and frustrated that I couldn’t tell her to watch out.
I totally adored Four Christmases and a Secret, it’s such a feel good book but it’s also got a touch of mystery, it’s sad in parts but it’s also very funny too. It’s also very easy to picture everything in your head as you read, the bookshop especially where Uncle T turns it into a magical wonderland for his parties. I could easily have jumped straight into the story and lived in that shop.
From beginning to end I was totally hooked and was left feeling all warm and fuzzy. Even though this is a Christmas themed book it could easily be read any time of year and I will definitely be recommending it.
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