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emmascr's review against another edition
5.0
This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Avon for my copy of this book via Netgalley and to Rachel for letting me be part of the tour. I have read a few of Bella’s books and always enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling they give you. As this was her first Christmas story I had to take part in the tour.
Lottie’s family are quite something. Not only do they not want to spend one last Christmas in the family home when they relent and agree they leave everything up to poor Lottie. I just wanted to give Lottie a big hug and make all the rest of the family help out.
If something could go wrong this Christmas it did for poor Lottie. We have all had that Christmas where the dinner goes wrong, someone doesn’t have a present or an argument breaks out. At the time it seems like the worst thing but when you look back it’s just another funny Christmas memory. The Collins family were a tad more dramatic than any of my family Christmas' but they were very entertaining.
Bella has written about such a beautiful location yet again. I always want to dive into her book locations. I would love to visit the village, especially around Christmas time. It sounds rather magical.
This book really gave me the Christmas feels. This year is going to be somewhat different for Christmas but it gave me hope that things will still turn out okay in the end.
Lottie’s family are quite something. Not only do they not want to spend one last Christmas in the family home when they relent and agree they leave everything up to poor Lottie. I just wanted to give Lottie a big hug and make all the rest of the family help out.
If something could go wrong this Christmas it did for poor Lottie. We have all had that Christmas where the dinner goes wrong, someone doesn’t have a present or an argument breaks out. At the time it seems like the worst thing but when you look back it’s just another funny Christmas memory. The Collins family were a tad more dramatic than any of my family Christmas' but they were very entertaining.
Bella has written about such a beautiful location yet again. I always want to dive into her book locations. I would love to visit the village, especially around Christmas time. It sounds rather magical.
This book really gave me the Christmas feels. This year is going to be somewhat different for Christmas but it gave me hope that things will still turn out okay in the end.
kellylacey's review against another edition
5.0
Lottie is faced with the task of hosting the annual family Christmas all by herself. As the clan gathers with high expectations can she hold it all together or will it be an epic fail?
This book does what it says on the tin, it brings you into the heart of a family Christmas. So many “Christmas” books have one chapter where it happened to be that holiday time. But no, Bella Osbourne delivers the goods and Santa would be very proud.
This is the only Christmas themed book I managed to read due to work commitments and I am just so lucky that I chose it. I loved every moment with the family. I even laughed out very loud which is something I don’t tend to do whilst reading.
I really enjoyed the pets they where are a huge part of the story too. Duchess the cat was my favourite and I think she was rather posh.
The book made me feel so many emotions ranging from happiness to melancholy memories. It ticks every box a reader could possibly want. You leave the book a better person. It makes you reflect on your own family and the ghosts of Christmas’s gone by.
I am really hoping that we will have more books from this cast of characters as I don’t want to leave them.
This book is for anyone who loves feel-good fiction with heart.
Five enormous stars!
This book does what it says on the tin, it brings you into the heart of a family Christmas. So many “Christmas” books have one chapter where it happened to be that holiday time. But no, Bella Osbourne delivers the goods and Santa would be very proud.
This is the only Christmas themed book I managed to read due to work commitments and I am just so lucky that I chose it. I loved every moment with the family. I even laughed out very loud which is something I don’t tend to do whilst reading.
I really enjoyed the pets they where are a huge part of the story too. Duchess the cat was my favourite and I think she was rather posh.
The book made me feel so many emotions ranging from happiness to melancholy memories. It ticks every box a reader could possibly want. You leave the book a better person. It makes you reflect on your own family and the ghosts of Christmas’s gone by.
I am really hoping that we will have more books from this cast of characters as I don’t want to leave them.
This book is for anyone who loves feel-good fiction with heart.
Five enormous stars!
juliette_21's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. It was just the perfect Christmas book.
I've always struggled to find Christmas books. They were either always over the top or too unrealistic and exaggerated.
But this book was perfect. It was perfect because it portrays real family drama and real situations but turned into a humoristic approach.
It had we crying on the first chapter to absolutely laughing throughout most of the scenes.
Some characters at first made me cringe and think about not wanting to be there at all with them, but the author did a great job describing them and making us realise who they really were under their covers.
Christmas dinners always have drama and this book really just shows you that every family have their flaws, arguments and drama. But that's exactly what I like in a book.
This Christmas one has become one of my favourites and I can't wait to be next December to read it again !
I've always struggled to find Christmas books. They were either always over the top or too unrealistic and exaggerated.
But this book was perfect. It was perfect because it portrays real family drama and real situations but turned into a humoristic approach.
It had we crying on the first chapter to absolutely laughing throughout most of the scenes.
Some characters at first made me cringe and think about not wanting to be there at all with them, but the author did a great job describing them and making us realise who they really were under their covers.
Christmas dinners always have drama and this book really just shows you that every family have their flaws, arguments and drama. But that's exactly what I like in a book.
This Christmas one has become one of my favourites and I can't wait to be next December to read it again !
jo_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Everyone's idea of Christmas is different; some like the hustle and bustle, others like the peace and quiet. But for Lottie all she wants is to have that one last family Christmas that her Nana held every year since she can remember. Then everyone can move on with their lives and the only home that Lottie knows can be sold.
What can possibly go wrong?
Lottie's cooking is not known to be great and the manor house is perhaps feeling unloved and needs some attention but the family descend and endeavour to honour Nana Rose memory.
Lottie's widowed brother Zak arrives with his young daughter, Jessie and his new girlfriend, Emily. Their mother, Angie arrives with her latest young squeeze who looks oddly familiar to some.
Then there is Uncle Daniel and Auntie Nicola, tense and completely unaware of their teenage son Ryan's new plans for his life.
Great Uncle Bernard resident already in the house with his carer Dayea has surprises of his own to share on the big day.
Add to this the return of Lottie's old flame, Joe and it seems this Christmas is going to go off with the bang and that won't be the crackers round the table.
With affairs, a frozen turkey, pregnancy, secret children, proposals, births, porn stars, scary dolls, snow and a dog called Dave this is one Christmas none of the characters are going to forget in a hurry.
This book has much love in it, but there is a great amount of humour as you see how all the characters interact when they are thrown together at such a stressful time and it was a book I could picture being brought to life on the big screen, it has so much visual potential. It works well as a book because it let's your imagination run wild and it suddenly reminds you of all those 'strange' family traditions that we all have at Christmas.
As someone who comes from a very small family and has not experienced a Christmas such as Lottie's (and I don't want to) this was a fascinating humours insight which is worth reading to perhaps remind you that perhaps not all families are than unique! Especially at Christmas.
What can possibly go wrong?
Lottie's cooking is not known to be great and the manor house is perhaps feeling unloved and needs some attention but the family descend and endeavour to honour Nana Rose memory.
Lottie's widowed brother Zak arrives with his young daughter, Jessie and his new girlfriend, Emily. Their mother, Angie arrives with her latest young squeeze who looks oddly familiar to some.
Then there is Uncle Daniel and Auntie Nicola, tense and completely unaware of their teenage son Ryan's new plans for his life.
Great Uncle Bernard resident already in the house with his carer Dayea has surprises of his own to share on the big day.
Add to this the return of Lottie's old flame, Joe and it seems this Christmas is going to go off with the bang and that won't be the crackers round the table.
With affairs, a frozen turkey, pregnancy, secret children, proposals, births, porn stars, scary dolls, snow and a dog called Dave this is one Christmas none of the characters are going to forget in a hurry.
This book has much love in it, but there is a great amount of humour as you see how all the characters interact when they are thrown together at such a stressful time and it was a book I could picture being brought to life on the big screen, it has so much visual potential. It works well as a book because it let's your imagination run wild and it suddenly reminds you of all those 'strange' family traditions that we all have at Christmas.
As someone who comes from a very small family and has not experienced a Christmas such as Lottie's (and I don't want to) this was a fascinating humours insight which is worth reading to perhaps remind you that perhaps not all families are than unique! Especially at Christmas.
jaynefsmith's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
pinksy's review against another edition
4.0
This actually surprised me, started slow but I really enjoyed it.
Of course it was obvious how it would end but the family secrets and dynamics are what made this book work so well
Of course it was obvious how it would end but the family secrets and dynamics are what made this book work so well
kazza27's review against another edition
5.0
The book starts with a emotional scene of Lottie making a Christmas Pudding with her beloved Nana, this really resonated with me as this will be my first Christmas without my beloved Nanny, who we lost earlier this year and we used to do baking together when I was child.
Lottie does not really get along with her Mother and she wants to sell the big family home, but Nana wanted to have a big family Christmas at Henbourne Manor so Lottie is determined to carry out her one of her last wishes. This is not going to be easy, with widowed brother Zach and his daughter Jessie, girlfriend Emily, Great Uncle Bernard, her Mother Angie, Auntie Nicola and Uncle Daniel. She manages to persuade them all to come, she is just getting the house ready on Christmas Eve, when she receives two unexpected guests who send the house into more chaos.
Joe the vet, who Lottie was in love with and moved away to America and a stray dog. This is a gorgeous Christmas book, I loved the setting, the characters, especially Duchess the cat. It made me teary, when Lottie goes through Nana’s cookbook. Lottie is such a lovely character and her loyalty to Nana is wonderful and admirable as is her will to bring the family together.
It has humour, tenderness, loss, sadness and warm family Christmas loveliness.
Lottie does not really get along with her Mother and she wants to sell the big family home, but Nana wanted to have a big family Christmas at Henbourne Manor so Lottie is determined to carry out her one of her last wishes. This is not going to be easy, with widowed brother Zach and his daughter Jessie, girlfriend Emily, Great Uncle Bernard, her Mother Angie, Auntie Nicola and Uncle Daniel. She manages to persuade them all to come, she is just getting the house ready on Christmas Eve, when she receives two unexpected guests who send the house into more chaos.
Joe the vet, who Lottie was in love with and moved away to America and a stray dog. This is a gorgeous Christmas book, I loved the setting, the characters, especially Duchess the cat. It made me teary, when Lottie goes through Nana’s cookbook. Lottie is such a lovely character and her loyalty to Nana is wonderful and admirable as is her will to bring the family together.
It has humour, tenderness, loss, sadness and warm family Christmas loveliness.
hattiereadssomanybooks_x's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage and Blood
martinej's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
nixbix_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Thanks to Avon Books UK & NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.
This was such an enjoyable read, and so easy to zip through. There were so many places where I laughed out loud, and it put a big smile on my face. The characters were interesting & the family drama was entertaining.
This was such an enjoyable read, and so easy to zip through. There were so many places where I laughed out loud, and it put a big smile on my face. The characters were interesting & the family drama was entertaining.