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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for this ARC.
Imogen is a workabolic as she has no one in her life and her mother only calls when she wants money. I'm not exactly sure what she does - marketing, events planning? In any case, she has clients and accounts and is important. She has lovely colleagues but she invents a home life for herself that she does not have, complete with a Golden Retriever called Midas. The blurb is wrong, she doesn't "make a catastrophic mistake at work", she simply drops the ball shortly due to exhaustion and grief, and her very understanding boss gives her a month off for recuperation. Her favourite client Dorothy offers her a cottage on her estate in the Cotswolds for the duration, which is middle of December to middle of January.
This is a multi POV story divided equally between Imogen, Dorothy and her daughter Sara, which works well.
I usually love a Sarah Morgan book but this one was disappointing. I find the story oddly uneven. Imogen only arrives at the titular Christmas cottage at 43%. The time spent before that drags with overlong descriptions of what a workaholic she is, the lies she tells her colleagues and streams of consciousness of how exhausting and hostile her mother is towards her.
Then she finally arrives at the beautiful cottage and suddenly there is a whiplash twist which forces people to confront their painful pasts and explains why Sara was initially so hostile to the idea of Imogen staying. But even afterwards nothing much happens. Yes, she meets Miles the vet and Ralph the dog and spends time with Dorothy's family but there is still way too much talk and inner monologue about her mother and her past. This just isn't fun or heartwarming.
Suddenly there is a realisation that the book is nearly over so the romance gets a move on and the ending is more rushed than any Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve.
Some of the chapters are overlong and there is simply too much drama for me. I need my Christmas romances to be more lighthearted than that, and after all the trauma, Imogen doesn't even get closure with her mother.
Miles is a great character and I liked all the animals although the alpacas etc aren't a huge part of the story really, they are just there to show Dorothy's good heart. I simply wish it really was as feel-good as the blurb and the cutesy cover promise. I'm sure I'll like the next one again.
Imogen is a workabolic as she has no one in her life and her mother only calls when she wants money. I'm not exactly sure what she does - marketing, events planning? In any case, she has clients and accounts and is important. She has lovely colleagues but she invents a home life for herself that she does not have, complete with a Golden Retriever called Midas. The blurb is wrong, she doesn't "make a catastrophic mistake at work", she simply drops the ball shortly due to exhaustion and grief, and her very understanding boss gives her a month off for recuperation. Her favourite client Dorothy offers her a cottage on her estate in the Cotswolds for the duration, which is middle of December to middle of January.
This is a multi POV story divided equally between Imogen, Dorothy and her daughter Sara, which works well.
I usually love a Sarah Morgan book but this one was disappointing. I find the story oddly uneven. Imogen only arrives at the titular Christmas cottage at 43%. The time spent before that drags with overlong descriptions of what a workaholic she is, the lies she tells her colleagues and streams of consciousness of how exhausting and hostile her mother is towards her.
Then she finally arrives at the beautiful cottage and suddenly there is a whiplash twist which forces people to confront their painful pasts and explains why Sara was initially so hostile to the idea of Imogen staying. But even afterwards nothing much happens. Yes, she meets Miles the vet and Ralph the dog and spends time with Dorothy's family but there is still way too much talk and inner monologue about her mother and her past. This just isn't fun or heartwarming.
Suddenly there is a realisation that the book is nearly over so the romance gets a move on and the ending is more rushed than any Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve.
Some of the chapters are overlong and there is simply too much drama for me. I need my Christmas romances to be more lighthearted than that, and after all the trauma, Imogen doesn't even get closure with her mother.
Miles is a great character and I liked all the animals although the alpacas etc aren't a huge part of the story really, they are just there to show Dorothy's good heart. I simply wish it really was as feel-good as the blurb and the cutesy cover promise. I'm sure I'll like the next one again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is my second Sarah Morgan book and I really enjoyed it. It felt slow in the beginning and I figured out some plot points quickly. I did enjoy the Christmas village feeling and I would love to reread this book in December! I have 3 Goldens, so that was a highlight. It felt like there was a lot of miscommunication and then everything moved very fast! This would make a great Hallmark movie! The decor, the activities, the hot chocolate and cake, snow, trees, and complicated family dynamics...it all adds up to a great Christmas book.
Thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for the advance copy of The Holiday Cottage in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for the advance copy of The Holiday Cottage in exchange for an honest review.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is my third Sarah Morgan, and she's grown to be a must-read author for me. What I love is that her stories center a location to start and then build with the stories of the people who find their way to that place. And yes, it's currently the heat of summer as I read this book, but I loved adding a seasonal read my July! This will be a great read to cozy up with when it's actually winter. The unique thing about this is one is that the story has a big twist at the halfway point that I did not see coming, and it's a big gamechanger. This was full of all the feels, and I loved the layers of relationships. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this September 2024 release!
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Abandonment
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes