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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
One of my favourite authors and I loved this gorgeous, festive, escapist story of second chances and fresh starts.
Imogen lives in London organising corporate events and rarely stops working. Her colleagues all admire her but they don't realise Imogen's cheerful exterior is a facade she invented to cover her loneliness.
Beneath her carefully curated professional persona, Imogen is desperate to fit in and protect herself from further rejection. Imogen has created an imaginary life, complete with fake family, a fake boyfriend and a fake dog, but in reality she lives alone in a dingy uninviting flat whilst she tries to save up for a deposit.
Imogen's only family is her mother who insists on being called Tina and forgets she has a daughter until she needs something.
As well as being lonely and difficult, the build up to Christmas is very busy for Imogen with multiple events happening at the same time, and she is at the point of burnout when she receives the final straw in the form of distressing news from her estranged mother.
Imogen is convinced she will be fired, but instead of accepting her resignation, her boss demands she takes a whole month of work. For Imogen this is even worse! How is she going to stop herself from thinking about the family Christmas she yearns for if she is all alone with nothing to keep her mind occupied?
Luckily, one of Imogen's best clients has the perfect solution in the form of a beautiful, newly renovated cottage in the Cotswolds.
Although there are a few bumps along the way, Imogen's trip turns out to bring her more than she could have dreamt of from the perfect life she imagined.
Imogen lives in London organising corporate events and rarely stops working. Her colleagues all admire her but they don't realise Imogen's cheerful exterior is a facade she invented to cover her loneliness.
Beneath her carefully curated professional persona, Imogen is desperate to fit in and protect herself from further rejection. Imogen has created an imaginary life, complete with fake family, a fake boyfriend and a fake dog, but in reality she lives alone in a dingy uninviting flat whilst she tries to save up for a deposit.
Imogen's only family is her mother who insists on being called Tina and forgets she has a daughter until she needs something.
As well as being lonely and difficult, the build up to Christmas is very busy for Imogen with multiple events happening at the same time, and she is at the point of burnout when she receives the final straw in the form of distressing news from her estranged mother.
Imogen is convinced she will be fired, but instead of accepting her resignation, her boss demands she takes a whole month of work. For Imogen this is even worse! How is she going to stop herself from thinking about the family Christmas she yearns for if she is all alone with nothing to keep her mind occupied?
Luckily, one of Imogen's best clients has the perfect solution in the form of a beautiful, newly renovated cottage in the Cotswolds.
Although there are a few bumps along the way, Imogen's trip turns out to bring her more than she could have dreamt of from the perfect life she imagined.
lighthearted
slow-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
Sweet story but a bit slow and not very complex writing
Op zich geen slecht verhaal. Ik vind het jammer dat de eerste helft van het boek een tijdslijn van ongeveer 72 uur vertelt en dat de tweede helft ineens over een hele maand gaat. Hierdoor gaan er veel details verloren die het verhaal diepgang zouden geven.
emotional
relaxing
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
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
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
emotional
lighthearted
medium-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:
Yes
I read The Summer Swap last year as my first Sarah Morgan novel and loved it! I was expecting a basic beach read, but it exceeded my expectations with a more complex, heartwarming storyline and compelling characters of different generations. As such, I was excited to see that the author was releasing a Christmas novel, and snagged it at the first opportunity.
Unfortunately, this was a major letdown. If I did not receive it as an ARC, I would not have even finished it. I actually went back and double checked that this was, indeed, the same author of The Summer Swap. I see that this book has many positive reviews and is rated over 4 stars, so I'm not sure what the disconnect is, but it just did not work for me. I never became invested in the characters and found many of the plot points to be unbelievable, unfortunately.
Unfortunately, this was a major letdown. If I did not receive it as an ARC, I would not have even finished it. I actually went back and double checked that this was, indeed, the same author of The Summer Swap. I see that this book has many positive reviews and is rated over 4 stars, so I'm not sure what the disconnect is, but it just did not work for me. I never became invested in the characters and found many of the plot points to be unbelievable, unfortunately.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
best Christmas book I have read this season.
medium-paced