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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
A perfect cozy Christmas read, though a little light on substance.
This book is not going to win any literary awards but its warm funny feel-good vibes certainly hit the spot and even overcame my slight irritation with the first person present tense narration
Best read snuggled up under a cosy blanket with a mug of cocoa to hand, a lovely, heartwarming read that made a long journey seem like minutes.
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was very cute. Just enough whimsy with a touch of antagonistic trouble. The protagonist is very likeable even though it began to get on my nerves every time she noted after the fact that something was hand-knitted or machine knit. Instead of saying "she wore a hand-knitted sweater" the author continued to write "she wore a cable knit sweater, hand knitted." I understood this when Sybs (the main character) was trying to gauge the type of person in front of her upon meeting the character for the first time especially when the person in question is a major character in her storyline like Hettie or Lawerence. But the continued mention of this jarred me out of the story every time. There were a few times where book was written more in the "passive voice" which seemed to break up the flow of the book, at least to me. However despite those feelings, I thought the characters were lovely and would have loved to visit that sweet little town. This book offered me the mental getaway equivalent to the physical and emotional getaway Sybs had. Good read.
3.5 stars rounded up
Sibyl (or Sibs) was left at the alter after her fiancé ran of with her twin sister, and still hasn’t recovered from the heartbreak. Now, she thinks she’s about to be fired, so she runs from her problems and decides to visit a friend in Tindledale, a small town in the British countryside. What follows is a comedy of errors as one thing after another goes wrong. But she quickly makes friends with the villagers, including an old woman named Hattie who is about to be thrown out of her home unless she can pay her loan in time. Sibs makes it her mission to help Hattie out by revitalizing her craft store, and soon the entire town is involved in the effort.
I had a bit of trouble getting into the story at first. Something about the writing style was slightly off-putting, but by chapter four I had adjusted to it and was into the story. The plot is cute, fun, and heartwarming. I can’t say I had any high expectations for this book, but I quite enjoyed it.
My only major complaint is that the last fifth of the book was a little strange. I felt multiple times like the story was concluding, even though I had at least 50 pages left. Sometimes the book continued by bringing up a new plot point, and other times it just revitalized an old one. I did enjoy what came after the various “endings” but having that concluding feeling multiple times was a bit strange. There also were some strange “jump cuts” between chapters that I didn’t love. One chapter would end on a cliff hanger, and the next would pick up somewhere totally different and you would have to read almost to the end of that chapter before you’d find out the resolution to the previous cliffhanger. And, those resolutions were not really described, it was more of a “Oh yeah, that was solved when x happened.” More a statement of fact without any details.
Nonetheless, I’d still recommend this book if you are looking for a fun, lighthearted Christmas read.
Sibyl (or Sibs) was left at the alter after her fiancé ran of with her twin sister, and still hasn’t recovered from the heartbreak. Now, she thinks she’s about to be fired, so she runs from her problems and decides to visit a friend in Tindledale, a small town in the British countryside. What follows is a comedy of errors as one thing after another goes wrong. But she quickly makes friends with the villagers, including an old woman named Hattie who is about to be thrown out of her home unless she can pay her loan in time. Sibs makes it her mission to help Hattie out by revitalizing her craft store, and soon the entire town is involved in the effort.
I had a bit of trouble getting into the story at first. Something about the writing style was slightly off-putting, but by chapter four I had adjusted to it and was into the story. The plot is cute, fun, and heartwarming. I can’t say I had any high expectations for this book, but I quite enjoyed it.
My only major complaint is that the last fifth of the book was a little strange. I felt multiple times like the story was concluding, even though I had at least 50 pages left. Sometimes the book continued by bringing up a new plot point, and other times it just revitalized an old one. I did enjoy what came after the various “endings” but having that concluding feeling multiple times was a bit strange. There also were some strange “jump cuts” between chapters that I didn’t love. One chapter would end on a cliff hanger, and the next would pick up somewhere totally different and you would have to read almost to the end of that chapter before you’d find out the resolution to the previous cliffhanger. And, those resolutions were not really described, it was more of a “Oh yeah, that was solved when x happened.” More a statement of fact without any details.
Nonetheless, I’d still recommend this book if you are looking for a fun, lighthearted Christmas read.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
Keep calm and carry yarn