The story follows Aubrey as she is jilted at the alter and decides to take herself on her luxury honeymoon aboard the Winter Wonderland Express.
The book was a funny, sweet journey of discovery of why we fall in love and why we don't.
It had laugh out loud moments and the characters were truely lovable, my favourite being Princess.
Half romance, half travel guide I really felt like I was travelling along with characters, the writing about the places they visited was so descriptive I could've been there.
A feel good read for Christmas. ❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

What a wonderfully lovely tale this is!
Firstly the beautiful cover, how perfect is that?

When Aubrey is deserted by her fiancé, on their wedding day, she decides to go off on their honeymoon alone. A train ride through many European cities, all dressed to their finest in Christmas apparel, the perfect romantic trip!!
On board she meets others who are also single for various reasons and begins to make friendships that could last a lifetime, despite a hilarious misunderstanding shall we call it!

I love the writing style of this one, the easy banter between Aubrey and her sister and the humour that runs throughout the book. There’s clearly been a lot of research put into all the different stops on this train, all the different things each country has to offer. Everything is described so well that you feel you are walking among the tourists, enjoying all the festive treats.

The characters are all written so well and you get to know them all throughout the story. Princess will definitely be a favourite for many, she’s witty, she’s stern, she gets what she wants, but she is a brilliant friend, she will be there whether you think you need her or not, but we may just get to see her sensitive side too.

Over all a fantastic wintery tale, of loss, of love, of new found friends, of opening your heart to the possibilities that lie ahead.

I loved the ending so much, there is definitely a sequel to be had to this one, so many adventures to be told!

Thank you Rebecca and Boldwood for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

I simply love Rebecca raisin's books. And this was not an exception. The perfect escapism book, full of love, second chances, great destinations and quirky People.you Will.fall in love with. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

My first book by Rebecca Raisin and what a cozy escape!

The pretty cover caught my attention first but I couldn't pass up a book about a holiday romance onboard a special holiday train with stops across the most beautiful European Christmas markets in Paris, Bruges, Copenhagen, and Lapland. Although this book primarily follows the journey of Aubrey—who embarks on a solo honeymoon after being jilted at the altar—the heroine of this story was most definitely Princess (who'll waste no time in telling you that it's not just a name but a way of life).

There isn't strictly anything unique about a travel romance involving a bunch of single passengers making friends, enjoying a well-deserved vacation onboard a luxury snow train, and learning to open their hearts to the possibility of love yet again—but the story did leave me feeling happy for the characters and in a jolly hopeful mood for all the adventures that may yet be waiting around the corner, and for that, I'll give this book a 4.

Although I did enjoying reading this book, this might be one of those rare books that'll work even better as a movie—I'm positive that this would make a dreamy Hallmark holiday movie.

I thank Boldwood Books, Rebecca Raisin, and Netgalley for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this newest book by Rebecca Raisin, not only is it a festive one (which will always win in my eyes) it has the perfect amount of romance and comedy making it the definition of RomCom

The story is based around a woman called Aubrey who is left at the alter on her wedding day, she was really looking forward to the honeymoon she'd booked so decided to still go ahead with it on her own, I mean why wouldn't you, a festive themed train stopping at all the best christmas towns and markets and ending in lapland, literally would be a dream holiday! While shes boarding shes asked where her new husband is and not wanting to answer loads of questions about why she's there alone she pretends her new husband passed away, this story then grows so many variations its fabulous. While on the Winter Wonderland Express she meets an amazing group of singletons and they become the unlucky in love group, within this group is the incredible Princess and also the very handsome Jasper who Aubrey falls for almost immediately, as with all good romcoms there's the suspense of when will they admit their feelings together as well as the journey getting to that point and this journey will not disappoint.

My favourite character in this book had to be Princess, she is just amazing and I would adore having a friend like her, I'm really hoping there will be a second edition to this story with the summer cruise as that would be a 100% must buy for me and it would be fabulous to see how the characters have grown and changed over the months.

If you want a festive read which will really get you into the spirit of Christmas (yes even in July!) Then you must read this one

Wow — another charming, heartwarming read from Rebecca Raisin! Every book of hers has been a winner for me, but Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express might just be my favorite yet. It’s a romantic comedy, but there’s so much more here — real wisdom about heartbreak, friendship, and finding joy again, all wrapped in witty banter and a dreamy holiday setting.

From the moment I met Aubrey — left at the altar but determined to take her luxury honeymoon train trip solo — I felt so much admiration (and a little envy!). This train ride through Europe’s magical Christmas markets — Paris, Stockholm, Lapland under the Northern Lights — is pure escapism. Serious FOMO on my end!

Onboard, Aubrey falls in with a quirky group of fellow travelers who call themselves The Unlucky in Love Travel Club. Their warmth and advice made me smile and nod along more than once. And of course, there’s Jasper — a travel journalist with his own bruised heart. Their gentle, slow-burn romance is exactly my kind of love story.

This book is cozy, funny, hopeful, and full of the best kind of holiday magic. It’s about choosing joy when life doesn’t go to plan and letting people in, even when you feel broken. I turned the last page with that fluttery, contented ache only the best romances leave behind.

4 twinkling, snow-dusted stars.
Thanks so much to Rebecca Raisin, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for the ARC — I’ll be revisiting this one anytime I need a cozy escape.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express is the type of cozy getaway book that is a dream to get lost in. Our main character Aubrey has a passion for travel that she’s made into her job but is ready to marry and settle down in her small village with Miles - or at least she thinks she’s ready. When Miles ghosts her at the aisle and disappears she goes on her honeymoon, a luxury train journey visiting Christmas markets, and it’s an absolute dream… except she may have said her new husband died.

From there we meet a cast of charming fellow train travelers and one especially intriguing staffer, visit several locations I’d love to travel to, and a taste of romance and a lot of comedy. Essentially this book has me looking at train travel and will be a revisit when I want to escape to warm and fuzzy place as it’s just such a great little story.

3 1/2 stars, rounded up


First off, thank you to the publisher, Boldwood Books, for allowing me access to this title!

The cover grabbed my attention immediately and the premise of a Christmas train really drew me in. However, you should know going in that while this book is definitely Christmassy, it is first and foremost a women’s fiction/friend group kind of story.

Abandoned by her groom on her wedding day, main character Aubrey decides to go on their honeymoon alone. While most of the passengers on the Christmas train are couples, she does find other single people (including a single guy of course!) and strikes up a friendship with them.

Much of the book follows Aubrey’s relationship with the people she meets on the train (especially Princess, Sabrina and the love interest Jasper). While I did enjoy seeing the friend group bond with each other over relationship troubles, I would have liked to see more of the Christmas elements. With the train stopping in Paris, Copenhagen, and other wonderful locales, I was expecting many details of the Christmas markets they shopped at, gorgeous decorations and other Christmassy elements but the book remained very surface level about these things and never went into too much detail. There was one scene where Aubrey agrees to go to a Christmas lights display…and then the chapter ended and she was back on the train. When it came to the Christmas parts there was a lot of telling and very little showing unfortunately. I would have loved more details there.

This book would make an amazing Hallmark movie as it has all the tropes, including the erstwhile ex reappearing just when Aubrey is getting more serious with Jasper.

Overall this was a fun Christmas book. I will have to check out more of this author’s Christmas books.

Wow, another charming, heart-warming reading experience! Every book of Rebecca Raisin’s I have read so far has been a winner and this one is no exception. In fact, I think it is even a notch higher as although this is a romantic comedy, it is jam packed in serious deep relationship experiences and useful wisdom. There’s lots of amazing witty dialogue, and an eclectic mix of friendly characters that round out this story beautifully. I was constantly nodding my head in agreement with the comments, advice and directions these people went. So without doubt, I truly enjoyed the unforgettable ride on The Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express There’s a real richness and maturity in this novel’s content and presentation. The settings are so well described, I felt transported to each location on route. There’s plenty of action too and the plot has some alluring twists.

On Audrey’s wedding day, she has a case of the massive jitters but It seems she is not alone. For her fiancé Miles abandons her before she even makes it up the aisle to the altar. He disappears leaving her shocked, hurt and embarrassed. How could she not know this was coming? She didn’t! Worse still, he does not talk to her and tell her what is going on. He just evaporates. It is only a few days to Christmas and her longed for luxury honeymoon must be dealt with. Feeling confused and heart-broken, she decides to take the ten day romantic train ride alone. But she does not want anyone there to know she has been jilted. So while on board, the facts get a bit murky. She implies her ‘husband’ has died tragically so the sympathy flows from those around her. Quickly she discovers she is not the only one alone as there are a number of single people on the trip. And this group of sad lonely hearts bond and draw close. They pitch the name of their group as The Unlucky in Love Travel Club. What follows is an interesting exploration of how people deal with grief, heartbreak and disappointment. Plus wonderful friendships are made in their moments of need. This journey even brings love into the lives of some—including Audrey. A certain travel journalist named Jasper is full of surprises and their friendship erupts into something more but it is a slow dance with romance for these two. Yet beautifully rendered by the author.

I loved all the quirky, witty, warm characters and their intriguing stories. The whole reading experience was a delicious treat. Rebecca Raisin has delivered another top notch romantic comedy full of depth, desire, dreaminess and delight. Who wouldn’t want to take the Winter Wonderland Express to Paris, Stockholm and end up in Lapland staying in an igloo gazing up at the Northern Lights! This fun, moving, uplifting story contains wonderful resolutions. It teaches that although your life may not go as planned and you could end up on a different path than expected, the detour could lead to glorious surprises, endearing friendships and unexpected soul-mate love. As Audrey finds out, everything happens for a reason! 5 wintry Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

I love books about travel so I was excited to start reading Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express. I'm going to start with what I liked: The train journey sounds like so much fun and the descriptions of the various cities it stops at with their Christmas markets will definitely give you wanderlust.

My two favourite characters are Rox, Aubrey's sister and Princess, one of the other passengers on board the Winter Wonderland Express. Aubrey and Princess (who thinks she's cursed because she's been widowed 3x) join up with other single passengers to form the Unlucky in Love Travel Club.

I like both Aubrey and Jasper and I can see that they're well-suited with their nomadic lifestyles but there was one particular scene with the two of them onboard the train that just made me cringe.

Plus, I know Aubrey hasn't actually been widowed but that's what the other passengers think for the majority of the train journey. They must have thought it was a recent bereavement because the trip was booked for Aubrey and Miles's honeymoon and so it felt weird that Jasper would pursue Aubrey knowing all of that.

The other reason I've only given Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express 3 x Stars is because I didn't buy into the storyline with Aubrey's ex-fiancé, Miles. They're complete opposites and I can't imagine somebody like Aubrey, who's been so fiercely independent and travelled the world sacrificing all of that to settle down with Miles.

Overall it was an OK read and I'll try more books by this author.

Such a wonderful story! Aubrey arrives at the church on her wedding day to discover the groom has run away! So she packs her bags and goes on the honeymoon trip on the Winter Wonderland Express on her own. There she finds a fantastic group of new friends, a lot of laughs, a new love interest who 'gets' her love of travel and visits some amazing cities, finishing with Christmas in Lapland. Along the way she realises that being jilted was perhaps a blessing in diguise as she rediscovers who she is and what she wants from her life. I loved it!
Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Rebecca Raisin for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love a Rebecca Raisin book, especially a winter one, and this one was absolutely perfect from its beautiful cover to the explosion of Northern Lights on the last page. The setting is perfect (although I’m now researching Christmas trains and igloos in Lapland) and I’m not sure whether I loved Aubrey’s romance with Jasper or the Unlucky in love Travel Club best. I absolutely loved Princess, not because she was rich but because she had a huge heart. The mention of a summer cruise ship in the Cyclades had my heart lifting - could this be our summer book. I really hope so. I devoured this in one sitting and had that.feeling of loss when I reached the last page. Just perfect!

When Audrey's fiancé dumps her before the wedding, she decides to go on the honeymoon alone. a train ride through Europe's Christmas markets.

I read this on a day it was 31 degrees and it was perfect. I despise the summer and hot weather; I am a winter girl through and through. Give me snow and blankets and hot water bottles, hot chocolate and tea, scarves and fuzzy hats. And Christmas. I am Christmas 24/7 so this book was perfect for me.

I mean, I don't want to have to go through the whole jilted at the altar thing, but the idea of having a solo trip on a train to all the Christmas markets sounds beautiful. I've always wanted to do a European Christmas market tour. I can't afford it so I'm living vicariously through Aubrey. It all just sounds beautiful and magical and I want to go even more now.

I haven't read what I call a happily-ever-after story for a long time, that cosy, lovely, romantic, uplifting book, and boy did I need it. This had everything I wanted, and it's set at Christmas so it's a sure winner.

There is a sense of Murder on the Orient Express about it, instead it's love rather than murder.

There are quite a lot of characters and I did worry about whether they were all needed but Rebecca's done a fabulous job. Some of them are more involved than others, but she's perfectly created a batch of completely different, familiar characters and I loved them all.

It had everything I wanted from it. Old and new friends, old and new and lost loves, festiveness, cheer, hope, and joy. Just beautiful in every way.

This is my first Rebecca Raisin book but definitely not my last, I found this book thoroughly engaging

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rebecca has truly outdone herself with this latest book! Delivering a magical & heartwarming Christmas romance that's perfect for curling up with on a cold winter's night. (Or like me on the hottest day of the year lol 😆)

It's a delightful escape, whisking readers away on a luxurious train journey. The train itself is a character, weaving through picturesque landscapes & stopping in iconic cities like Paris & Stockholm before reaching the ultimate festive destination of Lapland, complete with igloos & the Northern Lights.

Rebecca's descriptions are vivid & immersive, making you feel as if you're right there, sipping hot chocolate & soaking in the festive atmosphere.

What truly shines is Rebecca's signature blend of warmth, wit, & genuine emotion. The characters are relatable & endearing, their struggles & triumphs feeling authentic.

It's a book that makes you laugh, makes your heart happy, & reminds you that sometimes, the most unexpected detours lead to the most beautiful destinations.

If you're a fan of festive romance, escapist reads, or simply a story that feels like a warm hug in book form, then this is an absolute must-read!

Aubrey is dumped at the altar but decides to still do the trip of a lifetime that was her honeymoon on her own. She meets like minded single people and they call themselves.‘ The Unlucky in Love Travel Club. They travel all through Europe to all the Christmas markets to end up in Lapland. Wonderful book and love Rebecca Raisin books

The brand spanking new gorgeous romance from one my fave authors, @Rebecca Raisin, is utterly magical, enchanting, and vibrant with warm feelings all over!

Reading this early glimpse aboard the Winter Wonderland Express train was like wrapping myself in the softest, most twinkling holiday blanket. From the moment I met Aubrey – abandoned at the altar – I felt an immediate kinship. Her decision to board that luxury snow train solo (it was meant to be the honeymoon) wasn’t just brave; it touched something deep in me. A fierce hope under all that vulnerability.

The setting, winding through Europe’s enchanting Christmas markets – from Paris’ wintry charm to Stockholm’s festive glow and ending beneath Lapland’s Northern Lights – is pure escapism. It’s a traveller’s daydream… there was some serious FOMO happening on my end, and somehow I’m now endlessly looking online to get to Lapland.

Onboard the train Aubrey meets Jasper, a travel journalist who also is mending a broken heart, and their connection builds slowly. It’s the kind of slow-burn romance I adore – gentle and emotionally rich, where every moment feels earned.

Last Stop On The Winter Wonderland Express melted me. It’s about choosing joy after disappointment, finding friendship in strangers, and letting someone in, even when your heart feels broken beyond repair.

I closed the final page with that fluttery, contented ache that only the best romances give. Pure, wintry magic.

Thank you so much to Rebecca, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for my ARC.

After being left at the alter Aubrey finds herself alone on a romantic Christmas train trip. Here she connects with a small band of singles who form a tight bond as they find why love eludes them and try to move forward. An enjoyable read.

Aubrey is ready for her wedding day and her honeymoon on a slow train through Europe—except her fiancé, as it turns out, isn't. And so she finds herself on a solo honeymoon, seeking her solace in a merry band of solo-traveler misfits.

I'm a sucker for a travel story, and this hit some sweet spots—train travel, Scandinavia (well, for some of it), Christmas markets...it is hard to go wrong with those things. Aubrey is upset about her fiancé's abrupt ghosting, of course, but she's also pretty rational about it: she doesn't know what's next, but she's not looking for an apology and reconciliation; she's level-headed enough to take this as a sign that something wasn't right in the relationship and to go from there.

The surrounding cast of characters is eccentric. Sometimes excessively so—they all tend to talk as though they're in a 1950s movie, or a Mabel Maney book—but I guess they grew on me as time went on. It helped that Raisin leans into the absurd: when Aubrey impulsively tells someone that her husband is dead, her lie takes on a life of its own, with different travelers believing different things (and, of course, each tale getting wilder than the next). I didn't need the lie (it would have been enough of an impediment to the book's primary romance for Aubrey to say, reasonably, "I just got dumped, and I'm not ready for something new"), but if it was there...well, I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek element.

From a writing perspective, this is middling, but Aubrey's attitude won me over: not just about her ex, but also her overall perspective on travel (lots of it, please, but on a budget) and her honest self-interrogation about what she wants in a relationship...and whether or not that involves a white picket fence. It's nice to see. (Also nice: the fiancé eventually shows up again, and multiple sane adult conversations between various characters take place. I love books with sane adult conversations about relationships.) And, by the end of the book, two of the characters are planning a Camino pilgrimage. Please, please can there be a follow-up book that takes place on the Camino...? Aubrey's sister could walk it and find a lady lover! Or some new character! And I'd get to pretend that I was on the Meseta again...

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.