Don't be fooled (like I was )into thinking this is a light, easy read by the title and look of the cover. This novel does a deep dive in absolutely heartbreaking subject such as abandonment, drug abuse and death. However, it is done with sensitivity and grace which makes this a beautiful and ultimately uplifting read.

This is one of my favourite Christmas books. It got me feeling so festiveand excited for Christmas. One thing I loved about this was the characters, they where fantastic. The story was just beautiful too! Pure perfection.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and all the characters in it were very likeable! I liked reading about the different characters and their stories, a definite tear jerker towards the end would highly recommend

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

The Mother of all Christmases is the first book I have ever read from Milly Johnson. I understand that a number of characters from this book have appeared in their own stories, if you are new to Milly Johnson like me, don't worry because this story can easily read as a standalone.

The Mother of all Christmases was focussed on three mothers to be who join a group called the Christmas pudding club. The group was set up for women who were due to deliver their baby before christmas.

I liked all three women and their background stories. Annie Pandoro and her husband Joe owned a Christmas cracker company. Annie was in her forties and thought she was starting her menopause when she found out she was pregnant.

Eve Glace and husband Jacques owned a Christmas theme park called Winterworld. Whilst organising the opening of the park for chrismas, Eve and Jacques become worried about their employee Effyn who began making dangerous mistakes.

Palma Collins had a troubled upbringing. Wanting to start a new life she agreed to become a surrogate mother for a wealthy couple. When the couple suddenly announced they were divorcing, Palma was left with an unwanted pregnancy. After meeting Annie at the Christmas Pudding Club she was offered a job at the factory.

I am so glad I requested this book from Netgalley. I can't wait to read A Winter Flame about Eve and Jacques.

This book was very long, but the story flew by. This story sent me on an emotional rollercoaster. From the heartbreak of a baby who would live only hours, offset by frantic dashes to the hospital to funny excerpts from The Daily Trumpet.

My favourite character was Palma and her romance with Tommy the boxer. I admired Palma who was determined to be a better mum then her own mother had.

I highly recommend this heart warming, tear jerker of a novel.

So I have to admit I totally picked this up on the basis of the cover, very much in the mood for a real Christmassy read(I think I was thinking Carole Matthews and Sarah Morgen at the time!). I sat up on reading the story of Palma, who was acting as a surrogate to get the money to improve her life. It made for a slightly tougher read, as we saw the back door process she went through with a very unlikable couple who were trying to have a baby. At times you rooted for Palma, at times you kind of winced a little at the brashness of her. But then along came an old friend and I was smitten!

As you can see this is a book of many characters, I warmed to some but unfortunately at times struggled with the sheer volume of them and got a bit confused (in particular at all things Winterworld, but from some of the other reviews it would seem some of those characters were from another books so that could be it!). I loved the Christmas Pudding Club, in particular the enthusiasm of the doctor that formed it and in general I smiled at many moments throughout the book. All in all I enjoyed, but would advise this is slightly grittier than the cover suggests. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for this book in return for an honest review.

A wonderful story which had me gripped from the beginning, as all Milly Johnson's books do. A real feel good read, perfect for this time of year, about friendships, relationships and second chances. It is a real tear jerker in parts however and you find yourself swept up into the story line. A fabulous read and one I'd recommend.

What an amazing book! Lots of characters to keep track of but when you get to know them all you feel like they're all your friends! With a special soft spot for Palma I enjoyed sharing their pregnancies with them. I laughed with them and cried with them all. You won't regret reading this!

Eve Glace - co-owner of the theme park Winterworld - is having a baby and her due date is a perfectly timed 25th December. She has decided that she and her husband Jacques should renew their wedding vows with all the pomp that was missing the first time. Annie Pandoro and her husband Joe own a small Christmas cracker factory, and are well set up and happy together despite life never blessing them with a much-wanted child. But when Annie finds that the changes happening to her body aren’t typical of the menopause but pregnancy, her joy is uncontainable. Palma Collins has agreed to act as a surrogate, hoping the money will get her out of the gutter in which she finds herself. But when the couple she is helping split up, is she going to be left carrying a baby she never intended to keep? 

What a joy this book is! I loved it from the off and the book only improved the more I read. Johnson begins by introducing us to the three main couples, once we have fallen in love with them and taken them to be friends, she then details how all three come to be pregnant, the stories are different, heart-warming and life-affirming. Then the fun really begins, as the three experience their pregnancies whilst their lives happen in the background. Of course, this is not going to be plain-sailing for everyone, this has one of the most emotional, hard plots I have read, it is beautifully written but boy did it put me through the ringer. 

As well as eventful pregnancies, we see the characters form a real friendship with each other, they are there for them during the hard times and the good times and all of them felt like my friends by the end of the book. I have come to expect nothing less from Johnson. We then have the real treat of the book finishing at Christmas, meaning this ends up being pure festive joy, full of cheer and Christmas feeling, this was the perfect book to read at this time of year!

I adored this book for the fabulous characters and the truly amazing plot. I laughed, I cried and I felt every beat of emotion the characters went through. Be warned this has a very emotional plot that you will shed a tear too but oh my goodness did I finish this feeling good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster UK Fiction for an advance copy.

Isn't there just an air of comfort when you pick up a new Milly Johnson book? Well I think so...

The Mother of all Christmases is another of Milly's novels with strong and relatable female protagonists - this time all on their separate pregnancy journeys, but all very different and interesting journeys, at different aspects of their life.

Female friendship is at the heart of this book and Milly captures it so well! She wonderfully weaves together these 3 character stories and at no point do you feel as a reader that one is taking centre stage, yet the others lacking; she has that knack of fulfilling every story and leaving the reader wholly satisfied,

Pregnancy and conceiving is so incredibly different for each and every woman out there and I loved how Milly brought that into her writing. As much as it's the most exciting and enjoyable time for some, it's exhausting, draining and daunting for others, and at times there can be sadness involved.

Full of Milly's wonderful Yorkshire wit and warmth this is a story full of happiness and heartbreak in equal measures. Mothers, mothers to be and anyone who has experienced that journey to conception, no matter what the outcome, will relate in some small way to this story.

I always look forward with great anticipation to Milly Johnson's new books and I wasn't disappointed with this one.

A heartwarming tale with some festive cheer - I laughed, cried, laughed again. It was great to meet characters from previous books but you would not have needed to read these to enjoy this book - it can easily be read as a standalone but I would highly recommend every single book written by Milly as they are all fantastic.

This is a story full of romance, humour, heartbreak in places, female friendships, some quirky characters but also realistic characters, fun and some cheesy cracker jokes. A complete rollercoaster of emotions. I loved it and could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

It was wonderful to be back in Winterworld again; I love it when my favourite books have a sequel so that we can find out what’s been happening since the last book. We see some of the old characters again, but there are also new ones.

Three ladies – Annie, Eve, and Palma - with very different pregnancy stories meet at the Christmas Pudding Club, run by their GP. They soon become firm friends and are able to support each other.

I’ve read all of Milly’s books and enjoyed every single one of them. You always feel as though you’re actually there with the characters. She also deals with some difficult issues in a very sensitive and thoughtful way.

This is the perfect read for the lead-up to Christmas and I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

I’m fully immersed in my Christmas reading now and my most recent festive read was The Mother of All Christmases by Milly Johnson!

This is a lovely novel following three women. Palma has agreed to act as a surrogate for a couple as she desperately needs money. She’s such a sweet young woman and all through the novel I was wanting life to work out for her. Annie runs a Christmas cracker factory with her husband. She’s in her late 40s and is living with the sadness that comes with having been unable to have a child and now seems to be starting the menopause. Eve owns Winterland, a Christmas theme park and finds herself pregnant and planning her vow renewal service for the festive season!

All three women were such great characters and I enjoyed reading about all of them. The peripheral characters were all so brilliant too – I especially loved Iris! Milly Johnson is so good at writing really believable characters, all of the people in this book felt real and that gave it such warmth.

This book isn’t set entirely at Christmas, it’s more the few months leading up to it but it does still feature a reasonable amount of the holiday period and Christmas planning. There are such gorgeous friendships formed in this book that it felt like it really embodied the Christmas spirit and I loved it!

This is a light-hearted read but it has some real heart-felt moments in it too. The sad moments are handled so sensitively and the real Yorkshire spirit that comes from some of the characters helps bring the novel back to being light, without ever dismissing the harder times. This is my new favourite Milly Johnson book, I very much enjoyed it! I definitely recommend this one!

"The Mother of all Christmases" by Milly Johnson - when you read this book you'll appreciate how adequate this title is! - follows stories of three very different women, Palma, Eve and Annie. Palma is the one from the wrong side of the town and with a painful past and finds herself in a very difficult situation. Because of her financial troubles she agrees to become a surrogate for a couple who can't have children. Eve and her husband Jacques run the Christmas themed Winterworld park and are up to their noses with organizing things. Eve knows her husband want a baby with his all heart and well, she doesn't say no as well, but there is never the right moment for a baby, right? And Annie and her husband Joe, who run a cracker company have been desperate for a baby all their life but it just never happened. There were failed IVFs, a failed adoption and well, they came to terms with the fact that it's only the two of them. Until it turns out that it's not the menopause Annie thinks it is.
The three women meet at the Christmas Pudding Club, a club for pregnant women, and they hit it off immediately - their friendship start and they go together through happy and hard times, and there are going to be plenty of those for them.

I don't know how Milly Johnson does it but each and every book of hers is simply brilliant - she for sure keeps her standard high, and "The Mother of all Christmases" is another cracker (pun intended) from this author. This book was so full of surprising moments, there were twists that I haven't seen coming and that broke my heart more than once, but then mended it again. It made me cry ugly tears and it made me laugh out loud. It was clever, poignant, uplifting and simply beautiful.

What I found so brilliant and clever was the fact that we already know some of the characters in the book, and not only this, but also The Daily Trumpet, with all its hilarious spelling errors is back. Eve and Winterworld we've got to know in "A Winter's Flame", as well as some other characters and places from Milly's previous books and it was so nice to be back with them, to see what's happened to them and how they're doing.
However, no worries, it is absolutely a stand - alone novel! But it'll only make you wish you had read the other books as well, so be prepared, and maybe have the books on pre - order already, if not at your side already.

There are relatively many characters being introduced to us in this book but I coped! Actually, very easily. I had no problems to quickly get who is who, why and to whom they belong. All the characters tell their own, beautiful, sometimes very poignant, stories. The female leading characters Palma, Annie and Eve, even though they don't know each other yet, have one thing in common - they're all find themselves pregnant. It took some time for all of them to realize that they're pregnant, especially in Eve's case, and yes, she made me feel desperate at the fact that she didn't notice/didn't want to notice things that were obvious but well, she had her reasons. All the pregnancies were different - one that might be considered a controversial one, then a very unexpected one, and one simply a nice surprise. I loved all of the three characters though, probably not surprisingly, my heart went to Palma. Her story was so heart - breaking and it will probably stay with me for a very long time yet.
And I must mention one of the male characters - Tom. Guys, he was Mr. Perfect. Milly Johnson has so brilliantly captured the essence of him and has made him, a boxer, so human and so vulnerable, and the things he said to Palma... well, if somebody told me such things I'd print them, put them in frames and hang them on the wall.
The thing with Milly Johnson is that, even if it's crystal clear that she herself loves her own characters, she gives them all her whole heart and soul, and she makes their lives happy and lets them look optimistically into their futures - then bang, and something happens. Something unexpected, something that turns their worlds upside down. There is actually a tension detectable through the pages, I personally couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad is going to happen, and I kept everything crossed that it won't happen. It doesn't happen often that I'm so deeply involved in the characters and their lives, but in this book I actually lived and experienced things together with them, I fell for them and I couldn't bear the thought that something could go wrong for them.

"The Mother of all Christmases" deals with many issues, some of them lighter, some heavier, and with Milly Johnson's writing that is full of heart you'll find yourself laughing, crying, smiling and laughing again. It is truly Milly Johnson at her best. She deals with the stuff that life throws at her characters in such a down - to - earth, casual way, she's not afraid of throwing many challenges at her characters, of making their lives complicated and difficult. It is so well written, so full of events and there is not a single flat moment, the story is just flowing and you together with it. It was a story about friendship, sisterhood, loss, love, grief, relationships, second chances and many other things, beautifully and seamlessly binding all the threads and events together. It didn't feel too overloaded, the pace was perfect and you'll quickly find yourself engaged in the characters' lives. Highly recommended!

I love Milly Johnsons books and this one takes you through the real emotional rollercoaster ride. Alternating between tears, chuckles and pure contentment as you lose yourself within the pages. I loved the return to Winterworld- the original book featuring WinterWorld is one of my favourites. We laugh and cry with everyone at the cracker factory- what a wonderful setting for meeting such a great bunch of characters. I loved the Christmas pudding club- with the huge range of emotions from all the members.
You are always guaranteed a wonderful read from Milly and this one is a real page turner, you will enjoy every single page.

I love Milly Johnson's books. They have everything I want to find in a good book. An interesting plot, loveable characters, and a supporting small community somewhere in rural England. And of course humour.
I am always interested in the lives of her characters and I especially love her strong female protagonists.
In this book we get three of them (and quite a few among the supporting characters).
It is amusing to read about the high spirited fooling about of the ladies in the Christmas Pudding Club, but there is another, a bit darker line of the plot with some criminal element in it, too. However, in the end there is a happy endingto this as well (of course).
I must admit I haven't read all the previous novels by the author so I wasn't always familiar with all the supporting characters whose story had been told in previous books. I could follow the story though, without being up to date with all the previous storylines.
I smiled and laughed a lot while reading this book, and I also had some sad moments. It was a great experience and I can recommend it to absolutely anyone who wants to lose themselves into a good story.

The Mother of All Christmases was a fab book that I struggled to put down.
I did not want to put this book down and read it within a day.
I have yet to read a book by Milly Johnson that I have not enjoyed.

It's obvious from the title and the blurb the theme of the story however what you won't be prepared for is the depth of emotions you will experience ...

Some of the characters I've met (and loved) from previous stories. Although their stories are complete in themselves, it was brilliant to continue being a part of their lives and for one couple in particular, a huge cheer for a resolution. :) If you haven't read any of Milly Johnson's previous stories (hello, where have you been?) it won't matter to your enjoyment of The Mother of all Christmases. You will still be able to engage and identify with the characters and the stories they have to tell here.

The main character who stole my heart (and will steal yours too) was Palma. Despite a dysfunctional childhood she has ambition and lives as best she can within the confines where society has placed her. She's loyal to her old school friend, helping her out despite knowing she's totally different than the girl she knew at school. This young women has so much strength. Going to the the Christmas Pudding Club opens up not just opportunities for her but gives her the chance to belong to a friendship group that is caring and honest.

The problems at Winterworld also have an underlying link to the theme of the story. One scene in particular with Effin gave me a lump in my throat ...

Talking about lumps in throat, oh my! when a life changing event happens I gingerly prodded my emotions. I thought I was ok. Not too bad I thought. How wrong I was! I was reading this story as we journeyed to family and had to compose myself as best I could before stopping off at the services. It was pretty obvious I had been crying. So my advice to you would be not to read in public because you WILL need tissues.

I have to mention the newspaper The Daily Trumpet. My family love to hear their write ups - and we roll around with laughter. Thank you Milly Johnson for including these snippets in your stories. :D

The Mother of all Christmases will make your heart strum with warmth, joy and with a sadness that will take your breath away. You'll love being a part of this community and feel like the characters are your friends. You'll cheer and weep and everything in between. Perfection.

It's the perfect gift (for yourself or the book lover in your life). 🎄

The Mother Of All Christmases is another great book by the talented Milly Johnson that I knew was going to be a great read.
This book is full of Christmas excitement, baby excitement, cracker stress and so much more but I’m not going to spoil it for anyone as this is best for you to find out about these different families and characters yourself as when you get time to read this you will find that things will be left for another day as you immerse yourself into this chart topping book. (Well I predict it will be chart topping!)
The snippets from the daily trumpet were hilarious and the book does start off with a grammatical error that read quite differently to what is was meant to say and had me chuckling from the start but don’t let this fool you as you will be wiping a tear from your eye as well.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Simon and Schuster UK Fiction for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading all about the sisters and there step parents. How the past had affected all there lives. It was very enjoyable reading and told so well I wanted to visit the cafe and meet everyone. I wanted to wrap up against the cold as i felt i was immersed in the story . Would definitely recommend

Joy to the world! Milly Johnson has a Christmas book out and it's a cracker - sorry, couldn't resist!  Much of the book takes place in a Christmas cracker factory run by Annie and her husband Joe. Rather unexpectedly, and to their great delight, she finds herself pregnant for the first time at 48. The local doctor has the idea to have a club for expectant mothers due around Christmas time - the Christmas Pudding Club. I must say I think that sounds like a splendid idea as it can be a worrying time being pregnant. It would be great to have mums-to-be at the same stage to chat with, as well as the kind reassuring midwives we meet in this book.

At the club, Annie meets young single-mum-to-be Palma. She became pregnant as part of a surrogacy arrangement which has gone horribly wrong when the couple split up. Despite the difficulties this might cause her, she is determined to make a better life for herself and her baby. Her scenes were amongst the most poignant in the book. The third main character is Eve, happily married to Jacques and running a winter theme park together - and also unexpectedly pregnant. Her story many seem the most straightforward of the three ladies but with a winter wedding planned just a few days before her due date, things might not go quite to plan...

Now, if you have read lots of Milly Johnson's books you may recognise some of the characters as some have appeared in previous books. This book is a standalone story though so don't worry - even if it's your first Milly Johnson book, you'll keep up no problem. And lucky you, you'll have lots of her previous books to catch up on!

I loved reading this very funny, uplifting book with all the wonderfully drawn characters. The support and friendship between the women was fantastic. There is so much that any woman who has had a child will remember from having their babies from the wonderful, to the worrying, to the funny, to the downright embarrassing! Milly Johnson has a real talent for creating characters who feel like totally authentic people you could meet when you pop out to the shops. She creates scenes and situations you can identify with or easily imagine if you haven't experienced, and makes you think how you would respond if you were in her characters' shoes.

The book is thought provoking as well though making you think about more serious issues such as organ donation and how that can make a difference not just to the recipient but can also bring some comfort to the donor's family. Social issues are also explored though another character who is making a difference in the lives of young people in his community, having come from a difficult background himself but given the opportunity to better himself.

I can't finish this review without mentioning the snippets from the local paper, The Daily Trumpet. The corrections and apologies included were hilarious with even some of the corrections having glaring errors. I'm surprised the paper had any money left with everything they kept paying out by way of apology!

The Mother of All Christmases is a fabulous, feel-good festive read and I loved spending time with The Christmas Pudding Club. I'll remember these characters for a long time.