Oh my goodness! This is definitely up there in my top Christmas books! I absolutely loved everything about it. Such a beautiful heart warming read. The characters are so lovely and I grew really fond of them and was gutted when I read that last page and had to let them go.

I found this book a bit of a bind by the end - could have been two thirds as long and still said just as much.

Many thanks to Poppy Alexander and Orion publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. 25 days to Christmas was a wonderful,feel good book. Tragedy has struck Kate's life and at times it feels like she is fighting a losing battle.

Can she turn her life around and provide for her little boy. Can she give him a good Christmas.

Very enjoyable read.

Poppy Alexander should be immensely proud of this book, I loved it and couldn’t but it down!
I was expecting this to be the usual Christmas story of a mum and child enjoying the festive run up. Instead we meet Kate, Jack and Daniel. Kate is recently widowed and has been left with a 6 year old son, Jack, both have their own issues and Kate is struggling both emotionally and financially to give Jack the Christmas he deserves. And then there is Daniel who is not looking forward to his first Christmas without his sister.
It was quite obvious from the start that they were going to get their happily ever after but it was magical to see how they all got there.
Interestingly it also made me reflect on some of my own Christmas ideas, I loved Jacks advent calendar and will be incorporating this into our run up to Christmas - who needs chocolate when we could be doing things together - starting today with paper chains.
Fabulous book, thanks for letting my read. Big thumbs up, and a five star rating!

With less than 25 Days 'til Christmas, I think that it is high time that I reviewed this book.

This was an incredible read that had me hooked. At first I thought that this was a light, fluffy read. But while it was filled with the magic and expectation of Christmas, there were some deeper threads running throughout.

Kate is not a great fan of Christmas, ever since her husband passed away and she is left to raise their young son on her own. This has meant that the last four years of Christmas hasn't really been celebrated. But this year that is all going to change with a twist on the classic Advent Calendar.  Each day the Calendar will  provide a christmassy event for Kate and her son to do together. Which means some very cute moments.

And then there is Daniel, this is the first Christmas without his sister. He has always been a secret fan of Kate. Going past her every Christmas, he has a nickname for her and looks forward to each day  that he gets to see her.

This Christmas will he be able to pluck up the courage and actually speak to Kate, or will another year and a golden opportunity pass him by.

I loved the passion, enthusiasm and joy that fills this book on every single page.  This is a book filled with some heart-warming scenes that touches on some hard-hitting moments. This was a beautiful book and well worth a read in the run up to the Christmas season along with a cup of tea and a mince pie or two....

What an amazing book - Poppy Alexander has managed to deal with a whole host of tough issues, while surrounding it with this most magical Christmas book that for the most part is incredibly uplifting, and utterly enchanting to read.

I loved the idea of Kate making Christmas special again for her and Jack by doing one Christmassy thing a day for the whole of December, and it doubling up as a low cost advent calendar. For as a single mum, Kate is struggling big time with finances and with the whole manner of other things going on in her life, she is an inspirational character for so many.

There is so much I would love to say about this simply wonderful plot but yet I think it really would be one of those books to come into fresh with no knowledge like I did and simply lets the words carry you away to Kate and Jack's lives and also meeting Daniel and what he has been through, and discovering the ups and downs of the book for yourself.

A fair amount of the meatier topics don't become as apparent until quite a way into the book but I believe they are writen and dealt with in a suitable manner, and highlights all sorts of things, some of which I rarely see in fiction, so are certainly eye opening.

On the face of it it is a mother and son trying to feel more festive and I loved all the activities that were planned, and Jack is a lovely little boy. There are some true acts of kindness in this book, some selfless helping, and just some absolutely wonderful characters (as well as at least a couple I really disliked).

As each chapter more or less is focused on another of the days in the countdown to Christmas, if you are a book lover without much time, I think you could easily read each day of the book, at one a day in your own countdown to Christmas - as a little Christmas treat to yourself.

Or you can do what I did and sit and devour it, I found the tube journeys I was taking to and from the theatre the day I read most of this, flew past and I'm glad my subconscious seemed to know where I was.

This is the first book I have read by the author and it certainly won't be the last. I can 't wait to see what the comes up with next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orion for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I loved 25 Days til Christmas. I’ve never heard of this author before but as I’m mad on Christmas and love Christmas books I thought I’d give it a try. Well I was hooked, well written and an enjoyable read. Think I’ve just found myself a new author.

Thank you to the publisher, Orion, and Netgalley for my review copy of the book, which I have chosen to review honestly.

25 Days til Christmas is the perfect book to read in the build up to Christmas Day, as this book is in fact centred around the build up to Christmas! (I however read in October as I couldn't resist!). It is a beautifully written story about two different people who lead very different lives but they ultimately have one thing in common - they are grieving and suffering from the death of a loved one and are desperately lonely.

Kate is living with her young son Jack as a single mum following the sad death of her soldier husband several years previously. She is struggling financially and constantly worries about the life she is giving her son, which is completely different to what she had originally imagined.

Daniel is grieving the loss of his beloved younger sister Zoe, who had passed away the previous year from a heart condition and had been the constant in his life since their parents had died. Although Daniel and Kate know each other in passing, he has never really had the courage to speak to her.

Kate and Daniel are apprehensive at first but as you read on, you hope deep down that they both find the happiness that they each deserve following the hardships they have encountered in their lives. Kate is determined to give her son a special Christmas and when the idea of doing an advent calendar with a twist comes to her, we desperately hope that it will help her too.

Although this is mainly a storyline about Kate, Daniel and her son Jack, there are some added storylines concerning Jack's schooling that were well thought out and really added well to the plot that stopped it from becoming predictable. We learn more about Zoe and the positive effect she had on people despite her short life - anyone who doesn't enjoy reading about her clearly has a heart of stone!

Poppy Alexander has written a fantastic story that really tugs at your heartstrings as you follow each character in the countdown to Christmas and I adored it.

I can't recommend it enough.

I've not heard of this author before but the front cover drew me in so I thought I'd give it a read.

Kate Potter used to love Christmas. A few years ago she would have been wrapping her presents in September and baking mince pies on Halloween, counting down to the countdown to Christmas. But a few years ago, everything was different. That was before Kate's husband went away with the army and didn't come home. Now she can hardly stand December at all.

Kate's lonely. She doesn't think she's ready for romance, but she needs more than this, and her son Jack needs a Christmas to remember. What Kate needs is a Christmas miracle, and if there isn't one on its way, she'll just have to make her own.

So begins Kate's advent countdown to the best Christmas ever.

She has it all planned out, but you can't plan for the unexpected, and when the path of the loneliest woman in town crosses with that of the loneliest man, she just might find a way to save Christmas for all of them...

This isn't your usual heart-warming Christmas story... whilst there are some heart-warming moments, it also features some hard-hitting subjects.

Christmas is about more than just the presents, and not everyone has a happy Christmas.
It teaches the importance of helping others, and friendship.

An enjoyable festive read with a rollercoaster of emotions.

Thank-You Netgalley for my ARC.

I received an early preview copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review
I had not heard of this author before, but I love Christmas books, so I wanted to read it, I'm glad that I did, it is a brilliant book.
Kate hates Christmas, since her husband was killed. He was a soldier in active duty, who never returned home. A few years kater, her young Son is beginning to realise what Christmas is about. Kate is determined to give him a happy Christmas, but she has no idea how to go about doing so. She is stuck in a low paid job, for a department store, selling Christmas trees, and nervous keeps threatening to sack her.
Kate's friends, and members of the local community come up with an idea. Each day her and her Son Jack will open up a special advent calendar which gives them a festive activity to do together, to help get Kate into the Christmas spirit.help
A mystery customer has bought a Christmas tree from Kate for the past few years. He only knows her as Christmas tree girl. He too has suffered a recent bereavement, and finds himself thinking about the Christmas tree girl. He finds himself bumping into her a lot, and soon has feelings for her.
Kate's life suddenly gets more difficult, and she realises that she can't cope, everything seems bleak and hopeless. Can her friends help her in time ?
This is not like the usual Christmas novel, it features some hard hitting subjects, however there are also a lot of heartwarming moments. It also shows us that Christmas is about more than just oresents, and not everyone has a happy Christmas. It teaches the importance of helping others, and friendship. As the book went on, I needed to find out what happened at the end, and whether Kate could be saved. This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, but it still managed to be festive, and an enjoyable read. I thought that it was a good book, and I would recommend it.

Loved this book!! Really wanted to hear about the characters and their different personalities and life experiences.
An enjoyable read..

I do love a Christmas romance so when this one came along I couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

Kate Thompson is facing another lonely Christmas as her army husband Tom was killed suddenly four years ago. But Kate is a fighter so decides this year to incorporate an Advent calendar with a difference which will force her to overcome her sadness for the sake of her beloved young son Jack. Kate certainly has some uphill struggles ahead to deal with, as she is not only financially unstable with only a low paid job to support her and Jack but also her Mother in Law’s care home fees to pay.

Daniel who has secretly admired Kate for a few years as she stands outside in the freezing cold selling Christmas trees, is also grieving as this will be his first Christmas without his sister Zoe who passed away from a heart condition. I really like Daniel his character portrays a caring, kind hearted, shy man who doesn’t shirk his responsibilities. So when he finally plucks up the courage to talk to Kate and invite her and Jack to see his home a narrow boat on the canal, I hoped things would blossom between them, making for a happy Christmas for them all.

A lovely festive story, that is both heart-warming and a joy to read. My thanks to Net galley for the ARC.

A great christmas read - I found it very emotional given the loss both Kate and Daniel have experienced in life.