4.5*

The cover of this book was yelling out at me to read it next, it's just so gorgeous and Christmassy! Yet although it's set - as a whole - in Norway during winter, it's not really your normal Christmas book. Don't start reading it expecting a light book that makes you feel all warm and cosy. Christmas isn't really mentioned until about 70% of the way in, and it's only an incidental part of the story.

It's a lot darker than I imagined and has quite a bit of tension with a menacing atmosphere at times; with the isolation, and not being too sure of people's intentions. Although i wouldn't class it as a thriller, it has a vein of suspense and mystery running through it, and I'm so glad it wasn't what I was expecting. It's really well written, and with no intended disrespect as I adore my fluffy books, far exceeded the writing I was expecting to find inside the pages. I loved soaking up the descriptions of the places and Norway has been added to my travel list. Although probably not staying at a shelf farm in the winter!

The author cleverly uses a dual time line that flips between Bo (the main protagonist) in the present, and Signy back in 1936. Initially I wasn't entirely sure why there was a dual time, or really what the point of it was aside from giving background and a sense of place of the evocative Norwegian scenery, until much further into the book. Then it made sense. Usually with dual time lines I prefer one over the other, not with this book, both were as equally enticing.

What made the book feel darker and more eerie at a certain point, was exacerbated with its (very) slight parallels with a tv series I'm currently watching. Anyone whose seen the new season of Luther with the creepy stalker man in the mask, and in particular the bus scene, will know what I mean by tension!! I was towards the end of the book, which is definitely a lot darker with its unraveling twists, and reading my kindle in bed. After watching the first episode of Luther before bed, which had me hiding behind the largest cushion in the house, I had to stop reading this book in the dark! I doubt it would have been so creepy, apart from certain similarities with Luther...I'm such an embarrassing wimp now and don't like creepy stuff right before bed anymore!

The premise is about a pair of bloggers/instagrammers (Bo and Zac) and their photographer Lenny - the wanderlusters - who travel the world for a living/lifestyle and post every snippet of their adventures for their millions of followers to see. After a few weeks in tropical Upolu (an Island in Samoa), they head off to the winter fjordwonderland of Norway to live on a shelf farm for a month owned by an old lady called Signy and her serious Grandson Anders. They hope to see the Northern Lights as well as lots of climbing, skiing, kayaking, hikes and off the beaten adventures their followers expect. They are insta-famous and appear to lead an inspirational and perfect life to the outside world who follow their every move, yet behind the camera and once in Norway, it's clear it's not as perfect or as fairytale like as their followers are lead to believe.

This book got my reading in 2019 off to a cracking start, it's an amazing read. It isn't just a Christmas book and is full of intrigue, suspense, enchanting scenery, secrets, insights into Norwegian customs, love and heartbreak complete with a nice little twist at the end.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

This is a marvelous, well-crafted story about the clash between modern and traditional life. At the heart of the tale are a couple and their cameraman who travel the world blogging about their adventures which are funded through brand promotions. There is a second thread which is set in 1936 and relates to the traditional way of farming in the fjords of western Norway, where flat land is at a premium. The contrast between the two lifestyles is significant but at the end of the day, which is better for the "heroine" Bo? One to get lost in.

I found this book had an amazing story which totally threw me at the end ,certainly not the person who I assumed to be Bo's stalker
My problem was the bulk of the book was like a tourist guide to the Norwegian Alps, which if you like that it's fine but if all those pages of describing snow, mountains, lakes and freezing cold had been made more consise then I would have enjoyed more
If that is something you like then this is book for you

A story that is so relevant and current due to the popularity of bloggers and vloggers Also a story that was something different and not the usual Christmas cheese. Loved it.

A romantic Christmas novel for the digital age. If you know your vlog from a blog and your Instagram from your Snapchat then this book is probably more for you than it was for me. Though I'm familiar with all those things, its not a world i'm invested in as therefore couldn't connect with the Insta-Famous entitled couple in this Christmasy romance.
Now romance....I spent the majority of the book wondering why exactly the two of them were together. More like a dodgy Take Me Out date and less like a snow sweeping romantic affair the pair should have signed up for Match and found a new love interest.
As for the rest of this "Gorgeous Christmas Romance Full of Love, Loss and Secrets", the love felt as realistic as the Love Island declarations, the Loss as deep as a British snowdrift and the Secrets best left on the mountain.
A festive read best grabbed if you are snowed in with no hope of escape.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read this book.

A lovely festive read, but a bit too slow for me to be wholly gripped. Too much focus on historical sections and not enough plot to drive the story forward and keep me reading.

I expected this book to be very Christmassy and lightweight but apart from the fact that it was set at Christmas it did not really have the feel good factor I was expecting. This book was a bit of a disappointment for me.

I enjoyed this book and liked the location and background information including the historical aspect of the story. Definitely recommended to those who enjoy this type of book.

The Christmas Lights by Karen Swan

4 Stars

Signy, wizened by pastoral life, and Bo, a gorgeous young blonde with an Instagram following of close to ten million people, meet on a shelf farm on Geraingerfjorden in Norway. Their lives are vastly different, but their stories are brought into parallel against the backdrop of a breath-taking, but perilous Norwegian winter.

It is 1936, and Signy is desperately searching for any form of life in the aftermath of a natural disaster that has hit their shelf farm. A couple of months before this, Signy, her sister and three other neighbourhood girls set off to the seter as it is time for the buføring when the animals from the farm are brought to the outfield pastures. Signy is wild with anticipation as she has spent most of her childhood listening to the older girls relate their summers as seterbudeias, or milkmaids. Although the girls are expected to labour ceaselessly throughout the day, tending to the herds while tossing and baling hay, lighter tasks such as churning butter and making cloudberry jam create a sense of community within the little group. The workload makes the days seem short which culminate in the freedom of spending nights under the stars and evenings of stories around the fire. There are no adults to impose boundaries or curfews, and the only contact with villagers is when their batches of setermat products (milk butter and brown cheese) are collected. But their freedom has a price, and as Signy senses the ominous presence of a predator watching them and drawing closer, she tries to prepare for the inevitable attack. However, she discovers that life has a way of playing strange tricks on people and predators often appear in disguise.

82 years later, Bo arrives at a shelf farm in Geraingerfjorden along with her partner and fellow Wanderluster. What started as a personal lifestyle for both her and Zac has become an overwhelming force as their digital influence has reached over nine million followers. Their mission is to find secluded getaways and locations for adrenaline junkies while promoting lifestyle brands, never being in a single hemisphere for more than a couple of weeks. They need to reach their target of ten million followers by Christmas. After travelling on four planes in 30 hours, Bo’s energy is depleted when they arrive in Alesund. She longs for the intimacy of private life with no feeds, no stories. She reaches the mountain-top at the Geraingerfjorden, and her troubles become infinitesimal in the face of the sheer force of the Seven Sisters Waterfall. This, however, is short-lived when she opens her feed and finds a message from HIM – the troll, who seems uncomfortably close.

In her novel, Swan has depicted the harsh, but undoubted beauty of a Norwegian winter. What is more, is her ability to draw you into the customs and details of farm life at the edge of a mountain. Although I have never visited any of the Scandinavian countries, I am so intrigued by her depiction of the landscape and traditions that Christmas in Norway seems highly attractive. This is a thoroughly enjoyable holiday read that holds you a close right to the end.

Ange

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

What a great book , not normally my type of book but I thought I'd read this for a change and it was an eye opener. Set around Christmas and snowy scenery it was lovely to read about the relationships between the 3 characters and they're relationship when another person came into the equation. Lovely to jump back and forward between them and the grandmothers story too. I would recommend this book. Lovely read

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Moving from the past to the present it painted a vivid scene. It contained so many things that I enjoy to read, some mystery, romance, travel and also well written. It is a story to enjoy on a winters day, snuggled up in front of the fire. Define recommended.

The book is set in two periods of time. There’s the present, which features Bo and Zac (and a third wheel known as Lenny) who have just left sunny climates to embark on their Christmas adventure in the Norwegian Fjords. Then there is also the past – which focuses on Signy, the elderly lady who owns the shelf farm that Bo and Zac are staying on. (Shelf meaning literally, a farm, on a ledge, in a mountain range…) Signy’s back story is told through the various flashbacks to her past as we also follow Bo and Zac who are navigating a rather…rocky… future. Along the way we are also introduced to snippets of Bo’s past and what has brought her to become one of a pair of ‘Wanderlusters.’

I have to confess – I was so gripped by Bo and Zac’s story that I skipped a lot of Signy’s. It didn’t make the book any ‘more’ or less’ intriguing and enthralling, it just meant that I got to the conclusion a lot quicker. I don’t feel that I was deprived of finding out why Signy is the person she is today, but I just think that the underlying back story wasn’t really needed and the book wouldn’t be lost without it. Those who like jumping between two time frames will enjoy it I’m sure, but the more impatient of us will find that it’s okay to skip…

I think it was a well written book, great characters and fantastic research has gone into the remoteness of the location, ensuring that the reader really feels the chill, the isolation and the difficulty in just getting a loaf of bread when the weather is bad! Karen Swan’s previous career as a fashion editor also shines through and gives authenticity to what is being conveyed from the pages.

A different kind of love story in a very modern setting. Very descriptive, could almost be there beside the fjords.

I loved this book. I don’t really understand the phononena of social media but this book told a wonderful story that made sense. There was a lovely mixture of past and present, all intertwined, to create a compelling read that made it very difficult to put this one down. I felt angry, sad, empathetic, embarrassed and more at various times. Definitely recommended.

The book that started it all. First book I read by Karen Swan and I got hooked by her amazing writing.

It's not your typical Christmas story but so much more. Two stories alongside each other are uncovering secrets of past and present until they meet and everything suddenly makes sense.

I love how engaging and real characters were. So much of current 'social media' craze put in the limelight and makes you think, what is it really about? Is it all worth it to have your life invaded by strangers for few likes and shares?

The best part, which I found out is just what Karen Swan does, is she takes you to places just by her words and descriptions. I definitely felt like being there and I've never felt more inspired to visit this beautiful country. The wind chill felt real, smell of pine, crackling of snow under their feet,...

This book started my love for Karen Swan's books and I read another two since. I can 100% recommend.

This was a great Christmas read. Made me feel quite warm and fuzzy. Would highly recommend to others to read over the Christmas period.
The characters were very well thought out and very typical of today's day and age where social media jobs are becomming more popular and you can earn millions from it. I don't think any of the characters were particularly relatable and not even that likeable at times but it was still a compelling read.

I loved #TheChristmasLights! It’s a cosy read set in December, so it’s perfect to read over Christmas. Although it is cosy, there is a real story to sink your teeth into with this book. All in Bo’s life, and Signy’s before her, is not what it seems and I loved trying to preempt the plot! Some of my theories were correct, but I enjoyed the journey to find out for sure, and there were definitely some surprises that I didn’t predict.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

Set among the harsh, but beautiful Norwegian Christmas climate, this is really two stories. There is Bo’s story, one of someone who is always running from her past, but yet somehow still can’t escape and Signy who was shaped by her past life, but didn’t let it define her.
The two stories come together in the most amazing, but remote part of Norway. The writing, like the weather is crisp and clean and a strong narrative runs through the story. There is of course a hero of sorts, but I won’t drop any spoilers. This isn’t quite your average Christmas romance, but there is plenty of love and intrigue. I really enjoyed it. Glad I got a chance to read it, now you go read it too.
#thechristmaslights
#netgalley

This was a good well written story but it was a little confusing how the book kept jumping from one story to the other. I didn't really like the more modern story as the characters were a bit unlikable but I did like the older set story as those characters were more interesting to me.

Overall it was an okay read but I have read better by this author.

We follow the adventures of a social media couple,Zac and Bo and their companion Lenny. Lenny films and photographs their adrenaline filled activities and posts them online. We join them on their latest trip to Norway, where they are staying on a remote shelf farm, owned by Signy and her grandson Anders. The book has two stories within it, Signy tying both together. As their story unfolds,we see Bo start to learn that living your life in the spotlight can be wonderful and a curse in equal measure.. I would recommend putting this on your to read pile.