Wow, I just loved this book! I was so pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC! I was looking for a light, fun read and was touched by the depth this book went to while maintaining its original trajectory.

Warm, witty, and enjoyable from start to finish, FOUR CHRISTMASES AND A SECRET by Zara Stoneley is the perfect read to curl up with as the evenings start to get chillier and darker.

Daisy's life is a bit of a mess at the moment and the fact that Uncle Terence's big Christmas celebration is looming makes her failures even more obvious. Because handsome Oliver will be there with his perfect life, and his mum and her mum will be going to war over whose child is the best, although this year Daisy feels Oliver has her beat. But sometimes when things seem a little bleak, fate has a little magic up its sleeve, and when her beloved Uncle T has some news of his own, everything may just change for Daisy ...

I loved the characters in this story. Daisy is kind and generous and I enjoyed watching her figure out her life and realise what she wants from the future. If I had to pick a favourite character it would be Uncle T hands down - eccentric, honest, and witty he is so loveable and he owns a bookstore so he is the perfect man!!

​With plenty of drama, misunderstandings, secrets, and possible romance, FOUR CHRISTMASES AND A SECRET by Zara Stoneley leaves no stone unturned in the entertainment stakes and I can honestly say there was never a dull moment. A wonderful read by a wonderful author and I highly recommend this lovely story.

I wish I could have read this at Christmas curled up with a hot chocolate! I loved it so much, I loved the main characters and I liked the message that you can always make a change to your life, and you should surround yourself with people who believe in you. Part of this book made me cry, but left me feeling uplifted. It was like a warm hug!

What a fantastic romantic humorous book. Great writing, plot and setting. I can read Christmas books anytime of the year. If you enjoy Christmas and romancebooks I recommend this book. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Okay, what is it with the books I’ve read of late? Do editors even exist anymore?

This book is at least 100 pages too long. I nearly threw it in the DNF pile several times because scenes and inner thoughts were being rehashed over and over. I’m afraid around the 75% I started to do the dreaded skim. Not a good sign. I’m not sure what this trend is with books. Do the publishers think the buying public want their money’s worth and therefore, every book must be over 350 pages long no matter what? I’ll take quality over quantity, thanks.

I’m pretty sure Stoneley started to add things she hadn’t originally planned due to the book’s length. For example, instead of one letter from the Uncle T character, we got about 10 in the end. My eyes glazed over with each.

Next, I had issues with the amount of cliches included. We have the heart of gold heroine who likes to dress in ‘quirky’ clothes and loves books, the embarrassing mother desperate for her daughter to get married, the hero who comes across as a ‘pompous prick’ but is truly lovely underneath it all, the bitchy friend, the rich sweet uncle who owns a bookstore… Not to mention that the heroine has job/career issues which involve sleeping with a co-worker and writes diary-like lists. Even the Christmas part of the book is the characters wearing ugly Christmas jumpers… When do these things stop being cliches and start being plagiarism?

The bookstore features from the beginning of the book but is only the focus towards the end. I love books set in bookstores and book about books but, on this occasion, it again felt like an unnecessary ‘must have in chick lit’ addition to pad the book. It actually became pretty laughable when the characters were coming up with ‘new original’ ideas for bookstores such as incorporating a coffee shop and having book club meetings.

My biggest issue though was the incorrect dialogue syntax throughout. There were several spelling and grammar errors and I could have perhaps coped with them, especially when I’ve received the book via Net-Galley and I assume these will be amended before publication. However, the amount of times Stoneley incorrectly capitalised and punctuated her dialogue was totally off putting and distracting and again, almost made me shuffle this into the DNF folder.

On the plus side, our heroine Daisy is quite funny. I laughed out loud quite a bit at her inner thoughts. To harp on, however, I just don’t think her life supported enough plot to sustain this book’s length. One major plot point was her sad backstory and, once revealed, it was a hugely underwhelming. The best conflict of the book involved her flatmate and that, weirdly, was resolved rather quickly.

2 ½ shame-there-wasn’t-an-editor-available stars

Favorite Quotes:

Oh God, he is so not perfect for me. How can I go out with somebody who doesn’t like chocolate?

I am part of a couple! I have a date, and a dog. Sadly, mother is finding it hard to come to terms with what ‘vegan’ means. She thinks Tim’s just in denial and longing for something meaty to get stuck into. Her plan seems to be to sneak bits onto his plate thinking that the rest of us won’t notice, and Tim will be thrilled.

Ollie once left a list in the kitchen that he swears said ‘milk, steak, beans’ but I’m convinced said ‘meh, stench, gremlins ’. I’d thought he was commenting on my hygiene.

I have never seen my mother flap so much. She’s already claimed that my looks, brains, sex appeal, success and even the fact that my nails grow quite long before they break, are all down to genes. Hers.



My Review:

Christmas hit my Kindle before Halloween this year, which seems somewhat disturbing, but it is what it is. This is the fourth smirk-worthy book I have devoured by the wickedly talented wordsmith Zara Stoneley, and I adored every engaging word. I quickly succumbed to her magical word voodoo and fell headlong into this devilishly clever tale that was written from the first-person POV of Daisy, who was a bit of mess. I found myself reading slowly to savor each well-crafted scene and witty exchange. The storylines were engaging, heart-squeezing, deliriously funny, sweet, and a little sexy. It was perfection.

In addition to many hours of delightful entertainment, Ms. Stoneley provided me with two new additions to my Brit List with pomfret cakes – which are actually a candy, not a cake and are made with licorice and stamped with a castle, and sound absolutely vile to me; and sarky – which is British informal for sarcastic, and I can never have enough words for that ;)

Four Christmases and a Secret is a cute and charming holiday tale that actually spans several years and Christmas seasons. Reminiscent of Bridget Jones's Diary with a scattered and loveable protagonist, an English village and a Mr. Darcy-esque love interest Stoneley's latest release will thrill many rom-com fans. The book took a little longer to get into than I expected as it spans a long period of time but the supporting characters, in particular Uncle T and Stanley the dog, add a lot of spice and even mystery to the novel. The story fell a little flat in the middle but picks up the pace with a few somewhat unexpected surprises along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Ahh this book delivered on the romcom front just how I like it. It’s fun, gives you a good laugh, tugs at your heart strings at just the right time and delivers some laugh out loud moments.

Daisy is a brilliant lead character - she’s fun, hilarious, heart felt and develops and grows as the plot evolves. In fact all the characters are perfect for the story and add great colour and laughs to the plot. The romance is just the right level of sweet and Ollie makes a fabulous love interest.

What I loved the most about this book was Uncle Terrance’s book shop - the location of the four Christmas parties. I could smell the books and wanted to visit and hide myself away in one of his carefully curate nooks. Uncle T was also one of my favourite characters and I loved his belief in Daisy and the secrets he held.

This book is the perfect comfort read. I devoured it in a day and finished with complete cup filling vibes. It’s a great holiday read but shouldn’t be saved for Christmas. If you love Bridget Jones, the Shopaholic Series and the move Four Weddings and a Funeral, then give Four Christmases and a Secret a read - you’ll love it!

Thank you to One More Chapter for an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley

Zara Stoneley always seems to get the perfect balance of romance, drama and humour and the humour is completely up my street.  I'm particularly a huge fan of bonkers parents/relatives and this books has them in abundance.   

As a young woman, Daisy shared a sneaky snog with her good friend Oliver the geek at her 'uncle's' annual Christmas party before heading to uni and a strong career.  Years later she finds herself in the same place but without serious career prospects and having been recently dumped.  When an older but hunkier Oliver walks in with his latest squeeze, Zara is determined that enough is enough.  Will an announcement change things for her?  Will she ever get the chance to reconnect with Oliver?  And how many more times will her mother embarrass her?

Zara Stoneley just manages to perfectly write the most realistic characters that everyone has experienced or can relate to.  Daisy is such a down to earth character and her mother (and Oliver's) are an absolute hoot.  I spent the whole book rooting for Daisy in every aspect of her life.   To me, this novel made romance and the journeys it takes us on realistic.  It looked at all aspects of love and relationships including family and friends (and books and dogs). 

In my opinion, this book is about life!  It's ups, downs and the people who influence it in both positive and negative ways.  I just adored this novel but it comes with a warning!  Once you start it - it's bloody difficult to put down.

5☆ An Endearing, Fun, Witty Romance with a Sprinkle of Heart Warming Festive Cheer.


I was overjoyed to see Zara had written a new Christmas Book and I couldn't wait to read it!

Four Christmases and a Secret is a delightfully Fun, Endearing, Witty, Heart Warming Romance.

Daisy always attends her Uncle Terence Christmas Parties. Which she loves as they are always lots of fun and in her favourite place, his bookstore!
But things are about to change when Oliver sneaks a passionate kiss on Daisy under the mistletoe.
But Oliver and Daisy are childhood friends and that wasn't supposed to happen... or was it?

Oliver and Daisy's Mums have always been very competitive about the two of them always trying to point score and get one up on each other using their childrens accomplishments.
But Oliver is now very successful and Daisy... well not so much.
Which leads to Daisy and Oliver becoming rivals despite their kiss!

I better stop there as i don't want to risk giving anything away!

I really loved Daisy, she's kind, caring, Funny, has a big heart, I loved the banter between her and Oliver. Her relationship with her Uncle T was so heart warming. In fact Uncle T was my favourite Character with his quirky, eccentric, loveable personality he lights up the pages.

Four Christmases and a Secret is a warm and Cosy, Feel Good, Endearing Romance, with wonderful quirky, loveable Characters, a juicy secret, plenty of laugh out loud moments and witt, enough Christmas sparkle, Emotion and Drama all wrapped up to make a perfect anytime read!

Another gem of a book by Zara Stoneley!

Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Being a huge Zara Stoneley fan I couldn't wait to snuggle down with this latest festive tale and I must say that it didn't disappoint in the slightest. The writing pulled me into a world of love, loss and living life with no regrets and I loved each and every moment of this glittering read.

Daisy was everything this story needed with a back story tinged with heartache and tribulations. Her penchant for getting up and giving life a go was both endearing and charming and she added a captivating quality to the narrative. Now Ollie Cartwright certainly came with the heartthrob status... although I'm not sure if that was down to the Doctor's title, stethoscope and simmering bedside manner? But I fell head first for his gentle charm and subtle sense of humour. Their chemistry sizzled on a low heat, with a will they, won't they, pas de deux that had me silently screaming into the screen of my kindle, desperate for a happy ever after for the pair.

This book was fit to burst with exceptional character creations but none as perfect as Terence....or Uncle T to the family. He has shot straight up the ranks on my favourite character list and I know I won't forget his debonair suarve and old romantic heart for years to come. I can hand on heart state that he was the best thing in this fabulous story and I know you will all have a soft spot for this artistic gent.

I could talk about this book all day but I feel I must bring this review to a glittering end at some point. So I will simply say that Four Christmases and a Secret is sincere and heartfelt to the core with the perfect dusting of holiday magic. I couldn't have loved this book anymore if I tried and I know you will all feel the same.

Christmas starts now with this lovely book by Zara Stoneley. It couldn’t be anything but lovely – she’s a fantastic author. And since I have a soft spot for heroines called Daisy then I knew I was in for a treat when I started this story.
And what a treat it is! We meet some splendid characters, two and four-legged, the plot is original and very entertaining and the writing is wonderfully readable and humorous. We really care about our slightly ditzy Daisy and want things to work out well for her. We cringe alongside her when her mum and her mum’s best friend constantly extols the virtues of the perfect Ollie. We will her on in her attempts to make a success of things, but I think we also love that, like us, she’s only human and her life is a rollercoaster of minor disasters and tiny, occasional victories.
Uncle Terrence is a superb, uniting character in the play. He’s something of a Father Christmas in that he’s the life and soul of the family’s Christmas, and keeps it alive for them all.
‘Four Christmases and a Secret’ is fun, festive and fabulous. Find out for yourself!

Ready to be in the Christmas mood? This was a great way to glide into holiday reading! Loved this book and have added this author to my go to .

Utterly fabulous! There is no other word for this emotionally woven, splendid Christmas story. It is everything that we could hope for this Christmas and I can hardly wait for December now. Out of all the books I have read of her (and that is more than one in case you are wondering), this is probably her best. Ok, I am getting carried away. But really guys, this is not an exaggeration. Whether you like the festive season or not, you really MUST read this.

What could be the reasons? Well, here is some to tempt you.

1) We get to see four Christmas parties, each one outdoing the previous year. And this is not a random selection of four Christmas celebrations, we also get to see the events leading up to it.
2) A friends to lovers story. The chemistry between Daisy and Ollie is so palpable that we just want IT to happen. So obviously, the author makes us wait.
3) Uncle Terence is one of the memorable characters that I have met. A man who doesn't frown on the new generation, but who could have guessed that among all his frolics he kept such a secret? I am not saying that he is a role model (probably not), but all the same an unforgettable person.
4) Then there is his brother Charles, who you may not even notice that much. That's why I am noting him down. I don't think a person like him exists. He is a saint. Why? I guess you have to read and find out for yourself
5) Last but not least, this story won't disappoint you.
It has ticked almost all the columns of a Christmas romance for me, and I do hope you will enjoy it too curling up on your reading nook.

This book should be on your short list for reading. Great story, great characters and a dog. Hilarious at times and tears another time. Not my first Zara Stoneley book and definitely not my last. I promise you will enjoy..

“Four Christmases and a Secret” was a cute love story. It was more than just a romantic love story, it explored family love, friendship, and self love. I had a hard time getting into the story and the first person perspective, but once I got further along I couldn’t stop reading.

Ahh, my first festive book of the year and it was fabulous!

This was a charming contemporary, festive, read with a big dollop of humour, a wonderful story line and an annual Christmas party in a book shop that serves cocktails. (sign me up.)

The relationship between Daisy and her mother made me laugh out loud. Her mum and Vera were so over the top. Daisy’s mum is loving and a delightfully inappropriate at times, character.

Ollie is a sweet, intelligent and fun character and so was the wonderful Uncle Terence. Ollie really does deserve a good swoon many times throughout the story.

This was a light and wonderful festive read that delivered everything that I could possibly want from Christmas Chick-lit. The beauty is that the story does not only cover Christmas, it covers the times in-between too. There is a nice balance between the deep and the lighthearted and as will all good festive stories, it gives you all of the emotions.

I am so happy that this was my first 2019 festive read. It was the full package for me. Heartwarming, with fabulous characters, friendships and romance. This is probably my favourite Zara Stoneley tale, and I already rated her highly.

This turned out to be a great read. It is a bittersweet story with some genuinely funny yet also some poignant and emotional moments. Daisy and Ollie have been friends since childhood and the dialogue between them reflects this. I enjoyed their repartee- they each seem able to outdo the other with a quick reference to years gone by. Of course they find out that now they have grown up, their relationship has become a little more complicated. Ollie is a likeable and sympathetic character. Who wouldn't like to meet someone like him? Daisy realises pretty soon there is more to him than all the successes that his mother and hers have spent years recounting.

I particularly enjoyed all the episodes which are set in Uncle Terence's bookshop- it sounds perfect. Uncle Terence seems so full of life and has a few secrets of his own. It seems that several people in this book have secrets. Some of them are quite surprising. Frankie, Daisy's friend turns out to be one of these surprises . Daisy has quite a journey to go on in this story as she slowly comes to terms with her past and settles on a new direction. I thoroughly enjoyed going on it with her.
Thanks to the author for a copy of the book

A great festive read.

Daisy and Ollie grew up together and have always been rivals. They haven't seen each other for years, but see each other again at Uncle T's christmas party.

Soon they start spending more time together pushed together by Uncle T, and you find out that there is more than once secret being kept.

When I see it's time to read a book by this author I always have an 'aaaaaahhhh' feeling, because her stories are always like a warm, comforting blanket. I guess you know what I mean and you experience the same thing with some writers.

Imagine a christmas tree with lots of parcels under it. You always hope the biggest one will be for you.  And then it is time to distribute them and it IS your name that is on the box. You could not be more happy. This is how I react when I open one of her books.

It's packed to the rafters with romance and laughter but a sad note creeps in from time to time as well. I was touched by the beautiful things in this story. The author is a real magician. 

It seemed like Daisy missed out on the biggest parcel a few years, but this year she hits the jackpot. :)

I loved it. 5 stars.

Thank you, Zara Stoneley and Rachel's Random Resources.