A typical storyline but elevated. This was the perfect read while stuck in a snowstorm. It reminded me of holiday movies I love to binge.

First sentence: Felicity Fenchurch primped and preened in front of the camera, brushing her honey-blonde curls back from her face. The director shouted, ‘Action,’ and she gave a longing smile, dipped down to pull a tray from the oven, and gazing at the camera from under false eyelashes, pouted.

Premise/plot: Esme has it all...until she doesn't. She loses her job, her boyfriend, and her apartment all in one day! She returns to her hometown but not her parents' home. She rents a tiny cottage and starts making plans for her future. Encouraged by her friends, she starts a food blog. Can she make the blog a huge success in just three or four weeks in times to make all her holiday dreams and wishes come true?!

My thoughts: WHY did this one have to be about blogging?!?! I can gladly accept formulaic holiday-themed romances light on intelligence. But I cannot accept stories of bloggers that go from zero views to thousands of views in just a week or two. Enough views to land her a new job. Seriously. Everytime she COMPLAINED about how slow the process was for getting page views, I wanted to SCREAM at her. I actually spent most of the book angry at the main character. That being said, the romance elements were mostly enjoyable. I think if she had been doing anything else with her life instead of blogging, I would have been fine with the writing.

This is a heartwarming, festive read with great characters and lots of laugh out loud moments – I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Esme is a food technician working behind the scenes on a top television cookery show. However, when she discovers that the presenter is claiming one of Esme’s family recipes as her own, Esme confronts her. Unfortunately, this results in Esme being sacked! Not only that, but on her return to her home her boyfriend informs her that he wants to split up with her and she’s to move out of their flat asap. All this happens just before Christmas…. Esme moves back to her hometown of Sandchester, initially staying with her parents until she rents Mistletoe cottage. The estate agent who finds it for her is her old school crush, Joe, and although he’s as handsome and attractive as ever, he’s obviously struggling to cope with something from his past.

As Esme is encouraged by her crazy parents and fantastic friends, she makes a fresh start by creating an online cooking blog and vblog on which to share her recipes and ideas. What with tea towels catching fire, frantic fun, disastrous drinking, swearing and confessions, this certainly isn’t your usual, polished professional chef in action! Instead it is a heartwarming tale of being human, being kind to yourself and others, delicious food and helping others to heal as well as romance. This is a fantastic second chance romance, just right for putting you in the mood for Christmas! I requested and was gifted a copy of this book and this is my honest review after choosing to read it.

A lovely cosy book set around the Christmas period with some well written characters.

Esme is a lovely narrator and you are hoping beyond hope that she manages to turn things around having lost her job and her flat. Her boyfriend, she is definitely better off without!

Her cooking shows are hilarious and I found myself wanting more.

Her friends and family are really her saviours and I finished the book with a lovely cosy feel. Will definitely look for more books by Katie Ginger.

This was a cute, wintry read! It felt very much like the book version of a Hallmark movie, which was exactly what I wanted from it. It wasn't extraordinary by any means, but it kept my attention the entire time and I enjoyed my reading experience. That's all I can really ask for at the end of the day.

This reads as another heartwarming Christmas tale in England. Esme has to face what no one ever wants to: losing her job, her home, and her boyfriend all in one day: talk about the tri-fecta from hell. However, where some characters would wallow in their sadness (and she wants to), Esme sends readers a message of hope and resilience. She faces hardships, but she knows there is more out there for her, but it won't come easy.

I really liked this happy tale, maybe because it wasn't overly happy. I liked her struggle and her fight--it was realistic. Good things come to those who work their tales off, and Esme shows us that.

Now, was this a little cheesy and romantic? You better believe it! I mean, look at that cover. It screams Hallmark Movie. It's totally worth picking up at Christmas time (especially if you love the English!)

This is a very beautiful book and easy to read. A good Christmas book to read. This story is about a woman name Esme family and friends. I thank netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ebook.

Esme a woman trying her best to follow her dreams and working in the big city of London. Living with a hot guy too. Life is perfect until it goes tits up and she ends up heartbroken and back in her home town, homeless and unemployed.

Esme is a down to earth character and I couldn't help liking her. She has a warm family, her parents are a hoot.

Esmes friends are entertaining and supportive of her starting out again. Joe is a new friend/old acquaintance from school, he was one of them 'hot boys'. Joe has his own story to tell along with getting to know Esme.

This is a warm and fuzzy read with plenty of humour, and added Christmas Magic.

A great read at Christmas time or on the beach!


4 tinsel stars

I adored this story!

Esme is a food technician who has had a really bad day - lost her job and boyfriend all at once. She has to move home with her family, and waiting there is old friends and crushes, like Joe.

Both of these characters are fantastic and layered, and the supporting characters of the family and friends are just people you want to know. I loved being invited into their world and so with this blog/vlog were real. And the best part is not only the sweet romance, but the side stories of what happens to her ex boyfriend and ex boss.

Highly recommend.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This book was a light Christmas read but too predictable for my liking.

Esme is going through a rough patch in her life, her boyfriend basically cheating on her, breaking-up with her, and her job is gone. She has to move to her home town and ends up renting a cozy little cottage. It's tragic, but honestly that cottage sounds like dream. Esme ends up pursuing a different career as online cooking phenomenon, which was lots of fun to follow.

The writing was smooth and flowed nicely, making it easy and relaxing to read this book. The characters were enjoyable and not too difficult. The story was predictive, but honestly I didn't mind. I wanted to enjoy the journey Esme went through, and her ways of coping with life.

My favorite thing about this book was the cozy feeling I got from the surroundings. The cottage, being together with family, her cooking. It made me hungry, and excited for Christmas dinner.

This was a verg cute story, akin to a Hallmark movie. A fun adventure of a couple lost souls, and a couple of blatantly despicable foes.

Esme was a plucky, sweet, and very likable heroine. Her love of cooking, and her bright and cheery outlook easily endeared her to me.

Joe was also a great character, and a great match for Esme, though I feel like there could have been more of him.

This is a sweet and innocent romance, which some glances and eventually a sweet mistletoe kiss. It has elements of instalove, as well as some amusing situations.

If you enjoy Hallmark Christmas movies, Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage is the book for you! A fun, funny, enjoyable read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Esme has long had aspirations of writing her own cookbook, but she’s content working as a food technologist for a television program—that is until the ghastly host gets her fired. And after her boyfriend breaks up with her on the same day, she trades in the glitz of London for her quiet hometown of Sandchester. With the bit of money she has left, she rents a rundown cottage with the hope of carving out a new path and finally achieving her culinary dream. But after an old school crush drops back into her life, Esme soon realizes she just might want to share her dream with someone else.

Author Katie Ginger certainly makes her characters work for their happy endings, and Esme starts at rock bottom. A wicked boss who sabotages her career. A boyfriend who quickly shifts into an ex. Soon she’s shuttling back to her parents’ home—and with their idiosyncrasies, she simply cannot stay with them. There’s a deep injustice that permeates these opening scenes. Yet, even with this early turbulence, Esme remains a real, vibrant character who just needs a restart.

Fortunately, she does have a bit more control after finding herself a rental cottage with the help of the handsome, though somewhat guarded, Joe. Totally free, she explores her cookery roots by starting a blog before eventually moving into making videos. Ginger has a way of describing food that can make a mouth water in the middle of drama, which is also to suggest things are not all puff pastry and powdered sugar. Ginger carefully weaves in tension as Esme matures into her writing and hosting style.

Then there’s the love story she finds herself embroiled in. Cast aside by a boyfriend interested in pursuing another woman, Esme doesn’t go home in search of love. And yet, there’s Joe. Both of them have heartbreak in their past, and Esme soon realizes he’s holding back a lot of trouble. There’s something inevitable about them as a pairing without coming across as predictable, and the friction between them as they kindle a friendship and beyond is believable and sweet.

Peppered throughout is a charming cast of secondary characters from Esme’s London life as well as from her new community. They provide a ton of comedic relief, and their moments on the page are pure fun as they challenge Esme to experiment with food, work, and love.

As the ending winds up on Esme’s story, it’s Christmas in the village. The mistletoe is hung, the snow is blanketing the cottage, the tree is all lit up—and Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage would make for a perfectly wrapped present under it.

I absolutely devoured this book in one day! Esme Kendrick is forced to retract back to her hometown when she is sacked from her job and her boyfriend dumps her in one day. With the support of her family and friends, she refuses to go backwards but to make small steps foward. Esme gets the help from former classmate Joe, to help her find a place to live. She is immediately drawn to Mistletoe Cottege and believes it's the perfect place for her to start over.

Esme decides to start a blog and build a community while she starts to write her dreamt about cookbook. But her words alone are not getting her followers so she decides to start a vlog. As she starts to expand her blog she is slowly building a beautiful friendship with Joe. But Joe has had years of burrowing in his dark past, one big event that has haunted him making him unable to move forward. Esme has started to breakdown the double-layered wall around his heart but she has her own fresh heartbreak to deal with.

I loved this story. Esme was charming, funny, and relatable. I loved her ability to be uplifting and hopeful but also her continued fumbles. I did wish that as the reader I had more time with Joe and Esme. Juanita was a hilarious secondary character and I loved her addition to the story. If you love heart warming holiday romance this is for you!

As I am sure you are all aware by now, I love a Christmas novel so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read and review this one.

Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage is a fabulous feel-good, heart-warming festive read. And the cover sums up how cosy the book is, I mean, just look at it!

Esme has to return to her home village after losing her job, home and boyfriend in London in the same day. She moves into Mistletoe Cottage where her journey of rebuilding her life starts. Esme was a wonderful leading character who were cheering for as you read.

The support characters were also great, bringing many different aspects and personalities to the story, all of which turned this into a well-rounded, realistic story.

The love story that runs along with Esme’s own story is a slow burner, but in all the right ways, maybe making it seem more realistic than some others.

The perfect festive book to sit and enjoy curled up next to a roaring fire and a hot chocolate.

This was my first of Katie's books and she has surely won a fan here.

I love Esme, she is exactly the kind of character I associate with, right down to the love of food and cooking. I would have liked there to be more recipes or clearer instructions for the food Esme cooks in her new home.

I really liked the multiple narrative across the story. I love a multi narrative, and this one was done so well.

The cover of it is also super dreamy. It's the ideal Christmas book for curling up by the fire - just as if you were at mistletoe cottage.

5☆ A Warm, Witty, Scrumptious Festive Romance!

Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage is a heart warming festive read that was a delight to read.

But I also want to take a moment to admire the book cover, it's so beautiful and sums up that magical winters day perfectly! It truly is picture perfect!

Esme is really having a tough time. Not only is she overshadowed by a cooking star determined to steal her recipes, but when she finally pluck up the courage and stands up for herself, she finds it's her that's on the chopping board!

But things just get worse when her long term boyfriend Leo springs it on her that he no longer loves her.... all on the same day!

Homeless, jobless and with no boyfriend, she has no choice but to return back to her hometown of Sandchester with her parents.

It's here she re connects with her childhood friend Joe.
But Joe has a wounded past, but together can they mend their scars and turn friendship into love?
Things may just be starting to look up for Esme as she figures out what she wants to do next.

Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage is a Story about picking yourself up and starting over, it's about Friendships, relationships, a journey of self discovery and love.
This book is full of warmth, with a good dose of wit and humour and some scrumptious delights. The romance aspect is slow moving but absolutely perfect for the storyline.
The Characters are Endearing and relatable. I loved watching Esme grow in confidence as she takes charge of her future!

Yes this is a compelling and Festive Delight but it's also perfect for a cold winters night, just try not to read on an empty tummy!

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

This was cute! Esme was a great character and I loved seeing her come into her own. I liked that some chapters had different points of view, too. Joe was sweet and I’m glad he found peace.

This was a fun and witty read, which is sure to get you in the holiday spirit. There are many elements: family, friends, food, taking risks, etc... and the characters are very likeable.
Many thanks to HQ Digital and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.