One of my favourite things about Lucy's books is that she manages to get the things she loves most in life, as well as things that happen to her down on paper and turns them into stories that are magical and familiar. I adored 'How to Bake a New Beginning' and 'The Ingredients for Happiness,' because they felt like home and those snippets that were inspired by real life warmed by heart and made me smile.

Her third book 'Wishes Under a Starlit Sky,' amazes me for how Lucy turned a very unpleasant time in her life into a gorgeous book full of hope and love. Honestly, I was blown away. I even told her that this one may just be my favourite of her three!!! Maybe...I feel bad for choosing..but it is really, really good.

Where to start? Firstly, I love Harper's name! Harper Hayes just rolls off the tongue and makes me feel like she could be in a Hallmark movie, which coincidentally she could be, because her job is writing romance scripts for a company not so unlike the Hallmark channel. In fact, reading this book made me feel like a Hallmark movie was playing in my head. The settings were utterly enchanting and stunning and the scenes were just beautiful and sweet. Our family needs a trip to Colorado pronto. We've always loved log cabins and the idea of snowboarding down snowy mountains, before sitting round a roaring fire with hot chocolate, but after reading all of those scenes in 'Wishes Under a Starlit Sky,' the need to actually book a trip now has grown tenfold. At Christmastime too, the magic was palpable.

The story itself I found incredibly inspiring. It's not a romance in the traditional sense, but personally I'd say it was still a romance. Butterflies in your stomach, warm and fuzzy feelings, goosebumps and smiles are feelings you get when you fall in love and all of those feelings are present in 'Wishes Under a Starlit Sky,' but rather than falling in love with a man or woman, this book is about falling in love with life and most importantly yourself. It's about finding love in the things that are present in your life in the moment; getting butterflies looking at the beauty of nature around you, feeling warm and fuzzy meeting new people and connecting with them, smiling non-stop because of delicious food that you just want to devour in one bite, getting goosebumps at the sight of twinkling lights and Christmas decorations. It's about looking in the mirror and loving what you see, no matter what anyone else says or does to you. It's about finding that self love and believing in yourself no matter what life throws at you...

Life throws Harper a snowball she doesn't want one Christmas and a year later the affects are still apparent. She's learning to navigate life in a new way, to make decisions on her own and to still go after dreams that she was on the verge of grasping albeit now in her own way. I was so proud of her for every little step in the right direction and every little moment that she learnt to love herself and take a chance. I cried, I really cried because Lucy writes with so much emotion that I could feel it pouring from the pages. It wasn't an easy thing for Harper to go through, it took time, so much time to heal after being treated so poorly, but being with her along the way and learning new lessons with her was a very empowering experience.

I've not even mentioned all of the wonderful characters in this book, of which there are many, so so many, but if I go into detail about them all, I'm literally going to write an essay. I'm pretty sure i'm half way there already! I can't resist mentioning a few though... the relationship between Harper and her best friend Madi was beautiful, they were practically sisters and I adored their interactions. Harper's parents were the coolest. The people she meets in Colorado are even cooler and then there's Dean and Poppy! Ugh I told you SO many!!!

'Wishes Under a Starlit Sky' is enchanting, magical, empowering, festive and a definite must read. It's about keeping on keeping on when you feel at your lowest, but most of all it's about LOVE. Love for others, love for yourself and love even when it's the last thing you feel like doing, because love is always stronger than hate.

This is the first book by Lucy Knott I've ever read so I didn't know if I would enjoy it. Thankfully, I really got into the story and loved reading about a creative main character, as I too am a writer of sorts. If you enjoy the festive books of Caroline Roberts and Heidi Swain - I think you will love this.

3.5*
A charming tale of finding yourself when you feel the most broken. Harper's journey as she chases her dreams and her lost self-confidence is sweet, and not as festive as the cover suggests!

It was also great to read a commercial romance with a character who embraces elements of what is sometimes viewed an alternative lifestyle.