My first Belinda Missen book was definitely a treat! The premise is free spirited Isobel, who doesn’t seem to settle in one place for long meeting the handsome and popular act, Tom. On paper, it seems these two could never work out. He’s famous and travels often for work. She’s a travel writer who loves to country hop.

The instant chemistry and banter tell us immediately they are meant to be together. Tom is completely charming and a true gentleman. He’s definitely not the cliche actor portrayed in many books. Watching them struggle to maintain a friendship instead of pushing a romantic relationship and risking broken hearts is actually pretty heartwarming. I dare any female out there not to fall for Tom.

The story is a bit slow to start but overall is paced well. The banter is witty and I adored the ending. I’d definitely recommend! Also, while it does take place around Christmas, I think this can be enjoyed any time of year.

Easy and quick Christmas read!! I loved this romance novel set in London during the Christmas season... yes, please! I absolutely love stories where two people find love unexpectedly and stories where characters learn the power of love. Definitely recommend this read!

Note: An ARC was given generously in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for letting me review this.

What an excellent end it was to Christmas Eve, reading this wonderful story set during Christmassy England.

Anyway.

Let me tell you how.

The cover - Is pretty cute, nothing special really. But still good enough for my heart to swoon over. Hence the stars.

The summary - "Two people. One chance meeting. Seven days to Christmas.
Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus when a man quite literally falls into her lap. Snow is falling, Christmas lights are twinkling, and a gorgeous man with dark brown hair has just slipped on ice and is now pressed against Isobel.

Isobel knows she’s not imagining the chemistry between them. But then his ride arrives and, embarrassed, he beats a hasty retreat, murmuring apologies – and Isobel realises only too late that she didn’t manage to catch his name…

When she runs into him again the next morning, she decides it’s fate.

It’s a second chance for Isobel and Tom – but there’s only one week until she’s leaving London for good. Seven days of enjoying all the festive delights the city has to offer: ice-skating at Somerset House, mulled wine on the Southbank, Christmas shopping at Liberty.

There’s magic in the air and mistletoe in the trees – but what will happen when the week is over?''

Fun summary. Short, sweet, and snappy for sure. A delightful read. Hence the stars.

The characters - Isobel is sweet, funny, smart, and sassy for sure. Tom is the perfect gentleman, fuck he's so perfect, I almost cried when the novel ended, like why can't I have him? And why can't guys be like this around me? Am I always destined for jerks? Maybe. But anyway those two were so adorable. Estelle was the coolest for sure, would have craved having a best friend like her. Overall, they are a marvelous bunch, hence the stars.

The romance -Pretty sweet, mostly slowburn. But yeah I loved how they didn't go and have sex already, they actually learned to use their words to learn more about each other and walked to places to get new experiences, I truly treasured those moments. SO it's really mostly sweet romance, rather than the sexy type. The stars are fully given here.

The problems - Well they do manage to solve the main problem of staying or going, and not without much drama (god knows how much I hate drama...) so yeah loved the problem solving. The ending is nice as well. So pretty good of a novel this was. All 5 stars given here.

Overall, a high, high recommend.

Until the next read,

TMR

A cute, quirky Christmas read! It was a lighthearted fun romance and I enjoyed it. The characters had great banter, and it was a perfect story for the winter.

A meet cute story. Weird. But it still works. Quirky and the perfect amount of Christmas magic. Different than the other Christmas novels I read this season.

For readers looking for a warm, cozy Christmas romance oozing with charm, this book may be the perfect choice. When Tom and Is literally collide on the street, little did they know that there would be sparks flying. The only trouble is that there’s only a week left before Christmas and Is’ departure from London.

Although I think there’s a strong market for books like this, sadly it wasn’t for me. Way too cerebral and vanilla for my taste. I need more emotional depth and a strong antagonist, both of which this story lacked. The writing was good. Just too much dialogue that never seemed to go anywhere.

Two thumbs up for the Christmas spirit but not a book that I enjoyed reading. I received an ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Isobel Bennett is waiting for the number 11 bus in London, one week ‘til Christmas when a handsome man slips on the ice and literally lands in Isobel’s lap. Isobel and Tom have an instant connection and both feel the chemistry between them but suddenly the charming man disappears.
A second chance meeting makes them both feel fate is on their side and Isobel and Tom share a week discovering all the festive delights of the city. Including, ice-skating at Somerset House and Christmas shopping at Liberty. Unfortunately Isobel is due to leave London after Christmas, which only gives the couple a week together.
I love Belinda Missen’s books and was looking forward to this one, it is full of Christmas vibes, romance and festive fun. This book puts you in the festive mood and I read this in one sitting, wondering how Isobel and Tom’s romance was going to survive after the Christmas season was over.
A real holiday romance with a festive feeling.

Lovely romance that has a very nice 'Christmas in London' vibe to it. Isobel and Tom literally stumble into each other arms, decide that they would like to spend some more time like this but in more comfortable circumstances and so they date for the next couple of days - until Isobel is returning home at the other end of the world. Is it wise to start something, knowing that it can't last?

I very much liked both Isobel and Tom, their chemistry was palpable and their Christmas-themed dates a really good way to explore what Londoners do during the advent season. It would make a great movie! The ending was no real surprise, but charming nevertheless.

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley. This is a fun, cute, absolutely perfect Christmas read! Isobel has a chance meeting with Tom when he trips and falls into her and then they run into each other the next day and a romance blooms. As the title implies they only have one week to spend together and they make the most of it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it’s perfect for the season. Thanks again to NetGalley!

One Week 'Til Christmas came out last month but is such a sweet story to get into the holiday spirit. It's slightly longer than a novella, but is basically the right length to give you the chance to enjoy the love story that unfolds!

Cute Christmas Story
Isobel is the classic character stuck in a job she likes, but doesn't love, and a boss that is constantly promising her something more but never actually fulfills the promise. Basically, she's the average person. But when she meets Tom, she finally has the chance to stretch her creative wings and it's really sweet seeing how they challenge each other. Although they only know each other a few days, I love a good insta-connection. It's a classic of every holiday movie and I'm here for it!

Annoyingly Fake Sexual Innuendo
Biggest drawback for me was the horrible way the characters "flirted" with each other. They are just so bad at sexual innuendo that it ended up being more cringe-worthy than swoon-worthy. Maybe a quick scroll through some dirty instagram accounts, or even watching Michael Scott's lines from The Office would improve the way these characters attempt to flirt!

Overall, this is a cute Christmas story that will remind you of all the holiday films I'm sure you're currently binge-watching! It's a short book, so this is a short review, and I'll just end off by saying that this is not an epic romance so don't go in with your hopes up. This is a Christmas romance that takes place over a week and has that happy ending waiting...which I'm completely down for during the holidays!

3.5 stars! This was a very cute Holiday read! It was light and fun, perfect for a cozy read by the fireplace and/or Christmas tree!

It took me a while to really get into it. I feel like the ending (the last 15-20%) was the best part of the book and was a bit more fast paced.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. The characters were great and the Christmas feel was definitely there!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute, wholesome book! It was a super fast read and I loved the setting, it gave me perfect Christmas vibes. Both the main characters were interesting and their communication was awesome. Finally someone who tries talking about important stuff early on, because it is important to talk about!! Miscommunication between fictional characters (when for no reason at all) is the worst.

Isobel and Tom’s romance was heart-warming and super cute! I loved how they were brought together by coincidence and simply found out they really enjoyed each other’s company. It happened fast (I mean, the book takes place for 10 days), but it never felt rushed or too much like insta-love. The ending was perfect and left just enough open for the reader to imagine what happens next.

It has to be said that it was pretty obvious what would happen in the book and how it would come to pass, but I don’t think that’s necessarily too negative for a Christmas-y romance like this. So I say: if you’re looking for a cute and fast romance for the holidays, give this a try!

A light hearted romcom worthy of a Hallmark movie. Not much depth here, but you will find an enjoyable fast read that you can pretty much guess how it will resolve from page one. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing an advanced copy for review.

I have tried to read this book for awhile and it is just not for me. The beginning is so silly and badly written that I just could not go on. Hopefully it will be a better fit for a different reader.

Loved this book - didn’t want to put it down. And have gone and bought more books by the same author.

When I was looking for Christmas reads for the HoHoHo readathon a little while back, I came across ‘One Week Till Christmas’ on Netgalley. That cover looked so simple and cute that it just grabbed my attention. And after reading the book description I knew I wanted to read this book.

‘One Week Till Christmas’ is definitely a very sweet and nice Christmas read. Isobel Bennett is a travel journalist from Australia who is visiting London a view days before Christmas. The day she arrives, she literary bumps into this handsome guy. And when she unexpectedly sees the handsome stranger Tom again the next day she decides to spend some time with him. And soon Isobel and Tom are inseparable.

This book definitely had everything to make it a fun Christmas read. Set in December in gorgeous London. A handsome guy.. a girl you can easily relate too, romance. Yes, ‘One Week Till Christmas’ definitely seemed to have it all. But although I definitely enjoyed this book, I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the characters as much as I would have liked. Especially Tom’s character just didn’t really work for me. And I couldn’t really tell you why to be honest. I just didn’t ‘feel’ him.

Also the ending of this book felt a little rushed to me. One minute we are going through every day before Christmas slowly, and the next it was Christmas. But obviously the whole walking through London in Christmas time made up for a lot. Sigh.. I loved walking through London with these characters.

Yes, ‘One Week Till Christmas’ was a fun Christmas read, but it didn’t wow me.

This is truly a gentle read if someone is looking for that.

My issue with it was that I actually love a soft read, but this was simply boring for me. There really isn’t much of a plot and the characters have a lot of air time but you still don’t feel like you know much about them / a sense of why you should care about them (or why they found themselves caring about one another?).. This one just really didn’t work for me. Alas.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seven days is all it takes to completely change Isobel’s life. After a near miss with a bus and a handsome stranger life is about to get a whole lot interesting.

With the magical backdrop of a christmassy London, this is a beautiful book with a Notting Hill-esque appeal.

A super quick read that is full of the Christmas feels.

Isobel is a travel writer who is in London for a brief time on the run up to Christmas when she finds herself being knocked literally off her feet into the path of a bus but a very handsome stranger.

Their paths cross again when Isobel agrees to interview an up and coming actor called Tom as a favour for her boss. . . and we all know who the actor is, don't we?

Isobel and Tom hit it off and when Isobel says that she wants to experience a real London Christmas, Tom decides to show her all of the best attractions.

But Isobel is heading back home to Melbourne in just 7 days time and is wary of developing feelings for Tom when she's leaving any minute now.

This is the perfect book to read on the run up to Christmas and has certainly got me feeling festive.

Thank you to Netgalley for the copy!!

This is a Hallmark movie wrapped into a story about first chances and romance. We meet Isobel, our main character, who is visiting a friend in London before the Christmas holiday. While making her way to the bus she gets run into by a handsome stranger. Isobel is a travel writer and when her boss calls to ask if she minds doing an interview she obliges. The next day she bumps into the handsome man and it turns out to be the actor she is set to interview. Intrigued by Isobel, Tom asks her to spend some time together getting to know each other and do the things she had planned to do while on vacation. Soon enough their feelings become more and the question that keeps rising is what will happen when it’s time to leave. Soon pictures of them are leaked and Isobel is tasked with a story she doesn’t agree to. Word spreads and disaster happens. Tom starts to think she isn’t who she said she was and can’t trust her. Heartbroken Isobel quits her job and decides to not bother Tom again. Will it end there or will they find a way to connect again.. well you’ll have to read to find out!

This was a very heartwarming read. It was a bit slow in some areas and rushed in others. But I loved the whole concept and the story in all it’s entirety.