Molly Baker still runs Hope Farm in Buckinghamshire – it is a mix between looking after a variety of rescued animals and a school for children with problems who struggle with education. Molly is in love – she has already lost hope of finding it but then Shelby Dacre arrived, a famous soap star and celebrity, sweeping her of her feet and also, simultanously, saving her farm and school from bankruptcy. They don’t see each other often as he’s working away from home but his son Lucas is living with Molly and helping with the farm. It’s now coming up to Christmas and those two, together with Bev and Alan, are organising a Christmas open day to raise some money and also present the farm and school to the local community. It pushes Molly out of her comfort zones – being around people is not her favourite thing. Shelby doesn’t visis as often as he promised, then there ist he fact he’s allergic to all the animals and actually is seems that they have different dreams for their lives – can their relationship survive? Then Lucas, moody and broody, brings Aurora home and a rocky relationship begins, and there is also a new mayor who wants to support the farm project and loves helping there. A lot is happening at the Hope Farm – but not everything goes as smoothly as Molly would wish.

I think you can read „Christmas for Beginners“ as a stand – alone, however I would advise you to read „The Happiness for Beginners“ first, to really deeply understand why the farm is so important, and to get the characters, especially Lucas. There is simply too much to miss and it was a real joy for me to see all the characters again, to see how they are doing, and I don’t only mean the main characters but the whole motley crew including students and animals.

About the characters… I think there was still some space left for their development, but altogether I liked them and it was easy to get into their world. I must admit that I felt so sorry for Molly. I guess that before, when I was a bit younger, I’d be annoyed with her, but as people change as they’re getting older, I truly, really felt for her. It is so that sometimes it’s simply better not to say anything or let others rant and blame you, because than they see they are wrong and it’s them feeling like idiots. Not you. And Molly was like this, and while earlier I’d think, my god, woman, grow a backbone or two, now I could see where she was coming from and why she was like this. I couldn’t believe how much she has to stomach, how much she feels she has to carry on her shoulders and how much blows there are coming her way. And she only wanted peace and happiness. She was actually my kind of girl, covered in manure and always having dogs at her side, just like me most days, ha.
It was lovely to see Molly and Lucas getting on so well, though yes, I must admit, Lucas is a real challenge. However, despite his age, I think he already knows what he wants from life. And he adores Molly, of course he does, well, he has chosen to live with her in her caravan and not in this huge manor nearby, right? And he also loves the farm, as much as Molly, all those animals and their alternative school and its pupils, who struggle as well as Lucas, having emotional issues or being on the spectrum.

Of course we have to mention animals. Of course. They are characters of their own, adding so much humour to the story. The book shows how important they are for people. The mischevious trio of alpacas, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart and Johnny Rotten, and we still cn’t be sure which one of them has eaten the Baby Jesus. Anthony, the anti – social sheep is hilarious, and then we have all the chickens, horses, cat and dogs. Carole Matthews has written them with heart and tons of feelings, and they are truly unforgettable.

The author touches upon some sensitive topics and while the one about domestic violence was nicely rounded and wrapped up, the other ones, especially about the pregnancy were, in my opinion, rather amateurishly treated. They felt like an afterthought to be honest and you could see from afar how they’re both going to end.

Altogether, „Christmas for Beginners“ was a feel – good and cheery read, perfect for the times, already bringing us in the festive mood. The author adds some sadness into her story and also touches upon some heavier and bigger issues but the overwhelming feel – good factor is there, and even if the world is falling, there is still hope that everything will be better. And even like this, the story was not too cheesy or too sugary sweet, it was a great escapism that I really enjoyed. Truly recommended!

Christmas for Beginners is the sequel to Carole’s brilliant book Happiness for Beginners. I fell in love with Hope Farm so I couldn’t wait to return and see how Molly and Lucas are getting on with those mischievous animals of theirs. The story was brilliant and was everything I needed right now and it was just the most perfect escapism during these tough times. I love Molly and her wonderful world and think Molly and Lucas’ relationship progression was greatly written. Lucas is a cheeky 16 year old going through some testing times so it was lovely to see Molly grow as a ‘Mother’ figure for him.

I absolutely loved the ending and was screaming for it to happen halfway through the book. I feel like I could go on and on about this but I really don’t want to spoil anything so I will leave it there – unless you have read it, then PLEASE private message me!!!!!!!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it was the perfect Christmas read to start December off.

Carole Matthews does it again. Every one of Carole’s books leaves you feeling like you’ve known the characters for years. Another sure fire hit. Perfect for a dark winters evening

I love Carole Matthews and once again she delivers with this cosy, feel good Christmas novel. A joyful story about hope, love and people who choose to be family through choice, not blood ties.

I haven't read the first in this series unfortunately but that did not spoil the book for me. Hope Farm is just that a place of escape and that is the gift this book has given me during a difficult time so I thank Carole Matthew's for that. The characters were amazing though over shadowed every so slightly by the host of hilarious animals. A great book and a different take on a christmas narrative.

What a lovely book to curl up with, enjoy a hot chocolate or some mulled wine, whilst listening to Christmas songs. You will be transported to the wonderful world of Hope Farm, with Molly, her boyfriends son Lucas, friends and menagerie of animals.

She has lots to do to get things ready for Christmas, her boyfriend Shelby is a famous actor, who is away most of the time, which Lucas finds hard to accept.

Read this lovely book, to see how things progress, will there be Joy for Molly and Hope Farm but are there some obstacles to face first??

A great book, give it a go. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I love this author's books and I loved this one.
It's well written, festive and made me smile and wish it was Christmas.
Great character and plot development, it kept me hooked till the end.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I love Carole Matthews especially the Christmas stories. A perfect heartwarming country location and likeable characters make this an ideal festive read x

Warm, witty, wonderful. I read this in one rainy weekend, sat by the fire in my cottage. Carole Matthew’s is a queen of making you feel good. Put your Christmas worries away and delve into some escapist loveliness. Full of hope, charm and thoroughly likeable characters, you’ll finish this book in a lovely mood.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I loved revisiting Hope Farm and carrying on the adventures to be had in the new premises.
I enjoyed reading about the antics the animals get up to and the preparations for Christmas, Molly is coming out of her shell a bit more and thoroughly loving her new home, which includes a shower and a live in tenant, Lucas ( Shelbys son)
This had me crying, laughing and had a surprising but reassuring finale,

It’s difficult to say how much I loved this book and it has to be one of my favourite Christmas reads ever!

Molly runs an animal rescue called Hope Farm where she takes in an array of very mischievious and adorable animals. She lives in a caravan on the site with teenager Lucas, who is the son of her partner Shelby. Most of the time actor Shelby is away working and he doesn’t share the love of animals that connects Molly and Lucas. The farm works closely with troubled children who can interact with the animals and help relieve some of the stress in their lives. Everyone is on board to put together a Christmas themed open day to raise money for the animals, but will it all come together on the day?

This character driven novel has everything you could ever look for in a Christmas book. I was so pleased that it featured rescued animals, a subject very close to my heart. Every single alpaca, chicken, donkey etc had it’s own individual character and a name which suited their personalities to perfection.

I related to Molly on so many levels. I would also love to hide away with just animals for company. However, Molly has to come out of her comfort zone to help the animals and children who are part of her life. Her huge heart enables her to overcome her social anxiety and really put Hope Farm on the map. I felt for Molly as she struggled to keep the peace between Lucas and his father. She had to walk on eggshells and make tricky decisions due to their animosity for each other and it really pulled at my heartstrings.

Every character in the story is portrayed so descriptively by Carole Matthews that you feel like you could spot them in a crowded room. There are serious issues, hilarious animal antics, beautiful poetry and romance (not just from the alpacas!!).

This is a charming uplifting read, perfect escapism and just what you need on a cold, winter evening.

A great Christmassy read following on from
Happiness for beginners. It was great to see old friends again and especially all the animals at hope farm. A fun sparkly read

It was great to be back at Hope Farm again with Molly and Lucas. Before I go any further, I’m going to tell you I LOVED this story and I felt so sad to be leaving at the turning of the last page. I could live in this world!

You don’t have to read Happiness for Beginners to make sense of Christmas for Beginners because Carole Matthews builds the backstory in from the beginning. You’ll soon get to know Molly, Lucas, Bev and Shelby. I love Molly. She’s a woman who takes action for others although that often means putting herself last. She was definitely the one in this middle in this story.

I loved hearing about the new additions to Hope Farm and of course the quirky animals that are still there. And the new Mayor, Matt Eastman – swoon! When Molly first meets him, oh, so funny! Shelby is noticeable by his absence with his acting commitments. Still generous to a fault though.

As much as I loved the moments of laughter, my heart ached several times. Life doesn’t run smoothly for several of the characters … this author sure knows how to hook in your emotions. A couple of things didn’t work out how I thought they would and tested my loyalties. I thought I knew which way we were heading and then bam! something happens to change it all. Poppy’s situation was heart-breaking and I was so hoping for a good resolution for her and her mum. Lucas’ poem on Christmas Day brought me to tears. And the ending had me sobbing. Perfection.

This is a story that will entertain you. You’ll be taken out of the world around you and immersed in a world where the pandemic doesn’t exist and life wraps around you with all the colours of emotions and a feeling that eventually, all is right with the world.

Highly recommended!

A really lovely festive novel. The setting is beautiful, the characters relatable and overall just a really lovely heartwarming book. I hope we get to read more about these characters in the future.

It's been a while since I have indulged in a Carole Matthews book and I really don't know why I have left it so long!
I started reading this at 10.30pm and I have now finished it at 5.45am! It's kept me up all night! I have loved every minute of it, from Lucas to Molly and then Ant and Dec. The characters were fabulous and made me laugh out loud at times. I love the cover too. This is a book I would be very happy to recommend to all. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers and the author Carole Matthews for the privilege to read this book for my honest review

I don’t think this will be the final book in this set, at least I hope it won’t - I definitely think there’s room for a third instalment at Hope Farm. I’m glad this story ended how it did as well. Lots of sadness along the way but everyone was in the right place at the end.

Another fabulous story from Carole Matthews. It took.me a.couple of chapters to get into it as it was my first encounter with Hope Farm but I quickly got to know the characters. As soon as the sexy Mayor arrived on the scene I was waiting for romantic sparks to fly. Poor Molly, overworked with her partner Shelby always absent and immersed in his world of acting leaving his son Lucas in her care. With Christmas on the horizon Molly is working hard to make the festivities special for everyone and with the help of the Mayor success looks guaranteed. A curl up in front of the fire christmassy book (with chocolate of course)!

I absolutely adore Carole Matthews, every book she writes fills me with joy and leaves me with a warm feeling. This was no exception , a five star read filled with fabulous loveable characters , absolutely amazing Christmassy read, Carole has done it again, just perfect

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I was a few chapters into Christmas for Beginners when I realised how much I'd been missing Hope Farm and how good it was to be back with Molly, Lucas and easily the best cast of animals in any book around at the moment.

We have mischievous alpacas who had me laughing out loud at one point, adorable bunnies, troublesome dogs, a reclusive cat, an antisocial sheep, and all manner of other animals resulting in general hilarity!

Like in Happiness for Beginners I love the concept of this farm, and just what Molly is trying to achieve and getting to know all the characters so much better in this sequel has been a joy. And the various children she is trying to help really do get under your skin, they are just fabulous.

And Molly who finds it easier to be among animals than people is preparing for a Christmas Open day, which has the potential to either be a fabulous fundraiser or a disaster. Add in a new gorgeous local mayor who seems to enjoy life on a farm, and her own boyfriend Shelby seemingly being more distanced and it has all the ingredients to be a really wonderful book.

To which Carole Matthews doesn't disappoint and proves herself to be a rather handy poet to, with more poetry from Lucas too, and there are some gripping storylines going on all over the book. There is so much fitted in, its no wonder I have sat there going just one more chapter for a few hours until I well ran out of pages!

There is enough backstory for me to believe it can be read as a standalone, and definitely enough to remind this forgetful reviewer of key points from the previous book.

Such a wonderful book, truly enjoyable and one for animal lovers as well as Carole Matthew fans, women's fiction fans and those that enjoy a bit of festive fiction too!

Thank you to Sphere and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I absolutely loved the return to Hope Farm at Christmas time. It really does remind me of the farm my daughter attends and they way they care for the day farmers.
It's one of those books that you start and have to keep reading, wrapped in a lovely warm feeling. Molly is making a success of the farm in it's new setting. I loved the descriptions of the naughty animals including the alpacas and the ram. I've seen a ram gearing up to charge people in the field, and they too have to live in a 'secure' field.
I fell in love with the mayor at first sight- seemingly perfect! He threw himself into Hope Farm nativity plans.
All of the characters are so well drawn that you feel so involved with everything that is happening and wondering how things will work out for everyone.
A Carole Matthews book is always a winner- but I have a real soft spot for the Hope Farm books.