Fabulous Cressida McLaughlin at her best. I’m yet to meet a book by this author that I haven’t loved and binge read. Such friendly relatable characters.

Review of Christmas Carols and a Cornish Cream Tea: The perfect heart-warming and romantic Christmas romance (The Cornish Cream Tea series, Book 5) - by Cressida McLaughlin

I really enjoyed this story. A perfect read for the festive season, giving you all the warm fuzzy feelings. Set in a beautiful location, that just makes you want to go and visit. Recommended

I love Cressida,I get so excited when she has a new book out because they’re so gorgeous and this was no exception. As always such heartwarming and enchanting read, get the tissues out there may be some needed. These books have so much more depth than many others in the genre do, this is the 5th book in the series but these can all definitely be read as a standalone. This is a fantastic story, I admit I fell in love with Finn from when we first meet him, this is such a great read full of community, friendships and family and a lot of seasonal spirit with tons of emotion, recommended with tissues and hot chocolate

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

A wonderful Christmas read by Cressida McLaughlin, whilst it's part of a series I didn't feel out of place reading this on it's own without reading the rest. I take comfort from this book that not everyone enjoys Christmas and that's okay, it's also something that absolutely should be discussed with no judgement. Seeing the unit that Meredith surrounds herself with was heart-warming.

"Christmas Carols and a Cornish Cream Tea" is a typical feel-good seasonal romance to get you in the mood for Christmas. You know that there will be a happy ending but there is plenty of fun and some twists along the way. Cosy up beside a roaring fire and escape to winter in Cornwall!

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Oh my word, and sniffle, and swoon, and sigh. What an utterly delightful, heartwarming and perfect-for-the-season book this is.


Meredith and Finn, along with the delightful Cornish setting and the super gorgeous Crumble, totally captured my heart. Meredith, our heroine, is a down-to-earth young woman with whom I instantly felt a connection. Already a very likeable character I enjoyed seeing her overcome those mental obstacles to truly become the best person she could be. Very notable was how authentic that growth felt; whilst Finn was the spark that lit the fuse it still felt as though Meredith had autonomy over her decisions.


The plot spread beyond the mere seasonal romance and incorporated several different aspects that helped move the story forward as well as engage the reader even more! The side plots involving Anisha and her family, the mystery of neighbouring Bernie, the hampers, and the artwork all added a vibrant richness to the book. There were one or two things I might have added to my Christmas list such as having at least a small amount of Finn's viewpoint - particularly around resolving the issues around his parents.


The author's voice felt like a warm hug; it has a smooth flow and steady quality to it. It took absolutely no time at all for me to be caught up in the story and invested in the characters. Cressida McLaughlin has a wonderful way with words, evoking strong emotions and precise images without being overly complex or descriptive. I was inside Meredith looking out through her eyes, rather than feeling like an outside observer. There may even have been occasions when I shed a few tears.


The book had so much hidden depth, not only with its themes of grief, family and love but also some of the other topics it touched on. The community aspect, the truth of Britain's struggling High Streets and the joy of the season all combined into a first-rate story. This was all further enhanced by the beautiful setting and subtle yet solid world-building. The author wove Cornwall into so many aspects of the story, but in such a gentle way that it didn't detract from the plot.


This may be the first book I have read by Cressida McLaughlin, if it is any indication to go by then I do not intend it to be my last.

Meridith hates Christmas. Living in Cornwall and working in a local gift shop, her life consists of work, her cat and swimming in the sea.

Then Finn enters her life - confident and a lover of Christmas, he does his best to sprinkle some festive good cheer into Meridth’s life.

This was an enjoyable novel - parts of it did drag a little bit and I didn’t find myself grabbing my Kindle at every opportunity, but it was perfect for my annual Christmas novel binge. There is apparently a series of books, but I would suggest this works as a stand-alone novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in lieu of an honest review.

A festive and heartwarming Christmas romance, a good addition to this series.
It was a pleasant and enjoyable read, perfect for a winter lazy afternoon.
It's well written, great descriptions of Cornwall, the plot is compelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the first book I have read by Cressida McLaughlin and I loved it and can't wait to read more of her books. The story is about Meredith, who lives in Cornwall, and she swims in the sea there daily. She doesn't like Christmas very much, due to a family trauma from her past. However, the lovely Finn, who she meets at the beach, comes to her rescue and entices her into the Christmas spirit. Will they be able to get together, and will Meredith fully immerse herself into the magic of Christmas? The characters of the book are all so cute and lovely. I really loved this book so much, and it made me feel all warm and gooey inside. I loved the Christmas theme and it has got me all excited for Christmas. Ho, ho, ho!

Thankyou Cressida! I now have a new favourite author. Thankyou also to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Meredith is getting ready for another christmas season. A time she doesn't enjoy and wishes it away as soon as possible. This year however she's about to meet someone desperate to make her see the wonder of christmas. Can she finally see the Christmas magic and find her own confidence along the way?

This was a lovely festive read. The hampers mentioned in this sound amazing and who wouldn't want one. A cornish christmas has always sounded amazing to me. The plot to this is simple but well executed. The ending is so cute and finished the story just as I wanted it to. Meredith is an interesting lead and it makes a nice change to have the woman not loving christmas instead of the man. The other characters all help to develop the story and Bernie with her love of christmas was amazing. A fun festive read.

Meredith doesn't 'do' Christmas but unfortunately is having to show willing at work as her boss wants luxury Christmas hampers delivering for his VIP friends
Finn who she bumps into for the first time one morning after a swim keeps bumping into her in the village and ultimately offers his assistance to her boss so she can't say no, and starts trying to persuade Meredith that Christmas isn't that bad really
A lovely Christmassy story

Such a cosy festive read! I enjoyed the characters and especially the setting, a small seaside town, so perfect!
The romance is cute and even though it follows the standard "big misunderstanding let's fight then make up", it was done in a really good way, I didn't even roll my eyes once ;-)
It's the first book I read by Cressida McLaughlin and I didn't know this belongs to a series. I'll definitely read her other books, I'm hooked!

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't read a lot of 'general contemporary adult romance fiction' or however you want to determine the genre, and this is my first 'holiday romance' novel (though I watch a lot of christmas romance movies). But what a book to start with. I loved Meredith, for all her "grinchiness" and her friends for their understanding, even when they were eager to push her out of her comfort zone. I'm glad that Finn, whilst ultimately successful, didn't force anything, and that Meredith didn't change only for Finn. He just put in the gentle time and effort to talk to her, and learn about her.

He was a bit dim with the privacy thing but I get it. And Meredith did too. I did have to brace myself for the inevitable Tragic Misunderstanding but it was well handled. I think it was seeded throughout the book that things would come to a head and the characters made the only decisions they felt they could make. It sucked, but it wasn't forced for the sake of ~drama~.

All in all a great introduction to the sub-genre and I will definitely be going back to read the rest of the Cream Tea books!

Meredith is not a fan of Christmas, and does her utmost to avoid for the last ten years. However her new job in a Cornish gift shop means that she has no choice but to embrace the festive season.

When her boss wants to give hampers to the great and good of Porthglow, Meredith finds herself suddenly thrust into the festive season. Coupled with helping her best friend Anisha to create a last minute Christmas spectacular for Porthglow, Meredith cannot help become swept away.

Then enters Finn, as Meredith emerges from her cold water swimming, she meets Finn. And he seems to keep popping up everywhere around the little village and volunteers to help deliver the hampers. Finn embraces the true Christmas spirit and is determined for Meredith to see what Christmas can really be like, but he is not telling all and seems to be keeping something hidden.

This booked is packed full of Christmas, Cornish coastlines, Cold Water swimming, Carols, Charm and plenty of Curiosity to keep the reader guessing about whether; the festive hampers will be a success; the blossoming relationship between Finn and Meredith and who really owns the house on the cliff, that Meredith has dreamed about for a long time.

This is not a follow on from the previous Cornish Cream Tea novels, but some familiar faces do appear, but no matter if this is your first encounter with this authors work. It is an excellent Christmas read to get you in the spirit full of light, life and love. Perfect!

A lovely book to read over the festive period. Great characters, as always with Cressida McLaughlin’s books, and I was pleased to see a familiar character from the Cornish Cream Tea Bus books also play a cameo in this story (if I’m honest, I started this book assuming it would have the same characters in & it took me quite a while to stop expecting them to pop up … but the new ones are equally good, so it was a pleasant surprise when Charlie did appear).
A thoroughly enjoyable read, held my interest throughout as the relationship between the two main characters developed.
Perfect for Christmas, lovely to read in the winter months while snuggled up nice & warm, but enjoyable at any time.

This is my first festive read of the year. It was a warm hearted, cosy story that was full of Christmas cheer.
Meredith isn’t keen on the festive season which the reader will find out why but with the arrival of Finn in the seaside town, will she maintain that Meredith just doesn’t ‘feel’ Christmas.
Definitely a comforting read for the Christmas holidays, I loved the sound of the seaside village and the range of characters featured were a great collection. There wasn’t any action and it was slow in places but overall perfect for the Christmas season.

I love this author and have followed all her Cornish cream Tea stories. However, I found this one to be somewhat misleading. It wasn't set in Porthgolow, the seaside town readers have come to know and love but still seemed to ride the coat tails of this series' [previous success. The story was still enjoyable, with some great new characters. But I found I just couldn't move past the fact it had very little to do with the Cornish Cream Tea brand as I had been led to believe.

I love Cressida’s books. They’re like a hug in book form!!!! This is so beautiful and festive…..I’m in love

This is now the second book in the cream tea series that I’ve read and the charm of the Cornish villages really doesn’t grow old. I was ready and waiting to see Gertie the cream tea bus appear with Charlie and was glad when they got a mention in this.

I absolutely love the idea of hampers for Christmas and quite often make little hampers for people as presents as I feel like you can really personalise them and if I was receiving one I would know how much time and effort had gone into it. There’s just something quite special about a box or basket full of lots of little treasures and surprised isn’t there! It’s like a grown up stocking!!

Meredith’s enthusiasm for these hampers and everything at Cornish Keepsakes is infectious and I just know that it would be a shop I headed straight to if I was visiting. These little bespoke gift shops are the best and I find that they always have unique items that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.

The morning swims of Meredith’s aren’t really my cup of tea - definitely rather staying snug for an extra half hour lay in but Cressida makes it sound so refreshing and like the right way to start a day. Especially if you could walk out of the sea to find a gorgeous man waiting there for you…

I really liked Meredith and Finn’s budding friendship, especially how well Finn takes to Crumble and his caring nature whenever he’s talking to Meredith, even if there is a healthy dose of banter there to!

Another cracker for Cressida and it’s made me more determined to read the rest of the cream tea books - and also The Staycation!!!

This is a definite warm Christmas hug with a mug of hot chocolate book. The perfect festive read that makes you feel good all the way through.