Melissa Hill is one of my favourite contemporary authors so I was thrilled to be approved to read this one, especially as some of her titles are hard to find in North America! I was previously only familiar with her Christmas in New York titles, so this one was a little different for me. As usual, Hill did not disappoint and she remains one of my beloved writers. Always will look forward to her new works.

It was a pretty good book. Storyline was good. I definitely enjoyed it. Would search out this author aagain.Good storyline and characters to root for.

Having read many of Melissa Hills previous books I was delighted to receive this preview copy- it did not disappoint.
The story is set around the Christmas traditions established by the the family's mother over her married life. After a heartbreaking bereavement and a major disagreement the family navigate their first Christmas without their beloved family member. With lots of drama, tears, nostalgia the family find their way back to each other. With mostly likable characters ( apart from one - purposely dislikeable individual) I enjoyed this book and would recommend to a friend

Such an absolutely touching and insightful novel about family and all the ups and downs it can go through. Each character is well thought out and detailed against their foibles and strengths. Definitely worth the time to read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this.

A beautifully written story that follows a family that has each suffered their own setbacks, and the loss of their matriarch.

The loss initially pulls the family apart, but Christmas brings them together, as they all come to terms and face the setbacks that had contributed to the separation, each responsible in their own way.

Indeed beautiful, but also quite a pill to chew. I teared up a number of times.
The idea of a mother preparing a family for their first Christmas without her is a heart-breaking thought and it is not an easy one for most people who will empathise or relate to it.
While the story is beautifully written with a wonderful little twist at the end, some of the storylines are a little too obvious and changes within characters are so blatantly obvious they give away what will happen.

A beautiful read. A tear jerker looking at grief at Christmas and how it can bring a family together and tear it apart. I love Melissa Hills and this one is no exception. Highly recommended

This is a story of siblings coming home to spend Christmas with their mother while enjoying time with their mother they have no idea this will be their last Christmas together.. This was a emotional read that was about grief, strength and hope and family. Anyone that has lost a parent will connect to this story.

Amazon Publishing UK seriously thank you so much for this ebook copy!

Honestly that's why I requested this book..... That description!
I will be surprised if readers pick this book up in stores or on their Kindles and read the synopsis and not take this book home with them!
Because if that doesn't make you want to dive inside this story I don't know what will!

What an emotional, heart warming, raw, tear jerker story this one was!
I was thinking of this book when I wasn't reading it! I had to be reading it!
One of the best stories I've read!
And I haven't read a story that made me tear up like that in some time!
This author has a way with her writing that just make you want more of it!
More of these characters more of the story!
Its honestly amazing!
Every character is compelling, and the author does a tremendous job of weaving together and slowly unraveling a complicated setting!
I loved it all! And I hope and think others will too!

The Beautiful Little Things by Melissa Hill - 4 ⭐️

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Review ⭐️ - The Beautiful Little Things, is beautifully written - it’s an emotional story of the importance of family and how grief effects us all differently! The Moore siblings have always been close, especially at Christmas when they all come together and spend it with their parents in their childhood home in Dublin, that is until they lose their mother to an illness, and everything they’ve ever known falls apart. When Christmas comes around, the family is still so torn apart, so when a list of family traditions is stumbled across, they feel like it’s a message to reunite them all from their mum.

Though this is set around a number of Christmases, it didn’t feel like a book that needed to be read just at Christmas, but with that in mind, it does have a happy ending - just prepare for the tears throughout. This is my first Melissa Hill novel, and I loved it! It’s another book that brought tears to my eyes but one that reminds you of the importance of family and the traditions we all grow up so accustomed too. Simply put this is an uplifting heart felt story about The Beautiful Little Things that make life worth living.

Thank you to net gallery for a pre-release copy of this book!

The family all get together for Christmas not knowing that it will be the last one with their mum as she had terminal cancer but didnt tell them as she wanted to enjoy it.
Once mum has gone Romy, Joanna and Matt are struggling after hurtful things were said in the heat of the moment and are all dreading the first Christmas without her but go to be with their dad.
Romy finds a diary in her mum's study with guidance from her mum of how to manage a perfect Christmas without her and bring the family back together again
A great read

This is a beautifully written, emotional story about dealing with grief and the importance of family.
The Moore siblings Joanna,Romy and Matt have always been close knit especially at Christmas time when they all come together with their own families to their parents' house which is a haven with their mother, Cathy, making everything extra special.

When they lose Cathy suddenly to an illness, the family literally falls apart, unable to reach out to each other. Joanna struggles with her grief and her feeling of inadequacy about not being the perfect mother she wants to be. Romy and Matt each have their own struggles which keep them all aloof until Christmas comes around and they reluctantly gather at the house to honour Cathy.

Finding a list of little traditions written down by Cathy that she believed would get them through this difficult time without her, they try to recapture the spirit of togetherness and family that has always been their comfort.

Anyone who has lost a parent will relate to this story especially because it really poignantly expresses the shock, anger, sense of loss and hopelessness that follow. It also equally beautifully shows how to move forward while keeping the memories always close.

An emotional read that's really well written.

As soon as I saw the author was Melissa Hill I was desperate to read this novel and was delighted to get it as an ARC. Thank you NetGalley.
I have enjoyed every one of her books and this one did not disappoint. In this troubled world Melissa Hill is a ray of sunshine and I always feel better when I read her books. Not that this one is all sunshine and light. There are some dark moments as the story deals with bereavement and the affect this must have on the most loving of families. Unfortunately the Moores, whilst loving, are also disparate and their mother is the glue that holds them together. Will they ever get that closeness back after her death? The story follows each of them. Romy the youngest and seemingly most insecure, Matt the fun loving son and Jo, the corporate genius and mother of very young twins. In the year following their mother’s death they each have to deal with turmoil in their personal lives and how do they handle this without their mother’s good advice and guidance? Hill’s genius is the description of her characters, even the babies. They are none of them perfect but they each have a core of goodness. You live with them through the ups and downs and sooo want a happy ending. I did not want to finish this book. I wanted to keep reading as I was so involved in the characters I was living their life with them.

A beautiful and bittersweet book about Cathy's journal entries guiding her family through their first Christmas without her. Christmas can be a very tough time when you are grieving, especially if there have been misunderstandings and harsh words after the funeral of their mother. As Romy, Matt and Joanne are forced to consider the choices they have made over the past year, their mother's gentle guidance through the journal entries helps them to rediscover joy in the beautiful little things.

This one felt very much like a Christmas story to me, as the bulk of the book takes place over three Christmases – the current Christmas, one a year prior, and then one a year. So, it would be a good one to read over the holidays – just make sure you bring your tissues as it’s a tear-jerker by the end! But, rest assured, it does have a happy ending!

Sweet, likable Romy is a people pleaser, her sister Joanna is a go-getter, and their brother Mark is a bit of a rabble rouser. But they all love to come home for a real Irish Christmas, and their mom always makes it extra special. Yet, when their mother passes away a few months after their last holiday together, it tears the family apart.

Told in two different voices – that of Romy and that of Joanna – it does get a bit confusing from time to time as it takes a minute to figure out who is “talking”. Yet, the characters have good backstory, believable personalities, and the conflicts and troubles each go through feel very authentic.

This is one that would be great for book clubs, and perhaps very meaningful (albeit sad) for anyone who has lost someone close. An uplifting story about The Beautiful Little Things that make life worth living.

A big thank you to Melissa Hill, Amazon Publishing UK, and NetGalley for providing an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for this review.

If you’re looking for a copy of The Beautiful Little Things, please consider buying from www.bookshop.org – the online bookstore that gives 75% of the book’s profits back to independent bookstores. Find it at https://bookshop.org/lists/best-fiction-of-2021.

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I loved this book. The characters are well written, they have a great backstory and I loved how the author pulled them all together. I loved the Christmas theme, the misunderstandings, the coming together, and the conflicts.
I cried a few times as Cathy was dying and her leaving behind the notes.
I don't want to give too much away, but this is a masterpiece and I am so happy to have read it.

Siblings Romy, Joanna, and Matt are mourning the loss of their mother Cathy, as is their father Bill, in this emotional and heartfelt novel of grief and healing. Set over two Christmases, it's sadly the story of her death one year and how her journals helped the family through their individual troubles. Romy and Joanna are the best fleshed out characters although Cathy's presence is strongly felt. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read that will tug.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This book, for me was a little to close to home. It was so moving as well as realistic. The setting of the story was lovely, Dublin, and it was about Christmas time.

The story, brought emotions that I’ve felt before such as sadness, love, bereft to name a few. It’s a really lovely story of a family at Christmas, celebrating together, laughing, spending time together. No one apart from their Mother knows what’s to come, she doesn’t want to spoil this time. After this special time her children are made aware of what’s happening.

The next Christmas, the family are still trying to move on but still grieving their loss. But you never really do though, do you? It gets easier as time goes on, but the piece of the puzzle remains missing.

Their mother leaves a diary, which Romy finds and decides to make sure the family can continue this Christmas as their Mother used to.

Will the family fulfil their Mother’s traditions or is it best not to celebrate Christmas……

The way the author wrote about the loss and the grief the family went through I felt was beautifully written, as it’s something we all feel and go through and it takes a long time to finally get over that loss, if we ever do.

The story brought memories back, which are still there in the back of my mind.

Even though this is a sad story, it was also about hope, a lot of forgiving and love.

This book was so poignant and realistic and I really loved the setting of Dublin and Christmas time. The book has a great cover to reflect the Dublin mountains. The story brought on a multitude of of thoughts and emotions for me...sadness, love, laughter and resilience to name a few. This was such a great family Christmas story as we have the happy Christmas before anyone knows the mother is ill and then we have an after Christmas, when the family is grieving and trying their best to move on. You never really do though, do you? Yes it gets easier but the missing never goes away. I felt the author's writing about grief was real as it does take a long time to deal with loss and bereavement. It brought back memories of my grandmother passing away. And as sad as this story was there was also hope and a lot of love and let's not forget forgiveness. I loved what this book made me think and feel.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

I have been a fan of Melissa Hill for such a long time. She is such a beautiful storyteller and her books always explore serious topics in a way that is enjoyable to read. After each of her books, whether it took place along the hills of Ireland or the coast of Italy, I always felt like I had a learned a lesson - on love, life, friendship and in this case family.

The Beautiful Little Things tells the story of a family grieving after the loss of their matriarch. Each family member is facing their own personal issues but come together for the first Christmas after their mom's passing to honor her traditions and to build their family back together.