Really cute book - loved the setting in Edinburgh and the different characters in it. Easy to read and will definitely be reading more from the author.

Carmen has always compared herself to her older sister Sofia and always fallen short. When she is made redundant right before Christmas the last person she wants to turn to is her sister, but Sofia helps anyway. What Carmen doesn't know is her new job in a small Edinburgh bookshop is make of break for the owner. Mr McCreadie has not turned a profit for a long time, if ever and as soon as Carmen steps inside the shop she can instantly see why!

Well Christmas has come early for me as I got exactly what I asked for in this festive read. I was like a child on Christmas morning as I eagerly opened the book and then could not put it down. Work and sleep got in the way but any other time I was reading and finished it in 24 hours! I loved immersing myself in the cosiness of Mr Mccreadie's bookshop on Edinburgh's magical Victoria Street. I love a book set in a bookshop, especially when it needs to be transformed from rack and ruin. I could almost see the changes happen before my very eyes.

The fact that it is all set at Christmas made the whole thing even more wonderful. Some books promise Christmas within their pages but are very sparse but this one was chock full. The storylines did not suffer because of it and in fact there were more than one interesting plot line lovingly threaded together.

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan is absolute Christmas perfection and will leave even the Scroogey of reader with some Christmas spirit. I have not found a new Christmas favourite in a long time but this has jumped straight to Christmas Number 1!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

A lovely festive read that follows Carmen who reluctantly moves in with her perfect lawyer sister Sofia (who she feels she is always living in her shadow of) when the retail store she works in closes down and to help her sister whos husband is working away and she is about to give birth to her 4th baby. Carmen is then enlisted to help one of Sofia's clients turn his bookshop around over Christmas to make it profitable resulting in a good old holiday romance that gives good festive feels.

I really liked this book, but I didn't love it, so will be giving 3 stars.

This book was amazing read I enjoyed so much. Loved the characters the writing style. A warm fun cosy read you love. You feel as if you in the story with the characters a lovely read x

If you aren't a book lover this isn't for you. Who ever loves books must have had the dream of owning a book store and sitting reading all day. Travel up to Edinburgh for this wish to come true. Be warned it isn't as easy as you think. Books galore but no-one to read them, how do you get the locals to accept you? hard work and perseverance all pays off in the end

This was a cosy Christmas read set in beautiful Edinburgh. The characters are funny, rich and full of life. Incredibly realistic situations, dialogues and relationships made this book a delight to read.

The usual family and relationship jeopardy made it a little predictable but this was as expected.

Would recommend this one if it’s your genre. 4/5.

The Christmas Bookshop - Jenny Colgan

As always another very enjoyable read from Jenny Colgan. I really enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters, and enjoyed Carmen's relationships evolving with her nieces and nephews. The setting of the book was just lovely, and the development of the bookshop was nice to feel apart of, I especially enjoyed the 'mice'. Thank you very much Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for the e-arc in return for my honest opinion, I can only apologise for the delay.

It may sound like a cliché but the only word to describe this book is magical. I loved the relationships throughout especially that of Carmen the dropout and her equally rebellious niece Phoebe.. Jenny Colgan's characters always have layers to them which are gradually unwrapped throughout the story, none more so than (young) Mr McCredie. I'm not embarrassed to admit that his story brought me to tears but as in all the best romantic comedies everyone has a happy ending. Well I say everyone, but there is one character who I was glad to see getting their comeuppance.

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book. Idyllic location that set the tone of the book to perfection. Perfect seasonal book to get you in the mood for the festive season.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really like this authors books.
It was a cute story with lovely characters. I really enjoyed. This was a 3.5 stars for me.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

It took a little time to warm up to Carmen. About as long as it took Carmen to warm up to the world and the people around her. It was a great joy to see her stuttering journey towards fulfilment and happiness. Very much a story for our times as Carmen struggles to overcome self-doubt and lack of self-confidence.

There is nothing more great than a new JennyColgan book and when it’s set in a bookshop in a city she obviously loves something magic happens and you have the perfect recipe for a festive read. With a lovely evocative touch that reminds you of Christmases past with a sprinkling of magic. Love, love, loved it

A great festive read, that I was lucky enough to be gifted via NetGalley.

I loved that it was set mainly in a bookstore and I could picture all the beautiful old books and quirky characters that came into the store. The main character Carmen was really likeable and the difficult relationship she has with her sister was very relatable. There are two love interests in the story; the rather slimy Blair and the gentlemanly Oke. Whilst its annoying to see Carmen consider Blair, you can see just why she does it and it is understandable - everyone loves a bad boy!

My only bug bear was the over use of descriptions of Edinburgh. Sometimes I felt like I needed a map or photos to help picture the scene!

All in all I think this is a great story of family relationships, love and a little bit of christmas magic thrown in .

After being made redundant and moving back home, Carmen reluctantly moves in with her pregnant sister Sofia, her three child, and their nanny in Edinburgh. Sofia talks Carmen into working at an old bookshop on Victoria Street; a shop that is in dire need of a revamp and some customers…

I won’t lie, this wasn’t my favourite Jenny Colgan book; it took me a good 100 pages to get into it and to connect to the characters but I enjoyed it all the same overall.

The character development and the relationship development of Carmen, Sofia and the children was lovely to read; it made my heart happy. And of course there were many laugh out loud moments, which is one of the main things I enjoy about Jenny’s books!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC, I didn't get round to reading it before the publication date (oops)! I will continue to pick up Jenny’s books, they’re always guaranteed to give me a laugh!

Super cute Christmas read (I saved this one and read it at the beginning of December to make myself feel festive). I really enjoyed it, but felt that the romance was a bit forced - not much chemistry and I didn't really see why either of them liked the other one.

On the plus side, this is the first Jenny Colgan book I've read in almost forever that didn't have any glaringly obvious errors! Which was great.

A superb piece of festive fiction! Great characters, wonderful setting, interesting plot and a lovely romance. I'm a sucker for a book set in a bookshop and this is that with bells on. Set in beautiful Edinburgh during the festive season this is the perfect for story for getting into the Christmas vibe and escaping the madness of the world. A stand out gem in the sea of festive novels.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little , Brown Book Publishing for a copy of “The Christmas Bookshop “ for an honest review.

Ideal book for the countdown to Christmas. Lovely setting of Edinburgh and well written characters.
I must admit I prefer the “ bakery “ books by Colgan , but this had warmth and charm for a good festive read.

JC books are so reliable and at this time of year when the weather is turning and its cold and horrible there is nothing better than one of JC’s Christmas offerings and this was no exception. We see Carmen in a dead-end job and clearly in a spot where things need to change. When the shop sher works for is closed down and she is made redundant she is forced to make changes she wouldn’t necessarily have made otherwise.

Carmen’s sister Sofia offers to put Carmen up while she agrees to help out a client of Carmen’s. What Carmen doesn’t realise is that she will be working in a bookshop that is pretty much ready to close down. The owner Mr McCredie I just fell in love with. He is old fashioned and hasn’t got a clue, all he knows is that he wants to hide away and he pretty much lets Carmen do what she wants. This is where we get to see Carmen flourish. There are lots of additional characters but the gem of this story for me was the relationship between two sisters.

These kind of books I know are not everybody’s cup of tea, but in all honesty real life can be super boring and stressful and that’s why people fall in love with an age old (but perfectly formed) formula for a feel-good book. JC books always transport me and that’s why I love them as much as I do. For me nothing beaths the Bakery series as the characters are the best but this was a very festive feel-good read.

Another cozy, addictive, heartwarming read from Jenny Colgan. I look forward to her new releases with glee! The perfect Christmas book.