A really good read. Enjoyed it and didn’t want it to end. I’ll definitely be looking out for other books by this author. Well done.

An intriguing collection of snapshots of twelve characters lives in the run up to Christmas who are all interlinked by the giving of gifts. It took me awhile to get into it but it's cleverly written and reminded me of the format of Love Actually and would also work well on the screen. It's not as uplifting as many festive reads but based in reality and the first book I've read that acknowledges the pandemic and the impact on family life and last Christmas. An enjoyable read for the run up to Christmas and makes you think of what Christmas really means.

A good collection of short stories connected by giving gifts, a compelling book that talks about relationships (friends, coworker, families) and it's festive but not in a Hallmark style.
The author develops interesting and fleshed out characters, the story are interesting and the form an interesting mosaic.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Gifts by Laura Barnett a charming selection of stories. Gifts are quite literally gifts in written form, this is like a daisy chain of stories and gifts. Each story gives us something different, I really like the hope in this story, the hope of what is to come. I don’t want to go into detail about each of the stories as they all give us something different and I will not do them justice. This encapsulates Christmas and will put you just in the mood to be swept up in lights and festive smells.

Gifts is a Christmas story that tells the tale of numerous people that are all interconnected. Each person is trying to find a gift for someone they love, and through that pursuit, we also learn more about each of the characters, their past and present and something about their struggles, hopes, dreams...

In theory, this sounds very interesting and exciting, and even a bit puzzling... But in practice, it was a bit underwhelming for me.

It was the combination of the writing style, my lack of interest in these characters and their vague personalities that made this just a bit dull to read.

This isn't the Christmas book that will put you in the Christmas spirit. It certainly didn't have that effect on me. However, it can be a great Christmas read if you don't want to read your cookie-cutter Christmas book, filled with glitter and Santa's and cheesy romance.

Since it touched on so many topics from real life, this almost felt like getting a glimpse, or a flash of people in real life, and so, we got a glimpse into how Christmas time looks from different perspectives. This is mostly focused on what they think and do and struggle with, and not so much on the holiday season per se.

If you enjoy books that take you into ordinary lives and give you short, relatable snippets from those lives, you might quite like this one.

The more I think about and reflect upon this book, the more I come to appreciate what Laura Barnett has written. In Gifts she has written a beautiful set of twelve interconnected stories. In each story the character is out to find the perfect Christmas gift for someone who matters to them. But this is a book about much more than the gifts themselves, it is about what it is to be human, to love, to lose, to grieve, to pine, and to celebrate.

Gifts is set in the Christmas yet to come, this Christmas. Whilst it is set within the world of the pandemic, it does not dominate it, instead it is influenced by it, as people hope to once again come together and celebrate. Each story links to the next; Maddy is looking to by a gift for Peter, Peter then for his daughter Chloe, Chloe then for her Grandma and so on until we get back to Fran buying a gift for Maddy. The stories are so beautifully woven together and each builds a new layer onto the last. The way Barnett does this is masterful, the connections so intricate and so very human.

This is a novel told through short stories and so occasionally you do come to miss some characters and wish to have got to know them even better. That said you often do come to meet them again.

A beautiful book, about the spirit of Christmas and finding that perfect gift to show what someone means to you.

Gifts by Laura Bennett is a heart warming Christmas book about family and friendship . The book introduces us to twelve characters , each of whom is searching for the perfect Christmas gift for someone in their life, sometimes a family member, sometimes an old friend and sometimes a potential new love. The characters are a real mix, from teenage Chloe to her grandmother Irene, immigrant Alina to family man Barry, and it is a testament to the author's skill that each of them comes to life so vividly on the page that the reader is invested in their lives, their struggles and triumphs. This is a beautiful, gentle comforting read, perfect seasonal fare as we follow the chain of giving and receiving and get to know the characters and their connections.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I love Laura Barnett’s writing and so glad to have had the chance to read Gifts. It feels like a long time since both Versions of Us and Greatest Hits, so firstly just so pleased to read more of Laura’s writing.
also great to have an alternative to the schmaltzy Christmas books that appear every year.
A circular novel of sorts. Each chapter tells the story of a person choosing a gift for an important person in their life. The recipient of the gift in chapter 1 is the giver in the next chapter…. And so on until the circle is complete. But this is done in a very gentle, natural way, and doesn’t feel forced or contrived. Doesn’t have to be read at Christmas at all, the stories of the individual lives are universal. Very lovely, very readable, and great to have Laura writing again. I hope a slightly meatier novel coming next though. Please!

An interesting set of cleverly interwoven stories with the festive theme of Christmas gift buying. Not a shouty in your face type of book but a calm and relaxed steady flow. Thank you netgalley

'Gifts' is a charming collection of twelve linked short stories about the choosing and giving of gifts to people who are important to us. The recipient of one story becomes the giver in the next, so in this paper-chain of stories, we build up a rounded sense of each character and the relationships that define them.

Barnett explores a range of different relationships through this medium. Many are within families - husband and wife, brother and sister, father and daughter, granddaughter and grandmother - but we also have patient and carer, godmother and goddaughter, and old school friends. During these stories, Barnett reflects on what gifts mean and the difficulty of choosing the right gift for people who matter to us, something to which most readers will be able to relate.

The stories are sweet and occasionally sentimental without being saccharine - many of them occur against a backdrop of heartbreak, hardship and regret, and there is an acknowledgement of the loss and separation caused by the pandemic. But there is generally something redemptive about the exchanging of gifts and the acknowledgement of what - and who - we really value in life.

This is a lovely, cosy Christmas read which would make an excellent stocking-filler. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review!

A bittersweet collection of interconnected tales of love and loss. Through the first story we meet Maddie, divorced and childless. She’s moved back to her hometown in Kent and has opened up a bookshop. From Maddie the stories segue through childhood friend, colleague, etc. all with touching personal experience. Not a collection of short stories, more a connected tale from several different perspectives. Not so much a Christmas tale, but more the year round love for one another. We learn to appreciate what we have, and to accept what we can’t have. I recommend this.
Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

I loved this festive book with a difference. It was so lovely reading the different stories of how people chose gifts and why. The characters were relatable and the stories were heartwarming and emotive. I really enjoyed it.

I received an advance copy of, Gifts, by Laura Barnett. This is a nice Christmas story. We all went to give appreciative gifts to the special people in our lives.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It's coming up to Christmas. There are presents to be bought.

A group of separate, yet connected people through degrees of separation.

And their stories, the stories which arrive at the point of the presents chosen and why.

Wonderful

This was a lovely easy Christmas read with each chapter featuring a different character connected to the previous one but each telling an individual story. These are all simple but heartfelt reads which each tell a mini story in their own right but overlap to give you a multi perspective of the various characters. There’s a lovely warmth to this and each character has a great story to tell and it all leads up beautifully towards Christmas. 7/10

I think this would be a great book to get you in the mood to celebrate Christmas. Especially good for people wanting to learn about British/English Christmas traditions. Handles some difficult topics but most problems are solved by the end.

Gifts is a perfect read for the festive time; set in our current COVID world but not dwelling too much upon the pandemic. The book tells twelve stories of the purchase of gifts for loved ones and friends and with subtlety interweaves their lives, loves , trials and tribulations. Laura Barnett manages to get into the worlds of the characters without being overly sentimental but enabling the reader to empathise with each person. Ultimately this is twelve individual tales linked by Christmas and our desire to show our love to our nearest and dearest. Grab a coffee , a mince pie and escape into Gifts.