This book is such a feel-good piece of fiction that I can't truly explain how much I enjoyed it. I read this at a point in time where I was clouded in darkness and this brought a smile to my face. It really is one of those books that helps the reader stop and think about their own life too. This book had plenty of twists and turns, and I highly recommend for a Christmas read (next Christmas of course), or just anytime because it was that good!

Four friends make bucket lists when they are young. When they lose one of their friendship group, they vow to tick off the Northern Lights in her memory. This is an amazing book taking in the sights and tastes of Iceland, Taking you along with them, experiencing the whole journey with them, Jo Thomas's books are a real delight and a pleasure to pick up and lose yourself for a few hours,

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Jo Thomas takes us all the way to Iceland this festive season with an emotional, engrossing and wonderfully romantic new novel, Keeping a Christmas Promise.

Twenty-five years ago, Freya and her three friends had great plans and ambitions for the future. They were going to travel the world, see the sights and have wonderful adventures. Everything seemed so bright and rosy and the four friends thought they were unstoppable – until reality intervened. The four friends have now become three and they are heading to Iceland to honour the memory of one of their own and fulfill her final wish: to see the Northern Lights at Christmas.

It is a bittersweet journey for Freya and her friends, however, what they hadn’t anticipated was an avalanche that left them stranded! What on earth are the three of them going to do now? Luckily for them, handsome local Petur comes to the rescue and shows them how the local community survives the harsh winter. With nowhere to go, Freya and her friends throw themselves wholly into the village’s festivities and they are soon decorating and cooking for the community that has welcomed them with open arms using lip-smackingly delicious local ingredients.

Will they manage to see the Northern Lights this Christmas? And will Freya be able to make her most cherished dreams come true?

You can always count on Jo Thomas to deliver the goods and she has outdone herself with Keeping a Christmas Promise. A gorgeous Yuletide escape that touches the heart and tickles the funny bone, Keeping a Christmas Promise is a charming tale about friendship, soulmates and mouth-watering food that is hard to put down and even harder to resist!

A beautiful heartwarming story about love and friendship.

I loved experiencing the real Iceland through Freya’s experiences and of course Petur and all the other people she meets.

A fab winter warmer.

Fantastic Christmas read, you can’t go wrong with a Jo Thomas book, it is lovely to visit Iceland with the characters, very magical, romantic and a lovely story of friendship. Jo just gets better and better and you feel like you are transported to the place the book is set by her descriptions.

Atmospheric Christmas novel, set in Iceland. When a group of women decide to carry out the last wishes of one of their friends, to see the Northern Lights in Iceland, they do not expect to be stranded in a village, cut off from the rest of the country.

But in doing so they learn more about the customs and ways of the Icelandic people, learn to be a part of a small but vibrant community and most of all discover things about themselves and how they wish to live their lives.

This was a nice book, I did find it a little repetitive at times but it was an easy read to get you in the mod for Christmas. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc In exchange for my honest review.

A great setting and a great read. Three friends head to Iceland to see the northern lights to fulfill the bucket list of a friend who is no longer with them. Things don't go according to plan and they end up stranded, with local Petur rescuing them.
Makes me want to book a trip to Iceland right away!

what can one say about this book and author she never fails to deliver what a brill book from start to finish cant wait to read the next awsome detail and the way of living sounds so exciting

A great Christmas read set in Iceland. This book helped me to travel to Iceland in my head, and has now added another place that I have read about that I want to visit in real life. This book is a journey of re-discovery after getting stranded by an avalance. The three women end up getting involved in the Community in Iceland and helping out while they are all cut off. In the process, they discover a lot about what they want from life as well as what isn't working for them. A great read.

A lovely feel good festive read set in Iceland. Great characters and a fantastic sense of place. Somewhat predictable but very enjoyable.

If you want a gorgeous festive read this winter, this is the one! Set in beautiful Iceland in December, you taken to a quite magical place which you feel is is protected from the outside world by the elements.

Freya, Joanna and Meg travel to Iceland to see the Northern Lights in honour of their friend, Laura, who is no longer with them. An avalanche cuts the friends off and although it wasn’t what they were hoping for, being stranded gives each of the women time to consider what they really want from life.

Jo Thomas has such a way of bringing her settings to life. She uses such rich and vivid imagery to absolute perfection that you feel as if you have travelled alongside the characters to the country being explored.

I adored this story and I really loved how the lives of the women had been built up to be busy, almost too busy for each other and also for their departed friend. Keeping a Christmas Promise a true joy to read. It’s never too early for a festive read (it isn’t excessively Christmassy) and I’d definitely recommend putting this one on your reading list this year.

A wonderful Christmassy read, engaging and enjoyable. Well written book with great characters and a feel good story. Loved the Icelandic backdrop.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC

This was a fantastic story that very nearly got full stars. I had to read it all in one sitting as I was so invested in the story. It was such a wonderful storyline and I thought it was a delightful, unique story. I loved that the story was set in a small village in Iceland. It had such a heartwarming story with a wonderful sense of community. The setting was wonderful and the author really brought the place to life with some great description. This book really made me feel so good and Happy. The characters were fantastic each with their little quirks and I found them easy to love. This book felt so realistic it played like a film in my mind as I read it. I just loved the slow burning romances in this story. There was some great unexpected twists aswell. It is definitely a book that I recommend reading. It was so much fun. I just didn't want it to end. I actually have my fingers crossed for a sequel to this story.

So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating such a fantastic and very interesting story. This is definitely a page turner that you won't be able to put down. I will definitely be looking out for more books by this brilliant author.

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/keeping-a-christmas-promise-by-jo-thomas-randon-house-4-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

Such a heartwarming Christmas story of love, friendship and community. I actually felt like I was there.

Excuse me while I book myself a one way ticket to Iceland!
This book was a refreshing take on a festive novel. Freya and her friends travel in pursuit of the northern lights in honour of their late friend, Laura's 40th but when an avalanche occurs they are stranded in an isolated village with community at its heart. Absolutely blissful, with thanks to netgalley for the advance copy.

A very easy 5 star read! One of the most heartwarming and wholesome books I’ve ever read, with a stunning Icelandic backdrop.

The book starts off with a group of friends going on a trip to see the Northern Lights in honour of their late friend. The book deep dived into serious topics that I wasn’t fully expecting but were executed very well. The rollercoaster of grief was raw and real, taking you on a journey like no other.

The community aspect drew me in and make the plot all the more wholesome and I was rooting for the romance element from the very beginning.

The characters were wonderfully written, I felt a connection with them all - the interspersing secrets amounting to a very gripping read.

This book was a true adventure, with home-cooking at the forefront. I’ve already purchased a few copies as gifts and can’t wait to read more from Jo Thomas!

Thank you for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Friends go to see the Northern lights in memory of their friend. Whilst out trying to see the lights things start to go wrong.
They have a promise that they need to fill. Will they succeed in their mission? The importance of friendship shines throughout the book. Loved the food descriptions throughout the book.

It's been my dream to visit Iceland and see the Northern lights.

This is such a sweet story of friendship and loss. Losing a close must be horrible. I am lucky to have never experienced losing a friend before but from the way this is written you can really feel how the friends feel when they speak about their friend.

I love that they are trying to do something to remember their friend and its such a brilliant idea.

I absolutely love the sound of Iceland with the nature and beauty and the idea of seeing the Northern lights, it was be so amazing.

I love the community feel of the little town and the way everyone mucks in when something happens. Like a big family.

There are some super exciting parts in this book, edge of seat kind of stuff. I was absolutely gripped.

I love the understanding that we lose people in life all the time but they stay with us in our hearts and memories. It's hard to realise when you're in the middle off it and some go too soon but we can't stop living.

This is a lovely Christmas romance that celebrates friendships and
the power of community. The book opens with Freya and her friends on a hen party weekend. The four friends discuss their bucket lists and plans for the future.

25 years later, the three remaining friends get together to celebrate their deceased friend Rachel. The Northern Lights was her bucket list item, so they go to Iceland on her Christmas birthday. Unfortunately, they get trapped in a blizzard and find shelter in a tiny village with a handsome guy named Petur. The forced down time gives each of them a chance to look at themselves and their goals.
Freya and Petur develop feelings for each other, but she’s going home to open a restaurant. Can they find a way to be together without sacrificing their dreams?

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the villagers pulled together so they could have a merry Christmas. It’s well written and invites you to reevaluate your own goals, 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This was a feel good book also a good way to start the Christmas period.

Freya and two of her best friends come to Iceland to see the Northern Lights in memory of their other friend who has died. We see over the journey of the book where they start to see things differently and wonder what they can do to change things. It was really good to read about Iceland and how a small community come together to support other families. Also liked the romance in the book.

A wonderful book and well written.