I loved everything about this book. Perfect cosy Christmas read
It's only my 3rd Sarah Morgan book I've read and I don't know why I waited so long to read her books.

what a beautiful story, i really really enjoyed this book and felt lost in it
kudos to the author and i will be looking for more of their books

Sarah Morgan has become one of my go-to authors for fun, escapist fiction and 'The Christmas Book Club' doesn't disappoint. Three friends meet every year to re-connect their friendship and celebrate their love of books. This year, all three are at a turning point in their lives and all have secrets. There is also more to the choice of venue than at first appears... A great holiday read.

Loved this book, couldn’t put it down, I read it in no time.
Each summer Claudia, Erica and Anna meet up for their book club and have a week away together. This year they didn’t manage it in the summer so decide to do it in December.

Hattie runs the Maple Sugar Inn, she lost her husband a couple of years ago and together with her young daughter, they’re rebuilding their lives.

Erica books the Maple Sugar Inn for the Christmas book reunion but she also has a hidden agenda. Over the course of the week Hattie finds out just how her own live becomes entwined with the 3 guests staying. Will the book club continue as the secrets unfold?

Possibly my favourite read of 2023!

Erica, Claudia, and Anna reunite for their book club holiday at the cosy Maple Sugar Inn run by single mother Hattie.

The chapters switch between each women's point of view, giving us a glimpse of what is going on in their lives.

I loved the strong bond between Erica, Claudia and Anna. And how they supported Hattie when she needed it, clearing up any issues between them as well as getting to know a sister Erca only recently discovered she had.

This is indeed a super cosy Christmas read!

The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan is an absolutely charming, contemporary feel-good novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. Although there is the word ‘Christmas’ in the title, this is a book that can be enjoyed all year round. The action is set in early December but the focus of the book is on friends and family.
We drop in on three lifelong friends who are taking a vacation in a quaint inn in Vermont for a week discussing books. We hear of the background of the three – the workaholic, the broken-hearted and the soon-to-be empty nester. All three are facing challenges but are united by their love and support.
We also meet the innkeeper who is struggling with sudden loss and is a young widow with a five year old daughter. “Grief never leaves you.” Grief paralyses, there is no end as she tries to fulfill her husband’s dreams for the inn. “She was the caretaker of his dreams.” But his dreams and his way are not the only way. The young widow needs to find her way.
Our upbringings shape us. A character has never known her father. This has made her ultra independent and afraid to show her emotions. No one has penetrated her hard outer shell until… an encounter with a delightful five year old.
Some women are just made to be mothers. They make mothering their whole purpose and fear losing their children as they grow. “The children don’t need me the way they used to, so I’m basically losing my job.” She needs to learn how to be herself and how to be a wife again. She is so much more than her role as a mum.
Bullying in the workplace and loss of a job have killed a passion for cooking – until a crisis awakens that passion.
Characters fear tomorrow. “She didn’t want to make that classic mistake of ruining today because she was worrying about tomorrow.” Often much of what we worry about never happens.
All the characters were well drawn, likable and realistic. They were all easy to empathise with. I absolutely adored the five year old with her open-heartedness and her zest for life.
Sarah Morgan has produced a delightful tale. It is warm and welcoming with the essence of love, care and friendship in a book. We witness women pulling together, offering support when a crisis threatens to de-rail a life.
This is a beautiful novel. I would love a sequel as I want to know what happens next!
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Sarah Morgan is one of my favourite festive authors, and I love books like Snowed in for Christmas (see my review here) and The Christmas Escape (click here to read my review). This Christmas, she’s whisking us off to a snowy inn in Vermont where three members of a Book Club will experience a life-changing festive break.

The Christmas Book Club is set at the Maple Sugar Inn, a picture-perfect historic inn run by Hattie, who moved from the UK to Vermont to run the inn with her husband. Two years later, he was killed in a tragic accident, leaving her to run the inn and raise their young daughter, Delphi. Hattie makes all her guests feel like they’re having the perfect holiday, but still doesn’t feel like she knows what she’s doing or how to cope with everything life has thrown at her.

Three 40-ish women arrive at the inn for a pre-Christmas break. They’re planning one of their regular ‘Book Club’ holidays, where they’ll read books, drink wine and put the world to rights. The trio have been friends since university, but their lives have taken very different paths.

Erica is single, child-free and a highly successful businesswoman but arrives with a family secret in mind. Claudia’s 10-year relationship broke down six months previously, and she’s also fallen out of love with her career as a chef. And perfect wife and Mum, Anna is struggling to come to terms with the idea that her twins will soon be flying the nest.

Front cover of Sarah Morgan's new festive novel, The Christmas Book Club, set against a Christmas flat lay background of pine tree branches, Christmas gifts and decorations.
By the end of the week at the Maple Sugar Inn, all four women’s lives will look very different!

I really enjoyed reading The Christmas Book Club. Sarah Morgan creates a magical setting at the Maple Sugar Inn – I would pack my bag and spend a week there in a heartbeat. The four women at the centre of the story are all very believable characters, and I felt genuine sympathy for the emotional turmoil they all found themselves in.

I particularly empathised with Anna as her life as a stay-at-home mum was being turned upside down. Her emotions felt very relatable, and I really hoped that she’d find some resolution to her issues. I won’t spoil the ending, but let’s just say that Sarah weaves all of the storylines together in a very satisfactory way!

And little Delphi totally steals every scene she’s in without being too saccharine-sweet. Her dinosaur obsession really made me smile!

Sarah Morgan has yet again created a fabulous festive read. We rarely get a white Christmas here, but this novel will whisk you off for a magical and heart-warming stay in snowy Vermont.

I can’t wait to see where Sarah takes us next Christmas!

The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and HQ and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

A long-lasting friendship
Every year, Erica, Claudia, and Anna reunite for their book club holiday. They’re bonded by years of friendship and a deep love of books, but there is still so much they keep from each other . . .

A perfect Christmas escape
At the cosy Maple Sugar Inn, Hattie specialises in making her guests’ dreams come true, but this Christmas all she wants is to survive the festive season. Between running the inn and being a single mother, Hattie is close to breaking point.

The start of a brand-new story…?
Over the course of an eventful week, Hattie sees that the friends are each carrying around unspoken truths, but nothing prepares her for how deeply her story will become entwined in theirs. Will this Christmas be the end of the book club’s story or the start of a whole new chapter?

My Opinion

What a lovely, festive read. As a reader, I enjoy reading about people that enjoy reading, so a book about a book club is a big hit with me. Sarah Morgan is one of those authors that I always look out for especially the Christmas release - in this book we have a truly festive inn and some great characters. This book read like it would make a great Christmas movie. Another great addition to a Christmas reading list.

Rating 4/5

The Christmas Book Club - Sarah Morgan

I adore all of Sarah's books but specifically her Christmas additions. This one was set in the adorably named Maple Sugar Inn, and it had the cosiest feel to it. This book had some really great strong female characters and I enjoyed the way the friends all came together (with their different personalities and quirks) to help each other out. I also really enjoyed the side story of Hattie and her love interest. This book is the perfect way to while away a few hours in front of a good fire with a hot chocolate and fluffy dog for company.
Thanks so much HQ and Netgalley for this e-arc in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

I love Sarah’s Christmassy books, I devour them too quick then have a book hangover!

Erica, Claudia, and Anna reunite annually for their book club holiday, this year later than usual, their destination is the cosy Maple Sugar Inn, an idyllic get away for all.

Hattie runs the inn and specialises in making her guest stay memorable, even though she herself is in need of a break but between looking after the inn and being a single parent there is no time for her.

Over the week each of the friends reveal they’ve been keeping secrets from one another and can their friendship survive? Hattie is also intertwined somehow, will this break be their last?

I loved each friends backstory, how and why they are like they are, the journey’s they are on and how they help one another, add a few love interests in the mix and of course a superb location, what more could you ask for? Other than room!

I look forward to the yearly cosy, warming and traditional offerings of Sarah Morgan. Snow, crackling log fires and a stay at the Maple Sugar Inn was this year’s delight.
Erica, Claudia and Anna are three friends that have totally different personalities and live totally different lives, but yet have the most amazing bond. Each year the friends meet up for their book club week during the summer. They began their book club whilst studying together and this is a tradition that has withstood the years. This is organised by Erica who is a high-flying businesswoman who loves the elegant hotels. This year the book club has been rescheduled for December and they are going to a cosy, bed and breakfast style hotel in the countryside. This appears to be out of character for Erica but there is something that she is hiding from her two friends. Claudia’s life is in freefall and Anna can’t come to terms with her two teenagers not needing her the same anymore.
A story of a family finding each other, changes to the path that your life is following and following your dreams, make this a page turning, winter escape.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Sarah Morgan for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan is a lovely festive read, perfect for avid and occasional readers alike. Its the story of Erica, Claudia, and Anna, who reunite every year for their book club holiday. They meet at Maple Sugar Inn, an idyllic hotel run by Hattie, a single mother close to breaking point. As their personal stories entwine, their holiday becomes crisis management, but with, as ever, a satisfying ending. I loved the characters and their stories - fans of the author won't be disappointed!
With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing book, loved this story, ,lots of ups and downs like real life. Got it for Christmas in my Christmas Eve box so read it again, it’s an amazing book and love Sarah Morgan

I am a fan of Sarah Morgan but this book was even better than I could have imagined.

The friendships explored throughout this were great, raw and a true representation of friendship. I loved how they developed across the story.

I enjoyed this so much that I bought a copy for both of my friends midway through, to replicate the Christmas book club and also celebrate our friendship.

Another great Christmas book from Sarah Morgan. Perfectly cozy location, a strong cast of characters, realistic friendships and storylines, the perfect Christmas read,

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a Sarah Morgan book Christmas book
I absolutely loved this book based on friendship and secrets. The book is a warm cup of hot chocolate and is perfect for Christmas times

The perfect Christmas story. I enjoyed this book very much, I was all ready for christmas by the time I had finished it.
I would definitely recommend this book

Sarah Morgan is my ultimate go to when it comes to Christmas Books and The Christmas Book Club was the perfect wintry Christmas read.

I always love how there is strong female friendships in Sarah’s books and I love how the friends all came together to help one another out. Put this together with a cozy hotel in Vermont, think cosy fires, snowy mountain sides and you have the perfect recipe for a delicious festive read.

I want to go to Maple Sugar Inn it sounds absolutely perfect.

If you are a fan of Sarah’s books then I highly recommend this.

Another fabulous Christmas book by Sarah Morgan.
Erica, Anna and Claudia have been best of friends since college, setting up their own book club where they meet once a year for a week to discuss a book and catch up with one another, Erica’s choice of hotel this year is very unlike her, firstly it’s in the middle of no where and an inn not a five star luxury hotel her friends are used to Erica picking. Hattie the young inn manager has been through a lot over the past couple of years, losing her husband in a freak accident and becoming a single mum to Delphi all while trying to run the inn the same way Brent did.

A fab story I throughly enjoyed the book

Sarah Morgan is one of my favourite authors but I especially loved this heartwarming Christmas read. There couldn’t be a better combination than a plot centred around strong women finding themselves and their love of books culminating in yearly book reading retreats. It made me want to step right into the pages and join them in this beautiful setting. The characters were likeable and strong, the setting was beautiful and I couldn’t put it down. Thanks as always netgalley.