I am mad I know, only just dipping my toes into October and I have already caved in and read my first Christmas book of 2023 but it was impossible to resist when it is a Heidi Swain novel. That Festive Feeling is the title of this years festive novel by this author and the cover is stunning using my favourite winter colours of green gold and white to create a soft chilly comforting vibe which I hoped would absorb through into the storyline inside.

We meet newly divorced Holly who is so easy to relate to, after finding herself alone and thinking ahead to the next step of where her life goes from here, where does she live and a troubling problem of what does she do now it seems her love of her job has lost its excitement. Luckily her friends who live in Nightingale square offer her a bit of breathing space house sitting for them whilst they are away over Christmas. But the peace and tranquillity she was hoping for to get her head together never seemed to be an option as she is soon pulled into many welcoming arms!

We are reunited with many much-loved characters from the Nightingale Square which makes us as the reader feel as though we are being welcomed home but if you haven’t read any of the others not to worry as this can easily be read as a standalone.

As well as reuniting with past characters and meeting the lovely Holly we also have the gorgeous Bear to provide a little bit of love in the air and also the lovely May and her wonderfully dressed dog Monty and they all come together to make this a thoroughly enjoyable cosy winter read.

The author has really covered the topic of living alone after divorce and loss well in the book tackling those struggles of finding where you fit now your alone and learning to make decisions on your own again after so long of making decisions together. So often after separation it feels like everything else around you is about to come crumbling down and thanks to those around Holly they open up her eyes to different options available to her as well as giving her a big helping of support which we know is always plentiful in Heidi Swain novels, oh how I would love to crawl into her written worlds.

There is a wonderful little sprinkling of festivity with this being set around Christmas time and this has been a fabulous start to my Festive reading, I knew Heidi Swain wouldn’t let me down!

Another wonderful festive read from Heidi Swain. That Feative Feeling sees us returning to Nightingale Square, revisiting old favourite characters and meeting new in Holly, May and Bear.

Holly is house sitting for Nightingale Square residents Neil and Mark, wanting to hide away to rethink her life. However, when she meets May and her lovely dachshund Monty, she finds a friendship she didn't know she needed.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Heidi Swain read without a love interest, and Bear is the perfect addition, providing a beautiful slow burn love story.

I loved the novel living arrangements suggested (along with references to other stories in Heidi's back catalogue!), and as usual the animal characters were fantastic. A wonderful festive read.

Well, after reading this book I’m ready to get my tree up and wrap presents. What a lovely Christmassy book made even more special with a return trip to Nightingale Square. I love how Heidi Swain links all her books together it’s so clever.
Holly is ready to hide herself away and work out what to do next with her life but the residents of Nightingale Square arent going to let that happen and after a chance meeting with Monty an energetic dachshund and his owner May they bring colour into her life. When she meets Bear and Queenie who change her outlook on life. Has she finally found her tribe?
I’ve been a Heidi Swain fan since her first book and that is never going to change with her likeable characters especially the dogs. A festive treat for all

What a joy to read! In the Netherlands there is this expression 'a bear of a man,' meaning a very large man - similar to Teddy or Bear as he is known. But thankfully without any domineering masculinity, this illustration being typical for the book: the characters were gentle and at the same time all very different.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

Heidi Swain never disappoints . Lovely to be back in Nightingale Square but can easily read as a stand alone. You met new and old characters. The three main characters were fab. May was brilliant with her colours and her dog Monty . You had a lovely slow burn love story. Holly and her parents. That got me . I loved how the square and the people helped her grow. I won’t spoil it but I was desperate to know if she got her happy after. You have to read it. 5 stars

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review. It was lovely to return to one of my favourite places for a gorgeous festive read. Great characters, cute dogs, new friendships and romance all wrapped up beautifully by one of my favourite uplifting read authors.

This book is all about Holly who is house sitting for her friends while she recovers from a big upheaval in her life. I couldn’t wait to start this and return to Nightingale Square which is just such a perfect. magical setting.

I loved all the new characters especially May who was just brilliant, and the lovable dogs Queenie and Monty. Heidi’s descriptions really brought them all to life. It was also nice that old characters were featured throughout the story particularly LIza and Ned.

This book is part of a series but it can be read as a standalone , although if you haven’t read Heidi’s other books I urge you to as you definitely won’t regret it.

A fantastic Christmas story of romance, friendship and community spirit which has definitely given me ‘ That Festive Feeling’

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster UK and Heidi Swain for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

What a gorgeous read with a lovely main character in Holly who is feeling very displaced in many areas of her life and the opportunity to house sit in Nightingale Square gives her a short while to hide away and rethink her life… or so she thinks. A new friendship with May who is also new to the local area and pressure to help out at a local charity find her with a lot less peace than she anticipated and her attraction to Bear who’s staying locally to help out at Prospect Place certainly leaves her in a fluster. This a brilliantly warm read especially where May and her dachshund Monty are concerned, they are so colourful and full of life and add such joy to this book. The fun of working on helping put a Christmas production on and Holly’s worries about acting on her feelings to Bear all add to to a superb festive read jam packed with warmth.