I guess I'm in the minority for this one, but this book was a big let down for me. I have loved middle grade Christmas stories in the past but there were too many aspects of this one that really didn't work for me.

This books protagonist is Christmas-loving Leo, who knows that this Christmas needs to be the best EVER as it's the first one without his mum. He spends the week leading up to Christmas doing everything he can to make the season magical for himself and his family, but things keep going wrong as he finds himself becoming more and more tired and on edge the closer it gets to the big day...

I can see this books appeal and understand why a lot of people have enjoyed, the musical take is definitely a unique one and the story is full of emotion whilst still feeling festive. It manages to stand out in the middle grade genre which is slowly becoming saturated with these Christmas releases, and I found it to be memorable.
Disregarding the obvious magical elements, this book felt very realistic to me which is honestly where one of my main problems with it stems from- I thought the book was just too sad. Now I don't say that lightly, I definitely think that there is a place for these realistic, gritty stories in the middle grade genre- I just don't think a musical Christmas book is one of those places. It felt to me like a lot of the darker aspects were glossed over and disregarded in favour of funny, lighthearted moments that felt out of place. The 'musical novel' aspect also didn't work for me. I have enjoyed musical audiobooks before, but with this story I found myself feeling frustrated and bored every time a new song started. I thought they all began to sound the same, and were often far too long.

I was hoping to love this book as I have done with so many middle grade Christmas stories before, but unfortunately this one just wasn't for me. I hope it has more success with its target audience!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced audiobook copy of this title!

I liked the story and the fact it was narrated by the author, but I wasn’t a huge fan on the songs.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I got this for my 8year old daughter. She really enjoyed the story and it was a lovely read/listen to over Christmas. It was well written and flowed well. We had the audio version which was well narrated. Recommend.

The Boy Who Slept Through Christmas by Matt Lucas is a delightful and heartwarming musical novel that will make you appreciate and rediscover the joy of Christmas. Written by the comedian and actor Matt Lucas, who also narrates the audiobook, this book is a modern classic that celebrates the spirit of Christmas and the power of hope.

The story follows Leo, a young boy who loves Christmas more than anything but is facing his first one without his mum, who passed away earlier that year. His dad is busy working, his brother is a moody teenager, and his sister is a chip-loving toddler. Leo decides to take charge and make this Christmas the best one ever for his family. He has a list of things to do, from buying a tree to baking a cake, but things don't go as smoothly as he hopes.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect Christmas, Leo. There’s only your Christmas. And it’s up to you to make it as wonderful as you can.”

The book is full of humour, emotion, and imagination, as well as more than 20 original songs that range from hilarious to touching. The songs are cleverly written and performed, and they add a unique dimension to the story. They capture the mood and personality of the characters, as well as the themes of loss, grief, and hope.

“You can’t sleep through Christmas, Leo. Christmas is in your heart. It’s always there, waiting for you to wake up and celebrate it.”

The audiobook is a treat to listen to, as Matt Lucas brings the story to life with his voice. He does a great job of conveying the different emotions and tones of the story, from the sadness of Leo missing his mum, to the silliness of the potato song, to the wonder of the final scene.

“Christmas is not a day, it’s a feeling. It’s a feeling of love and joy and peace. And you can have that feeling any day of the year, if you just believe.”

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for sharing the audiobook version of this book with me!

#TheBoyWhoSleptThroughChristmas #NetGalley.

I recently listened to an audiobook with my six-year-old son, which was narrated by Matt Lucas. The novel is about a little boy named Leo who adores Christmas.

What I loved about this story is its incorporation of songs, making it an engaging interactive tale. I highly recommend it, as it left me with a smile and laughter. Leo is experiencing his first Christmas without his mother, who passed away months before. His father is busy working to provide for the family, his older brother spends most of his time in his room, and his younger sister is too young to be of much help and is obsessed with chips. So, it's up to Leo to make sure Christmas is memorable, as it had always been his mother's responsibility.

Despite the story's sad undertones, it is still uplifting. It demonstrates how children can cope with loss and still celebrate special occasions by paying tribute to those who have passed on and continuing with their customs.

#theboywhosleptthrougtchristmas #audiobookreview #childrensbooks #booksofinsta #bookreview #boookblogger #bookinsta #christmas #christmasspirit #christmasbooks #christmaschildrensbooks #mattlucas #musicals #christmassongs

I loved this book and I’m really glad Matt Lucas narrated it himself.
I love musical theatre and loved the book with the music.
I think kids would love it

I was a bit apprehensive about listening to a book that was a musical but it was actually very entertaining. Leo is trying to make Christmas the best he can for his family but many things happen to get in the way of this. I didn’t think I would like the songs but I did despite being far away in age from the target audience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Well this was a fun audio book!

The story is about a boy who is preparing for his first Christmas without his mum. He wants to make everything perfect for everyone else, that he sleeps through Christmas.

The story is great, but the songs throughout really make it special. The songs are full length songs with some hilarious lyrics.

It's a musical story. We listen on audio book so I don't know how this would transfer into a written book.

We listened to this over a couple of long road trips and as a family, really enjoyed it.

Such a unique, funny and exciting book. I had the opportunity to listen to the audio book and it added so much depth to the story, the music was brilliant and it was like being at a show. I love Matt Lucas and he has devised such an interesting way to tell a story. I highly recommend this book, a heart-warming story, not just about Christmas! Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this book.

Amazing………..just loved the songs too! A wonderfully uplifting read… A lot of sparkle and mischief… The characters are fabulous… A very relaxing read!

I listened to this with my 3 year old son. It’s a lovely story and my son loved the songs they definitely kept him engaged. A great read/ listen at Christmas

Matt Lucas is brilliant in everything he does and this new audiobook is no exception, It is a wonderful mix of fantasy and song and there is nothing not to like with it, The story is relatable and the characters great and I even found myself humming the songs at work they are so catchy and it was funny to hear his homage to the humble baked potato and there was even a peanut thrown in.
I can not think that anyone listening to this will dislike it, Matt does a wonderful job with his narration whihch made it all the more appealing. 11/10

My nine-year-old daughter listened to this and adored it. She laughed and looked forward to listening to more each evening before bed. She said this author reminded her of David Walliams.

Wow wow wow I love this audio. It’s the perfect hug of an audio for Christmas so a big thank you to Matt Lucas for bringing this book to us. Not only is it a really heartwarming story about a poor boy who has lost his Mum and is so determined to make Christmas perfect that it all goes wrong and he misses it but it’s also full of Matts amazing funny and poignant songs (including the baked potato song) that just make your hear smile. I loved this book!

I was intrigued by the concept of this book which includes 20 original songs which are also written by Matt Lucas.

The story follows Leo who is facing his first Christmas without his mum. The story provides a good mix of humour and more serious/sensitive moments following Leo, his friends and family in the run-up to the big day. Leo puts so much effort into trying to make sure everyone has the best Christmas that he ends up sleeping through it!

I listened to the audio book which seemed like the obvious choice given the addition of the songs. It is narrated by Matt Lucas and I thought he did a great job. Overall, I really enjoyed the songs being interspersed between the regular story telling. I did sometimes feel the songs lasted a bit long where I was keen to return to the written chapters. However, in saying this I could completely picture in my mind the performance of them on stage or in a TV musical which is definitely a good sign!

While the plot of the story itself was probably the weakest aspect for me, the whole experience was great fun and I really like that Matt Lucas has brought something different to children’s storytelling. I will definitely be interested to see what he comes up with next. I am now listening to the book again with my primary aged children who think it is very funny and love the songs too.

I am rating the book 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars)

Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins UK Audio, Farshore for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Heartfelt story with the unusual but absolutely brilliant addition of musical numbers!

Now how on earth, one wonders, does an author add full-on songs with harmonies and instruments to a children's book? Well I got the best option - the audiobook! So every so often the characters break into song. But I understand that the written/Kindle versions have QR codes throughout so readers can (technology allowing) access the same songs (with lyrics at the back of the book) as they go along.

Any dubiousness should be put aside, for Matt Lucas is an EXCELLENT lyricist and composer. I haven't even got on to the story yet, but the songs were so varied, funny, with such a great range - big power numbers, rock ballads, ensembles, soft and sweet ones, even the Potato ditty from lockdown makes an appearance (and had me laughing aloud in the library when it came on - thanks for making me look insane, Mr Lucas). And the songs fit and suit the story.

The story then. Goodness, as a parent this hit home. Leo is facing his first Christmas without Mum, who has died months before. His father is busy working to keep them all going, elder brother is... well, a teenager locked in his room, and younger sister too obsessed with chips and too young to help. So it's up to Leo to make this Christmas special for them all. He knows what he has to do, but can he get through everything in time?

A story of two halves, almost literally, as the first half sees Leo struggling to prepare for the big day, and the second half what happens when things don't go to plan and an 'It's a Wonderful Life' plot manoeuvre sees Leo on a more madcap adventure to save his own Christmas Day (see the title).

I had a lump in my throat a few times. Leo is such a lovely young man, almost a carer for his sister with Dad at work, trying to keep his family together, and missing his Mum. The songs too, had me tearing up sometimes, but also laughing at the well-pastiched (may not be a word) tropes from musical theatre and well-scripted lyrics.

I listened to this alone (as it's only November) but intend to get my two boys listening to this next month, it's a great Christmas read and the addition of songs makes this a 'novel novel' for children. And may even get them interested in musicals in time for the ones ITV will screen on the 25th!

My estimate is that 6-12 year olds will be the target market for this, with older children better able to process the clever lyrics.

Great job, Mr Lucas.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.

I knew right away I would enjoy this (audio)book because I really love Matt Lucas from his hosting work on GBBO. His silliness shone through in this delightful holiday story for kids of all ages.

The whole musical novel concept is so fun too! I’ve never read or listened to anything like it before and I really hope that it catches on and becomes a thing because it really added to my enjoyment of the book. The songs ran the gamut from silly songs about picky eaters and baked potatoes that had me in stitches to heartfelt ballads about a recently passed mother and her son that had me in tears. While the story centres around Leo trying to put together the best Christmas ever after having recently lost his mum, Matt Lucas managed to handle the heavy subjects of loss and grief quite well and manages a perfect balance of humour to lighten some hard moments.

The author’s love of musicals is clear while listening to the songs. They have different sounds but there are some repeated elements that tie them back together. His love of creating quirky characters also shines through as Leo meets neighbours and friends along the way that all have different voices or characteristics.

The story itself stumbles in a few places but overall is heartfelt and full of magic and the wonder of the season. I can’t wait to see what Matt Lucas comes up with next!

I received an audiobook copy of this book through Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review.