I can sometimes end up nit picking with my favourite authors without meaning to, when you've read as many of their books as I have then you start pitting them against each other but I was so happy to start a new series (I hope) from Cressida Mclaughlin and this was wonderful. Warm, community spirit with a little bit of spice and the best animal ever written - Felix!

The main charachter, Sophie, has been hurt in many ways in life, before finding her place in Mistingham.
As the end of the year nears, she volunteers to work on the big christmas festival, as a way to discover who secretly gifted her a beautiful copy of Jane Eyre. In doing so, she finds more than she could have possibly hoped for, which makes her doubt if her plan to move on to the next place by the end of the year actually is what she wants.

This book has everything you'd look for in a christmas romance, it is set in a quaint village, that is filled with quirky characters!
It is super cute, and makes you feel all the feelings you'd want to feel.
Above all, it is filled with the warmth and love you want to feel in the winter period!

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley!

An absolutely heartwarming story that I was totally enchanted by.

I loved the village setting, the mystery behind he beautifully bound book, and just the whole feel of the story. I was absorbed by what Sophie would decide to do, whether she would continue to move from place to place each year, or if she would start to put down some routes.

And Harry was intriguing, a bit prickly at first, but turned into a wonderful man that I was definitely falling for. And the names of his dogs are rather amusing, but it's Felix the Goat that has to be the best character of the book. He has such a cheeky personality and it was always funny to see what scrapes he ended up in next.

I loved the planning for the big Christmas festival and also seeing how Sophie is starting to connect to more people in the village. The descriptions of the notebooks she makes too are enchanting and I almost wish I was a bigger fan of stationary to try to find similar ones as they sounded so lovely.

This is definitely a very enjoyable festive story that i read over the course of a day. And with Amazon implying this is the first book of a new series, I am incredibly eager to read the next book, and catch up with more of these characters as the setting is so fabulous.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I adored this book. The setting, the characters and the blossoming love story between Sophie and Harry. I especially enjoyed the Jane Eyre references. Such a heartwarming Christmas read,

I really enjoyed this. It had a lovely festive feel to it. Would really like to read more about other characters.

Cressida McLaughlin does it again, with another feel good Christmas novel filled with friendship, humour and mystery. I just loved the different characters and relationships in this book from Sophie and Fiona's friendship to Jazz's storyline to the mischievous goat, Felix. The storyline ultimately revolves around Sophie and Harry and their blossoming relationship. When the mysterious Harry and newbie in town, Sophie are unexpectedly volunteered to organise the village Christmas festival they both learn thing about each other and themselves that make them rethink the path they are on.
This was such a lovely, warm Christmas story which has really got me in the Christmas spirit. I loved the strand following Sophies investigation into who sent the mysterious package of a special edition Jane Eyre and how it correlated to her nomadic tendency.
The characters are very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed following the characters through their journeys. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Christmas contemporary romance.

Thank you NetGalley - I loved this book and really has got me into the Christmas spirit

The author sets this festive wintery tale in Mistingham a seaside town in Norfolk. This is about community, Finding home and in the words of Shrek Happy everafter Donkey - it is a real feel good story

Loved this and was published in October 2024.

The Secret Christmas Bookshop is a cosy, heartwarming, festive story whose characters, especially Felix I will now miss. Of course you know from the ofset that Sophie and Harry are meant to be together and of course a lot of the scenarios are rather farfetched but the storyline, the charcters and excerpts from Jane Eyre all make it worth setting time aside for, and you won't regret it.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy in return for my honest opinion.

The Secret Christmas Bookshop. I loved this book. The perfect Christmas romance for getting into the festive mood. Great characters and storyline, especially the link to classic books. I loved the Norfolk coast setting and the inclusion of all the furry friends (especially Felix the goat). One of the best Rom Coms I've read in a long time. Perfect.

I loved this book and it was perfect to start the cosy and festive reading season! I enjoyed the characters, the village by the sea (I'd move there in a heartbeat!) and the found family vibes. Lovely and heartwarming story, I look forward to the next book.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Harper Collins publishing and NetGalley for a copy of “ The Secret Christmas Bookshop” for an honest review.

I was drawn to read this because of the lovely setting of Norfolk and the title., obviously because of my job anything involving books gets my attention.!
A decent enough festive read, , and well written characters, but for some reason I didn't love it, so I can only giving it an average mark..

Lovely Christmas read. Sophie never settles down for long anywhere. Her whole life has been brought up in care system so she is not used to trusting people
Then she lands in Mistington a beautiful little village on the sea she settles in and gets a nice flat, lovely place to sell her gorgeous hand made notebooks so much so she is getting repeat customers
She has made friends and they in turn ask her to help with the big Christmas festival alongside the lord of manor Harry
She has only seen him few times he appears always to be cross or grumpy so she is not looking forward to it
Will they work it out ? Can they have it by old oak tree?
Thoroughly enjoyed this book all about who family really is to us

You need look no further for the perfect Christmas romance! This read is the most amazing combination of romance, fun, mystery and goaty goodness to fully sink into and lose yourself. I love the new setting and new characters and I hope there are future instalments to come.

Thank you Netgalley

I loved this book. This was the first book I have read since having a baby a year a go. I wanted something cosy, comforting and Christmassy to get me back into reading; it did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will always love anything Cressida writes.

Sophie is happy for now with her little set-up in a friend's shop selling her notebooks when she receives a present. A beautiful bok but who sent it to her and why. The quest for the truth is distracted when she is volunteered to help organise the christmas festival with the reclusive Harry but maybe this is just what they both need.

Oh what a festive read this was. A must for book lovers especially if like me Jane Eyre holds a place in your heart. This was such a good read. Its easy christmassy and emotional. This book takes us on a journey helping Sophie find what she truly wants. The ending was a perfect finish and I love how it all settled together. The goat is by the far of the star of the show but I did love Jazz too. She was brilliant and told it just like it is. The setting is so well described you can picture it all. As someone who actually lives in Norfolk, I can really picture the scene. A brilliant festive read.

A great festive read that offers up cosy village vibes, a mysterious hunk, troubled backgrounds a plenty and several cute dogs - kudos to the naming of these! A heart-warming ending that proves that family is what you make of it. Would recommend.

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

This was such a cute christmas romance, I really love the cosy village vibes in these sort of books. Characters were great and story was sweet.

After having enjoyed The Cornish Cream tea bus series I was chuffed to have received the first instalment of a new series by Cressida McLaughlin.

Every year, just after Christmas, Sophie packs up all her belongings and her handcrafted journals business to start fresh in a new town.

That is until she moves to Mistingham and has secured not only a lovely place to live but also a cosy corner to sell her handmade journals in Hartley Country Apparel. She has become fast friends with its owners Fiona and Ermin. But when Fiona finds Sophie browsing the internet for her next clean slate, she questions if moving again would actually be in Sophie’s best interest in the long run.

It even gets a little mysterious when Sophie finds the beautiful bound book Jane Eyre with the cryptic message that ‘sometimes you have to look closer to find what you have been missing’. Intrigued by the anonymous giver Sophie sets out to find them.

To help her quest Sophie signs up to organise the village’s Festive Oak Fest and is surprised to do this together with Harry Anderly. As they start preparing for the Fest, Sophie and Harry get to know each other and it brings them closer.

Will Harry and all the other wonderful characters in Mistingham be able to convince Sophie to open her heart and stay?

I absolutely loved this warm and cosy Christmas read and can’t wait for the next instalment in this series. Cressida McLaughlin has done it again!

I have not read anything by this author before but I intend to change that. I loved this story. Easy to read and a good Christmas story without too much drama other than in the love department. Sophie never stays long in a town and always feels the need to move on due to her childhood in foster care. Sophie arrives in Mistingham on the Norfolk coast and suddenly realises that she is settling very well. The village people are kind and take her under their wing. Sophie makes notebooks and sells them in a corner of a village store and online. Life is running smoothly until she runs, literally, into Harry. Harry is ”Lord of the Manor” and disliked by the majority of the villagers who think he is aloof. The village hold a Christmas fair, and when his father was alive, on the village green which is part of the Manor land. Since Harry returned this has not been allowed. Fast forward, things are changing and it is thanks, in a strange way, to Sophie. Life continues, the fair is now being held on the village green. Sophie and Harry are forced to get the fair organised and Sophie realises that she is falling for Harry. Time for her to move on – does she or doesn’t she? The villagers want her to stay but she cannot accept the notion of staying in one place for her future. She has to make a decision which is very difficult – Cornwall or Mistingham. Please read this to find out. A lovely story

I enjoyed books from Cressida’s Cornish Cream Tea series so it was inevitable that I would jump at the chance to read another of hers that contains a bookshop during the Christmas period! This is a light and enjoyable read with a little romance and mystery set in a quaint English village.

‘I’m seizing the moment,’ Harry said. ‘Not waiting for things to be perfect, but making the most of right now. Someone taught me that recently.’

There is a wonderful cast of characters from this small village that come together to prepare for Christmas. It is fun, however, Cressida delves a little deeper into themes of finding a home and the importance of family and community. I love how the gifted copy of Jane Eyre that Sophie mysteriously receives and reads, reflects both Jane and Sophie’s story with the latter drawing inspiration from this classic.

‘I’m going to take chances and be braver. I’m going to live, rather than exist.’

So make yourself a nice cuppa and settle in for all the festive community feels! This is a tale about finding out where you belong in a beautiful village by the sea.




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.