Very enjoyable book by Jo Thomas - she never fails to captivate with her stories and characters.

I particularly love the ones set in other countries so I really enjoyed that this was set in Switzerland, set at a Chocolate School - not just any but one of the best in the world and not entirely what Clara is expecting when she signs up as part of her redundancy terms. Having followed her new boyfriend for his job, she is just wanting to keep herself occupied but finds that she is in her class with serious chocolatiers who take it very seriously....!

Clara is a lovely character, somewhat lacking in confidence and is determined to leave after her first day but luckily something in the back of her head, makes her turn up day after day.

A very enjoyable book which I flew through - learning about chocolate making was a great addition to the story!

As someone who loves both Christmas and chocolate this was the book for me. I loved following her journey of breaking with what was expected and taking a chance - something we all need to do once in a while. Sticking at something when it is hard takes courage which she had in spades and then a lovely story unfolds of friendship and love from the most inauspicious starts.

A lovely tale to read on a cold winter day.

Jo Thomas is one of my go-to authors; I know when she releases a new book I am assured of a story that will have me transported to an interesting location while enjoying lots of lovely local dishes. For this year’s Christmas book, Jo is taking readers off to Switzerland. What could be more perfect than a festive trip to the snowy alps combined with lots of chocolate?

The story centres on chocolate-loving Clara, who has shocked her two best friends by announcing that she has left her position as HR manager and, what’s more, is moving to Switzerland with her very new boyfriend as he begins a new job there. Her plan is to enrol on a chocolate-making course that runs for six weeks up to Christmas. Clara has spent years celebrating Christmas on her own and is dreaming of a different experience this year with her boyfriend in their Swiss home surrounded by all the trappings of the season. The reality is somewhat different as neither the course nor the boyfriend is what she expected. However, Clara does her best to make the most of the situation. She finds friends amongst the others on the course and surprisingly becomes close to gruff tutor Gabriel. It looks as though that perfect family-style could be in her future after all.

I absolutely loved this book. It has so much going for it, with marvellous mountain scenery, a host of interesting characters, romance and a mouthwatering selection of food, with chocolate front and centre. Definitely a story for foodies and chocolate addicts, with a lovely Christmassy feel throughout. I feel as though I learnt a lot about the chocolate making processes. Even hot chocolate was very different from what we are used to drinking from our usual coffee shops. I loved the main characters in the story. Clara was somebody with great determination to turn her life around and I admired the way in which she fought to achieve her goals. She was slightly misguided in putting her faith in someone she had just met, but fortunately that worked out in the end. I was attracted to Gabriel right away, although he was a little moody at times. Thanks to the author for including a selection of recipes, sweet and savoury, at the end of the book; I might just give some a try.

Really enjoyed this book. My mouth was watering thinking of all the Swiss chocolate. Fun story and would recommend as a good easy read.

Another fantastic 5 star read from Jo Thomas!!

A light, easy to follow festive read. But please don't read this when you're hungry or have a weakness for chocolate 😂

A lovely story that gives you a warm festive glow inside.
All things Chocolatey, snow, friendships and love.
Clara was so brave to give up everything she knew and took a leap of faith that really paid off in a different way to what she imagined. Daniel is the type of guy we all want to avoid and want our daughters to avoid 😂
Just a gorgeous read!

My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of “ A Recipe For Christmas “ for an honest review.

This was a cosy festive read , with the delightful snowy setting of Switzerland..Not overly christmassy but definitely helps to get you into the spirit of things .
You’ll definitely be craving chocolate by the end of the book. So stock up first !

Another Christmas cracker from Jo Thomas.
A stunning mixture of Switzerland, snow, slow burning romance and best of all ....Chocolate!
I loved this book, it made me feel Christmassy and had me so desperate for chocolate that I had to go and buy some. Be warned, stock up on your favourite choccie before settling down to read this, you won't regret it!

I read my first Jo Thomas festive book last year and really really enjoyed it so had reasonable hopes for this one but I also didn't feel that they were too high. However while this book was by no means bad it also wasn't really anything special and didn't stand out among all the other festive books I've read.

A Recipe for Christmas follows Clara who has just moved to Switzerland with her new boyfriend and has signed up for a chocolate making course that is more serious than it seemed and not everything is going to plan with her new boyfriend either.

I enjoyed reading about Clara and seeing her discover what it was she actually wanted in life rather than just following the path she had been set on since her first job and starting to take risks that she wouldn't have previously. I also enjoyed meeting many of the other characters that this book featured including Clara's friends from home and those on the chocolate making course with her.

The chocolate was fun and a part of the book I found myself looking forward to reading. It was nice to watch Clara learn, find her feet and work out what she wanted to do with her chocolates, it also made me crave proper chocolate which is a good sign.

However where this book fell flat for me was that I didn't find myself invested in the story like I normally am, I definitely had opinions about what I didn’t want to happen but with some characters featured you definitely are meant to feel that way. I wasn't invested in Clara and Gabriel's budding relationship and I felt like I could have just put the book down one day, not gone back to it and that not have ultimately bothered me. I can also pretty certainly say that it wasn't the predictably of this sort of storyline that put it off for me as that is one of my favourite things about festive books, you know what will ultimately happen in the end but get to experience it with slightly different plots and new characters.

I also found that while parts of the book made clever sense for the book and worked really well, they were kind of resolved too easy for the ending and everything conveniently comes together at the end to make this perfect ending and it just felt like it was done to make the ending as meaningful as possible to the plot but instead to me just felt convenient and I wasn't a fan of.

Overall this was a festive book that I would recommend to some people however with the window that I read festive books in I almost wish I had read something else as I think I will just forget this one as time goes on. I will give Jo Thomas another chance as I loved Countdown to Christmas last year however I suspect if I feel similarly about that book as I do this one she may not be an author I return to.

I am always excited to delve into a new Jo Thomas’ book and this one didn’t disappoint. A great combination of snow and chocolate can’t disappoint and this one doesn’t….especially when you throw in some beautifully written characters around a delightful storyline! Recommended

A festive delight that has me craving chocolate!

This was just the pick me up I needed. Thomas's novels always have a knack of putting a smile on my face.

Filled with a great mix of characters and emotions, there was everything to love.

Set in Switzerland, the backdrop was just as good as the story itself.

If you are in need of a book to give you all the feels, then this is the one for you!

If you like chocolate, (and who doesn’t!), you will love this book from Jo Thomas. And where else would you go except Switzerland to learn the art of chocolate making? And that’s exactly where Clara ends up with her new boyfriend. Unfortunately, neither the boyfriend or the chocolate course are what she expected them to be.

If you love snow and if you love chocolate you will love this book!!! I really enjoyed this read a lot! It was a page turner for me! It’s a book about taking your chances and starting new in life. It’s also about friendship. And it was a lot about chocolate making too and I really loved that too! and a touch of romance!!! I am giving a 4 stars for this very lovely book!!!

I love Jo's books. The romance is pitched perfectly with the atmospheric delight of food. I really enjoyed reading this book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

A Recipe For Christmas (written by Jo Thomas) is a lovely little, easy-to-read, cosy winter romance. Set in a beautiful little town with a backdrop of the Swiss Alps, Clara joins her new boyfriend as he moves for work. Looking for something to do, she joins a chocolate making class, meeting a number of interesting chocolatiers. Quickly finding herself out of her depth, Clara struggles to find her feet but meets a very interesting chocolatier who can help her discover her passion for chocolate.
I enjoyed reading A Recipe For Christmas as it helped me get into the Christmas spirit.

This is a great book for a a Christmas gift, easygoing and comfortable with an upbeat, overcoming adversity, everything turns out for the best in the end kind of feel! It flows along quite nicely and the story line keeps you interested. It is all a bit too convenient and far fetched at times but sometimes it’s nice to escape to a fictional place where life is uncomplicated and good people have good things happen to them! A cosy type of book for cold winter days!

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of A Recipe for Christmas.

This book is like a lovely warm drink of hot chocolate on a snowy cold day. A classic romcom with chocolate making thrown in, where could it go wrong.
Recommend.

Jo Thomas can never do no wrong with her stories, she is beautifully descriptive and creative within every single word she writes and given that this story takes place around chocolate, I can very well say that all I did was crave chocolate during my time with this one. Clara was a really sweet and lovely character, wanting to better herself and improve her ways of life, moving to Switzerland was a scary but successful trip in making this happen. Clara's journey in Switzerland was definitely a rollercoaster of a journey, to say the least, and their were many characters that definitely could boil your blood. However, Clara is a patient soul who managed to win the hearts of everybody, including the dreamy Gabriel. I wish we had more time with Clara and Gabriel and less time with the waste of a space Clara first called her boyfriend, however what we did get of Clara and Gabriel was definitely worth the wait.

A move to another country and a fun chocolate course is what she is expecting, but the course proves to be anything but and is leaves doubts in Clara's mind. He boyfriend is not quite all she was expecting either and suddenly the new life seems to be unravelling.

However, Clara is not a quitter and soon we find out just how spirited she is and travel with her on a tough but enlightening adventure.

A delightful Christmas read set in switzerland. I loved all the characters at the chocolate school and enjoyed how their friendship developed so much throughout the book - a different kind of Christmas read but it made it all the more interesting