While Bea now resides in a nursing home in London, she still keeps in touch with close friend Greta who moved back to their home town of Vienna. They exchange letters – Bea now needs help to write them, but it’s one of the tasks Sophie enjoys helping her with. Their Christmas letters are always particularly special – but this year’s will be the last. Bea has died, in the run-up to Christmas, and Sophie hasn’t yet managed to send her letter – and she’s grieving, having been especially fond of the old lady. Finding herself unexpectedly jobless – the manager was always just looking for a reason – she remembers Bea’s insistence that she should visit Vienna, and decides to break the news to Greta in person.

A surprise awaits her there, but she’s drawn into the heart of Greta’s family – her husband Walter and her son Nick, and Jennie who has become as close to them as a daughter. Jennie hasn’t had the easiest of lives, but now works with Nick at the sumptuous Wynter Hotel: the couple helped her to have a fresh start (something they’ve often done for others), and she’s initially suspicious of Sophie, knowing that others have taken advantage of their kindness. And there are more surprises – and a few nasty shocks – to come, as the past begins to catch up with both Sophie and Jennie and a number of deeply buried secrets begin to emerge, including the reason why Bea and Greta were so determined that Sophie should visit Vienna.

I desperately don’t want to spoil the clever plotting of this book – coupled with the emotional story of found family, and a few major misunderstandings (and some unwelcome interference) along the way, I raced through it and loved every single moment. Every character is so real – both Sophie and Jennie very sympathetic, and I entirely adored the lovely Walter. And can there be anywhere lovelier to spend Christmas than Vienna? The setting is so perfectly drawn – the snowfall, the decorations, the food that meant so much to them all, the hotel wrapped in its red ribbon. There’s a gentle romance too – and it’s one I really enjoyed. And every emotional touch – and there are many – is so perfectly judged. I was often on the edge of tears – but there’s such warmth to the whole story that made it a really uplifting read.

The whole book honestly was an absolute delight – and the author’s writing has never been better. Yes, a festive read, and perhaps one to keep until you’re feeling just a little more Christmassy – but it’s a book I’d very much recommend you add to your reading list. I really loved it…

What a wonderful book. Different generations coming together following two friends who each year sent Christmas letters. Two women who didn’t know that there was a connection through an incident that happened years before. Jennie, Nick , Sophie and Walter unite in Vienna around Christmas following on from the death of two friends to keep up tradition. Thank you Helen for your storytelling and to her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

Other than a John Lennon song playing in a loop in my head, I went into this one without reading the synopsis, and I’m glad I did. I have been obsessed with Vienna since hearing the Ultravox song of the same name, but I’ve still not visited. This was a fabulous, yet virtual visit, and I loved every moment. Following the special friendship between Bea and Greta was uplifting and brought to my mind so many of my own dear friends from over the years.
When we first meet Sophie, she is caring for Bea in a residential home in London. She enjoys hearing Bea’s stories of growing up in Vienna and helps her to write her annual Christmas letter to Greta. Bea and Sophie have a special bond, and it’s no surprise that Sophie is deeply affected when Bea slips away. When Sophie then receives a note from Bea, asking her to visit Vienna, she resolves to make the trip.
For fear of including any spoilers, I will leave my recap there, but I can promise the most delightful and heartwarming story awaits when you read this one yourself.
I adored Sophie and loved her kindness and selfless attitude to life and those around her. We soon discovered that poor choices and unfavourable options marked her relationship history. Thankfully, she would be away for Christmas this year, and she had a chance to make some new memories.
I instinctively knew that this would be a truly special story, as Helen has never let me down. Greta and Bea’s friendship is at the heart of this book, but Sophie’s gradual discovery of her own independence was a breath of fresh air. This book left me feeling uplifted and hopeful, and is definitely a contender for my Christmas book of the year.

Bea and Greta have been close friends for years. Over the years they have written each other many, many letters, of which the annual Christmas letter is a highlight for each of them. Greta now lives back in their original home city of Vienna, after spending many years in the UK working in the hotel business. Widowed Bea lives in a care facility in the London.

Sophie works in the care home, and over the years she has built a lovely friendship with Bea. By extension she feels like she knows Greta and her husband Walter, their son Nick and their almost adopted daughter Jennie.

When Bea passes away peacefully, Sophie is devastated, especially when she realises that she had not yet posted the annual Christmas letter to Greta. Suddenly finding herself with time on her hands after her vindictive boss fires her, the idea strikes Sophie that maybe she should take the letter to Vienna herself and deliver the bad news. After all, her son is spending the holidays in America and Bea and Greta had both been suggesting that she should visit Vienna for years. Bea had even left a small sum of money for exactly this purpose.

The Vienna that Sophie lands is is dressed up in it's Christmas best. There are lights and Christmas trees, markets and Ferris wheels all bringing the beautiful city to life. But the single thing that brings joy to Sophie is the very warm welcome that she receives from the Wynter family. She is particularly drawn to handsome, single Nick Wynter. The only person that is a bit cool towards her is Jennie, who isn't sure that Sophie can be trusted and that she isn't going to try and con the family.

Sophie and Jennie both have quite a bit in common. They both had difficult family situations and have had to overcome adversity to get where they are today. They also have both denied themselves opportunities to be truly happy because of things that happened in the past. Can they help each other give themselves the ability to forgive themselves and move forward, or will the recriminations from the past continue to shape their lives going forward.

I have read a number of Helen Rolfe books now, and I am at the point where I know I will be reading each new book as it comes out. There is an extensive back list for me to explore, including a number of Christmas themed books.

As always I enjoy the way that Helen Rolfe weaves different themes through her stories, giving them depth but also delivering feel good, uplifting reads.

Recently a friend and I were talking about her holiday options for Christmas time. They are leaving the adult kids at home and headed to Europe for Christmas. The big question for her was where. The two options were Spain and Portugal or Germany and Austria. As much as I love the idea of Spain and Portugal when she said they would be there for Christmas, my instant response was that my vote was for Germany and Austria, if only for the Christmas markets! I am going to suggest this book to her to read before she leaves. I was already jealous of her trip, but now I am even more jealous, and I wish I was going to Europe for Christmas, but it is not to be this year.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Check out the other stops on the blog tour as well!




Rating 4/5

So this is Christmas by Helen Rolfe is a wonderful, enjoyable, heartwarming story of love, loss, grief and family that goes beyond blood; a heart-warming festive read that could bring a tear to the eye.

Bea and Greta had been best friends for a lifetime; both originally from Vienna, now Bea's home was in London while Greta's was currently in Vienna. The two friends have an annual tradition of posting festive letters to each other, especially at Christmas. Bea, now in her eighties, resided in a care home with kind, compassionate, care assistant Sophie doing all she could for Bea. With her eyesight failing, Sophie wrote the latest Christmas letter with Bea dictating. The letter was finished, ready for Sophie to post, when Bea quietly passed away overnight. Sophie was shattered.

Sophie loves Christmas, especially helping Bea write her letter to Greta. Unfortunately a few days after they finish the letter Bea passes away and Sophie is devastated. She realizes that she hasn’t posted the letter, when she receives a letter from Bea herself telling her to go to Vienna, she does just that; delivering the last letter in person.

Greta and her husband, Walter, have spent their years together taking care of others: finding people in need of care and support, helping them find their feet. Their family circle includes their own son Nick and Jennie, who after being thrown out of her home, has become like a daughter to them. After retiring, Greta and Walter moved back to Vienna, with their Nick be the manager of the Wynter hotel and Jennie working there as housekeeping manager.

Greta and Bea spent several years trying to persuade Sophie to visit Vienna; appearing to have an ulterior motive. As the story moves on we discover their well meaning motives. We also find out unexpected aspects of Sophie and Jennie’s lives that link them. Secrets that have kept them hiding from the truth and preventing them from living life to the full.

I loved this festive read. The characters were delightful and the close feeling of family and true connection made for a really cozy read, with seasonal love and joy to match it. I was thoroughly absorbed in this take of found family and intergenerational friendships, despite the secrets and lies causing emotional turmoil that lurked between the pages.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
#SoThisIsChristmas #Boldwood #NetGalley

Well that was quite the tearjerker! I lost count of the number of times I cried whilst reading this one! Some of it was a bit close to home for me which made it more emotional for me to read.

This was the fourth book I have read by this author and I have enjoyed them all.

The book is set between England and Vienna. Having been to Vienna it was lovely to read about some of the places I had visited. A Christmas visit is now on my bucket list!

When Bea dies in a care home, Sophie her carer and friend decides to travel to Vienna to tell Bea’s lifelong friend Greta Whyte the sad news in person.

In Vienna, the Whytes are reeling from a loss of their own but they are overjoyed that Sophie has made the trip to visit them.

Sophie has a connection with Jennie, a girl the Whytes took under their wing, which neither girl is aware of and which is going to deeply affect everyone.

Such an emotive read and so well written. My heart went out to both Sophie and Jennie and the trauma they had both faced in their lives and the severe guilt they still carried.

A really great read to add to your Christmas reading list.

This is a new to me author. I love a good Christmas book so I was excited to grab this one. I love the genuine friendship between Greta and Brea they seemed more sisters than friends. I will say though I really struggled to get into this book. I like a book that draws you in and captures your attention pretty quickly.  I felt this book favors a very rich descriptive style then and less of a banter and dialogue between the characters, which made it difficult to really get into the story.  The author does a good job and noting each chapter with who it’s about so it is less confusing who you are reading about. Overall I have to say this book just was not for me. The author did keep it a clean read

A Christmas read about relationships from the past that have last for years. New relationships and ones that had broken up. A great story to read and I enjoyed it as I have friends from sixth grade that I still talk to. I would recommend this book.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and Boldwood and leaving a review by my own choice.

The magic of Christmas in a magical city. Two long friends keeping in contact by letters. Two young women and their lives touched by a tragedy on their past. And all is interconnected in a magical way. A great story from Helen Rolfe. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy. This is my honest review.

As someone who absolutely fell in love with Vienna when traveling there, this was such a lovely, romantic holiday read. My favorite kind of cozy read, this was a wonderful introduction to Rolfe's work, and I enjoyed the relationship between Bea and Greta via their letters. Jennie's journey through love and loss was so well written, I found myself deeply invested in what would happen next. Thank you so much for this wonderful ARC. I look forward to reading more of Rolfe's works.

So This is Christmas is a magical and cozy Christmas romance. The perfect book to get you feeling the upcoming holiday vibes.
The friendship aspect was lovely. I loved the letter writing between Bea and Greta.
I do have to say, the story was a bit slow at times….maybe it was just me?
A beautiful story about how friendships can go on no matter what happens. We all deserve forgiveness in the end.
Thank you NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was the perfect light read for the Christmas holiday (or apparently for August). Most of the characters were very likeable. There was, of course, the one you had to hate.

The story starts out focusing on two old friends who have been in different countries for years, but have kept in touch by letters, especially the yearly Christmas letter they send to each other. Now one is in an assisted living place and helped with her letters by her aide and friend. Upon her death, her friend decides to go to Vienna to tell the other elderly woman in person. There she finds friends and "family" that she had been missing.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the digital copy. All thoughts are my own.

Good but lost its way in the middle before picking up again towards the end.

We start the story with Bea and Greta and follow their lives through to the end, most of the story is taken up with Bea in a care home in England with Sophie one of the workers.

Through letters between Bea and Greta we learn about their lives and the lives of these that work with them, and Greta’s husband Walter and son Nick.

When Bea passes away and Sophie is left her necklace she goes to Vienna to deliver the news of Bea’s death in person to Greta and Walter, what follows is a story of love, lies and joy

With thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced reader copy

I enjoyed reading So This is Christmas by Helen Rolfe. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

I was a bit worried that I'd find it hard to get into this book as it's August and I'm a very seasonal reader! I adore Christmas books and I usually start reading them in November so it was very early for me, but I needn't have worried as I had no issues at all when it came to reading this beautiful story. I actually felt that even though it's a festive read, Christmas itself was more of a background theme to the overall story which was absolutely perfect for me.

I loved the idea of the two best friends writing letters to each other over so many years. Time and distance are no obstacles when it comes to their enduring friendship and there was something so beautiful about the commitment they made to each other to send the Christmas letters every year. It's true that most people don't write letters anymore since we have video calls and emails nowadays, so I loved that they kept up the tradition, although as they got older the letters were typed due to failing eyesight.

Of course there's terrible sadness in this book as Bea passes away peacefully one night, and her friend and carer Sophie is absolutely devastated. But with Bea's passing comes the push that Sophie needed to do something for herself, so she takes a trip to beautiful Vienna at Christmas. I'd love to visit Vienna at any time of year, but Christmas must be absolutely magical with all of the Christmas markets and stunning architecture; it's definitely a trip that I'd love to take one day.

This trip to Vienna changes Sophie's life in many unexpected ways and I know that Bea would have been very happy to know that she played such a huge part in that, although she sadly didn't live to see it. There was definitely a lot more to this story than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised. I expected a lot more Romance but what I actually got was a beautiful story of second chances and friendship which I adored.

Overall this was a cosy festive read with quite a big unexpected twist, and some very loveable characters. It's definitely got me ready for some more Christmas books, and I've got a TBR pile forming already.

“So This Is Christmas” a beautiful christmassy setting with seasonal love and joy to match it. I was so thoroughly absorbed in this take of found family and intergenerational friendships that I read the book in one day.

The story is about the yearly Christmas letter shared between old friends, Greta in Vienna the Bea in London.

Sophie cares deeply about Bea, one of the residents in the home she works in. She helps her to write and send letters to her oldest friend, the most important one being the Christmas letter. This year is different, this year Bea is no longer and Sophie needs to decide how to break it to Greta and her family. Should she send the letter with a covering note or should she visit Vienna for Christmas?

Greta and her husband have spent their years together taking care of others finding people in need of care and support and helping them find their feet. Their family circle includes their own son Nick and Jennie, who was thrown out of her home and has become like a daughter to them. Greta and Bea have spent several years trying to persuade Sophie to visit Vienna. They seem to have an ulterior motive.

As the story moves on we discover their well meaning motives. We also find out unexpected aspects of Sophie and Jennie’s lives that link them. Secrets that have kept them hiding from the truth and preventing them from living life to the full.

I loved this festive read. The characters were delightful and the close feeling of family and true connection made for a really cosy read, despite the secrets and lies causing emotional turmoil that lurked between the pages.

Sophie is a care assistant in a residential home where she forms a close relationship with one of the residents, Bea, who was originally from Vienna. For years Bea and her best friend from Vienna Greta had swapped letters at Christmas and in later years Sophie had been helping Bea write these letters and read those sent to her in return. When Bea unexpectedly passes away Sophie decided to travel to Vienna to pass the final letter on personally.
Mainly set in Vienna at Christmas time this is a very emotional story, covering loss but also forgiveness and reconciliation.. There are unexpected twists and secrets revealed that have long been held, both good and bad, that are difficult to be reconciled, but equally helped to understand and hopefully forgive. There is a touch of romance as well which helps give the whole story a positive spin, and one which I will remember for a long time.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

A heartwarming Christmas story of life long friendship between two old friends, always writing a Christmas letter to each other. Cosy read

Throughout their long friendship Greta and Bea regularly corresponded with each other, but the highlight of each year was the Christmas letter. Now in a care home Bea has developed a close bond with Sophie, one of the assistants, who helps with her correspondence. Following Bea’s death just before Christmas Sophie was fired unjustly from her job and, realising that she hasn’t posted the Christmas letter, decides to go to Vienna to give the news of Bea’s death to Greta and her husband Walter in person. Warmly welcomed by Walter she discovers that Greta died a few months earlier. Walter and Greta’s son Nick is also welcoming to Sophie, but a semi adopted daughter, Jennie, has reservations.

Gradually Sophie and Jennie warm to each other, as they have both had difficult childhoods, but both have secrets that they are frightened to talk about, and one secret unexpectedly links Sophie and Jennie. As Sophie’s stay in Vienna continues the secrets gradually unfold but the arrival of Sophie’s ex-boss proves a catalyst for disaster.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I really enjoyed it.

Great read! Love a Christmas novel and this delivered on all aspects! Sophie, who works as a residential care assistant forms a close bond with one of her patients Bea. For decades, Bea and her friend Grace have exchanged letters often filled with family news, travelling stories and current affairs. Although both originally from Austria, they both ended up in England. But now Grace is back in Vienna and with both her & Bea's encouragement, they get Sophie to go to Vienna. The story unfolds unexpectedly but it is still heartwarming & tugs at your heartstrings! Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy.