Countdown to Christmas

Beautifully written Christmas read, love the advent calendar from her son such a caring idea knowing he will be away. The cold of Canada takes your breath away in a nice way. Perfect cover for a perfect book. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

This is a brilliant Jo Thomas book. Started in England and ended in Canada. I learnt loads about maple syrup. The food descriptions were amazing . The advent calendar is the star of the book. You will love it. The snow elements make you tingly .. It is just a great read. I loved all the baking bits and the mousse and her baby. You have to read it.

This was such a cute feel good Christmas romance. I could relate to Chloe who was not exactly in the Christmas spirit this year and is using her son's Advent character to get her through. .It turns out Chloe is the unexpected owner of some land up in Canada and pair that with a sexy lumberjack and you have the perfect romance to cozy up with by the fire!

I just love any book by Jo Thomas and have read them all ! More than once, each book she writes puts you right in that place and makes you imagine just what’s it’s like and with this book just how cold it is on those trails.
Loved every page and so sorry to have finished it. No spoilers so will say no more , just read it and enjoy it
My thanks as always to NetGalley and to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Penguin for the early read

A Jo Thomas book is like a hug and this book is no different. Our heroine is Chloe and she is inspired by her son Ruben's advent calendar to say yes to every opportunity that comes her way...which leads to the most exciting adventure of her life!

Another feel good read that hit me right in the feels, a five star review for a five star book.

I've got a long list of festive books all being published in October, and this is my first oof of that particular pile. I've really enjoyed Jo's books in the past, and combined with Christmas, I hoped this would be an enjoyable read. And it really was.

It's got some serious topics. So many split and blended families have to navigate Christmas, and I can't imagine it is easy. I'm lucky in that I spend every Christmas with my immediate - and sometimes extended - family, but I can't imagine you having to give your child to an ex partner and not having that time with them. And I think it's important that Jo has used this as her main character's background, because it is a common thing. A lot of Christmas books and movies show this perfect nuclear family, and that's just not always the case.

Chloe often complains about how cold it is in Canada, but it sounds like my dream. Heavy snow, dark clear nights, roaring fires, a cabin in the forest - it all sounds idyllic to me, but I would quite like it to be winter all year round.

This is exactly what I expected from a Jo Thomas book. She writes with such reality, such humanity, it shows that life does throw challenges at you, but with the right environment, friends and support, you can overcome them. It's not your run-of-the-mill happy festive rom-com. Not that there's anything wrong with them, I enjoy them very much, and there are elements of that here, but there are so many deep layers in this, so much character development that it is a real pleasure to read.

I have read a few of Jo's books before and they're all very uplifting and warming, but this is definitely my favourite. The warmth, the cosiness, the honesty, the beauty, it really earns its place on my festive bookshelf. It was such a good book that it stayed with me long after I'd finished it, these characters, and the setting, it all sounded like a dream, and I'm glad I got to be part of it.