Driving Home For Christmas

I liked this story. A little off putting with all the back and forth but a great ending!

A lovely Christmassy story.

Megan goes home to her mum and dad over Christmas for the first time in 10 years. After discovering she was pregnant, she left to miss their disapproval and walked away from her best friend who had offered to bring up the baby as his own.

She stayed with an eccentric aunt in a great big rambling house with an assortment of guests. The aunt manipulated a situation where Megan took her daughter Skye home to meet her parents.

She meets up with Lucas again- and the deep feelings remain. He also loves getting to know Skye and teaching her to play the guitar. Her mum and dad love getting to know her daughter- and they have changed from the disapproving parents she remembers.

A tale of love, mending family relationships and a bit of Christmas magic thrown in. A perfect read for the Christmas season.

Christmas reading in October? Usually something I wouldn’t do but Driving Home For Christmas is a fantastic story and one I would definitely encourage others to read.

The story is mainly told in the present day, in the 3rd person and from the point of view of Megan McAllister. Occasionally though, the author gives us different viewpoints such as the wonderful character of Megan’s daughter Skye. The author also assists the reader by filling in the back story bit by bit, by adding in italicised scenes from the past of Megan. This allows the reader to find out so much about the characters and stories surrounding Megan, including her previous relationship and friendship with Lucas, the early few months with baby Skye and so much more. These little glimpses every now and again – which do jump around and are not in a continuous order – enable the reader to puzzle through and put together this literary jigsaw.

There are so many wonderful characters in this story which all fit together and have their own amazing and real characteristics. The main character Megan has turned into a happy and loving mother but who has been away from her parents and brother for so long and for such a reason that returning is very hard. But she will do anything for her daughter Skye. Skye is an amazing girl; she is naturally loving and outgoing and at times far too grown up for her age but intuitive about her mother’s needs and her own. Skye wants to be a private investigator when she grows up and spends a lot of her time practicing; with great effect. Into the story also comes Lucas; former best friend and boyfriend of Megan and now handsome-hunk teacher / rock god. Lucas is, very fortunately for this story, single and living back in the same village he and Megan grew up in. Through the flashbacks, we find out that Lucas was the person Megan always ran to when she needed to get away from home and her parents and in the main story we see a rekindling of this friendship which is utterly sweet and wonderful. With the added minx of Skye to help things along, what could possibly go wrong?! Add in Anna, her gay lodger Jeremy and Megan’s parents the story is well and expressively told and a pure joy to read.

This book is a wonderful introduction to Christmas and one which many will be able to relate to. I was quickly drawn into the story and sped through it in around 4/5 hours. I didn’t want the story to end… Aww! I really hope you enjoy this story as much as I have. Merry Christmas!

As a teenager, Megan McAllister’s mum expected big things for her daughter…very big things. Expecting her to go off to Cambridge University and conquer the world, Megan finding herself pregnant was certainly not part of her mother’s plan.
Finding herself kicked out of her own home and despite her ex boyfriend Lucas’ offer of bringing up Megan’s baby as his own, she flees from the village that she has been so desperate to escape from for so many years and finds herself living in London after being taken in by her aunt, Anna.
Fast forward ten years and Megan is more than happy with how things have turned out. As far as she’s concerned, Skye was the best ‘mistake’ she ever made and it’s mother and daughter against the world….Which is why it is with huge reluctance that Megan is talked into visiting her parents for Christmas. After Megan’s shock announcement all those years ago she has had no contact with her parents and can’t bring herself to forgive her mother for putting such pressure on Megan as a child and then turning her back on her when she needed her mum most. However, Anna manages to reason with Megan, ten years is a long time and apparently Megan’s parents are desperate to meet their granddaughter.
Fully expecting this to be the Christmas From Hell, Megan agrees to try and make amends, but it’s not long before the faces and memories from her past start appearing, including her teenage sweetheart, Lucas who Skye immediately takes a shine to. But Megan isn’t interested in rekindling old relationships, after all other people just complicate things and it’s much easier when it’s just her and Skye, that way no one can get hurt. Right…?
I loved the sound of Driving Home For Christmas; I always enjoy stories where a character re-visits somewhere from their past and is faced with all of their old memories (some good and some not so good). The circumstances that caused Megan to leave her family home all of those years ago also make an interesting addition to things and I can completely identify with why she didn’t want to go back and see her parents after everything that happened (especially her mother, jeez, pushy or what!?) The story completely lived up to my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed this heart warming tale which is all about making things right.
I loved the way in which the story was written; mostly in present day but every so often we get to go back in time to see what really happened when Megan was a teenager; when she was being worked to the bone by her mother, when she fell in love with Lucas, and of course, the arrival of Skye. I liked how these snippets were interspersed within the story and the more you discover, the more everything seems to add up and you understand why certain characters behaved the way that they did.
Skye is one heck of a cool ten year old. She wears mermaid leggings and wants to be a detective…enough said. She is extremely smart and wise beyond her years; in fact she seems to have the world sussed even more so than her own mother. She is funny and completely adorable. You also can’t help but like Megan and I found myself really admiring her (although there were times when I found her a teeny bit frustrating. You’ll see why…) Lucas was also great and his relationship with Skye will make your heart melt. Then there’s Anna and Megan’s friend Jeremy who are completely brilliant too. All in all there’s a fantastic range of characters within Driving Home For Christmas who you can’t help but bond with and relate to.
This is the first of A.L Michael’s books that I’ve read and I’m delighted to be able to add her to my ever-growing list of fantastic authors. It’s such a lovely, warm, delightful read, with drama, tears, family and romance.

This is a gorgeous festive read that hooked me from the very first page and made me smile until the very last.

It is a beautifully written tale about whacky families, love and forgiveness. Packed full of wonderful characters, it left me dreaming of mince pies in front of the fire, carol singing in the park and kissing someone special under the mistletoe!

A witty, laugh-out-loud read that gives you a lovely case of the festive warm n' fuzzies.
I highly recommend you curl up under a blanket with this book and spend an evening indulging in Christmassy warmth and happiness!

Rating 4.5

First of all I have a bone to pick with whoever came up with this title. I've had this book on my Kindle since October and every time I've loaded it to read another book, I've seen this one and ended up singing the Christmas song for the rest of the day! Finally I can archive it so I don't have it stuck in my head. However saying that, it might need to stay on there a little longer because it was a great Christmas read that I might have to pull out again before the 25th. I didn't think I was going to enjoy it from the slow start but I'm glad I stuck with it.

Driving Home For Christmas is just one of those books that makes you feel good. It's a read that keeps a smile on your face--most of the time--and the characters are adorable, especially Skye. I'm not normally a fan on kids in books, but she was unbelievably cute and I loved her meddling.

Similarly, I loved how things developed and Megan grew to become more trusting. Lucas was great at getting her to open up eventually and the story of how their relationship evolved was interesting and engaging. I also liked the memory/flashback sections that have snippets of the past and what had happened. They gave a deeper insight into why things had happened the way they did so you could really sympathise for Megan.

The only thing I wasn't so keen on was the ending (the chapter before the epilogue). It was a bit sudden for me even if the epilogue ends it nicely.

Overall this was a great read that I didn't expect to fall in love with as much as I did. There is a bit of a slow, jumbled start but it's well worth sticking with.

This review will be live on the 24th of Dec

Firstly thank you to Carina UK for approving me for a review copy of this title via NetGalley. This is the first time, but certainly won’t be the last, that I had read anything by A.L. Michael.
Young, single mother Megan has brought her daughter Skye up with the help of her Aunt and a drag Queen. As a speech and language therapist, Megan is a fully functioning adult and a wonderful mother to her daughter. This is the story of her family.
I LOVED THIS. I loved it, actually. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love. All of the emotions were felt in the reading of this book and it is definitely one of the best Christmas releases that I’ve read this year. The story is mainly told from Megan’s point of view however there are sections which come from some of the other people in her life. Although there are not many people in her day to day life there are very strong, influential characters which have helped to shape Megan and Skye’s life to what it is now. Megan is a wonderfully strong character whose actions and determination have built a really safe and fantastic life for her eleven year old daughter Skye. Skye is a really mature 11 year old which comes across as a result of her brilliantly evolved upbringing but her character adds an undertone of innocence to the story as a whole and allows the focus of this story to be centred on family throughout.
The story is full of emotion as Megan returns home after a ten year absence to find that everything has changed and that everything has stayed the same in its own way, including her ex-boyfriend Lucas. I felt nervous for Megan going home as it was going to be such an ordeal for her. The emotional rollercoaster is enhanced by the time flip element of this story which allows you to become acquainted with the story of teenager Megan without feeling like the story is being dredged up ten years later. The scenes from the past don’t appear in chronological order which cleverly builds up empathy between you as the reader and Megan.
Lucas has obviously been a big part of Megan’s life and I really completely fell for him. He exudes charm but when you get to know this grown up version of him you really can’t help but fall for him. He seems like such a great guy and that really comes across in his relationship with Skye too. I loved Megan’s story but Lucas really won me over.
This is a full length novel but with a variety of unique characters and a compelling storyline you will fly through it. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author now!

I would like to thank author AL Michael for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

When we first meet Megan she is being persuaded by Anna to go home for Christmas, Megan hasn't been home since she was thrown out by her parents when she began pregnant with her daughter Skye.

The book is written in the third person mostly Megan, but occasionally flips to her daughter Skye or her parents POV, it's superbly written and I became invested in each character almost straight away especially Megan.

There are secrets and tension that AL Michael slowly reveals over the course of the book. I couldn't help having a respect for Megan and everything she achieves.

There is a saying used in the book a few times, people need people and it is true, Megan needs to story running away.

This is a really gripping and enjoyable Christmas story, I have The Last Word in my kindle and the first chance I get I will be reading it.

This was another festive eBook I was really excited to read. It was the first book I had read by A. L. Michael, but I have to admit I was drawn to reading it by the absolutely gorgeous cover, and of course the fact it was a festive read too. This book is about a woman, Megan McAllister, returning to the town where she grew up for the first time in a long time, and finally reuniting with her estranged family too. However, she doesn't count of bumping into her ex-boyfriend Lucas. Her young daughter Skye is immediately smitten with Lucas, and is sure that her mother and he belong together, but Megan definitely has other ideas about getting back together with her past...

The book is mainly told from Megan's point of view, and so we mostly get her feelings on things as the book progresses. It's clear straight from the start that the reason Megan left was that she got pregnant young, and her parents were very disapproving, instead hoping their daughter would be a high-flier and manage a super career to make them proud. Megan left while she was pregnant, and they've never met her daughter Skye. Teenage pregnancy is far more common and acceptable these days, so it was a surprise to read about characters that were disapproving of such a topic, although it definitely made a change to read this. I felt incredibly sorry for Megan, being pushed away from her family when she so desperately needed their love and encouragement, but luckily she had her aunt there to look after her once Skye was born.

I loved the character of her aunt Anna. She was full of life, and you could tell how devoted she was to both Megan and Skye, allowing them to live with her, no questions asked when they needed to. She loved glamour, and together with her lodger Jeremy, both of them helped Megan to raise Skye. There are many different relationships in this book, but the one Anna and Megan share was the sweetest for me. I do want to mention the character of Skye as well. So many writers struggle with writing children into their novels, and I always find they come across far too old for the age they are meant to be in the book. However, this certainly wasn't the case for Skye - she was written perfectly. A feisty, independent and clever young girl who is fiercely protective of her mother but also just craving a life with the family she never had. I loved Skye, and she was certainly my favourite character in the book.

The story of this book revolved mainly around the developing relationship between Megan and her former flame Lucas. The book kept delving back in time to their past, showing us what happened between them, why Megan left Lucas behind all those years ago, and how he coped once she had left. It was a sweet love story, I was willing for Megan to give Lucas the chance to prove he isn't the cad that she assumes him to be, and as the book progresses, we certainly see what a sweet and kind-hearted person he is, as well as a talented musician! I very much enjoyed how the book was written, filling in the gaps of Megan's past as it went on, so by the end we had a full understanding of what happened, and it felt complete which was fantastic. The writing was incredibly easy to read and get absorbed into, and I enjoyed the book from start to finish. I look forward to reading more from A. L. Michael, this was a great book!

5 Words: family, love, betrayal, Christmas, forgiveness.

I have to say, I wasn't so impressed by the start of this book. In fact, it was very almost a DNF for me. And then I got to properly meet Skye.

What a fantastic little girl. She really made this story special, made it stand out.