The Best Christmas Ever – Karen King

Published By: Headline
Pages: 352
Released On: 07/10/2021

Lexi Fforde adores Christmas. She’s especially looking forward to it this year as it is the first Christmas with her boyfriend Ben and her older brother is visiting from Canada with his family. They’ll all be spending Christmas at her parents’ house in Devon. But when Lexi surprises Ben at work, she sees him kissing someone else and discovers he’s been having an affair. Devastated, she travels to Devon alone.

She’s determined not to let her break-up spoil her family a Christmas. But when she arrives, Lexi discovers the council won’t allow the Christmas tree on the green to be decorated this year; it is too dangerous and has to come down. Lexi is desperate to save their favourite family tradition and make this Christmas extra special. Can she save the tree and mend her broken heart in time for Christmas?

*****

Thanks to Headline for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Like a lot of books I’ve read recently, this is a book where you could write the ending yourself after a couple of chapters. Some may find this a negative, but for me, that’s one of the selling points. It’s what I’ve come to expect. If I was reading a thriller or a murder mystery, then sure, I wouldn’t want it to be easy to figure out the ending. But for a book like this, the happily-ever-after type as I’ve christened them, if I got to the end and there was suddenly a massive twist, I would be massively disappointed.

There are a number of characters, each of whom are individuals; some you want in your life, and some you would happily kick out. We see what Christmas means to young professionals, older workers, retirees, grandparents, and children. But overall, we see what Christmas means to a family. We see, when all is said and done, what is important to us all. And that is love and family and friendship.

It is realistic but whimsical, and funny and heart warming all at once. The amount of cosy books I’ve read recently, this one included, that have made me fall in love with quaint little villages! Keystone in Devon sounds absolutely wonderful, and I’m a little annoyed that it’s not actually real. I am desperate to move out of a busy town and into one of these beautiful communities, but I’ve heard a rumour that you need money for that, annoyingly.