Published By: Bonnier Books
Pages: 330
Released On: 28/10/2021
Clare Greene and Sam Wilson are getting married and everyone in Little Bramble is excited for the event of the year. But Clare and Sam are busy people and have left organising their wedding to the last minute. Luckily, wedding planner Hazel Campbell has recently moved to the village. She had what she thought was a wonderful life in Edinburgh with her own wedding coming up. But when she caught her groom-to-be in bed with her best friend she fled, leaving everyone and everything behind.
Little Bramble seems like the ideal place for Hazel to start over. As she throws herself into planning the perfect country village winter wedding, she starts to find herself again. And soon she realises that a second chance at happiness might just be on the cards.
*****
Thanks to Bonnier Books for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
Oh this is such a wonderful book. It is festive from the get-go, which is always a plus point for me. I don’t like a book that markets itself as Christmassy, but then doesn’t show any festiveness until halfway through. Give me jingle bells straight away and you’re onto a winner. It is warming and comforting but not sickly. But it doesn’t shy away from the hardships in life such as relationship breakups, grief, and loneliness,
I really liked the main characters of Hazel and Jack and felt they really worked well together. The cast of secondary characters like Bella, Lee, Nobby, Penny, Kyle, Clare and Sam also provided enough erecting background action of their own, but also helped the main plot points seemlessly along. It never dips in pace and is quite easy to get lost in and read in a day.
I have always dreamt of a wintery Christmas wedding, and Cathy describes it so perfectly she may as well have climbed into my brain and written down my perfect day. One day I hope this will happen, and I’ll definitely be using this as a blueprint.
Christmas has always been my favourite time of year, but after losing my dad nearly 4 years ago 10 days before Christmas, the festivities have never been 100% the same, but that’s okay, it’s about learning how to live with it and enjoying this new future you have. As Cathy describes it:
“You have to come through the darkness before you can appreciate the light.”
Books By Your Bedside 