Published By: Penguin
Pages: 400
Released On: 12/10/2023
Chloe can’t wait for Christmas . . . to be over! Her son Ruben is staying with his dad and Chloe is planning to ignore the holidays altogether. Her only festive touch is her son’s advent calendar, to help count down the days till he’s home again.
But a surprise call changes everything. Chloe might be the unexpected owner of some land in Canada? Surely, it’s a scam. Or could it be just the escape she needs right now? Ruben’s latest note in the advent calendar tells her to ‘say yes!’
In a flash, Chloe’s new countdown to Christmas involves a log cabin in the middle of a snowy forest, a community that’s worried for its future, a gruff lumberjack who gives her butterflies and a lot of pancakes with maple syrup . . .
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
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.
Books By Your Bedside 