Book Review - Christmas at the Village Sewing Shop by Helen Rolfe

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Title: Christmas at the Village Sewing Shop

Author: Helen Rolfe

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Orion

Publication Date: 14th October 2021

Rating: 5 Stars

Can three sisters stitch their family back together?

Loretta loves running the little village sewing shop in Butterbury. Some of her most precious memories are sitting with her three daughters Daisy, Ginny and Fern, stitching together pieces of material - and their hopes and dreams.

But this Christmas the family is coming apart at the seams: Fern feels like she's failing at motherhood and marriage, Ginny's passion for her job as a midwife is fading, Daisy is desperate to prove she ' s changed since her wild younger years - and most of all, Loretta seems to be hiding something...

As they come together to create a new festive quilt, the bond between the sisters begins to heal. But when Loretta reveals the real reason she's brought them all home, can the sisters mend the quilt, and their family, in time for Christmas?

Full of kindness, community and festive magic, this is a treat to curl up with this Christmas! Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley, Jenny Colgan and Ali McNamara

I loved my return to Butterbury, and this entirely new standalone story that has almost made me want to get my own quilt. 

It certainly had me feeling warm and cozy, like I was wrapped up in a loving hand made quilt as I was reading this truly lovely story. 

And you can certainly feel the touch of the season of goodwill while you are reading, as there are strong themes of family, love, forgiveness and personal growth within the pages. 

Loretta is clearly hiding something, you get that feeling from the opening chapter, and is determined to have her three adult daughters back home for a few weeks in the run up to Christmas, in the hopes they will reconnect and feel like a family again.  But just what is she keeping from everyone. I had an inkling really early on and was delighted to be very wrong! 

Fern is a bit of a control freak with her family, but is definitely struggling. She was for me the hardest to gel with initially. Ginny is fairly easy going, but is starting to feel like she doesn't want to keep travelling around the world.  While Daisy is the one working in the family's sewing shop but it's clear she has other passions and some secrets, And just what caused her to go off the rails as a teen.  Ok that one I had a strong inkling and I was partially correct about! 

The three sisters are all so different, and the story is told in 4 alternating view points, each of the siblings plus Loretta.  After about two rotations so about eight chapters I had a grip on the characters at least at which point I started to enjoy the book a lot more, as felt once I knew who was who, it became a lot more interesting, as the family dynamics start to become clear, and change. 

I just loved the whole vibe of this book, and there was plenty to keep me on my toes and thoroughly enjoying everything. I found I loved all four of our main characters by the end, and just wanted good things for the whole family. And there were definitely many moments that made me smile. 

Another wonderful book from the always talented author.  I loved it! 

Thank you to Orion and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.