Book Review - The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

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Title: The Christmas Bookshop

Author: Jenny Colgan

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 27th October 2022

Rating: 4 Stars

The brand new feel-good Christmas novel from Sunday Times top ten bestselling author, Jenny Colgan.

Carmen has always worked in her local department store. So, when the gorgeous old building closes its doors for good, she is more than a little lost.

When her sister, Sofia, mentions an opportunity in Edinburgh - a cute little bookshop, the spare room in her house - Carmen is reluctant, she was never very good at accepting help. But, short on options, she soon finds herself pulling into the snowy city just a month before Christmas.

What Sofia didn't say is that the shop is on its last legs and that if Carmen can't help turn things around before Christmas, the owner will be forced to sell. Privately, Sofia is sure it will take more than a miracle to save the store, but maybe this Christmas, Carmen might surprise them all...

This feels like it's a Christmas redemption sort of a story as Carmen is rather tricky to get to know initially, let alone like, is the main character, and over the course of the book I found myself really warming up to her and loving her. 

She has a tricky relationship with her sister, and barely knows her nieces and nephews and isn't really that impressed with the job that has been found for her. 

But as the story progresses you see changes in Carmen, in part due to the attentions of two men in different ways, and in part it's an internal change. 

I loved seeing how she tries to transform McCreadie's bookshop and in fact is able to to do so much, she just doesn't believe in herself. 

I was frustrated with Carmen for parts of the book but ultimately really did love her, and was rooting for her.  

Set in a snowy Edinburgh, with a slight cameo from a character from one of Jenny Colgan's other Scottish based books in passing but enough to make me smile, and all manner of fabulous secondary characters, this is a book that ultimately stole my heart. 

Thoroughly enjoyed reading it, full of the author's trademark warmth, this really was a gorgeous Christmas story.