Book Review - The Christmas Book Club by Sarah Morgan

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Title: The Christmas Book Club

Author: Sarah Morgan

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: HQ

Publication Date: 26th October 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

Could this Christmas be the start of a whole new chapter?

‘A heart-warming Christmas story of friendship, family and love – what a treat’

Lucy Diamond, author of The Best Days of Our Lives

‘Uplifting and compelling’ My Weekly

* * *

A long-lasting friendship

Every year, Erica, Claudia, and Anna reunite for their book club holiday. They’re bonded by years of friendship and a deep love of books, but there is still so much they keep from each other . . .

A perfect Christmas escape

At the cosy Maple Sugar Inn, Hattie specialises in making her guests’ dreams come true, but this Christmas all she wants is to survive the festive season. Between running the inn and being a single mother, Hattie is close to breaking point.

The start of a brand-new story…?

Over the course of an eventful week, Hattie sees that the friends are each carrying around unspoken truths, but nothing prepares her for how deeply her story will become entwined in theirs. Will this Christmas be the end of the book club’s story or the start of a whole new chapter?

***

The queen of Christmas romance has outdone herself once again.  This was festive, it was heartwarming, it was unputdownable. 

I mean I literally had to read the last half of the book in one sitting, ignoring the fact that I possibly should have been working, as I was so engrossed in the story, I didn't want to be apart from it, for any time. 

It was an absolute joy to read, and I loved getting to know Erica, Claudia, Anna, Hattie and Delphi. A superb selection of characters, and amazingly for a story that has the words book club in the title, - not huge amounts of discussion of books (which weirdly I'm pleased about, as sometimes in similar sorts of novels that can be overdone to the point you wonder how many books you have read within one),  

There is though the most picturesque setting, the Maple Sugar Inn in Vermont, which just the name of it when it was spoken in the first few pages, conjured up an image, of a magical winter location, that Sarah Morgan is good at writing.   And as the three friends, and Hattie's stories intertwine in ways that work so well,  I found I wanted to go and visit this Inn myself. 

Anna, Erica and Claudia are three incredibly different people but are the best of friends.  I found it took me a while to totally warm to Eric, although I admired her from the start, and I'd say she has the most character development over the course of the book.  

And then there is Delphi, Hattie's daughter, who loves sharks and dinosaurs and is so advanced for her age.  I loved every scene she was in, and the innocence of a child shines right through the pages. 

This is everything I want in a book and more. I adored it totally and loved every single second of it.  Another triumph for one of my most favourite authors. 

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