Tuesday 3 October 2017

Book Review - The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake

Amazon UK
Title:  The Hygge Holiday
Author: Rosie Blake
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Sphere
Publication Date: 21st September 2017
Rating: 5 Stars


The perfect recipe for hygge this autumn: make a hot chocolate, draw the curtains, snuggle under a blanket and read your way to happiness!

It's autumn in Yulethorpe and everyone is gloomy. It's cold, drizzly and the skies are permagrey. The last shop on the high street - an adorable little toy shop - has just shut its doors. Everything is going wrong for Yulethorpe this autumn. Until Clara Kristensen arrives.

Clara is on holiday but she can see the potential in the pretty town, so she rolls up her sleeves and sets to work. Things are looking up until Joe comes to Yulethorpe to find out exactly what is going on with his mother's shop. Joe is Very Busy and Important in the City and very sure that Clara is up to no good. Surely no one would work this hard just for the fun of it?

Can a man who answers emails at 3 a. m. learn to appreciate the slower, happier, hygge things in life - naps, candles, good friends and maybe even falling in love?

What a warm hug of a book, this book is pure hygge, and I absolutely love it as a result. 

Ok, so until even part way through I wasn't completely sure what Hygge was, I just knew it was something that seemed to appear all over twitter at this time of year for the past few years, but couldn't quite work it out. 

Well if you are like me you will find this book not only a great story with plenty of humour, but it will also teach you all you need to know about Hygge, and a few Danish swear words too! 

Lady Caca as if often the case with fictional parrots, utterly hilarious. This is a bird that has a habit of calling out various phrases from TVs and Films, often and incredibly relevant moments almost as though she knows whats going on. 

Clara arrives in Yulethorpe (which can I point out is a fabulous name for a village in a wintery book), not intending to stay in town long. She is wandering from place to place, just clearly not settled. After a great nights entertainment in the pub, she takes a chance, end ends up as a house sitter and also in charge o the local toyshop. 

It is how Clara transforms that toy shop which amazed me, she had some brilliantly creative ideas, and the window display is memorable.  I loved the descriptions of this toy shop, but not only that but she transforms other spaces in the village too, and makes some good new friends. 

Then there is Joe, who is the complete opposite of Hygge, he works far too many hours in a day and is really suspicious of Clara's motivations towards his mother's shop. He goes to Youlthorpe to confront Clara and work out what was going on, and finds slowly his life starts to change. 

This is a fantastic book of people trying to find their own happiness, always searching for something just out of reach, there are a few romances, some adorable children, and just a warm cosy feeling indeed. In fact the feeling I got from the book was one of Hygge! 

Thank you so much to Sphere and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

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