Book Review - A Winter To Remember by Roisin Meaney

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Title: A Winter to Remember

Author: Roisin Meaney

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: 12th October 2023

Publication Date: Hachette Books Ireland

Rating: 5 Stars

Emily Feeney has always loved the festive season, so when she invites some of her favourite people to Christmas dinner at her restaurant, she has an afternoon of delicious fare and seasonal fun in mind. But as the big day draws near, her plans start to look a bit uncertain . . .

Her partner Bill is preoccupied by family worries, and both he and Emily have been skirting around a big unanswered question. When events finally force Emily to issue an ultimatum, Bill must choose between the two women he loves.

Tom and Lil have moved into the apartment above Emily's restaurant, hoping to put the past behind them while they plan their summer wedding. Little do they know that an unexpected arrival in town is about to make the past a lot harder to forget.

And Emily's best friend Heather has surprise visitors too: the mother she left behind as a teen, who now needs Heather's help, and a man she thought she'd never see again. Maybe it's finally time to give each of them a second chance?

As Emily's prospective guests navigate their way through the holiday season, their lives become more and more complicated. Will they all find themselves around the table together on Christmas Day?

Such a heartwarming and beautiful story.  It has been a long while since I last read a book from this author but when I spotted this one, I couldn't resist. 

And thankfully I managed to start reading, while I was on a tube and then in a restaurant so had time, when I wasn't distracted to really get into the story, and get to grips with the fairly large cast of main characters, in one sitting. 

Which definitely helped as it then meant when I wasn't reading, I was waiting to grip the kindle again and get back to the story, as it totally enchanted me. 

There are so many different characters and story threads that all interlink in a seamless way.  I'd say it's Christine's story that is the most powerful, we don't see huge amounts of her, but she is present the whole time, and some of her chapters are incredibly strong, and I really felt for her, and was willing her to turn her life around. 

I could comment on each of the characters, but really the blurb is doing a much better job of it than I could do, and I generally liked all of them. They all had distinctive voices and thankfully the author did label each chapter which the featured character for that chapter. 

It was a gentle story, that really gets under your skin, and I am so glad I had the chance to read this.  What a truly lovely story, set in the run up to Christmas, but can easily be read at any time of the year as it's not a Christmas book as such, just a gorgeous story set in the winter. 

Thank you to Hachette Books Ireland and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.