‘For lovers of Sophie Kinsella this is the perfect book’ Goodreads Reviewer
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… hates.
Every year Daisy has to face insufferable Ollie and hear all about how BRILLIANT he is. Whereas Daisy has no job, no man and no idea how to fix things.
This Christmas, however, Daisy is determined things will be different. There will be no snogging Ollie under the mistletoe like when they were teenagers. No, this year she’ll show Ollie that she’s a Responsible Adult too.
But as the champagne corks pop, and the tinsel sparkles, Uncle T has news of his own to share… and it could change Daisy’s life forever…
Bridget Jones meets the Hallmark Channel in an irresistible romantic comedy you won’t want to miss this Christmas.
Everyone is LOVING this Christmas romcom…
‘Oh my goodness, what a fantastic book…I am gutted to have finished it’ Vicki, Instagram
‘I could so easily see this working on a big screen, its such a heartwarming story’ Rachel’s Random Reads
‘Characters-*****
Hero- swoony *****
Heroine- my kinda people *****
Plot- amazing ******
Will I recommend it?-highly. To all romcom lovers!:)’ Diary of a Young Book Lover
‘There’s a secret hanging around and it’s one that I certainly didn’t see coming…would make a fabulous Christmas tv movie’ Jo, My Chestnut Reading Tree
‘A story that gets you in the feels’ Vonda, Goodreads
‘Zara Stoneley is quickly taking a place on my shelf of “must read” authors…a perfect feel good read for any time of the year’ It’s All About the Thrill
‘I could not put this book down nor did I want to. I wanted to keep reading for as long as I could and even hid away on Sunday afternoon to read this!’ Zooloo’s Book Diary
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Favorite Quotes:
Oh God, he is so not perfect for me. How can I go out with somebody who doesn’t like chocolate?
I am part of a couple! I have a date, and a dog. Sadly, mother is finding it hard to come to terms with what ‘vegan’ means. She thinks Tim’s just in denial and longing for something meaty to get stuck into. Her plan seems to be to sneak bits onto his plate thinking that the rest of us won’t notice, and Tim will be thrilled.
Ollie once left a list in the kitchen that he swears said ‘milk, steak, beans’ but I’m convinced said ‘meh, stench, gremlins ’. I’d thought he was commenting on my hygiene.
I have never seen my mother flap so much. She’s already claimed that my looks, brains, sex appeal, success and even the fact that my nails grow quite long before they break, are all down to genes. Hers.
My Review:
Christmas hit my Kindle before Halloween this year, which seems somewhat disturbing, but it is what it is. This is the fourth smirk-worthy book I have devoured by the wickedly talented wordsmith Zara Stoneley, and I adored every engaging word. I quickly succumbed to her magical word voodoo and fell headlong into this devilishly clever tale that was written from the first-person POV of Daisy, who was a bit of mess. I found myself reading slowly to savor each well-crafted scene and witty exchange. The storylines were engaging, heart-squeezing, deliriously funny, sweet, and a little sexy. It was perfection.
In addition to many hours of delightful entertainment, Ms. Stoneley provided me with two new additions to my Brit List with pomfret cakes – which are actually a candy, not a cake and are made with licorice and stamped with a castle, and sound absolutely vile to me; and sarky – which is British informal for sarcastic, and I can never have enough words for that 😉
Another enjoyable escape read from Zara Stoneley that will make you laugh even as it pulls at your heart strings.
Daisy and Ollie grew up together, and their mothers are best friends/ worst competition type enemies. Every aspect of their lives has been compared and held up to judgement. Sort of like the boy/girl next door expectation, would they be best friends or would they marry?
Until the year each went off to university and their lives took very different paths.
A decade (plus) passes before Ollie and Daisy are in the same room together again, at a traditional holiday party hosted by Uncle T. I loved Uncle T. He is flamboyant and interesting, larger than life, has many ex-wives and a huge secret.
I also fell in love with Stanley. There was a moment when he (or his situation) broke my heart, and made me snuggle someone special close to me, but all in all, the experience had value. (Not giving anything away.)
Daisy has a flatmate, Frankie with her own wild and crazy and complicated love life.
I could see an exciting novella or two from her story or viewpoint.
Perhaps after another author gathering, additional ideas will be triggered.
Life after Uni did not turn out as Daisy planned, even with her list making. Christmas also seems to be an especially disastrous time of year for her. After discovering Ollie again, life took even more strange twists for Daisy. All is taken in stride, along with some snide bantering dialogue. Frankie stands by her side, when she is not off snogging or looking for someone to snog.
Will life ever straighten out for Dairy? Can she and Ollie find their way to being friends again or will it always be a competition? What happens to Stanley? Who discovers Uncle T’s major secret?
So much to love in this feel good book!
Well, very sad and quite disturbing. I bought this Rom-Com with a smile. And after a couple chapters was left Angry. Being from London myself, I always by romance novels written by my fellow brits(especially in genres dominated by Americans). And had quite high hopes for this one. That being said, nice I dove into this novel. Something became obvious immediately, the use of very poor British vocabulary and grammar stood out suspiciously almost immediately. I thought to myself. Wow, finally high hopes on a British novel and she bloody well could have gotten us kicked from the genre never to return. People are gonna think we all sound like Mary Poppins(not a slam against you Mary:). So I though this isn’t quite right. I did a little digging, and it turns out. Zara Stoneley is a pen name! Easy to confuse because all avenues would have you believe she’s from the uk. Sold from Amazon uk. The Authors biography, a false uk background. And not just that, all her accreditation’s are more fictitious than her badly written novels. Had this woman never heard of cultural appropriation? Does she not know that lying to her readers about who and where the money they spend on there reading might come from? Shame on you. When trolling the fictional section of the library, we shouldn’t have to wonder if the category applies to the author and publishing house as well. And not only that, this woman is publishing under no less than 5 pen names ranging in different levels of perversion . Every one falsely claiming an authentic British back story. She is actually a very troubled and obviously habitually lying sex worker and adult actress who’s obviously quite troubled. I attempted to reach out to the publisher but have received no response. Anyway, take from it what you will. I for one am offended and will not buy any more titles from this company after being lied to like this.
Tedious, didn’t finish
Four Christmases and a Secret was an enjoyable novel! I loved the way it was a humorous story along with serious life changes and the magical time of Christmas. Daisy is trying to find her way in her life. She has to learn to take a chance and believe in herself. Her parents and her childhood friend Ollie’s parents are always meddling in their lives, along with Uncle Terence. There is always something happening during the holiday parties in Uncle Terence’s bookstore every year.
This was a fun festive read. I laughed quite often while reading. I loved Uncle T and his bookshop! I would get lost in there as Daisy has done. It’s a heartwarming story anyone can get lost. in. The characters pulled me in right away. I loved little Stanley so adorable! Ollie and Daisy’s friendship is sweet and drew me into the book. Daisy, I loved her to pieces. The secret is a big twist that’s unexpected. This book also drew a few tears from me in parts. Over all a great book that gives you something to get into a festive mood for the season.Also I have to mention that I love the cover of this book. It’s so pretty and drew me right to the book.
If “Four Weddings and a Funeral” had been made by the Hallmark Channel, it might have turned out to be something like Four Christmases and a Secret.
Uncle T’s outlandish, over-the-top Christmas parties at his quaint village bookstore have entertained the entire town for years. Daisy is not entertained, however, when Uncle T surprises her with the return of her nemesis, Oliver (The Perfect Man) Cartwright, fourteen years after he shamefully “snogged” Daisy under the Christmas-party mistletoe.
Oliver and Daisy grew up together, their mothers are best friends. Both mothers boast constantly about Oliver’s successes in life, which are stellar, especially compared to Daisy’s total failure to grow into a “responsible adult” with a “real career” or a real “education.” In short, Daisy hates him.
That won’t matter, however, because Uncle T has a secret that will cast Daisy and Oliver in new roles. Roles they must play in tandem, like it or not.
If you liked Bridget Jones’s hilarious diary, you will enjoy Daisy’s story. Although she tells it with a good deal of Brit slang expressions suitable for mature audiences, there is really no explicit sex or excessive cursing. The story is simply adorable and often surprising.
I received a free advance copy of the book from NetGalley, and I am voluntarily posting my honest review.
I could not finish it… the main character was not sympathetic nor likable
Charming, touching, and romantic!
Four Christmases and a Secret is a cute, heartwarming read that takes you into the life of Daisy Dunkerly as she meanders through all sorts of highs and lows, from losing her boyfriend, enduring an unsatisfying career, fostering dogs with sweet personalities, surviving the annual Christmas parties, ugly sweaters and all, and reconnecting with a successful, handsome friend from the past.
The writing is sentimental and light. The characters are charismatic, unique, and endearing. And the plot is an engaging blend of heart, humour, family, friendship, nostalgic moments, attraction, chemistry, spirited shenanigans, awkward moments, tricky situations, painful secrets, and a little Christmas cheer.
Overall, Four Christmases and a Secret is another refreshing, enjoyable, emotive treat by Stoneley that reminds us that life is an adventure and mistletoe can sometimes be magical.
In two minds: but the good outweighed the bad
3 and a half stars
Ultimately, I did fall for kind-hearted Daisy, her best bud Stanley, and the quiet and elusive Ollie, Daisy’s childhood frenemy turned handsome, successful physician. But it really took until the latter half of the story and I felt it took an awfully long time to get to the good stuff. The background characters were well-defined, including the bad eggs, and Daisy’s character matured a lot. But, and a big but, this story had its weaknesses and I was tempted to put it down unfinished on occasion.
Too many times I got frustrated with this story. First, it’s all told from just heroine Daisy’s point of view. This is not my favorite style as the author keeps me from really getting to know the mindset of the other main characters, like Ollie. A few heartfelt letters written by Uncle Terence did not mitigate my feeling that I was missing out by not understanding the other characters’ motivations or what’s happening in their lives when Daisy’s not directly involved. Second, there is just way too much rehashing of Daisy’s flights of fancy and uncertainty. I had to stop and release my frustration several times — just get on with the story!!
But I was in it for the romance and finally, achingly slowly, the good, romantic plot took flight. Plus, I really enjoyed and was moved by bookshop owner Uncle Terence’s poignant love story. What a bonus, but it was saved for the latter stages of the book. Had I not persevered through the lengthy ramblings in Daisy’s head I would have missed out.
I would have liked to rate this story higher, because in toto it’s a nice, positive, sweetly romantic story with small-town values and some holiday cheer, but the constant rambling introspection just did not do it for me.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.
Four Christmases and a Secret by Zara Stoneley is chick lit at its best!!!!
It is described as “Bridget Jones meets the Hallmark Channel,” and that is a perfect analogy! The books begins many years ago when Daisy is at the annual Christmas party hosted by Uncle T. She shares a kiss with the boy who is her nemesis, Ollie Cartwright. Years later, she finds herself sharing a living space with him. She discovers he might not be as bad as she always thought he was, and she may be in danger of losing her heart to him.
Daisy and Ollie’s mothers have been best friends since they were infants but with a touch of competition between them. Daisy has had to endure hearing how wonderful Ollie is every single year. She hasn’t seen him for years, and when she sees him, he makes her even madder. Not only is he successful but gorgeous too. I could empathize with Daisy. It seems Ollie has it all, and she has no job or boyfriend. She isn’t quite sure how to change things even though she is determined to change her life.
I loved Ollie too. I saw him in a different way than Daisy did in the beginning. He is gorgeous and smart, but he is also kind. He loves Daisy for who she is. He doesn’t want her to change who she is. I enjoyed watching these two finally realize they were truly soulmates.
Even though, a lot of the story centers around Christmas, it is a story of second chances, love and hope. Stoneley really makes her secondary characters bring this story to life, especially Uncle T. He really is the person who moves the book along.
If you like rom-coms and books that really tug at your heartstrings, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Zara Stonely writes charmingly British romantic comedies that are very much in the vein of Bridget Jones, and Four Christmases and a Secret fits perfectly into that niche. We meet Daisy Dunkerly, our heroine, at a Christmas party when she’s still in her teens, about to sit her A-levels, with a bright future ahead.
Fast-forward 13 years to the same relative’s annual Christmas Eve bash and Daisy is somehow completely failing out of life, with a dead-end job, a tiny room in a friend’s flat, and a boyfriend who’s just dumped her. She’s no longer in the same league as childhood friend Ollie, a successful surgeon, and feels like an even more massive failure as the inevitable comparisons are made. When you bring a rescue dog as your date to a party, things are looking pretty dire.
This is a romantic comedy, though, with a guaranteed happy ending, and we do get to see Daisy muddle her way through to find her happiness at last, though not without a lot of angst and a few false starts along the way.
I do need to put in trigger warnings for past miscarriage and death of a major character, someone who is a significant presence in Daisy’s life and throughout the book. I was pretty devastated at this particular death, so be warned if that’s something which might set you off.
Five stars for a poignant, charmingly British rom-com.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources.