A big family. A whole lot of secrets. A Christmas to remember… one!
So, between cooking a Christmas dinner, keeping tensions at bay and a stray dog out of mischief, she has plenty on her plate (and not just misshapen sausage rolls and a frozen turkey). And then her first love shows up – nine years after he walked out of her life.
Can Lottie make their last family Christmas one to remember… for the right reasons?
A festive treat to curl up with this Christmas, perfect for fans of Milly Johnson and Trisha Ashley.
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I don’t care it’s only September, I’m now getting into a Christmas mood. Why? I’ve just finished this book. Over the last few years, I’ve become something of a Christmas Romance lover and this one is up there with the best I’ve read in a long while.
We’ve mad dogs, cats being (well) cats, enough family arguments and conflicts to fill two or three other books, and an amount of food that would have sunk the Titanic! There are puns that wouldn’t be amiss in a Carry On movie!
Buy and read this now – but first don’t forget to put the sprouts on!
The Collins have just lost the matriarch of the Family. Nana. It is up to Lottie to fulfill her one last request, and that was to have one last family Christmas at the manor. Despite the sadness that looms overhead, Lottie is bound and determined to make this happen. It’s pretty safe to say that when a big family gathering occurs, there’s bound to be chaos, and with some family’s, secrets. The Collins family is no different. In fact, there doesn’t seem to be any event that they attempt that goes as planned. A few botched attempts at a wedding proposal, meals that include bickering and even some mishaps with the food, a dog named Dave, and so much more. Everyone seems to be harboring some sort of secret. Can they make it through the holidays without some major catastrophe? Can Lottie pull off her Nanas’ last wish?
I loved this book! It was so cute and very entertaining. I loved the kookiness of this family. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you to Netgalley, Bella Osborne, and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this book. I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review. I rate this book .
Wonderfully, delightful book! I absolutely enjoyed this cleverly written novel. I haven’t read anything this heart-warming and whimsical in a long long. I can absolutely see this as being made into a holiday film. Lottie is an original character. She is filled with patience, understanding, loyalty, and the biggest of hearts. Lottie is definitely a memorable heroine.
This story takes place in a small English town. Most everything about this novel was unrealistically entertaining. That was my favorite aspect of the book. These things just don’t happen in real life. And if they do, not at this scale. Poor Lottie. She went through so much trouble to make everything as perfect as she could. Nothing was perfect and that is just how I liked it.
As dysfunctional families go, Lottie is part of one of the flightiest. After her grandmother passes, Lottie is determined to make her last wish of the traditional holiday get-together a reality. The truth is, none of the family wants to attend. But Lottie puts her foot down and tells the family they are going to spend the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays together whether they want to or not. Lottie has her work cut out for her. I mean that literally and figuratively. Trying to prepare meals through the chaos going on around her is beyond a challenge. It doesn’t help that nearly everyone is hiding a secret. Oh! I just laughed so much. This author made humor out of some serious situations and kept me wholly engaged. I was truly sorry this book ended. And that ending? Amazing!
I’m intentionally keeping this review vague. You should go into this story with the only expectation that you’re reading a holiday fiction. There is a ton of fun and laughter. Secrets galore. Some angst and even heartbreaking moments. A touch of suspense and mystery. And some romance to add even more enjoyment. The book is written alternating different perspectives which makes the story even more fun and a bit more complex. I absolutely recommend this wonderful novel. One Family Christmas will be one of the handful of holiday romances I will re-read over and over each year.
This is my honest and unbiased review and I thank you for taking the time to read it. 🙂
If you ever had a family gathering and thought, “Oh my gosh I’ll never get through this in one piece”, you need to read this book because it will definitely top any of your family celebrations (hopefully yours are much calmer than the Collins family gatherings).
I have recently started reading Bella Osborne’s books and I love her writing style, her character development, and her plots. I enjoy stories that encompass all age groups. I also adore quirky, unique characters. In this book, Lottie tries so hard to organize a wonderful Christmas celebration for her family and she is definitely not up to the goal of doing it perfectly. Her attempts at cooking and planning fun activities sometimes falls short, but the results are very humorous, sometimes heartbreaking but always full of love for her family.
As I was reading, I kept thinking “Oh No!”, as one thing after the other did not turn out as planned. Then I would find myself laughing out loud over the many odd situations that happened.
I read this book during the Covid19 pandemic, and it was such an amazing stress relief! I was so engrossed in this book and wanted to do nothing but read since it gave me such a wonderful escape and so much joy and hope for the future. If Lottie and her family could get through this Christmas there is hope for all of us!
I want to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the pleasure of reading the advanced reader copy of this fantastic book. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.