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aspiereads33's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There are inconsistencies with the previous books in the series which ruined it for me. And as a stand alone book it's pretty sad and depressing if you do t already know the series very frustrating that mark and Marsha are childless when in the previous two books they said they couldn't adopt Joel because their children were too young
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: War
tjazz's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Hard read for someone who has both lost a loved one to cancer and lost a partner. Also a lot for anyone who has experienced infertility or pregnancy loss.
It was a good story. Just a lot
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Death
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Terminal illness, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and War
randisworld's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I thought this was going to be more cozy than it was. It had some pretty strong themes, pretty serious. Not as cozy Christmas as I thought but still good.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Miscarriage, and War
Dealt with some pretty heavy themes for a Christmas bookcassie7e's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Emotional topics & lots of interpersonal drama. Not a light and fluffy christmas book, but a fine story. TW for the homophobic f-word.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sarajuni's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
asourceoffiction's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I've read two other Jenny Colgans and they were ok, but didn't blow me away, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this. And I was so pleasantly surprised. So often with light romances it can get a little unbelievable (especially with Christmas in the mix), but this was messy, complicated and real, and I loved it. I felt so much more emotional connection with characters who were really working hard for a happy ending that just doesn't always appear the way you'd like.
I also love how it dealt with many different family dynamics; including how a sweet but inexperienced community can make a Muslim family feel welcome and included who do not celebrate Christmas. And this allows room to address some lasting hurtful stereotypes that go along with traditional nativity performances. It didn't shy away from difficult subjects and trod the line without preaching or going too light-hearted.
My one issue, that I've experienced in all of Colgan's books, is how badly some of her sentences need editing. Several thoughts will merge into one, and eventually the numerous comma separations are insufficient to keep the intended meaning. Some of her writing is really beautiful (particularly on the bleak and stunning island of Mure), but every now and then I'd come across a section I'd have to read three times to even begin to understand.
Thankfully this didn't happen too often and didn't detract from the story, which was sad and uplifting at the same time, and oh so Christmassy.
I also love how it dealt with many different family dynamics; including how a sweet but inexperienced community can make a Muslim family feel welcome and included who do not celebrate Christmas. And this allows room to address some lasting hurtful stereotypes that go along with traditional nativity performances. It didn't shy away from difficult subjects and trod the line without preaching or going too light-hearted.
My one issue, that I've experienced in all of Colgan's books, is how badly some of her sentences need editing. Several thoughts will merge into one, and eventually the numerous comma separations are insufficient to keep the intended meaning. Some of her writing is really beautiful (particularly on the bleak and stunning island of Mure), but every now and then I'd come across a section I'd have to read three times to even begin to understand.
Thankfully this didn't happen too often and didn't detract from the story, which was sad and uplifting at the same time, and oh so Christmassy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Miscarriage
aklovekorn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Torture, Grief, and Pregnancy
hannahkiwi's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Homophobia
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Bullying and Sexual content
angesquires's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Torture and War
caitlinjadams's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
First order bit: this was less Christmasy than I had been hoping for and until I came to Goodreads/Storygraph, I didn’t realize it was third in a series (for which I blame Libby), so some of my complaints (such as that it took a long time to get a solid hold on the cast of characters) likely aren’t fair. I think it still holds that this was a book that felt like it was trying to be an ensemble tv show more than it was trying to be a book. Probably my biggest gripe is that for a book told in third person limited POV with so so many different characters serving as the limited POV in turn, I could never tell whose POV I was reading without the markers of literally naming the character by name. If only there had been as many narrative voices as there were POVs. Still. It was a nice enough winter read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Addiction, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and War