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jayerockett's review against another edition
5.0
A postcard perfect piece of Christmas escapism. Beth is the kind of character you can’t help but root for, and the kind you don’t want to let go of either. I could read book after book of her life even if nothing of note happened in it! Looking forward to the next instalment!
jjhaven's review against another edition
4.0
This was a heart warming Christmas read! I don’t normally read these types of books but this year I needed a little Christmas pick me up.
The synopsis says it all so I won’t go too much into it. Suffice to say I will pick up another book by this author, in fact there are 2 more books to this series that I will read.
If you are in need of a genuine heart warming, snowy, Christmas, save the town, feel good read, this will do the trick!
The synopsis says it all so I won’t go too much into it. Suffice to say I will pick up another book by this author, in fact there are 2 more books to this series that I will read.
If you are in need of a genuine heart warming, snowy, Christmas, save the town, feel good read, this will do the trick!
shadowteabooks's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! This book was amazing - kept me hooked from beginning to end. Once I started I just wanted to keep reading. Kept me up late.
The story line kind of reminded me of Gilmore Girls.
We follow Beth Williams the now 26 year old through her return to Glendale Hall. At 16 years of age Beth became pregnant and left home. For 10 years she has done everything for her daughter Isabelle and kept away from Glendale Hall as she was sure her family didn't respect the choices she had made.
However Beth returns home when her Gran is sick and is told she may not make it through the Christmas. When Beth returns home she finds out things weren't really as she thought and that her Gran had kept secrets. Can Beth forgive her Gran before she passes?
However Glendale isn't the same as Beth once remembered, its now run down and possibly will be lost to a developer. Beth is reunited with her best friend Heather and together with her mum will the three of them be able to save Glendale?
Isabelle the sweetest kid ever has always wonder about her father and always wanted to meet him. On their return to Glendale Beth runs into Drew - Isabelle's father. Will she tell Iz that he is in town or will she keep the secret to herself? The other question is does Drew even want to be in Isabelle's life? Beth tried to contact him once and he never responded but she has some serious decisions to make! Will she make the right ones?
Well you'll just have to read on to find out yourself. Thankyou Netgalley, Hera Books and Victoria Walters for allowing me to read this book.
Fantastic writing skills, made me feel I was right there in the book and along for the journey!
The story line kind of reminded me of Gilmore Girls.
We follow Beth Williams the now 26 year old through her return to Glendale Hall. At 16 years of age Beth became pregnant and left home. For 10 years she has done everything for her daughter Isabelle and kept away from Glendale Hall as she was sure her family didn't respect the choices she had made.
However Beth returns home when her Gran is sick and is told she may not make it through the Christmas. When Beth returns home she finds out things weren't really as she thought and that her Gran had kept secrets. Can Beth forgive her Gran before she passes?
However Glendale isn't the same as Beth once remembered, its now run down and possibly will be lost to a developer. Beth is reunited with her best friend Heather and together with her mum will the three of them be able to save Glendale?
Isabelle the sweetest kid ever has always wonder about her father and always wanted to meet him. On their return to Glendale Beth runs into Drew - Isabelle's father. Will she tell Iz that he is in town or will she keep the secret to herself? The other question is does Drew even want to be in Isabelle's life? Beth tried to contact him once and he never responded but she has some serious decisions to make! Will she make the right ones?
Well you'll just have to read on to find out yourself. Thankyou Netgalley, Hera Books and Victoria Walters for allowing me to read this book.
Fantastic writing skills, made me feel I was right there in the book and along for the journey!
tinksreviews's review against another edition
5.0
Coming Home to Glendale Hall by Victoria Walters, was such a lovely winter read, filled with lots of magic, family and love. At first I struggled to get into the book, though after I reach my usual DNF mark I actually started to really enjoy it.
The characters are well written and I loved Beth and Drew’s characters so much, their relationship and how Drew is with Issy. I found that the story was more based around family rather than romance, which was lovely and it came across as to forgive your past problems and differences. Which is a fundamental thing to do at this time of year. The story itself is lovely, though some places were a tad slow.
Though I’m happy to say I will be reading more of her books in the near future.
The characters are well written and I loved Beth and Drew’s characters so much, their relationship and how Drew is with Issy. I found that the story was more based around family rather than romance, which was lovely and it came across as to forgive your past problems and differences. Which is a fundamental thing to do at this time of year. The story itself is lovely, though some places were a tad slow.
Though I’m happy to say I will be reading more of her books in the near future.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing novel, heartwarming and entertaining. It's an excellent Christmas book and I loved it.
I liked the cast of characters, the atmosphere and the setting.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I liked the cast of characters, the atmosphere and the setting.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
readwatchdrinkcoffee's review against another edition
4.0
Coming Home to Glendale Hall is a heart-warming and cosy festive read about reconciliations, forgiveness, coming together with family, and the importance of community.
Full of family tensions, guilt, and misunderstandings, Coming Home to Glendale Hall is an easy book to relate to. As much as we look forward to some family time at Christmas, there are always conflicts or dreads, meaning that it's usually a time that emotions run high and conflicts arise. So we're all bound to have felt some of Beth's worries at times. But Christmas is also a time to let things lie, to make amends and to focus on what's important.
And that's why this is such a lovely book. So much in Beth's life has gone in a different direction to what she had imagined for herself, but sometimes things happen for a reason. Now, she is brought back to her family, to her old friends, and to her first love, as she is forced to face up to a world that she ran away from.
I loved her strength of character, but it was the mother-daughter relationships with her daughter and her mother that I found most engaging. Although I thought that the book had a slow start, I soon got into its warm festive spirit. With brilliant details of the hall, the town, and the snowy trail, I quickly likened to the characters just as much as I did the setting.
This would make a brilliant Christmas film. I would love to see the hall and the trail brought to life and to swoon over the hopeful romance. As cheesy and cliche as the romance is, it's exactly what you want from a festive story. Sometimes you need something light-hearted to cosy into winter with, and I could definitely do that with Beth, Drew and Izzy.
The epilogue put a huge smile on my face and I've already downloaded the next book in the series to see how their stories progress from here.
Full of family tensions, guilt, and misunderstandings, Coming Home to Glendale Hall is an easy book to relate to. As much as we look forward to some family time at Christmas, there are always conflicts or dreads, meaning that it's usually a time that emotions run high and conflicts arise. So we're all bound to have felt some of Beth's worries at times. But Christmas is also a time to let things lie, to make amends and to focus on what's important.
And that's why this is such a lovely book. So much in Beth's life has gone in a different direction to what she had imagined for herself, but sometimes things happen for a reason. Now, she is brought back to her family, to her old friends, and to her first love, as she is forced to face up to a world that she ran away from.
I loved her strength of character, but it was the mother-daughter relationships with her daughter and her mother that I found most engaging. Although I thought that the book had a slow start, I soon got into its warm festive spirit. With brilliant details of the hall, the town, and the snowy trail, I quickly likened to the characters just as much as I did the setting.
This would make a brilliant Christmas film. I would love to see the hall and the trail brought to life and to swoon over the hopeful romance. As cheesy and cliche as the romance is, it's exactly what you want from a festive story. Sometimes you need something light-hearted to cosy into winter with, and I could definitely do that with Beth, Drew and Izzy.
The epilogue put a huge smile on my face and I've already downloaded the next book in the series to see how their stories progress from here.
switchoffandread's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ellesea's review against another edition
4.0
Reluctantly driving up to her family home in Northern Scotland, Beth Williams journey is a reluctant one. Along with her daughter, they are spending Christmas with her family because her grandmother is ill and her father pleaded with her to come. However, once she's back at the place she ran away from, it triggers memories and awakes passions she's long forgotten. So when fate steps in to shake up her life, she has to decide whether she can fall in love again with the place she called home and the man she ran away from.
There's plenty within the narrative I guessed would happen but still, the author manages to inject surprise elements which warmed my heart. As a mum with such a child, I particularly appreciated the references to red hair and the prejudices often faced by those lucky to have such a striking physical feature. I admire the inclusion, highlighting both the negatives and the positives of which I'm a firm admirer of the latter.
The message of this poignant narrative is righting the wrongs, to make peace with the past so to clear the way for the future. This sentiment is true for Beth's family as well as her relationship with Drew. It's a reminder of how damaging words can be and how they can shape peoples beliefs. Sadness aside, there's plenty of wonderful Christmassy references with a strong emphasis on community spirit. The characters are all loveable and with the beautiful Scottish backdrop, you'll be wanting to pack your bags to spend Christmas there, within this beautiful part of the world.
Plenty of Christmas themed novels are around now and if you're interested in a story filled with hope, second chances and a happy ending, this one is definitely worth a read.
***arc generously provided by the publisher Hera via NetGalley***
There's plenty within the narrative I guessed would happen but still, the author manages to inject surprise elements which warmed my heart. As a mum with such a child, I particularly appreciated the references to red hair and the prejudices often faced by those lucky to have such a striking physical feature. I admire the inclusion, highlighting both the negatives and the positives of which I'm a firm admirer of the latter.
The message of this poignant narrative is righting the wrongs, to make peace with the past so to clear the way for the future. This sentiment is true for Beth's family as well as her relationship with Drew. It's a reminder of how damaging words can be and how they can shape peoples beliefs. Sadness aside, there's plenty of wonderful Christmassy references with a strong emphasis on community spirit. The characters are all loveable and with the beautiful Scottish backdrop, you'll be wanting to pack your bags to spend Christmas there, within this beautiful part of the world.
Plenty of Christmas themed novels are around now and if you're interested in a story filled with hope, second chances and a happy ending, this one is definitely worth a read.
***arc generously provided by the publisher Hera via NetGalley***
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