The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! š
inspirationalley's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it from beginning to end, read it you won't be disappointed.
Kate lives for Christmas, it's her job, it consumes her life, and she lives in a village which has a Christmas Company and celebrates the season in a big way. Clark hates Christmas and has just inherited the Christmas Company from his Uncle and issues the order that it will cease operations. Kate sets out to save Christmas, the village and its traditions in this modern version of Dickens Christmas Carol.
At the heart of this book are two broken people. Clark has isolated himself from everyone hiding his tragic secret and burying himself in work. Kate does the opposite, she hides behind Christmas and uses it to compensate for her past. She is determined to show Clark that no matter how difficult he is to love, she can love him back to life and save the town Christmas Festival at the same time.
This is a really magical story. full of memorable characters, and heartwarming moments. If you want a festive read, you can't go wrong with this one. A highly recommended 5 stars from me.
Kate lives for Christmas, it's her job, it consumes her life, and she lives in a village which has a Christmas Company and celebrates the season in a big way. Clark hates Christmas and has just inherited the Christmas Company from his Uncle and issues the order that it will cease operations. Kate sets out to save Christmas, the village and its traditions in this modern version of Dickens Christmas Carol.
At the heart of this book are two broken people. Clark has isolated himself from everyone hiding his tragic secret and burying himself in work. Kate does the opposite, she hides behind Christmas and uses it to compensate for her past. She is determined to show Clark that no matter how difficult he is to love, she can love him back to life and save the town Christmas Festival at the same time.
This is a really magical story. full of memorable characters, and heartwarming moments. If you want a festive read, you can't go wrong with this one. A highly recommended 5 stars from me.
agw622's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a great read if you love Hallmark movies. The charecters have some depth to them, and the world is just magical. It's so sweet.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, and Alcoholism
krystlethegreat's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
3.75
Grumpy x Sunshine.
Christmas.
Perfect little Hallmark story.
Christmas.
Perfect little Hallmark story.
aliceshepherd's review against another edition
5.0
Modern-day Christmas Carol.
Names are different but the story is the same.
Enjoyed it.
Names are different but the story is the same.
Enjoyed it.
clarkecorner's review against another edition
5.0
What a great Christmas read! I am loving the Charles Dickens relation to the Christmas Carol. It was a happy heartwarming story. If you need a good lift for the Holiday season check this one out you canāt go wrong. It lives up to Hallmark standards!! Happy Reading!!
melmo2610's review against another edition
4.0
Cute Christmas read. I enjoyed this story with a bit of āA Christmas Carolā theme woven in to the plot. A quick easy read with lots of Christmas spirit and the ending was adorable.
xkay_readsx's review against another edition
3.0
A little too sweet for my liking, but the characters are good. It's Scrooge Texas version. 2.5 stars
witchypen's review against another edition
2.0
(This review is made possible by NetGalley, which provided the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.)
I hate doing this to a debut novel, but I love me some Christmas fiction, and this just did not come close to some of the amazing books I've devoured in mere hours. I've also been known to plop down and watch a holiday movie marathon on the Hallmark Channel, so I KNOW the tropes, the cliches, the cheesiness... but something went awry from page one in this book. It almost felt like someone tried to write a movie in book form. It felt stilted and read like a list. The characters were one-dimensional, the romance less than lukewarm, and while the plot was a great idea, it fell through the cracks created by sheer boredom. There's no reason for any of this - there are SO MANY good, deep, resonant, feel-good romances, a lot of them Christmas-themed, that don't feel like reading a grocery list, that make you really feel for the people involved.
I hate doing this to a debut novel, but I love me some Christmas fiction, and this just did not come close to some of the amazing books I've devoured in mere hours. I've also been known to plop down and watch a holiday movie marathon on the Hallmark Channel, so I KNOW the tropes, the cliches, the cheesiness... but something went awry from page one in this book. It almost felt like someone tried to write a movie in book form. It felt stilted and read like a list. The characters were one-dimensional, the romance less than lukewarm, and while the plot was a great idea, it fell through the cracks created by sheer boredom. There's no reason for any of this - there are SO MANY good, deep, resonant, feel-good romances, a lot of them Christmas-themed, that don't feel like reading a grocery list, that make you really feel for the people involved.
annarella's review against another edition
5.0
I love Hallmark books because they guarantee that you will feel good.
This book meets all expectations: it's full of lovely characters, witty dialogues and a wonderful settings, the place where you'd like to live.
A great, heartwarming Christmas novel.
Highly recommende!
Many thanks to Hallmark and Netgalley for this ARC
This book meets all expectations: it's full of lovely characters, witty dialogues and a wonderful settings, the place where you'd like to live.
A great, heartwarming Christmas novel.
Highly recommende!
Many thanks to Hallmark and Netgalley for this ARC
chelton's review against another edition
5.0
Kate Buckner lives and breathes Christmas, so itās a good thing she lives in Millerās Point Texas. Each year, the tiny town hosts a massive Dickensian Christmas festival, culminating in a town-wide recreation of A Christmas Carol. This year, though, thereās one problem. Clark Woodward, the new CEO of Woodward Enterprises, has no taste for Christmas and, as the primary source of the festivalās funding, calls for its immediate cancellation. However, Kateās not about to watch her townās spirit be destroyed without showing Clark the beauty of the holiday.
This book is bursting with Christmas cheer and really highlights everything that can be great about the season. Author Alys Murray has crafted Kate Buckner as a bursting-with-optimism heroine whose world is dominated by Christmas. This could easily slam the novel firmly into sappy and melodramatic, but Murray manages to drive wonderful realism into the story. Kate Buckner is fighting for her home, something so easily relatable, and itās completely believable how far sheās willing to go to make Clark change his mind.
And Clark is the perfect foil. Heās easy to dislike. After all, heās quite literally painted a Scrooge attempting to cancel Christmas. But itās also apparent that heās much deeper than whatās on the surface.
A Christmas Carol plays heavily into the plot, but Alys Murray hasnāt created just a rehash of the classic tropes. The supernatural elements have been replaced by more emphasis on romance, but the classic ideas of a second chance and finding the best in people are all present with an updated twist. Itās all aided nicely with a quick pace, fun dialogue, a great cast of characters, and unapologetic sentimentality.
If youāre looking for a great holiday read, I cannot recommend this book enough.
Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.
Review also posted at https://pluckedfromthestacks.wordpress.com/2018/10/16/the-christmas-company-by-alys-murray/
This book is bursting with Christmas cheer and really highlights everything that can be great about the season. Author Alys Murray has crafted Kate Buckner as a bursting-with-optimism heroine whose world is dominated by Christmas. This could easily slam the novel firmly into sappy and melodramatic, but Murray manages to drive wonderful realism into the story. Kate Buckner is fighting for her home, something so easily relatable, and itās completely believable how far sheās willing to go to make Clark change his mind.
And Clark is the perfect foil. Heās easy to dislike. After all, heās quite literally painted a Scrooge attempting to cancel Christmas. But itās also apparent that heās much deeper than whatās on the surface.
A Christmas Carol plays heavily into the plot, but Alys Murray hasnāt created just a rehash of the classic tropes. The supernatural elements have been replaced by more emphasis on romance, but the classic ideas of a second chance and finding the best in people are all present with an updated twist. Itās all aided nicely with a quick pace, fun dialogue, a great cast of characters, and unapologetic sentimentality.
If youāre looking for a great holiday read, I cannot recommend this book enough.
Note: I received a free ARC of this book through NetGalley.
Review also posted at https://pluckedfromthestacks.wordpress.com/2018/10/16/the-christmas-company-by-alys-murray/