laufox's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I'm not sure how to rate this one. I normally enjoy Jenny Colgan, but this was a hot mess. To me, a Christmas story should be happier and more magical. But this was just super super sad for the majority of it, filled with tough decisions and lost characters at pivotal points forced to make insanely difficult decisions. There were sparks of Christmas magic, but they were buried under very heavy thematic points, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend this as a fun holiday time. Warnings for death of a parent, death of a loved one, cancer, miscarriage, fatphobia, abandonment, war, refugee PTSD trauma, abuse and neglect. Joel is a huge tool and I can't believe Flora is still being saddled with his shit, really confused about Mark and Marsha who had children in the first 2 books but now have none (and that ending scene with them was super problematic and cringey), and the whole storyline with Saif really needed some sensitivity readers because yikes how that was all handled inappropriately. Not a light fluffy Christmas read, and it felt like it was out of sync with the prior 2 books if you're reading it for a continuation of those storylines.
bethgramon's review
5.0
Perfect as always.
What made it even better was reading the most heart wrenching chapter whilst sitting in a beautiful church, under the organ. Whoever was playing such a mournful piece added the most perfectly painful atmosphere that brought me to tears.
What a lovely lovely read.
What made it even better was reading the most heart wrenching chapter whilst sitting in a beautiful church, under the organ. Whoever was playing such a mournful piece added the most perfectly painful atmosphere that brought me to tears.
What a lovely lovely read.
riipaus's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
3.5
what_alice_saw's review against another edition
4.0
Chirp Audiobook
Lovely book about a small island community that loves to gossip, but looks out for their own. I read the one about the hotel first, so a lot of this was already spoiled, but going through Flora’s pregnancy & Saif’s attempts to stay away from Lorna was just heartbreaking. Some laughs, some tears.
Lovely book about a small island community that loves to gossip, but looks out for their own. I read the one about the hotel first, so a lot of this was already spoiled, but going through Flora’s pregnancy & Saif’s attempts to stay away from Lorna was just heartbreaking. Some laughs, some tears.
hanaya's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bak8382's review against another edition
3.0
This is the third book in the series, and I'm really getting tired of Joel's issues. Flora seems to spend every book alone as she waits for Joel to come around. The rest of the character's stories are better, though I agree with other reviewers that Agot is speaking more like a 2 year old than a 4 year old. Also it was mentioned multiple times in the other two books that Mark and Marsha have children, so for them to suddenly be childless in this one makes absolutely no sense!
elisa595's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.75
mostlyromancereading's review against another edition
3.0
I love the setting for this book, and Jenny Colgan's writing hits the spot for me in so many ways. That said, the fatphobia and fatshaming are SO intense in this book. While I can let that slide in early-00s books, that's frankly unacceptable for a 2018 release.