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sarajaguar's review
Why was the author so shy and tiptoeing around the fact that love interest was a black man? Why were there sprinkled little hints instead of saying outright? Specially when other characters were described by skin colour etc? Hmm
katyjayneparker's review
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
3.0
reenelim's review against another edition
3.0
this was an interesting book. it was eye opening to read from a perspective of a middle aged woman, to see her concerns and her worries, which were completely different to me as a millennial!
i wouldn’t say i was besotted with the book, but it did have a sense of slow comfort, curling around the fire kind of comfort.
again as i said above, the perspective from a middle aged woman was interesting. Clare was rather quiet and plain as a character, but i really did enjoy reading the conversations she had with her friend Jenny, Kyle the son, Sam the main love interest and her mum. It was interesting to see all the relationship dynamic between each from her perspective, as it comes with age, she was mostly able to see two sides of the coin and in that sense i felt that she was very fair and reacted in a very sensible manner.
this wasn’t a 5 star read due to the fact that the writing sometimes felt a little dull, and that there was more telling and no showing, but all in all i had a nice reading experience.
3.75/5 ⭐️
i wouldn’t say i was besotted with the book, but it did have a sense of slow comfort, curling around the fire kind of comfort.
again as i said above, the perspective from a middle aged woman was interesting. Clare was rather quiet and plain as a character, but i really did enjoy reading the conversations she had with her friend Jenny, Kyle the son, Sam the main love interest and her mum. It was interesting to see all the relationship dynamic between each from her perspective, as it comes with age, she was mostly able to see two sides of the coin and in that sense i felt that she was very fair and reacted in a very sensible manner.
this wasn’t a 5 star read due to the fact that the writing sometimes felt a little dull, and that there was more telling and no showing, but all in all i had a nice reading experience.
3.75/5 ⭐️
nixmouse's review against another edition
3.0
The Country Village Christmas Show is a lovely, feel-good festive read, just perfect to get you into a Christmassy mood. The story centres around Clare, a forty-something newly-divorced woman who moves back in with her mother in the small village where she grew up. Trying to get on with her mum and coming to terms with the changes in her life she spends her time walking her mum's dog, Goliath the Great Dane, and reconnecting with old friends. Soon her son Kyle turns up and Clare finds herself organising a Christmas show in the village hall. The characters are likeable, warm and funny and it's predictable in a cosy and satisfying way. The descriptions of the village really made me long for a snowy Christmas in the country. I liked that this was a romance about people in their forties and older, a nice change from he usual rom-coms about trendy people in their twenties.
tellmeastoryxx's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
littleted62's review against another edition
3.0
The Country Village Christmas Show is a lovely, feel-good festive read, just perfect to get you into a Christmassy mood. The story centres around Clare, a forty-something newly-divorced woman who moves back in with her mother in the small village where she grew up. Trying to get on with her mum and coming to terms with the changes in her life she spends her time walking her mum's dog, Goliath the Great Dane, and reconnecting with old friends. Soon her son Kyle turns up and Clare finds herself organising a Christmas show in the village hall. The characters are likeable, warm and funny and it's predictable in a cosy and satisfying way. The descriptions of the village really made me long for a snowy Christmas in the country. I liked that this was a romance about people in their forties and older, a nice change from he usual rom-coms about trendy people in their twenties.
emmasavagee's review against another edition
4.0
This book is such a perfect holiday read!
I think Clare will be so relatable to a lot of readers as they follow her journey to find herself after a bad divorce and losing her job.
I loved the bond Clare had with her family, especially her son Kyle who was one of my favourite characters as he seemed like a such a kind person and his sense of humour had me in stitches!
I also loved Goliath! Being a dog lover myself I fell in love with him straight away and loved how Clare grew to love him as the book progressed!
The country village Christmas show has a lovely sense of community and I loved how everyone came together in the end to save the show due to the snow storm!
One of my favourite parts was when Elaine and Alyssa helped Greg finish his song for this late wife at the dress rehearsal, it just enhanced the great sense of community in this story.
The only criticisms I would have would be that Clare and Sams relationship felt like it happened a bit fast.
One minute they weren’t quite sure how the other felt and the next they were together, there wasn’t really a sense of a relationship growing there and I would liked to have saw a bit more of that.
Another thing was that there wasn’t a whole lot in the story about the Christmas show it almost felt as though it was shoved in at the end, I would loved to have had a little more of planning the show, the auditions and the actual show as this is in the book title I thought it would have been brought up a bit more!
Overall I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend for a cosy Christmas read this holiday season!
I think Clare will be so relatable to a lot of readers as they follow her journey to find herself after a bad divorce and losing her job.
I loved the bond Clare had with her family, especially her son Kyle who was one of my favourite characters as he seemed like a such a kind person and his sense of humour had me in stitches!
I also loved Goliath! Being a dog lover myself I fell in love with him straight away and loved how Clare grew to love him as the book progressed!
The country village Christmas show has a lovely sense of community and I loved how everyone came together in the end to save the show due to the snow storm!
One of my favourite parts was when Elaine and Alyssa helped Greg finish his song for this late wife at the dress rehearsal, it just enhanced the great sense of community in this story.
The only criticisms I would have would be that Clare and Sams relationship felt like it happened a bit fast.
One minute they weren’t quite sure how the other felt and the next they were together, there wasn’t really a sense of a relationship growing there and I would liked to have saw a bit more of that.
Another thing was that there wasn’t a whole lot in the story about the Christmas show it almost felt as though it was shoved in at the end, I would loved to have had a little more of planning the show, the auditions and the actual show as this is in the book title I thought it would have been brought up a bit more!
Overall I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend for a cosy Christmas read this holiday season!
totallytales's review against another edition
4.0
A gorgeous uplifting Christmas read!
I really enjoyed this novel, it's beautifully written with a cast of characters that are impossible not to root for.
Goliath the Great Dane deserves a special mention, from dragging Clare through a hedge, to terrorizing the poor postman and to the hilarious incident he causes in the vets - he would fail to bring a smile to your face.
It just missed out on 5⭐because it did take me a little while to get into, but it is well worth sticking with for its community spirit and Christmas cheer.
Overall, a fabulous heart-warming read that will have you crying with laughter one minute and actually crying the next (don't forget the tissues!). Ultimately leaving you with that warm festive glow.
Perfect for anyone looking for that special slice of Christmas magic!
A huge thanks to Zaffre Books for gifting me a copy in return for an open & honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really enjoyed this novel, it's beautifully written with a cast of characters that are impossible not to root for.
Goliath the Great Dane deserves a special mention, from dragging Clare through a hedge, to terrorizing the poor postman and to the hilarious incident he causes in the vets - he would fail to bring a smile to your face.
It just missed out on 5⭐because it did take me a little while to get into, but it is well worth sticking with for its community spirit and Christmas cheer.
Overall, a fabulous heart-warming read that will have you crying with laughter one minute and actually crying the next (don't forget the tissues!). Ultimately leaving you with that warm festive glow.
Perfect for anyone looking for that special slice of Christmas magic!
A huge thanks to Zaffre Books for gifting me a copy in return for an open & honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
gwen87's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-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