I should have read this book in 2017 when I received it from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book but unfortunately it didn’t give me that warm Christmassy feeling, I think it’s mainly because there was a lot going on but as it was just based around fun and the characters were elderly, I didn’t really get a feel for them. Thats me though.

We follow Olive and her friends from her retirement home, as well as her son and other beach traders, as they prepare for a gin competition at Christmas.

I’m not gonna lie, the gin cocktails sounded really lovely and I did feel like the characters had genuine relationships but I would have preferred less characters.

Some felt like they were just there to pad it out.

I’m glad I finally found time in the festive season to actually read this festive book and I’m glad that I did, it had a lovely ending.

I do wish that I had fallen in love with the characters a little bit more.

However, I did enjoy it and it’s a good story.

3/5 stars

This is a lovely festive read, which feels warm and full of Christmas spirit. It’s not a conventional Christmas romance novel either with a typical romance. It’s so much better than that.

The story is told by Olive, an elderly lady living at a retirement home. She’s beginning to slow down a bit and is having increasing problems with her mobility. Her husband has died and she finds herself devoting most of her time to her beach hut. Her friend Tony, with Olive’s support, has opened a Gin Shack in one of the beach huts. It’s turned into quite a success with a few folks from the retirement home enjoying supporting their venture. When Tony becomes ill and another beach hut opens to rival the Gin Shack, things are bound to become interesting.

This was an extremely well written and fun book to read. I loved the fact it was told from an elderly perspective and the fact she uses a Segway to get around! Overall a fun Christmas book with plenty of humour as well as overcoming adversity.

I haven't read the first of this book which I normally like to do but I enjoyed this one. Was unusual to read about an older lady but was different. I'd look out for the next one if there will be and I might go back and read the first one. Thank you for letting me read and review this book

This was a cute book with a very memorable central character, Olive. I love that she is older and not the usual character one expects to find in a book with romance as a theme. This book will make you laugh out loud in some places and be swept away by sentimental emotion in others.

If you love the kind of holiday books that make you remember what is important during the festive time of year, this one will do quite nicely. I loved the themes of family and friendship included in this book and thought the quest for the perfect cocktail was interesting as well. This novel warmed my heart and I was sorry to see it end when I read the last page.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartwarming holiday tale to remind them of the good things in life. I love the way this author expresses the feelings of her characters and makes them seem like friends that you have known for your entire life. I walked away from this smiling--the symptoms of reading a well written book.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved the feisty Olive - and the fun drink recipes. This book was a delightful change from the romantic Christmas tales I had been reading - a bit of intrigue and mystery, fun characters and a snappy pace made this a quick read. While the second in the series, Christmas at the Gin Shack worked well as a standalone - although I'll definitely be searching out the first one.

For those who have stopped by lately will know how much i loved the Gin Shack and couldnt wait for a repeat visit whilst i continually searched for my perfect G&T. It obviosuly wasnt going to take long was it?



Olive is getting ready to celebrate her favourite time of the year and with lots to celebrate including the Gin Shacks first gin weekends and a cocktail competition, i was fully expected just a nice little catch up with Olive and the gang. What i wasn't expecting was some of the hardships they came across. Not just a few badly poured gins but jokes that are a little passive agressive and an almost meeting with death.



Christmas at the Gin Shack is a wonderful read with a perfect blend of gin (& the odd mention of wine) friendship & drama. It is a good read to curl up with on a cold night and remind ourselves of the festive season that seems a lifetime ago.



Christmas at the Gin Shack is the second book however i do beileve you can read this alone and still completely understand the narrative, however its nice to be familiar with the characters, especially as we see them change, maybe its the festive season ?



Whatever is causing the changes around the Gin Shack, some are for the better & others not so much. What i do know is that i loved this book.



Its another great read and a 4*

I voluntarily reviewed an Reader Copy of this book which I received through Netgalley.
I really liked this story about 84 year old Olive and though it can be read as a standalone I recommend to read the first book first.

Loved the first book and this book was like catching up with old friends. Great story however my only complaint was that ending was all of a sudden and everything was tied up a bit too quickly. Hope this is not the last we have heard of Olive and her gin drinking buddies.

Sat and read this over the christmas period. It was light hearted and fun and i really enjoyed it. Olive was a good character and despite being the 2nd in a series which was not made aware to me before i took it, i didnt feel as though i was missing out.

When I read this book I didn't realise it was the second book in the series but this didn't matter as I picked up the story and characters easily. I will now be reading the first book as I enjoyed this one so much.

I am not a gin drinker but would like to try some of the cocktails mentioned in the book!

I really enjoyed getting to know the delightful cast of colourful characters and liked them all. I liked the element of mystery and intrigue running through the storyline.

A charming well written story with humour, mystery and drama along with cocktails, gin and beach huts. Fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Belter of a book. Fab characters. Feel good and perfect for the festive season.

Olive returns for a seasonal sequel in this hearty serving of Christmas cheer. The Gin Shack is thriving, after the ups and downs of the first novel, and Olive and her friends are preparing for Christmas; preparations which obviously and invariably involve a lot of gin in very festive combinations. But there’s a cloud on the horizon; someone has been leaving rather rude decoupage sculptures, complete with streamers, pinned to the Gin Shack sign, and no-one seems to know who the culprit is. When a new bar opens nearby, tensions rise as someone’s past comes back to haunt them. Will the indomitable Olive triumph against the odds once again, and what of the other members of the Gin Shack crew? Will it be kisses under the mistletoe or will they be left out in the cold in the face of this new competition?

It was so lovely to catch up with Olive, Richard, Skylar and co for this next instalment of the Gin Shack series. Olive is such a likeable, relatable character, and Catherine Miller captures the triumphs and tribulations of the octogenarian Olive in a charming and hilarious way. There are moments in this novel that are pure comedy gold, and Miller’s one liners always raise a smile, but this is also a novel packed with heart. The drama goes hand in hand with the humour, and there were definitely a couple of moments that were heart-hittingly poignant. This was a real feel good read, perfect for Christmas, packed with wit, humour, heart, and as many permutations of a gin cocktail as you might expect. I can’t wait to see where Olive goes next.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the Publishers, HQ Digital, for this review copy which was given in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book in the Gin Shack series. It does make sense to have read Book one in the series first before reading this one. I haven’t read the first book yet, and have to admit I did find it confusing without knowing the previous story!

This book takes us back to meet 84 year old Olive Turner, beach hut owner and Gin Shack patron. It’s Olive’s favourite time of year – Christmas! It’s also the Gin Shack’s first Christmas, and they will be taking part in a gin themed weekend and a cocktail competition. All of the people who work or have anything to with the Gin Shack are designing a gin based cocktail, including Olive with her mince pie inspired cocktail! But, things are not to remain all fun and games for long with a new wine bar opening proclaiming to be the best bar in the town!

This was my first Gin Shack book. I loved the idea of this book! I mean, what’s not to like – it has the beach and it has gin….I’m there! I did struggle with the back story of the characters, having not read the first book, The Gin Shack on the Beach. It didn’t really give a quick recap on the story, so I was left wondering who people were and what had happened before. The setting was great, the beach and the beach huts sounded fabulous – what I’d give for a beach hut in the summer months! The drinks sounded amazing! I’m not really a big drinker, but I can be persuaded for a small tipple of gin (or anything else!). Some of the gin cocktails that were being designed sounded yummy and it definitely tickled my taste buds!

I enjoyed the story and in parts it was really funny. I did lose interest at a couple of places throughout the book, but then it picked up again just as quick. The Segway part was particularly humorous! There was an awful lot going on in the story though, and I did get a bit confused at times. On the plus side, as I’ve said above, the setting and the gin were fantastic, and I really liked the characters. I hope I’m just like Olive when I’m her age! I will definitely go back and read the first book as this is what I probably need to enjoy this one to it’s full potential!

Four stars from me, and I would definitely recommend this one, if not just for the gin!

I have read the first book in this series, so when I saw this one on NetGalley, I requested it and was fortunate enough to get a copy to read and review. Like the first book, this one is a great read. However, I wish the author had provided more back story, so a reader who had not read the first book would better understand and/or appreciate the dialogue, characters and events. Nevertheless, this book can be read as a stand-alone, but, having read the first book, helped me understand and appreciate it more.

In this book, Olive Turner works the magic of her favorite time of the year, involving the gin shack on the beach close to the retirement home where she lives. The first book is all about the home and the gin shack, and it is quite a story. Christmas is never dull or boring for Olive. In this story, there is a contest for the best cocktail being run by the local paper. The gin shack crew is sponsoring a gin and Christmas themed weekend get-away involving “how-to” sessions for gin cocktails. A new owner has taken over the defunct beach restaurant, bringing competition as well as secrets. Tony, who runs the gin shack, has a serious health scare, which rallies the crew around him. Also, Olive and her son Richard have turned over a new leaf in their relationship. These and many others make the book an interesting and quick read.

As I said, this can be read as a stand-alone, without having read the other book, but having read the other book will definitely help the reader understand and appreciate the nuances throughout. In this book, we see a very different side of Olive and her son Richard as well as of the evil retirement home ex-matron. Olive is the main character this time, while Randy and Veronica, her co-conspirators and sleuths from the first book, do not play a very big role. I think I would have enjoyed bigger roles for these two. Others do take up the slack, but I enjoyed the trio working together in the first book. Though this was a great read, I prefer the first book. If you enjoyed that one, this one will also be another treat. If you have not read the first book, I recommend you try to read it first. However, it is not essential to do that. This book is not really a mystery, but it is still a delightful holiday cozy-type book that you will find an enjoyable read.

Olive Turner is an 84 year old, firecracker of a woman. She's turned a small beachside hut into a Gin Shack where she and her octogenarian friends can ply customers with cocktails and feel useful again. A few weeks before Christmas a nasty sign appears on a neighboring hut casting aspersions on Olive's business. The cheek!!

Not to be intimidated, Olive gathers her friends together to hunt for the perpetrator. But not before planning a "Gingle Bell" holiday gin tasting party to get the customers into the "spirit" of the holidays. It's while creating the recipes for the best gin based cocktails for the party that the mysterious saboteur strikes again. Now it's a race to find the one who wants to ruin the party before Olive's business AND the holidays are "toast".

Olive is still living at Oakley West retirement home and heavily involved with the Gin Shack. She decides that she needs a festive gin cocktail and decides to run a competition to see who can come up with the best one. Things start going downhill for the Gin Shack though when a new rival comes intro town and tries to do everything to discredit the Gin Shack..... can Olive and her friends rise to the occasion and save their beloved bar!

Great to be back with all the old friends from the Gin Shack on the Beach. I love the fact that the heroine is in her 80s and such a wonderful character....I hope there are more books to come about their exploits!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Loved it, funny, well written and wished I had read the first book

I had not read the first book in this series and to be honest as a stand alone story I felt it mentioned the earlier story too many times. It was however interesting to read a story with a much older heroine rather than the usual 30-40 year olds. It was a fun Christmas read and I would recommend it.

Christmas, gin and the beach. The perfect combination for a really good read. I really enjoyed this book. It is a lovely escape for a few hours. Lovely to imagine sitting in a beach hut drinking gin with friends. A must read to help relaxation in the run up to Christmas.