As a journalist I reviewed this for the books page of Good Housekeeping magazine in 2022 and really enjoyed it.

At the time I didn't realise I also had to post a review on here - apologies!

It has been WAY too long since I read a Veronica Henry so decided that as I loved the the last book featuring the beach hut I would make this latest VH book the next to read and that was a great decision. The story focuses on Lizzy Kingham and her clan. Lizzy has recently been made redundant and she is struggling to feel valued. Her husband always has work commitments and her older kids are off with their friends and this year she is feeling especially frazzled.

Lizzie is instantly likeable and as a woman of a certain age you can empathise with her character and how she is feeling. She decides on a whim (BRAVE woman) that she has had enough and she is going to disappear for a few days to see how her family cope without her, so she heads down to Everdene. Her friend Caroline has a beach house that remains unused while Caroline is abroad. When Lizzie arrives she begins to wonder what she has done until she runs across the teenage boy Harley who is having his own troubles.

Meanwhile Simon (lizzie’s husband) and her kids are realising what they have done, or rather haven’t done to help Lizzie. Back in everdene Lizzie and Harley become an unlikely team and then other people join the mixing pot of characters such as Nat and his young son, and Harleys mum. This book, although not what I expected was a joy to read. It was uplifting and heart warming which makes in my opinion the perfect Christmas read.

Loved this book, Lizzy feels underappreciated with her family, twins, husband and ex wife and ex mother in law so she decides to go away around Christmas to make them realise how she feels. Her family realise how much a part of the family she is and how they cannot manage without her. While she stays in the beach hut she becomes close to others who are staying there while escaping their own lives for a while

Lizzy loves Christmas but it does get a bit much when all if the organisation lands on her! Having had enough of being taken for granted she ups a and leaves for the beach hut where she can relax and enjoy herself, where she soon finds out that she is not the not one with that idea and they can all have a festive time together!

Another great book by this author, a perfect festive story that leaves you with a warm feeling inside

A Veronica Henry book is always a lovely heartwarming read - this for me was the perfect festive read and one I think a lot of people can relate to !
Lizzie is a mum who is trying to make sure that her family have the best Christmas but feels like she doesn't get any support or help from everyone around - she makes a random decision to spend Christmas by herself at her friends Beach hut and leaves her family to it - she is not the only one who has the same idea and she shares Christmas with a bunch of other people who are also escaping for a variety of reasons

OMG I picked up this book and lost myself entirely into the world of Lizzy and did not want to stop reading. This is a story that will ring true with so many Mum's who are trying to juggle everything, especially at this time of year when there are even more balls to keep in the air than normal.

I loved the descriptions in this book and instantly loved how cosy Pepperpot Cottage comes across and how this was then compared to the Beach Hut. I have always lived by the beach and can relate to the sea air clearing your head and emptying your thoughts. I loved curling up with this book and could feel myself feeling more festive as I kept reading.

A brilliant book that I highly recommend, it is full of festive cheer and is a heart warming feel good read that will leave you feeling all fuzzy and you may even shed a tear or two.

It was lovely to be back at the beach huts in Everdene again, especially at Christmastime.

Lizzy loves Christmas and goes all out to make sure her family has a wonderful one. But, this year, she’s taken voluntary redundancy which has affected her more than she realised, and her husband and teenage twins tend to take her for granted. So she rebels and heads off on her own – accidentally leaving her mobile phone behind.

Harley’s mum is with a man who doesn’t like him and, when he just can’t take any more, he also heads off on his own.

Then there are Jack and little Nat, whose wife and mum passed away just before Christmas last year, so this is their first proper Christmas without her. Jack takes up his employer’s kind offer of some time in his beach hut.

All the ends are tied up neatly, but isn’t that what we want in a Christmas novel? It has a real feel-good factor and I loved this book from the very first page.

I’ve read all of Veronica’s books and loved every one. Christmas at the Beach Hut didn’t disappoint! This is the perfect Christmas read and I highly recommend it.

I loved Christmas at the Beach Hut. I particularly enjoyed the multi-narrative nature of it. That can be such a liability in a novel if the storylines are not of equal interest. However, Veronica Henry managed to involve me all of hers. And, although some of the storylines were quite traumatic, the novel never fell over into melodrama or became subsumed by sentimentality. Yes, some of the endings were a bit neat but it's a novel. I'd wholeheartedly recommend it especially as something to read over Christmas.

This was fantastic and will be purchased as a Christmas gift for family. A charming and moving story of a family coming to terms with their secrets, the problems we all share and the power of unexpected friendship.

Lizzy is at that stage of life when many changes are happening to her that she wouldn't have chosen, so she makes a change that IS her choice. Feeling unsupported by her husband, and taken for granted by her teenage children, she decides not to be the one to do 'Christmas' this year but instead take some time out for herself. She heads for an old friends' comfortable beach hut and a heartwarming tale ensues.

Highly recommended - especially for anyone who has felt overwhelmed by the expectations around Christmas!

What a lovely Festive read. Lizzy is the epitome of a whole generation of mums who want a perfect Christmas yet their family don’t realise how much work goes into it. I felt like Veronica was speaking directly to me and am determined to let others do the work this year. From Harley who just wants a Chstmas with his mum and little brother to Jack and his little son Nat who are escaping memories of Christmas past. Can they make a better Christmas with the help of a very special beach hut. I absolutely whizzed through this and it left me with a very warm glow I love Veronica Henry books.

Fantastic book and a great read for anyone facing the stress of a family Christmas!!
Lizzy is facing a final Christmas before her twins head off to Univervisty, she’s feeling emotional, overwhelmed and under appreciated. To top it off along comes the mother in law!
To prevent a breakdown Lizzy escapes to the beach hut owned by her friend, however she’s not the only one who had the same idea. We see Lizzy forge new friendships while enjoying the christmas that she wants but in the meantime her family finally realise her worth.
Give it a read, it’s absolutely fantastic!!

Veronica Henry is a brilliant storyteller (and also fabulous in person if you're ever lucky enough for her to do a book signing your way) and this latest Beach Hut title is just lovely. I cannot think of a better book to curl up with as the Christmas madness descends. Anyone who is facing the rising panic that comes with the Christmas preparations will completely identify with Lizzy and you can't help but fall in love with the other characters such as Jack and Nat as they find that they perhaps don't have to escape Christmas completely after all. Heartwarming and funny, but also maybe keep the tissue box close by just in case.

This is a first for me by this author... although I have lots of her previous works on my TBR pile, just not sure why I've put off reading them, but that will be rectified over time as she is simply amazing!!!

Everyone adores Christmas . . .

Especially Lizzy Kingham. But this year, she is feeling unloved and underappreciated by her family. The present-buying, decorating and food shopping have all been left to her. So she wonders . . . what would happen if she ran away and left them to it?

Lizzy heads to her favourite place: a beach hut on the golden sands of Everdene. There she meets an unlikely collection of new friends, all running away from something. But the spirit of Christmas gets under Lizzy's skin: soon the fairy lights are twinkling and the scent of mulled wine mingles with the sea air.

Back at Pepperpot Cottage, her family are desperate to find her. For Christmas isn't Christmas without Lizzy. Can they track her down in time and convince her she means the world to them, every day of the year?

Escape to the seaside this Christmas!

This is a perfect heart-warming festive escapist read with a host of appealing characters in this totally enthralling, brilliant and entertaining story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and can't wait to read more of her works.

Thank-You Netgalley for my ARC.

Brilliant!

I loved this book! Such a special christmassy book. Hits all of the right spots in the run up to Christmas!

Lizzy loves Christmas and she loves her family, but when they decide that their lives are slightly more important than family tradition at Christmas Lizzy has had enough.

She leaves a note and decamp to The Beach Hut.

Harley knows he cannot live a moment longer with Tony, his stepfather. If he does he will be pushed to take action which won't help his mother, Leanne or little brother River.

Harley decides to leave and decamp to The Beach Hut.

Jack decides he wants to have a different Christmas this year with his young son Nat. Still grieving for his wife, he sees this Christmas as the start of something new.

Jack decides to leave his family behind and decamp to The Beach Hut.

Of course these three sets of characters and their backstories are all thrown together especially as Christmas is going to be very different this year.

This is a heartwarming story and ideal for Christmas reading. Lizzy embraces the mild panic (that many probably feel) when having to be the main organiser of Christmas and it is not until someone stops doing something do the rest of the family realise how much she does. It was bittersweet to watch how Lizzy's husband Simon and the twins, Hattie and Luke suddenly feel completely lost without that one person to ground them all. Add into the mix a secret Lizzy is hiding and it might be Christmas will not ever be the same again.

Harley, devastated that his father is now incarcerated and not even allowed to mention him in front of his mother is struggling to cope with being an adult. To take himself out of a situation but watch as his mother and brother still suffer with a different type of incarceration means he feels  helpless at what he can do. Sometimes strangers put things in perspective and help in unexpected ways.

I fell adorably in love with Jack and Nat. The father struggling to be a single dad to Nat, who though misses his mum just simply wants to make sure that Father Christmas will know they are at the beach hut. Even if it does not have a chimney. When Jack and Nat are welcomed by Lizzy and Harley, it seems that you can perhaps see life in a different way and that the future does not necessarily have to be so bleak.

This is a great Christmas read and a wonderful example of Veronica Henry's writing. A great place to start if you have never read anything by this author before. She has some real gems of novels and this is certainly one of them!

Lizzie has been made redundant from a job she enjoyed and is now starting to feel redundant from her family. Her twins will shortly being flying the nest and going off to university. To top it all none of her family is interested in Christmas and nobody showed up to the annual Christmas tree decorating, something they have all done together for years. So Lizzie decides to run away from Christmas and home. Whilst away, Lizzie meets a mixed group of people, all avoiding Christmas for their own reasons. They come together and have their own, very different Christmas day. Many of their situations are resolved to give a satisfying end to the story.
I have read and loved all of the previous books in the Everdene Beach Hut series. The previous books were set in the summer, so I thought it unique to feature a Beach Hut in a book revolving around Christmas. This book has a cosy, snuggle in front of the fire feel to it and is perfect for this time of year. However, I didn’t find it as enjoyable as the other Everdene books that came before and would love to return to those beach huts during the summer months.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have liked all Veronica Henry books and I devoured this in one sitting. How I could relate to the family situation at Xmas. Excellent book.

I have read Veronica Henry's previous beach hut books set in Everdene. This book is a standalone novel, as it doesn't have any of the previous characters in it, but the setting is the same.
As Christmas approaches, Lizzy isn't feeling her usual Christmas spirit. She usually loved the festivities and puts in a huge effort. This year she feels like she is being taken for granted, and nobody wants to help out, or even consider her feelings. It all becomes too much, and she runs away to Everdene, to a friends beach hut to hide away from her family, thinking that they won't miss her.
She is not alone, as there are also other occupants of the beach hut who are also looking to escape from the festivities. As they form a friendship group they start to help each other out. It looks possible that they might just be able to enjoy Christmas after all.
I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to relate to Lizzie and her problems. It was enjoyable to read, and is a lovely feel good novel. The setting was perfect, and had a wonderful festive feel to it. I just wish it was a little longer, as the story seemed to conclude a little too quickly, I would recommend this book for fans of Veronica Henry and also readers who have not read books by her before, but love Christmas books.

I received an early preview copy of this book from Netgalley.

Christmas at the Beach Hut is the delightful new book from Veronica Henry.

Lizzie, Harley and Jack are all looking to escape Christmas. Lizzie feels her family are taking her for granted and has decided enough is enough; she leaves them a note and takes off to her friend’s beach hut in Everdene. On the other hand, Harley is fleeing an unhappy home life and feels things will be better for his mum and younger brother if he stays away over the Christmas period. So, he decides to take sanctuary at the beach hut. Jack, with his son Nat, escapes Christmas by taking refuge in Everdene in an effort to come to terms with the loss of his wife.

As Christmas day dawns, can Lizzie, Harley and Jack find a solution to their problems and seek the happiness that they are looking for?

A heartwarming festive read which was enjoyable from start to finish.