Bo and Zac are travel bloggers and travel the globe searching for new adventures, taking along Lenny their cameraman. For Christmas they decide to go to the Norwegian fjords and stay on a remote farm owned by Anders and his grandmother Signy but Bo is starting to feel unsettled and questioning who she is and what she is doing. We also start to learn if the history of Signy and her job as a milkmaid......... what secrets are there lurking in these mountains?

Another great book by this author. I loved the atmosphere of the mountains and although the book wasn't really Christmassy it was a perfect Christmas location. The characters were good and I loved the way Bo developed throughout the story with plenty of twists to keep your interest
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I really enjoyed this book. It was brilliantly written with a great cast of characters and intriguing plot that kept me turning the pages. I adore Karen Swan and have all her books.
Perfect read to escape from day to day life.

A beautiful romantic tale that is perfect for immersing yourself in on a cold day with a yummy cup of hot chocolate. Karen Swan always delivers and this was a perfect read for the winter season.
Giving this one four stars as the first half felt a little longer than necessary and at times boring so it was harder to get into this book than others by Karen Swan. It definitely improved in the second half and I then couldn’t put it down till the very end!

Completely charming and captivating. Perfect for the festive period. Really fun to read and would recommend to others

Although not what I expected, and most certainly not what I would class as a Christmas book, this book is very enjoyable. Took a while to get into but all in all a well written tale.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.
I have read many other books by Karen Swan and as with all the others this was impossible to put down.

Although its tile was Christmas Lights it was not obvious where this title came from.

The setting of this book is the Norwegian Fjords with many dangerous journeys. The main story is of a young woman and an interesting and very up to date insight into the effect of social media on our lives and relationships. Thank you Net Galley for an ARC and the chance to read this before its publication date

This is a delightful story, with a few hard edges. Bo and Zac had made a very lucrative life for themselves as hedonists, always going after the next big adventure and blogging about it. Their blog was followed by many millions, hence the money it provides. Of course, they need a good photographer to get the best shots of their escapades, and their photographer/general factotum is Lenny. Zac and Lenny behave like little boys who don’t really want to grow up, but Bo has really had enough of never having private time to herself - Lenny often takes photos that are a little too intimate for Bo’s peace of mind, and is always there.

They arrive in a remote part of Norway from an island in the Pacific, just before Christmas. They have to meet Anders to be taken to the remote shelf farm they have rented for their stay. They never use hotels except while travelling from place to place. Anders is extremely unfriendly and standoffish, but Bo feels some sort of connection with him. Both Anders and Bo have secrets, but so do Zac and Lenny, which we gradually find out as the story progresses. The story builds and builds, getting ever more tense, the climax is quite shocking. Then an unexpected happy ending.

Another story is being told in alternate chapters, and this is the story of Anders’ grandmother as a fourteen year old girl, her first summer season staying up in the mountains for the animals to graze on the high pastures. This is also a love story with many tensions. Signy (Anders’ grandmother) is a tiny girl, ignored by the slightly older girls and boys, and she loves from afar. There is terrible tragedy and a long time before she gets her happy ending. Her story is interesting because it explains the person she has become, and why she and Bo get on so well.

A satisfying story, well worth reading.

I very nearly gave up on this book.

The first few chapters seemed to go on and on but it is setting the scene and filling y0u in on the background so I persevered and I'm glad that I did, although this isn't really a Christmas story, it is certainly a good book to wrap up with when you want to feel cosy.

or a book titled “Christmas Lights”, Christmas wasn’t a huge part of this book, but that didn’t stop my enjoyment of it. The story follows Bo, a style and lifestyle influencer, travelling the world with her boyfriend Zac. The agreement is that they go anywhere in the world the rest of the year as long as they go somewhere cold for Christmas.
Something happened in this small town in 1936, and fourteen-year-old Signy lives with her sister and friends working as milkmaids. But something dreadful lurks under the surface.

This was an Advanced Reading Copy courtesy of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The setting this Christmas is the Norwegian Fjords, with many dangerous journeys and death-defying trips and falls, its no wonder that Bo ends up getting injured and basically taking a leave of absence from the brand and having to stay with their gruff and brusque tour guide. I loved this part of the book with the description of the little town and the Scandinavian tradition of “Hygge”.

The main story was a lovely story of a young woman experiencing new things and encounters. However, as we get to know Bo, we see the darker side of social media that we are beginning to see in the media now. Its an interesting point of view and one that I think I will take with me in the future.

This is a great book for if you want to feel cosy with a wintery feel. Absolutely lovely.

It took me a while to get into this book as the first few chapters were quite lengthy in giving you the background story. The last half of the book then started to pick up the pace, I liked the background stories but they didn't need to be as long. A good read and I enjoyed it but took a while to get there.

A bit of a funny book this one. I really took a long time to get into it, I found probably the first half of it quite boring but then it started to pick up so that I enjoyed it by the end. Not sure the flashback story that ran parallel was actually needed and without it, the book would have been much shorter to read and perhaps not feel like its going to go on forever.

Really enjoyed this book. It's not your typical Christmas read and runs a lot deeper than the others I've been reading at this time of year. The dual narrative between Bo in the present day and Signy in the past was really interesting and added another layer to the plot.

A perfect christmas read with a surprising twist at the end!

Bo and her boyfriend Zac travel the world blogging their adventures on social media; they have thousands of followers and with the help of photographer Lenny, they live their lives in the spotlight. The next stop on their itinerary is to spend Christmas at a remote farm by the Norwegian fjords, where they meet brooding guide Anders and his eccentric grandmother Signy. Bo is starting to become disenchanted with the lifestyle however Zac is a true adrenaline junkie and cracks in their relationship start to appear.

The plot is woven in with one from 1936 when Signy was 14 and spent the summer on the high hills with other teenage girls from the community caring for the goats and sheep and making milk products. I wasn't quite sure where this was going at first but all was revealed towards the end and just made the whole plot more rounded.

Overall a thoroughly enjoyable read with lots of well researched information on the location - although I did find it a bit overlong at times.

I first came across a book by Karen Swan a few years ago and enjoyed it so much I purchased her other titles. Her books are extremely enjoyable , books you don’t want to put down. They really grip the reader . This new book being no exception!
Set in Norway, but a book in two halves, the stories joining together at the end. Descriptions by Karen of the locations and the local customs are extremely well written and come alive to the reader.
The main characters are really engaging and modern .
Bo and Zac are a travel Instagram brand, and travel with their cameraman Lenny, supposedly living the dream, relying on sponsorship to fund their travels. The book makes you realise the cracks in their relationship, constantly posting on social media and no privacy in their private lives.
The second story involves Signy, a 96 year old grandmother now, but set in 1936 when she was a young mischievous girl , who was part of a group of young women working away from their families as milkmaids she owns the accommodation that Bo and Zac come to stay in
The story is quite dark at times , with dangers in both the past and present stories. The relationship between Signy and Bo as the story develops and they become closer is extremely well written Bo in particular becomes a stronger and more likeable character as the story unfolds. In the beginning Bo, Zac and Lenny all appear very shallow .
The introduction of Anders, the grandson of Signy. with his own dark story adds another twist to the tale.
A really good read! Thank you toPan and @netgalley for giving me the chance to review this book

I got this book as an ARC for review

The story is about a couple Bo and Zac and their third wheel Lenny

The story unfolds as Bo and Zac travel round the world and upload all their photos to Instagram - the first baffling thing is how this very annoying unlikeable couple have 9 million followers!! What???!!!

The story also follows 96 year old Signy who they are now staying with at their latest stop. Signy’s story is told from when she was 14 years old

Anyway story plods on Zac is a total moron and Bo falls for someone else

It’s not all bad it’s quite a nice festive read to curl up with near Christmas and it has not put me off trying more of Karen’s books but I’m hoping she makes her characters more likeable

This is the first Karen

I'm not sure what I expected from this story - I guess I thought it would be an easy romantic Christmas read but it was so much more than that! I loved the storyline based around 'Instagram couples' - I always look at them and wonder if life is as good as it looks on the phone - it was so refreshing to see a different side to it and remember not everyone is perfect. I loved the strong characters and felt like I really got to know them. The twist with Anders and Larry was perfect and gave the book an edge I didn't expect - absolutely loved it. Would happily read Karen Swan again.

As a child I loved reading Heidi by Joanna Spyri and the sections of this book set in the 30's reminded me of that.
Such a contrast in the book between then and the look at me generation of today but made for a most enjoyable read . Thoroughly enjoyed it and will look out for more from this author

Set in the scenic Fjords of Norway. It's December 2018 and Bo Loxley and her partner Zac are living the life of the wanderlust, traveling the globe and sharing their adventures with their millions of fans. I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED this book and devoured it in two days. I found the characters Bo and Zac so believable and was very invested in Bo and her future. The beautiful writing and the descriptive nature transported me to Norway and I found this to be the absolutely most perfect winter/Christmas read. I have already recommended it to many friends and family.

This was fine. I read it start to finish and actually looked forward to picking up the book again, which is a good sign. Bo is the central character struggling with the attention being an instagram star brings, and a growing unease with the relationship she has between her boyfriend, Zac, and their ever present photographer, Lenny.

The interesting thing I found was that this book makes the location a character - there are flashbacks around the old lady, Signy, to when she was a young girl, tending goats in Norway. 80 years later and she can see events happening again.

Nice to read, not very memorable.

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. I gave this snow filled romance a 4 stars or 8/10.

Bo and Zac appeared to have the perfect life. Social media stars, who live their lives in the public eye. Zac is a keen adventurer and loves living life on the edge to get that perfect online buzz for himself and all his followers. Bo, however is a little more reserved and whilst she appears to enjoy the online attention she does like a quieter life too. The couple are always accompanied by a third wheel in the form of Lenny, he is ever present and is the third person in the relationship.

As Bo and Zac, head off to Norway to spend Christmas away from it all in a snow ridden remote area that has none of the mod cons that they are all used to as part of their everyday lives. Renting accommodation from an elderly Norwegian called Signy, they end up with her grandson Anders acting as a guide and helper.

The story is told in an almost dual time frame where modern day is interspersed with Signy's past life and at times, I was wondering where it was all going. I needn't have worried as like most things in life weird connections exist and often link together.

Will Bo and Zac stay together or will fate throw spanners into the mix that'll upset the status quo?

I enjoyed this story by Karen Swan and found that despite this being a romance of sorts, it had darker secrets that gave it another dimension that kept you reading and wanting to no more about the lives of all the characters, as life isn't always as it at first seems.