Though I’m a fan of Karen Swan’s books this one was not my favourite. I enjoyed reading it but it was a bit slow to get going. Having said that, it’s still a good read.

The most interesting part of the book was the way Swan brings to life the perils of being an 'Influencer' and how appearances can be deceiving.

I also found the parallel story, also set in Norway (but in 1936) added to the book.

I love a book where you have two stories running parallel, past and present, and this was one of those stories. It's a thriller, romance, mystery and travel journal all rolled into one. Not to mention a lesson in Instagram - brilliant.
Both stories kept me reading until the end. Seasonally fantastic. Thank you.

A good escapist novel which incorporates travel, adventure and romance. Perfectly pitched for me, and probably many other people like me. I want to read worthy books that I can discuss but life is busy and most times I just want to escape from the many and varied stuff that life throws up. This book allowed me to escape from my reality for several hours and I can honestly say that it was better for me than wine. Not only does Karen write engaging stories but they are well written. There was an interesting and current theme running throughout about the need for public and personal life to be balanced sensitively and taking care of what is really important.

What a great Christmas read. Set in Norway it was very atmospheric and conjured up images of cold starry skies, cosy log fires and hot toddies.
I liked how the story of the old grandmother was told in parallel to the present day’s happenings and hints of the story of her mysterious grandson’s hidden past that he did not want to share.
All through the story we know there is another, menacing character whose identity is cleverly kept until the twist at the end.
Grab yourself a copy for Christmas, curl up with a hot chocolate by the fireplace and treat yourself to a great read.

This is an epic tale of love and betrayal, which is set in the atmospheric backdrop of a small village in Norway,with its rugged terrain and challenging weather.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story which was unusual and the characters which I found well written and totally believable.
The story had twists and turns but above all else this is a well written and totally enjoyable love story.
Curl up under a blanket and enjoy. .

When I first read the title of this book I was expecting a Christmas romance novel but it was definitely more. The story is a time hop one the present a insta travel blog couple Bo and Zac, with their manager/photography/ general dogsbody Lenny visiting a farm in Norway meeting the family who who own it including an elderly lady Signy. The past is this same lady in her younger years. I did struggle with the book. The time hope were a little jarring and the characters in the beginning were not likable. However a few chapters in the book really did grow on me. I wanted to learn more about Bo and the dynamic of Anders and Anna made the story a lot more interesting for me to see how the threesome would adapt to these new interlopers. Also the surprised of Anders, Bo and Signy's past gave the story more substance. Overall I really did enjoy the book which has a little thriller element to the romance. Nothing is quite what it seems and I'm interested to read further novels by this author.

I don't consider that this is just a Christmas book as there is very little in it regarding the festive season, other than sourcing a Christmas tree so don't let the title put you off at any other time of year. There are 2 main stories to the book, the current time, which follows Bo and Zac who 's lives are one big adventure watched by their millions of followers online, and the past where we meet Signy at 14 and follow her towards adulthood. When the Wanderlusters take on their latest adventure in Norway for Christmas Bo begins to realise that having your whole life on display in return for sponsorship is getting too intrusive especially as she has a mystery stalker following her every move. When she meets Anders and his elderly grandmother Signy, owners of the cabin they are renting, she begins to further question why she is living her life in front of the camera and is Zac really the one for her.
A bit of a slow burner and in my opinion a much longer read than it needs to be but once I was half way through it became totally absorbing and I was glad I had persevered with it. Karen Swan's descriptive text is wonderful so the detail of The Norwegian Fjords almost made for a photograph in my mind. The ending had surprises but was also predictable but still.left a warm satisfied feeling that all came good in the end!

Thaks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have just started reading books by this author and have enjoyed every one of them. This novel is set in Norway and it has great descriptions of the stunning location. Great read

Jo's review Dec 06, 2018 · edit
really liked it

This book was just a lovely read from beginning to end.
Bo and Zac are Instagram action heroes, 'The Wanderlusters,' living their roaming, adrenaline filled lives through social media; their cameraman, Lenny, ensures their Instagram pages are filled with great shots, and their followers continue to rise. Their latest commission is to spend a month living in a remote shelf farm in Norway, where they are to be living advertisements for an outdoor clothing company called Ridge Riders. Here they meet the enigmatic Signy, in her 90s and full of secrets, and her grandson Anders, a blonde, blue-eyed 'viking,' aloof and brooding, and clearly very irritated by the intrusion of The Wanderlusters out of season!
It wasn't an action packed book, full of thrills and packed with secrets despite the characters - but just a great, progressive book building with tension from an attention-grabbing opening to a satisfying ending with enough drama to keep the reader hooked.
I have to say I don't think the storyline actually had a great deal to do with 'The Christmas Lights' of the title; in fact, the cynic in me would say that the title was designed to coincide with the season it was published, to maximise on its purchase as presents during the festive season!
Nevertheless, if you do find it in your Christmas stocking, then embrace it; 'The Christmas Light' is a great read and gets four stars from me!

Bo and Zac the wanderlusters are famous for their adventures. Along with cameraman Lenny they are documenting their lives and making money doing it. Their next adventure takes them to Norway but things get complicated fast. Bo finds herself doubting their lives and the lack of privacy but there's a darker threat hanging over them.

This was a really good read. It jumps from present times with Bo's story to the past as we learn about Signy's life. They're are some really clever twists in this that I didn't see coming. I loved the ending and it finished the story perfectly, exactly how I wanted it to. I loved the time jumps and the setting is incredible. A great read that's more than your typical Christmas story.

I really liked Bo so much and fell in love with Anders, he's a bit of anti hero but you just warm to him so much. Theres very few characters in this which allows you to get to know them so well and it fits with the isolation in the story.

I tried with this book but I couldn't get into it. None of the characters were relatable, I couldn't get on with the time switching, and that doesn't normally bother me in a book. I may try again a later date as I had such high hopes for this book

A really lovely read I loved everything about this novel the story which featured the past and the present day, the characters and most of all the location really draws you in and makes you picture the sights and really feel what it must have been like living in this remote part of Norway excellent novel

Sophie ended her November by getting into the festive spirit with The Christmas Lights by Karen Swan. Swan writes a certain type of Hallmark movie-style book that isn’t usually Sophie’s style (at least six more of her books have the word Christmas in the title), but the oh-so-modern premise intrigued her and she ended up really enjoying the story.

Zac and Bo are Instagram celebrities with a following of millions, traveling the world and posting daily pictures of their perfect life to their heavily curated grids with the help of their photographer Lenny. This Christmas they are spending a month living in a remote Norwegian shelf farm owned by Signy, a 90-something-year-old lady whose standoffish grandson Anders soon becomes their unwilling tour guide. When Bo injures herself taking a dangerous photo, it sets off a chain of events that upends her carefully constructed world, and she begins to see the cracks that had been forming around her. A second story follows Signy during one teenage summer in the 1930s when she lived in the high pastures above her farm, raising goats with the other girls from her village.

In both stories, it soon becomes apparent that the remote location of a Norwegian shelf farm is excellent for keeping secrets and there were some excellent twists and turns to the plot that Sophie didn’t see coming, although one of the biggest reveals was something she found rather predictable. Zac felt as if he never became much more than a caricature, but Sophie found herself warming to Signy and her grandson Anders, along with Bo, who got some much-deserved character development later on. While the ending was predictably saccharine, this was a darker tale than she expected from its cover and Sophie was glad she gave it a try.

A Christmas book I was looking forward to reading, but was disappointed with. I found it hard to empathize with any of the characters, and it wasn't the feel good Christmas book I was expecting.

What a brilliant book, I started reading it with the expectation that it would be your typical Christmas romance style, but it was so much more. I loved it from the first pages to the last. Most of the book was set in Norway, and as a Norwegian myself I was very happy to see that the Norway depicted in the book was one I felt at home in. I guess, if you really are looking for your standard Christams romance book, then maybe read a different book first and come back to this one in the new year!

I am not the target audience for this book at all so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The setting – Norway – was wonderfully atmospheric. It was a slightly darker festive read than I was expecting – not much spun sugar at all – which suited me. All in all a compelling romantic mystery with a seasonal slant.

This is a tale of difficult relationships, love and tragedy. Set in the beautifully described Nordic Fjords and mountains.

Bo began travelling to escape the sadness she felt after the death of her brother. It was on one of her trips that she met Zac, the love of her life. Together they set up an Instagram account called Wanderlusters, capturing on Social Media, their life while travelling to the most remote destinations around the world. They soon acquire a huge following so when they met Lenny on one of their trips they hire him to tag along as photographer and general organiser. Bo soon becomes tired of Lenny always there pointing the camera in her face, she feels like she is losing her identity, but this is what their followers want and expect. On their latest adventure they rent a small cabin in the mountains. I would have hated it, no hot water, freezing cold and cut off from everyone except from Signy the old lady who rented the property to them and her Grandson Anders who is tasked with being their guide.

The book also has chapters dedicated to Signy’s life in the summer of 1936 where she is sent to live and work with her Sister.

The most disappointing aspect of the story was that it is not Christmassy and I didn’t engage in the characters. That said the description of the scenery and culture was lovely.



My thanks to NetGalley for the digital copy. This is my own opinion of The Christmas Lights.

I was expecting a simple Christmas story when I was given this book to read by NetGalley but instead I got an exciting story written in the past and the present with one character in common. The stories ran parallel to each other , both of them really interesting and exciting narratives with characters who you got to know, or think you knew.
Signy as a teenager with her family, friends and a man she loved from afar and Signy the grandmother with a grandson dealing with visitors from another world coming to live in the freezing land she had lived in all her life.
I have never read a book like it and enjoyed it immensely.

I wasn’t sure about this book at first as I found the main characters rather annoying. I started to warn towards Bo after a while and the story picked up. I’ve not read a book where the storyline was about Instagram influencers before so that was quite interesting and it’s not something I’d like to do! I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to others to read.