I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book at the beginning, lots of description and not much happening. Once the story got to Norway it came to life and I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book. Great characters, non stop, fascinating story line and a beautiful setting. Then finally a conclusion to die for.

Having read quite a few of the authors previous books I was looking forward to reading this one. It was a bit different to other stories but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

Her descriptions of Iceland, the fjords and the activities the characters find themselves taking part in is second to none. I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights for myself and reading this made me even more determined to manage that one day.

This is a great story with plenty to keep readers happy. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I was drawn to it by its description- I love books with a contemporary and a historical narrative thread and both sounded so interesting. I certainly wasn't let down, both stories were filled with intrigue, there is much more going on in this book than you might initially expect as both stories twist and turn. Other than a shared character and theme there is little interplay between the two threads but they weave around each other beautifully. I loved the remote Norwegian setting of the book, it's described so well that at times I felt like I was surrounded by the snowy vistas! I liked the way the book looked into the life of social media influencers and explored the way that the life that they show to the world is a carefully curated snapshot, it added a very contemporary feel to the modern thread.

A fantastic feel good Christmas Read.

Bo and Zac have the dream life, travelling the world and posting their adventures on Instagram, they have even acquired their own photographer Lenny, but nothing is secret and sacred their whole lives are shared with their nearly 10 million followers.

Arriving in Norway to spend Christmas living on a shelf farm, Bo and Zac begin to develop cracks in their seemingly perfect relationship, while Bo is looking in on elderly Signy she is pushed into thinking about her life and what she is running from. Signy’s life story is also told through out the book ever the practical joker.

A really good feel good Christmas read.

MOMOBOOKDIARY REVIEW

I will always read anything to do with the northern lights and jumped at the chance to read this book.  Having spent two years of my life in Orkney, I was fascinated by the northern lights and love to read about them still.

WOW! This is a lovely book, perfect for reading on a winters day.

It is an enthralling tale set in the gorgeous Norweigan Fjords.  The author gives us a good feel for the location. The story is set between the current day and flashbacks to the 1930s when Signy was a teenager .  The author has described the feelings of seeing the lights as magical - which it is!  

It is a different book from others available at the minute, and definately worth a read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Pam Macmillan and Karen Swan for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

I am a huge fan of Karen swan books and this did not disappoint. Again set in beautiful surroundings could really imagine the scenery, I even had to Google a couple of places so I could get a real sense of the area. The characters were great and relatable I loved there were hidden secrets through out. Thouroghly enjoyed and will recommend to all my friends.

I found this book a bit slow at the beginning, but I’m so glad I stuck with it. Once it gets going it’s a fab read. This book is set now in the moment with an instagram couple, but also set back in the 1930’s when things were so different. Karen has written this so well as the two ages come together. There is love, heartbreak, and so much more in both eras. A great read.

Bo and Zac are the golden couple,maintaining millions of "hits" wherever they travel....until they arrive in Norway, is their relationship going to unravel as Bo feels her opinions don't matter? Who is her troll/stalker? What is their guide's secret? An enthralling book, hard to put down, each character is really well written and to also bring in a story-line from 1936, has an unusual theme.

Set on a breathtaking Norwegian Fjord farm, a vast remote location with no luxuries - Perfect for professional wanderlusters Bo and Zac who crave cultural authenticity on their travels which they share with their almost 10 million Instagram followers. The farm is owned by mountain guide Anders and his grandmother Signy who soon been to see the cracks in the 'picture perfect lives' their guests portray to the world, but no one is perfect and they too have secrets. As their stories entwine love, lies and truths are discovered but who deserves a second chance?

The tale is told between Bo's present day winter Norway and Signy's 1936 summer Norway. I found the parallels between the two time frames intriguing as both females are experiencing uneasiness and are fearfulness of certain dangers. Signy is strong and fierce character with a wonderful sense of humour evident throughout the book whereas Bo is struggling to find her true sense of self and is running away from and hiding various issues. She soon begins to crave some private moments away from the public eye and the 'brand' that Zac and their relationship has turned into.

Swan's glorious descriptions of this frozen wilderness, the vast plains of snow, the violent waterfalls and the stunning Northern Lights will have you dreaming of Norwegian holidays in no time. Crammed with love, heartbreak and powerful secrets this Christmas story with substance not to be missed!

Thanks to NetGalley & Pan for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this story. I have read other books written by Karen Swan, and I can't say this one was my favourite. That said, it holds your interest for the most part, and the setting and the description Swan deploys is incredible. I liked all the characters, although it did frustrate me how Bo, Zac and Lenny lived their lives according to Instagram likes. But it was a good exploration of how people use social media nowadays. I found the sections on Signy a bit boring to be honest and I skimmed over most of them. Interesting twist towards the end, and the ending was believable. A good read, it's just that I prefer other books written by Karen Swan.

If you're after a book with a truly Christmas feel, full of drama, mystery, heart and hope then The Christmas Lights is a book for you. Not wanting to give anything away the plot is keeps you on your toes with a heady assortment of characters. As I read they were both endearing and exasperating, I really went through the mill with them, but that's part of this stories charm. A smashing read with a definite relatable story to tell.

I struggled with The Christmas Lights, I felt it was really slow going and although I usually am a fan of Karen Swans books I had to give up with this book. Not for me.

Dual narrative following the lives of Signy living in early 20th century Norway and social media star, Bo in the present day. As can sometimes be the case when switching between two storylines, I felt much more intrigued by the character of Bo and found myself racing through the chapters based around Signy in order to find out what happens to Bo.. Whilst I definitely enjoyed the escapism and froth of the story, the cover and title suggests a typical Karen Swan festive offering - which this is definitely not. Some readers will embrace this, although others will yearn for her more festive familiar fare.

I found this book more difficult to read than usual for Karen Swan. I think maybe that because I am from the older generation instagram, twitter, trolls and followers were different from what I am used to..
I also found it hard to see Signy''s peers as people because their Norwegian names didn't relate to boys or girls and I couldn't see them in my mind. I'm sure many people will enjoy this story but it didn't suit me personally.

i didn't enjoy the beginning of the book, which I found rather slow but once I got further into the book I really enjoyed it.

We meet Zac and Bo in Samoa, a pair known as the Wanderlusters. They travel the world posting their adventures on Instagram accompanied by Lenny their Manager/photographer. Although Zac is obsessed with how many Instagram followers they have and how to present more challenging and dangerous posts to increase numbers, Bo is getting tired of never having any privacy. Lenny photographs even their most private moments as the three of them move from place to place.

After Samoa Lenny books them into a Shelf Farm in Norway and here we are treated to the most fantastic descriptive writing and can almost see the snowy scenery and waterfalls. The Shelf Farm is owned by 96 year old Signy and she has forgotten to tell her grandson Anders that she has let the place out during the 'closed' season. To access the farm requires a rib and climbing up,a vertical ladder before they get to their basic accommodation. Anders becomes their reluctant guide showing them places ideal for their readers but he doesn't get on well with Zac and Lenny. Does Andre have a past he is trying to keep secret? Bo and the old lady like each other and it is here that Bo begins to question her life and the reason she hasn't been home for four years.

Running alongside the story of Zac and Bo is Signy's story starting when she was 14 living at the summer farm with her sister and friends.

This isn't just a romantic novel, there are secrets, sadness and fear running alongside beautiful landscapes. Karen Swan has obviously researched the Shelf Farms and area beautifully.

Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC!

Karen Swan is always a favourite romance author of mine. Like many of her other novels, her latest, The Christmas Lights, had me staying up all night to finish in one sitting.

I appreciated the past and present storylines she wove together. Though I was able to pretty much figure out the mystery plot part way through the novel, it still felt thrilling to read.

I found the concept of the main characters to be really interesting (and relevant) for this current age of social media. The characters were also complex and well thought out, and for the most part the sequence of events felt quite natural and exciting.

The setting was gorgeous - I'll be visiting Norway next month so this felt like a timely prelude to that trip! I feel like Karen did a great job with her research here.

Overall a great read and would definitely recommend this to fans of her other works!

This is the first book I've read by Karen Swan. It was an enjoyable read featuring alternating timelines - always a favourite with me - switching between the present day and the 1930s in the same area of beautiful Norway.

Some nice descriptive work brings to life the scenic landscapes in which the story is set - switching from the Southern Hemisphere to the frozen Nordic mountains.

The main part of the story follows the somewhat shallow lifestyle of a young couple for whom travel and adventure is both a way of life and an income stream via Instagram. Some interesting insights into how that world operates.

Some of the characters are instantly likeable, others grow on you, and some are altogether unpleasant.

All in all an enjoyable light read, particularly in the run up to the Christmas season.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

4.5 STARS! I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this book, and it took me awhile to get into it but, all of a sudden, I was HOOKED.

The Christmas Lights is a somewhat suspenseful romance with a social media twist that takes a look at some of the not so glamorous parts of being Instagram famous. The book consists of two parallel stories - the story of young, 14 year old Signy in 1936; and, the story of Bo & Zac, an Instagram couple (called the Wanderlusters) looking for an epic adventure in Norway (along with their photographer, Lenny), who end up staying in Signy's house in 2018.

There is love in this story and there is heartbreak. There are some relatively dark moments as pasts are explored and truths are realized, but there are some truly beautiful moments as relationships are explored and personal growth happens.

I absolutely loved Bo as a character - she's essentially described as an Instagram model at first, but she has so much more depth that starts to come out as the plot progresses. I also loved Signy and Anders, her grandson who ends up playing tour guide to the Wanderlusters. They're what I imagine people are really like in the more remote ares of Norway, and it makes me want to visit the country even more.

There were times where I felt the book was unrealistic, a few side plots that I didn't think were necessary, and many points where I was annoyed by the characters. But I loved the setting of the story and getting to know SIgny and Bo through their individual stories. Once I got into it, it was such an enjoyable read and I devoured the rest of it in a few hours!

p.s. While reading the acknowledgments, I found out that Karen Swan also has a book set in Zermatt and that will 100% be coming with me on my trip there next month!

I picked the Christmas lights as I have just come back from a holiday in Norway and having never read anything from Karin Swan before I had no preconceptions of what to expect. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, It starts of in 1936 with Lodal, Norway in ruins people broken and missing and Signy a 14 year old girl knowing her family is out there somewhere it then jumps to 2018 where you have Instagram celebrities Bo & Zac In Samoa, who travel the world recording every minute of their lives for their 1000's of followers along with the help of their cameraman friend Lenny. After leaving the heat of Samoa they head to Norway and end up staying at a shelf farm owned by Signy (1936) and her grandson.
I don't want to give anything away but the book blends the history with the present beautifully and the descriptions of Norway and the fjords took me right back there, the plot has the right blend of romance intrigue and heartbreak which makes it a brilliant Christmas read.

A brilliant book giving the stories of Bo who thought she was in love until she went to Norway and found true love. She led a very public life having had thousands follow her on Instagram account but somewhere along the line it got out of hand. You also get the back story of residents of the town. An excellent read for a cold winters night.