A highly enjoyable read featuring some very realistic characters, each facing a Christmas reunion of friends with their own secrets, and a little unsure of the future. Anything is possible is at Christmas time, and these friends discover that love can pave the way to a happier future.

Lissy has inherited Strand House and plans to spend Christmas there. A few friends will join her. So begins a sweet story that revolves around each person's unique situation in life. Nothing too gripping, but really a story of how we move forward in our imperfect lives. I received a copy from NetGalley. Thanks to author Linda Mitchelmore.

I really enjoyed this book, and I loved how it was told from each persons POV. It had such a good message about opening our homes to people who might not have anyone to spend Christmas with. Lizzie was good main character and I loved how she took charge of three acquaintances who she met through a friend who had sadly died. I loved Janey, fleeing from an abusive relationship, and watching her get her confidence back, and her blossoming friendship with the older Bobby was very sweet. My on,y criticism is that I wish the book was longer, it would have made the love between lizzy and xander more genuine, and would have given the author more time to explore Bobby’s relationship with her son she gave away. All the conflict got resolved a little to easy which, in my eyes, made it feel less honest. However a good xmas read, with a lovely message

This book was... fine. It was sort of standard, Christmassy, feel-good chick lit, which I can appreciate. I did like how the author tried to give the characters real background and help them grow, and I did manage to mostly suspend disbelief around the convenient and lucky things that happened. Still, the whole thing felt a bit contrived, and the author did too much telling instead of showing - such as when one person tenderly buttons another person’s coat, the book then informs us that this was “such a loving, caring gesture,” and things tied up way too neatly at the end. Definitely doesn’t rise to the level of Marian Keyes or Jenny Colgan, but it wasn’t bad.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Christmas at Strand House was a little bit longer than I imagined it would be. We enter the lives of four characters, each with their own hurdles to overcome; divorce, death, adoption and abuse. As the story unfolds you see them interact and become more confident with the decisions they've made. Having said that, it was quite slow paced and not as dramatic as it sounds. A lot of the time they sounded sad, worried and unsure of themselves, which is needed for self reflection of course... it just didn't have the 'feel' of a Christmas story. The outcome was nice though which is always a plus. Thank you for the ARC of this book.

A nice little Christmas tale, I wanted to like it more but sadly the characters were lacking for me, I didn't find them likeable or empathetic at all. Some of the relationships I found a bit unlikely/unrealistic but it had a nice ending and wasn't a waste of a read, but not the best Christmas story and sad as I wanted to like it much more. But three stars rather than two as I did like the end

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review

Honestly, I expected more from Christmas at Strand House by Linda Mitchelmore from reading the blurb. It sounds like the perfect read with four lonely people, each with a tantalizing secret, spending Christmas in a huge, lovely home.

The secrets turn out to be not so tantalizing; the descriptions of the food, however, are.

The novel is so ripe with possibilities that never quite come to fruition. And, I found it marred by an incident early on when both Lissy and Xander, separately, recall an intoxicated dance at Xander and Claire’s wedding in which they had a moment, a moment of “what could have been.” I suppose that the author thought this would be romantic having the new husband and the wife’s best friend have that moment so that they had a foundation for this future romance, but I found it sad, and it unsettled the remainder of the novel for me because it so was unromantic. Idealistically I would have preferred that the new husband be totally and absolutely, head-over-heels in love with his new wife.

Christmas at Strand House has little drama. What does occur are misunderstandings via dialogue and then drawn out apologies. There’s a lot of repetition due to this.

Despite the setting and Christmas frivolity, Christmas at Strand House never moves beyond that for me. I never really came to care about the characters, and ultimately I just wished something would happen.

This is a case of YMMV (your-mileage-may-vary) because it has lots of love on Goodreads.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Festive story set in the eponymous Strand House, and centring around four characters: Lissy, Xander, Bobbie and Janey. The premise is that they meet up to celebrate Christmas together and discover the healing bonds of their fledgling friendships - with romance and family reunions over the duration holiday period. I was looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this bookat all and had no investment in the lives of any of the characters.as their behaviour as the way they interacted with each other jarred with me.

This was so cute! The story is about Lissy who invites 3 friends to spend christmas at her newly inherited house. They aren't close friends but she knows they will all be alone on christmas. Janey, Bobbie, and Xander come stay and they all experience healing and friendship and good food. It's really sweet to see how everyone's friendships grow and how they grow personally. This is a lovely, light read.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I thoroughly enjoyed this book it had some great characters and it is a book you read with a fire going and stretched out on the sofa.

Rating 4.5/5*

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I chose to read this story but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it and was glad I'd done so. Well, it wasn't surprising really as none of the characters were quite sure what they'd let themselves in for, either! Lissy has recently divorced her cheating husband and, shortly after that her much loved godmother died, leaving Lissy her home, Strand House, which has many childhood happy memories for Lissy. Many of those memories include her friend Claire, who tragically died three years ago. As she knows it is a very large property, Lissy decides to invite three other friends who she normally only keeps in touch with via Facebook and she knows would also be alone for Christmas to come stay with her for the holidays. One of the guests is Xander, Claire's widower husband, and the other two are Janey and Bobbi who Lissy met whilst on an art course with Claire. All have their own secrets and over their four days together many will be revealed . . . .

This really is a heartwarming story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are delightfully different, each with their own foibles, secrets and dreams which are slowly revealed as the story progresses. It is a story of accepting the past, living in the present and looking forward to the future with renewed hope, daring to dream and see new possibilities to be explored. The story is a well paced and wonderfully entertaining read that I have no hesitation in highly recommending. If you're looking for something to escape into to put you in the festive spirit, look no further, this truly is a lovely story, whatever the season! I'll definitely be looking out for more by this author in future.

I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

“Christmas at Strand House” is the perfect, cozy Christmas read. It is the gingerbread cookies, glittery tinsel, and twinkly fairy lights kind of chick lit that is ideal for readers wishing to escape reality for a time.

When Lissy inherits her late godmother’s enormous seaside house soon after her divorce is finalized, she decides to invite three other solitary individuals to join her over Christmas. The four friends each have their own issues they are dealing with, and their time together at Strand House gives them the opportunity to deepen their friendships and heal from recent trauma.

The best part of this book was the mouth-watering descriptions of food! There were some surprisingly beautiful, vivid, evocative scenes mixed in with the rest of this mediocre book. The worst was the cringeworthy romance scenes. I don’t typically appreciate the romance genre, so ignore this if you do.

This sweet, warm and fuzzy story is perfect for anyone wishing for a fairytale, happily-ever-after kind of Christmas tale.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing me with a free galley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Christmas at Strand House is filled with lovable, relatable characters all dealing with their own personal demons. Newly-divorced Lissy has inherited a large seaside home from her beloved godmother in the same town where her friend Claire, tragically killed years before, once lived. In an effort to avoid spending the holidays alone, she invites an unlikely group of acquaintances to spend Christmas at the house. Enter Xander, Claire's still- grieving widower, Bobbi, an aging model with a decades-old secret, and Janey, a battered wife trying to find the strength to stand on her own two feet. Over the four days they spend together, their secrets and heartbreaks are slowly revealed as they all begin to see the new opportunities in front of them. This was a fun, easy read that would be perfect to take on your holiday travels.

I had previously read the Author's previous book which was set at The Strand, and I enjoyed it a lot. This book is a standalone novel, although it is set in the same location, it features new characters and a different house to the previous book. Unlike the previous book which was short, interlinked stories, this is a full novel.

When Lissy inherits a seaside house, it could become at a better time, as she is desperate to make a new start in life. She realises that three of her close friends will be alone at Christmas time, so she invites them to spend Christmas with her. All four of them have secrets,but as the festive season begins, they open up to each other and are determined to make changes.

The book was set over a few days, so it was fast moving. There was a very festive feel, as the characters prepare for Christmas. The characters were likeable and you can relate to them and their problems. I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a heartwarming and feel good book. I would love to read more books which are set in the Strand, as the location is lovely, and makes you want to visit the seaside. I would recommend this book.

This was such a beautiful Christmas story! The cast of characters were very well developed and detailed. A very enjoyable, heartwarming read just in time for the holidays!

When Lissy inherits Strand House from her Godmother, it comes at the perfect time. When she realises her friends, Bobbie, Janey and Xander will be alone over the Christmas holiday, she invites them to spend the time with her.

Over the three days they spend together, each one has a story to tell and with the help and advice of the others, they manage to put the past behind them and move on with confidence for the future.

A feel good festive story with great characters which was easy and entertaining to read.

Lissy has inherited her grandmother’s house on the ocean and decides that Christmas time is the perfect time to move into her new home. When it turns out her good friends have no plans for the holidays, she invites them all to stay at Strand House. It’s a case of the more the merrier, as the good friends gather together for a warm and lovely Christmas by the sea

What an amazing book, it's a chick lit with something more and a perfect festive atmosphere.
The cast of characters is well developed, it's pleasure to see them growing and changing through the book.
I loved the style of writing and the setting.
At the end of the book you want more and I would be happy to read other books with this cast of characters.
An enjoyable, heartwarming, and entertaining read.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to HQ Digital and Netgalley for this ARC

What a sweet story, but by no means simple. I absolutely loved the characters - what a nice bunch of people.. Each of the four has a secret, but not really a shameful one, except to themselves. . They are gathered together to celebrate Christmas, not really knowing each other having only met once or twice, but have nowhere else to go. Not that this invite is a pity one, and the house is pretty awesome. Friendship's strengthen and secrets shared. A marvelous,, uplifting book for the holidays - Family is what you make it,

Oh I loved this story from first page to last! It’s told in four perspectives, three new friends who met on an arts weekend, and the widowed husband of the fourth, the one who essentially brought them all together. Lissy, having just inherited her great aunts house on the Devon coast is recently divorced and has decided that she wants to have company: who better to invite than the two other women at the weekend course she and her childhood best friend Claire attended, even with Claire now gone in a road accident? So using Facebook and emails, she contacted Janey, the real artist in the group, Bobbie, the aging fashion model who was their life model for the course, and Xander, still living in the little town, still reeling after his wife’s death. And all agreed, arriving with their own concerns and questions, but happy to reconnect and get away for the few days.

Here the story opens up: the connection that both Lissy and Xander felt the night of his wedding, never acted upon and him not really moving forward to open his heart or life to another. Lissy with her newfound enjoyment in cooking and her growing disillusionment with her career as an accountant. Janey who took the first step into a new and freer life by leaving her alcoholic abusive husband, a bundle of nerves and shame taking a taxi to Strand House with the lovely Sam, an older man who seemed to intuit her need for ‘jollying up’. Robbie with her bold ways, oodles of luggage and lack of tact, who gets to the heart of the matter, carrying a letter from her solicitor that she knows is holding information about her biggest secret and regret.

Through delicious food, some drink, and the sense that dreams are possible within the walls of the house, these four take tentative steps toward deepening their friendship and finding supportive and often helpful advice and options as they learn more. From Janey’s abuse and withdrawal into herself because of her husband, and Xavier’s instantly apparent ‘big brotherly’ concern, to Bobbie’s literally putting her in new clothes to boost confidence, one would think that Janey was the only one finding peace. But a Christmas night telephone call to Bobbie, a connection that is deepening and growing between Lissy and Xander, and the ease with which they all offer support, honesty and true affection – even the most harsh-sounding conclusions are put forward with best intentions, and help toward everyone finding the fireworks on Boxing Day to be the sparks that guide them into new directions with all the possibilities open. Mitchelmore packed a ton of issues, questions, secrets and choices into this story and managed to provide ways forward for all, with the simplest of needs: friendship. That kind of friendship that is honest, wishes you the best but isn’t afraid of pulling you up short when you’re wrong-footed, but will support, cheer, accept and enjoy each step forward as if they were their own.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=’ https://wp.me/p3OmRo-abX/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>