Wow two Christmas books in a row. That's is unusual for me. :)

The first one is maybe a bit more about the commercial site of the holiday, whilst in my opinion this one is more about the spirit behind the holiday. Of course they are connected because you want to give something to the people you love, but it certainly does not have to be something shop bought. A gesture, letting someone know you care is more than enough too.

I have to admire Jenny. She went from the top of the world to the deepest valley and slowly, bur surely climbed up again with the help from new friends, because the people she used to know did not show their faces.

Christmas is on the 25th of December, but you can create the atmosphere during the summer too if you want to. But using some fake snow or Christmas decorations do not reflect the feeling behind this special day. It's the friends and family that take care of that.

I really enjoyed this book. It made me smile, but it brought a few tears to my eyes as well. No matter how good you try to hide your scheming, karma will find you. This is a story about true love and friendships and being there for each other not only on Christmas day but on any day of the year, whenever and wherever a loved one needs you. 5 stars

Thank you

I was drawn to this book primarily because of the cover. Looked perfect for my Christmas holiday theme reading. It takes place in Sherwood Forest, which sounds amazing. This book is less chick-lit, Christmas fun and frolic and more women’s fiction and contemporary romance while dealing with some serious issues.

Jenny’s life has imploded in her face when her boyfriend, Richard, proposes to her sister, Zara. After going ballistic and punching Zara in the nose, Jenny goes to her grandmother’s cottage in Sherwood Forest. Spending Christmas in a quaint cottage far away from Scotland and the horrible reminders of the mess her life has become would sound like paradise. Instead, Jenny is greeted with a complete and utter disaster. The cottage has stood empty for many years and is literally a hoarder’s paradise. I got the willies just reading about what awaits Jenny once she manages to get inside. The cottage shares a common wall with another residence and Jenny’s new neighbor, Mack, is grouchy, reclusive and a bit abrasive.

While trying to make the cottage livable, Jenny earns money at the coffee shop and child minding for a couple of ladies in the village. Through them, Jenny learns about a book club and decides to join and embarks on making a new life for herself and the new friends she has made.

I liked Jenny and admired her tenacity to make this derelict cottage a livable space instead of running back to the village. I also liked Mack and saw through his façade of grumpiness and was moved by his numerous acts of kindness and generosity to Jenny. I especially loved that he was willing to accompany Jenny to her sister’s wedding.

All of the characters in the book club add more depth and charm to the story as the reader is given an inside view of their lives as well. Though I liked some of these people more than others, I found them to be both entertaining and interesting.

My Final Verdict: If you prefer your Christmas themes to be sprinkled with fun, frolic, while sipping a hot chocolate, you will want to take a pass. This story is heartwarming and though there were some laugh aloud moments, the story had several serious issues occurring below the surface. Seeing Jenny persevere in spite of the challenges facing her was heartwarming.

I recommend this story for the strong characters and the blessing of friends and neighbors who can be called upon to lend a hand to someone in need.

While this wasn't a Christmas book in my typical expectation of a Christmas book - I loved it! The found family aspect really appealed to me, especially when her family was THAT awful, but the romance also really worked!

I was so excited to read this book, becuase I love Christmas. But don’t let this book fool you, it’s not actually a Christmas book. They just reference Christmas in this book. This book is filled with romance, friendships, humor and so much more. I recommend checking it out!

This was a weird one. I enjoyed it but I wouldn't really call it a Christmas book. It begins in December, it ends in December, and it has references to Christmas (including a 'Christmas in July' moment) but it is not a festive read. Not really. It's a book that works its way through the seasons and takes you on a journey with Jenny as she rebuilds her life and, for the first time in her life, finds out the meaning of friendship and a "found" family. There is a dilapidated house, a rowdy book club and a host of random, interesting and wonderful characters whose stories you get caught up in alongside Jenny's. The romance element was present but honestly? That was the weakest element of the book! I mean, I loved Mack as a character, I adored his grumpy kindness and how he looked out for Jenny but their romance was anything but plain sailing and I didn't enjoy the complications of his (not quite) ex-wife. It didn't stop me rooting for them to get together, I guess it just came too late for me to bask in the happiness of it? I don't know but it was honestly irrelevant as the friendships and community of the characters is what made this story so engaging. It was a book that had me laughing and almost crying with the way it all unfolded and I wouldn't change anything about it. It was touching, heart-warming, frustrating and felt so very real... I'm definitely on board for more from this author and if you haven't read Christmas Every Day I suggest you check it out! Just don't expect a "festive" read!

This is a great book with many twists and upset along the way. Jenny has a twin sister and before you know it, her sister is having an affair with her man so Jenny runs away to an English village to fix herself. She heads to where her Grandmother had a coattge but nothing is ever simple, will she be able to stay there, can she make new friends and fix her heart all in time for the christmas holiday.

I dont think it was overly festive in the writing as i expect in a christmas book but move that aside, her writing is great. it is my first by this author and wont be my last. It is a good romantic comedy and if you like those then you wont be dissapointed with this.

I received this from netgalley for a honest review, thank you to all who allowed me to read this.

When Jenny inherits her estranged grandmother’s cottage in Sherwood Forest, she has nothing to lose - no money, no job, no friends, no family to speak of, and zero self-respect. Things can only get better...

Her grumpy, but decidedly handsome new neighbour, Mack, has a habit of bestowing unsolicited good deeds on her. And when Jenny is welcomed into a rather unusual book club, life seems to finally be getting more interesting.

Instead of reading, the members pledge to complete individual challenges before Christmas: from finding new love, learning to bake, to completing a daredevil bucket list. Jenny can’t resist joining in, and soon a year of friendship and laughter, tears and regrets unfolds in the most unexpected ways.

Cute, funny and inspiring story. Loved it!

Unfortunately I did not get on with this book and therefore cannot rate it very highly. I really struggled to connect with the characters and storyline.

Complementary copy for honest review.
Nice and cozy read that isn't just for Christmas. A sweet read that a variety of readers would enjoy.

Any day is the perfect day to read this heartwarming story.
The characters are fun and full of life, people you'd love to have as your neighbors.
This charmer is a winner from first page to ending .

Pub Date 17 Sep 2019
I was given a complimentary copy. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Likeable easy read, I enjoyed this book. Not overly Christmassy so could be enjoyed at any time of year.

A warm story of starting again from rock bottom. Good characterisation - I enjoyed how Jenny developed throughout the story. A great supporting cast of characters who were likeable and relatable. A touching story - sad in places, funny in others but ultimately uplifting.

A perfect book for a cosy read on the sofa.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

Jenny is moving into her Grandmother's cottage that has been sitting empty for 6 years. She's low on money and friends. The place is a mess and her new neighbor thinks she crazy. It turns out Mack is a writer who values his peace and quite. Jenny joins a book club that doesn't read much and their new goal is to complete bucket lists. Funny, sweet Christmas romance that is an easy read. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I adored this book. I adored Jenny and Mac, and the cottage and all her friends... Everything. When a book makes me laugh out loud, keep reading when I really should be doing something else, cry, and wish I could write like that, then it's a darned good book in my opinion.

If you only read one book this Christmas, make it this one.

You know a book has gotten under your skin, when you realise the dream you were having includes some of the characters from what you were reading, somehow morphed into family members. If was a weird and oddly vivid dream, but once I remember I don't have anyone in the family with five children, I realised it must have been due to reading this before I went to bed.

Given that almost never happens to me, I think you can see how much I was enjoying what I was reading.

The writing is fabulous, as is the story, I loved seeing Jenny develop, and watching her try to turn her life around, after she flees to her grandmothers cottage in the Forest, despite never having met her grandmother.

And its not in a great state but its all Jenny has, that and a reclusive new neighbour, Mack, who its hard to tell if he actually likes or hates Jenny initially but leads to some amusing moments.

There is so much to enjoy with this book, it is really hard to know where to start. There is a large amount of story fitted in, and the threads from the other book club members are a mix of heartbreaking and inspirational while also amusing and give hope to all about possible new love.

Although I understand where the title came from, I will say I felt it slightly misleading as it really didn't feel like what I want a Christmas book to be, with very little festive feeling being generated. But that is on me, and if I ignore that small thing - then the book is utterly brilliant.

What I do know is this may have been my first book by Beth Moran, but it certainly won't be my last. I am very keen to read more as the quality was great and I really enjoyed myself reading it.

Thank you to Boldwood and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily

Beth Moran continues to be one of the most surprising authors I have encountered. Brilliantly readable yet grounded with a welcome depth, Christmas Every Day explores relationships forged and lost, families chosen and grafted by lineage and romance all around the restoration of a crumbling old house.

I was immediately smitten with the first person narrative as I am every time I seep into one of Moran's stories. She has an inimitable magic and you feel that you are sitting across from Jenny: who is at once vulnerable and strong, lonely and kind.

There is a quiet sadness to Jenny and readers will feel protective of her moments of overwhelming loneliness as she attempts to reconcile her new life and restoration with recent heartbreak.


Add in an absolutely sumptuous hero named Mack and the deep female friendships borne of a book club, this literary-infused rural treat is the antidote to the (although amazing and I love them to death!) Hallmark fare of the season.

If you want a Christmas book grounded in authentic experience and featuring a love story that slowly blooms rather than explodes at the town hall Christmas tree lighting ceremony, then this is the experience for you.


I highly recommend Beth Moran's writing to everyone I know and as a lover of Christmas set stories, Christmas Every Day was a quiet and oh so literary confection that will be an annual read for me from now on..


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I just finished Christmas Every Day and thoroughly enjoyed it. It wasn’t what I was expecting, which was a predictable, romantic, easy read. That would’ve been just fine, but this book was much better! I loved Jenny so much, I so related to her, and there’s a line that resonated so close to my heart I keep thinking about it. Also, I love how this is set in Scotland, gives me Eleanor Oliphant vibes and Jenny really reminds me of Nina Hill! All in all, this was a sweet friends-become-family book.

My thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood for a copy of Christmas everyday for an honest review.

Due to the title and cover of this book I had saved reading this until closer to Christmas.
To be fair it isn’t in the main a festive story, Christmas seems to have been ‘shoe horned ‘ in for more appeal , I feel, that being said ,despite this ,and the fact that I had guessed a couple of the outcomes of the storyline, it was an easy and enjoyable read which I would still recommend

I am not quite sure what to think about this book. It's been my side reading off and on for a little bit, and I felt like I kept waiting for something to happen. I am accustomed to books by British authors that meander a bit to get to the point, all while building up a quirky cast of characters, but it felt a little extreme in this book. The book title and the cover gave the idea that this book would be very Christmas-y. After all, what could be more holidays than the concept of Christmas every day? But the book isn't really about Christmas at all. It starts and ends at Christmas, there's a bit of a mention of Christmas here and there, but nothing really beyond that. So if you're looking for a Christmas romance or Christmas chick lit, this is not your book.

The book starts with a scene from Jenny’s past in which she thinks she is going to get a proposal from the man she's been dating, but something shocking happens. We meet her again as she is getting out at a cottage in remote Scotland that her grandmother’s given her. This place is a disaster zone the likes of which one sees on Hoarders. It comes with a grumpy but handsome (and sometimes overly helpful) neighbor. Soon, Jenny is introduced to a variety of people who live in this small town and its environs. Some are quite wonderful, like the parents of 5 children whom Jenny starts to help out. Some are a bit more cranky and difficult. It takes a while to get to it, or at least it felt like it did to me as I was reading along, but the thrust of the book seems to be about a group of people in a book club who challenge themselves at the end of the year to live their lives and not just read about fictitious ones.

While this book does have some romance, it felt more like a find-yourself chick lit story. I honestly don't see what the cover and the title have to do with the book at all. I hate it when I feel like a book is misrepresented in that way.

“Christmas Every Day” is a romantic comedy that kept me laughing out loud throughout the story. The main character (Jenny) moves to her grandmother’s abandoned cottage in Sherwood Forest after a few major life –changing events leave her without a beau, a home, or a job. In the process of restoring the cottage, Jenny discovers her own strengths, meets new friends, and learns about her family heritage.

The novel provided lots to laugh and to cry about. Readers who like a quick and humorous read will enjoy Jenny and her new friends.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This week's book for my Christmassy NetGalley-athon was Beth Moran's Christmas Every Day. While it was a perfectly fine read there was one thing that I really didn't expect, and that was a bit of a disappointment - this isn't a Christmas story. It is told over the period of a year, starting at Christmas one year and finishing the next, but really it isn't even Christmas adjacent.

Now that I have that off my chest, here's the synopsis from Goodreads...

When Jenny inherits her estranged grandmother’s cottage in Sherwood Forest, she has nothing to lose - no money, no job, no friends, no family to speak of, and zero self-respect. Things can only get better...

Her grumpy, but decidedly handsome new neighbour, Mack, has a habit of bestowing unsolicited good deeds on her. And when Jenny is welcomed into a rather unusual book club, life seems to finally be getting more interesting.

Instead of reading, the members pledge to complete individual challenges before Christmas: from finding new love, learning to bake, to completing a daredevil bucket list. Jenny can’t resist joining in, and soon a year of friendship and laughter, tears and regrets unfolds in the most unexpected ways.

Ok, so the synopsis doesn't sound especially festive, but just look at that cover!
Lack of Christmassiness aside, this was a nice book. I wasn't mad about some elements of the writing - for instance the chapters often finished with a line leading to the next chapter - like "I wouldn't have believed what would happen next", which I didn't love.

The story itself was actually just the kind of thing I like to read - a main character finding herself (literally and figuratively) in a new place with a quirky-ish cast of supporting characters. It also features one of my favourite tropes - unlikely friends brought together by a common interest (in this case book club), with the narrative revolving around their friendships and how they support each other.

Just because they were kind of unexpected (although I should have read enough books about women's friendships to always expect these) I think it is worth giving a content warning for infant loss and also terminal illness.

I gave this one 2 out of 5 stars - having taken a half star off because of it not being Christmassy. To be honest, its entirely possible I might have given it 3 stars if I had not had the expectation that it would be more festive, but who can tell?
In short, this is a sweet story, but if you're after a Christmas cosy I'd skip it.