♫♫ “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…” ♫♫ One Family Christmas is a wonderful festive read that has had me reaching for my Michael Bublé Christmas CD (in September!) I’ve read so many books by this author now, and in this latest one we meet Lottie and her dysfunctional family! She is arranging one last family Christmas before the family home, Henbourne Manor, is sold and is following her Nana Rose’s wishes to the letter. What ensues is a heart-warming, joyful and funny story filled with secrets, betrayals and enough love to warm the heart of the coldest snowman!

I loved Lottie’s character! It honestly felt like she was the only one who wanted to keep the family traditions going, and she tried so very hard to, despite mishap after mishap! Not only having to deal with her own grief which threatened to overwhelm her with every memory she faced, she also had her mother and her vegan toy-boy, her uncle and his family secrets and her brother and his missing present to contend with as well!! All she needed was an old flame turning up to complete the story…wait!...that happened too!!

The story was wonderfully written with the location of a small village in the Cotswolds perfectly described, particularly when the snow begins to fall! Despite Lottie professing not to be a cook, I was amazed at the number of dishes she managed to produce (some out of nothing), all of which sounded delightful…well, almost all!! (I’d definitely avoid the mulled wine!) At the turn of every page, I found myself quietly chuckling at the antics of Dave the Dog, the Duchess or Lottie’s mum’s battery hunting! However, in between all the laughter, there was also some beautifully tender moments, which brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion.

This was a fantastic read showcasing what I’m sure some of our family Christmases have turned out like over the years! Secrets never stay secret for very long, and this is definitely what happened for the Collins family, with every one of them having a confession to make of some sort! I loved this book from the very first page and was hooked, not being able to put it down until I’d finished it. It was truly a pleasure to read and I would definitely recommend it as a must-read Christmas book!

A dysfunctional family Christmas awaits the Collins family as they gather for a final family Christmas at the manor after the death of the grandmother.

Every family member is keeping a secret and the book reads like a rom com set at Christmas where you come home for Christmas to deal with your difficult family. The book is told from different perspectives and it can be jarring at times because it will suddenly switch from one paragraph to the next.

It is interesting though and I find the characters really relatable. It is a quick fun read and one that will get anyone into the holiday spirit.

**Received as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity**

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Just like her Nana wanted, this year Lottie, is hosting one last big family Christmas at the home she grew up in .

As her relatives arrive on the manor house, it seems that Lottie, gets more than just hosting the family Christmas..

As all the family have secrets, but in this family,

So it’s not just cooking the Christmas dinner that she’ll have to do, she’ll also have to keep everyone’s tensions from rising, deal with a stray dog.

Without her Nana she’s got a lot to do and take care of. Add to this, her first love showing up - that too after nine years, of walking out of her life. It’s just what she needed to add to her list of things to do.

So will Lottie be able to make their last family Christmas one to remember….. all for the right reasons????

Recommend it.

A total festive delight/ treat from start to finish!
A crumbly old manor house, a very dysfunctional eclectic family group, eccentric cat and dog,snow, and Christmas cheer aplenty! Makes for the most delightful, entertaining, funny read! Perfect for getting in the festive spirit! Family dynamics, tangled love lives and messages from nanna Rose interspersed with fun, laughter and drama I really can’t recommend this book enough!
Thank you net galley for this early read.

If you ever had a family gathering and thought, “Oh my gosh I’ll never get through this in one piece”, you need to read this book because it will definitely top any of your family celebrations (hopefully yours are much calmer than the Collins family gatherings).

I have recently started reading Bella Osborne’s books and I love her writing style, her character development, and her plots. I enjoy stories that encompass all age groups. I also adore quirky, unique characters. In this book, Lottie tries so hard to organize a wonderful Christmas celebration for her family and she is definitely not up to the goal of doing it perfectly. Her attempts at cooking and planning fun activities sometimes falls short, but the results are very humorous, sometimes heartbreaking but always full of love for her family.

As I was reading, I kept thinking “Oh No!”, as one thing after the other did not turn out as planned. Then I would find myself laughing out loud over the many odd situations that happened.

I read this book during the Covid19 pandemic, and it was such an amazing stress relief! I was so engrossed in this book and wanted to do nothing but read since it gave me such a wonderful escape and so much joy and hope for the future. If Lottie and her family could get through this Christmas there is hope for all of us!

I want to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the pleasure of reading the advanced reader copy of this fantastic book. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.

Even though the weather is still in the 90’s, lately I have been looking forward to Christmas and knew reading a book about a family Christmas would be a great taste of Christmas in September. O really I really enjoyed each family member and appreciated what they brought to this eclectic family. The book spells out well who each family member is and the personal traits, positive or not, that they bring to the family table. However, the book at times was a little too thorough on the faults and problems of the characters. I think there are certain familial fights or failed proposals that didn’t need to be included and the story would have been just as heartwarming and would have left the readers with the same sweet Christmas feels. I appreciate the opportunity I had to read this book and visit the Christmas season a bit early.

A brilliant feel good book. The cooking of the turkey was so funny. and when they worked why they knew their mothers new boyfriend. It was so funny. The book had its sad moments but a perfect read

Another fantastic read from a very accomplished author. This is a great feel good book., to add to the collection I’ve already read can’t wait for another new book
A* highly recommended

I receive an advance copy of One Family Christmas, by Bella Osbourne. Lottie's beloved Nan passed away. Lottie wants to have one last Christmas at Nan's house, in the Cotswolds, before her Nana's Manor is sold. Everybody in Lottie's family has secrets, everyone! I did not care for this book as much as I thought I would. Too many secrets.

This was wholly lovely.

Lottie, decided that she is going to host a family Christmas. Her family are crackers, she cant cook, what could possibly go wrong? Then to top it off, Joe, the love of her life who left 9 years ago is back in the village.

From the very start of this book it is filled with humour, I laughed out loud A LOT and this is a wonderful tale of family, friendship, felines and everything else you could want from a Christmas book.

I am now off to collect all of Bella Osbornes backlist and I will be adding this book to my wishlist, it needs to be in my physical collection!

What a delight this wonderful Christmas read is.

We start off meeting Lottie wanting one big family Christmas for her beloved Nana Rose even though Lottie cannot cook to save her life.

Taking us through the few weeks upto the big day and new year you have a dog named Dave and a lovely cat Dutchess and a mad family to keep you entertained.

Full of humor, warmth and love this is one book you do not want to miss out on.

Thank you Avon Books.

I absolutely loved this book! Christmas fiction is my favourite type of fiction and this book is a definite 5 star.

We start the book meeting Lottie, our main character. She and her family always have a family Christmas at her Nana Rose's so why should this year be any different?

We then are led through Christmas with Lottie and her family. My favourite characters were her niece Jessie and brother Nick. This book has made me laugh out loud on many occasions when I've been reading it today. The Bleeding Bear sounds like a welcoming local as well!

Overall a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas rom-com and one that I will definitely be recommending when it is released.

I think Bella Osborne is definitely one of my new favourite authors. I love her books, I loved this story about Lottie and her family at Christmas time. It was festive, fun and like a big warm hug. There are animals too, which include a dog called Dave who is cheeky and a cat called Duchess. I really like Lottie a lot, she does everything for everyone else and has such a Kind heart. I was intrigued to see what would happen with Joe conning back her old love who she hasn't seen for many years. Lovely ending, I do see if this story will continue as there is a great bunch of characters and I would love to see Lottie settled down. It deserves 10/10.