I really loved this book, as well as the couple of main characters the whole community were included making this a real good read. I wish it could have carried on, so I am hoping that there will be a second book to carry on with the lives of this wonderful village.Beautifully written by Lucy Coleman. A real Christmas with a bit of a difference. I am giving this 5 stars and please read and enjoy this lovely novel.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC in return for an honest review.

A very sweet, lovely Christmas romance. Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I'm sorry to say that I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I felt that it really dragged and not much happened for a good portion of it. I didn't really warm to Immi or Gray and eventually the book became a bit of a chore to read, From the description it sounded right up my street and I loved the cover but sadly it just wasn't for me.

My first Christmas book of 2020. Christmas in July! It took me a few chapters to get into it but once I was I didn't want to put it down. It has the cutest little town with a canal. A beautiful community which comes together in hard times and its Christmas! What could be better?
The perfect festive read with a beautiful ending. The perfect Christmas celebrated with friends and family. It comes with a few ups and downs as expected but it all turned out okay. Felt a little wierd to be reading a festive book in July but it cheered me up and I've already started my Christmas shopping. A lovely read.
A well deserved four stars. Highly recommend. Maybe nearer Christmas though.

I love it I love it I love it.
If ever you need a pick me up then read this! The ultimate festive tale with a big dollop of hope and love. Perfect!!!

I liked this book at first, but it went downhill rapidly from there. The main character wasn't very likable and very little happened in the plot.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.
Having read a few of this author's work I always enjoy her Christmas books,this was an okay read slightly disappointing.
Fabulous cover.

Lucy Coleman excels at writing the heart, and this book is no exception. Set in the hamlet of Aysbury, this story brings us a 'family' of characters, all dealing with their own struggles, with hope as the prevailing theme. The descriptions of the village, especially Lock Keeper's Cottage transport us right there with the characters. Immi, our heroine, is well drawn and her relationship with her grandfather is especially poignant. It was a real treat to see how this 'family' comes together to support each other and lift each other up. A slice of life story, set over a wonderfully festive Christmas.

Not keen on 1st person books so that was a bad start. From there it got progressively worse, unlikeable characters, zero storyline until the last 10%, blink and you'll miss it.

Firstly I am in love with this cover , who wouldn't love it! It's about Christmas and a group of people coming together around Christmas. The author describes the village so vividly that it seemed like I was there in this picturesque village which I loved so much . The book highly demonstrated how family always find each other and support each other regardless of everything surrounding them .The book is a little slow in some areas as some characters did not interact much. Overally it's a good book. Huge thanks to the publisher for my ARC

A warm book full of romance, love and community spirit set on the canal side in the Cotswolds. Twists and turns to the end a perfect tale for a winter evening.

I loved this book I've always wanted a christmas like what immi finerly gets. All family together and plenty off food to feed an army.
I'm so surprised who immis mother is, that's all I'm saying as I don't want to give spoilers,
I like the ending it leaves room for another book.
I would love a white Christmas maybe not quite as bad as immis but it still would be good

This was not for me. The whole book was just Immi whining. And what was with the names?? Grayson is an odd choice even for an American. Bleh.

I loved this book. A brilliant story of how you make your own family. Also a perfect love story. I loved the Santa barge part and how every one pulled together at Christmas. I loved how Immi pretended to make the chessecake and how she dealt with the turkey , that made me laugh out loud. . The ending was excellent

Unfortunately I am unable to finish this book and have only made it to 20%. Due to this I won't be giving it a start rating on goodreads or my FB book club group.

This book is very slow and unfortunately quite boring. It's not keeping my interest and when I start skimming there really is very little point in continuing.

I would like to thank the publisher for the advances copy.

This book has a heartwarming atmosphere with the loveable characters and the close-knit community who help each other. Unfortunately I found it a little slow and the descriptions felt sometimes a little too lengthy. However, it is worth reading for the lovely christmassy feeling.

If you want a sweet Christmas story this book is for you. For me it dragged a lot and I had trouble keeping interested. There is a surprise at the end of the book, but other than that there wasn’t a lot of conflict. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Another absolutely gorgeous read by an incredibly talented author. I have devoured this book in just one sitting and have found this a book which has been completely impossible to put down.
absolutely perfect read.

If you are looking for a sweet holiday story this is the perfect book for you! There isn't a lot of action or drama, this is more of a straight forward tale of people coming together at Christmas time. At times it dragged on because it was so much description of things going on rather than interaction between characters. Some of the scenes between characters were interesting while others were a little on the boring side - on multiple occasions I was left thinking "what is the point of this book?". Then there is this huge revelation between several characters that is introduced at almost the end of the novel and resolved within one chapter. We finally got some adversity beyond Immi and Gray doing the long-distance thing and it was brushed aside as though it wasn't really that big of a deal. So, that was a little disappointing. The resolution to Gray's work problems were also resolved at the last minute and seemed to only be there to add a "happy ever after" element. I liked both Immi and Gray and was happy their problems were resolved, but that part could probably have been told in about half the number of pages.

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

Imogen Tolliman didn’t know her mother and when in an accident she’s robbed of her father too, she goes to live with her grandfather. In his lovely cottage by the Aysbury marina.

Tollie, a lovely person is the star of the Santa Ahoy Special each Christmas.

Each year it’s a festive boat ride along the canal that brings both children and adults together, and highly entertains them. Growing up Immi appreciates this magical community that she finds herself fortunate to live in.

Meeting Gray Adams, Immi knew he was someone special and as they begin to get serious in their relationship, they plan a Christmas to end all Christmases.

But, it’s not all plain sailing, the weather changes, and this’ll be one Christmas they’ll both never forget and not for the right reasons.

Will they both be able to make the best of a bad situation or as old secrets come into the open, change Immi’s life forever???

Recommend it.