I love Christmas stories set in a village and this certainly didn't disappoint, well written and a rea; pleasure to read. This could so easily be a true story as the characters were true to life. 5 stars and I recommend you enjoy this.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.

A heartwarming and festive story that made me smile and root for the characters.
I loved the small town descriptions and the well thought cast of characters.
The plot is tightly knitted and kept me hooked.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

2 stars!

I'm really sad to only be giving this books 2 stars but unfortunately it really just wasn't what I was expecting at all. Advertised as a romantic feel-good read, it really is anything but that.

The Country Village Christmas Show follow Clare as she moves back to her small hometown after losing her job, getting divorced and selling her house. Being back in the village Clare grew up in is challenging but she decides to organise a Christmas show in the village to bring the community together and spread a little holiday cheer. And maybe along the way find love.

The cover, the title and the premise of this book make it seem like it would be the perfect Christmassy romantic read. However, this isn't romantic and it isn't feel good at all. In fact, a lot of the aspects of this story are quite sad and quite negative and there are never any attempts at turning them into a positive. That is of course excluding Clare's and Sam's developing relationship which I believe is meant to come across as a beautiful love story of two lost people finding each other but is instead just a very tepid love of two very two dimensional characters for whom it is convenient to fall in love.

This leads me to Sam, our love interest in the story. Whilst I could enjoy Clare's character, Sam's gave me a lot of issue to work through. From the very first moment we are introduced to Sam he is shown as a passive aggressive guy with some temperament issues and these are never really acknowledged or fixed throughout the story. He just goes on to have angry outbursts with everyone and then weakly apologises and somehow makes it all okay. Another aspect of Sam that really ruined the character for me was his relationship with his sister Alyssa. Alyssa is Sam's younger sister who has had an accident growing up and ended up in a wheelchair. I would've been delighted for this disability rep if it wasn't for Sam trying to make it all about him. More than once when Sam talks about his sister and her accident he shifts the narrative to himself as if he is somehow the victim. In fact when he tells Clare about it even Clare ends up saying that Sam has "endured a lot" his whole life. This makes no sense to me? His sister is the one who is paraplegic but somehow we are meant to feel and for Sam because he is a weird aggressive and overprotective brother who has to look after his sister? The whole Sam-Alyssa relationship is very strange and doesn't sit right with me.

I was hoping for a wonderfully magical Christmas setting and a feel-good talent show that would create happiness and togetherness but the actual show was rushed and the setting of the book wasn't ever Christmassy at all.

With all that being said, I did appreciate the disability rep in Alyssa and Kyle's pansexuality being introduced and dealt with in a very positive and mature way.

Over all this just wasn't at all what I thought it would be but that doesn't mean it won't be the perfect Christmas read for someone else so please don't let my experience with it dissuade you from reading it and giving it a chance.

This lovely story boasts page after page of deliciously delightful characters. From Clare’s wonderful mother, Elaine to her quite lovely son, Kyle there’s every reason to plan a visit to Little Bramble.
There’s something for everyone in this book, I just loved every moment.
Clare is the centre of the story and it’s her metamorphic path that carries the sequence of events to their festive conclusion.
Of course, with an ungainly Great Dane, Goliath, sharing centre stage, it goes without saying that there must be a hunky vet on the horizon. Rest assured, Sam is very much the perfect guy for that role.
There are some fabulous extra characters including Clare’s best friend from her schooldays, the vicar and the postman, who has a special relationship with Goliath.
I am finding it hard to pin-point the best bits but, the candidates include – Tai-Chi in underwear, the ‘I’m Spartacus’ style confessions to burning down the village hall and Clare’s inability to avoid mud.
I found that this was a wonderful story which wasn’t simply a Christmas tale but a glimpse at how returning home can be good for the soul.
Take a visit to Little Bramble, you won’t be disappointed.

I love discovering new authors and Cathy Lake is certainly a new author for me. Having enjoyed reading ‘The Country Village Christmas Show’ as much as I did, I can guarantee that I will be reading more of her work in the future. I absolutely adored reading ‘The Country Village Christmas Show’ but more about that in a bit.
I took to the character of Clare from the start. She was married but is now divorced and her son is now an adult at university, having moved out of the family home. For many years Clare has been a wife and a mother and both of those jobs took up all her time and energy. Now she has to create a new life for herself and put herself first for a change. The only problem is that she doesn’t know how to. The marital home has been sold and Clare goes to stay with her Mam at her house. They haven’t always had the closest of relationships so they have to learn to be around each other again and try and get along. Something is bothering Clare’s Mam and Clare is determined to find out what it is. Clare seems to want to retreat into her shell to start with but her mother ‘encourages’ her to get out and about, which Clare does do. Clare is a lovely woman, who deserves her ‘happy ever after ending’. Does she get her ‘happy ever after’ ending? Well for the answer to that question and so much more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
Oh my word, The Country Village Christmas Show’ was an amazing read and then some. The festive and colourful grabbed my attention from the start, the synopsis drew me in and then the story within the book’s covers just seemed to hypnotise me. To say that reading ‘The Country Village Christmas Show’ became addictive is a massive understatement. I couldn’t have put this book down if I had tried. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it went everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story and the pages turned over at speed. Part of the reason for my addiction was the fact that I had taken to Clare from the start and I also loved the character of Sam and I had to know how the story panned out for the pair of them. I vine read the book over the course of a single day, which is quite fast for me.
‘The Country Village Christmas Show’ is superbly written. She certainly knows how to grab your attention and draw you into the story. Cathy has one of those warm and friendly writing styles that reads more like a conversation between friends than an actual book. I hope that makes sense. Another huge plus point for me about this book was the fact that the story involved dogs, which include ‘Goliath’, who is a Great Dane and ‘Scout’, who is a yellow Labrador. I can honestly say that this book made me laugh out loud as I pictured the dogs’ shenanigans as they happened. I especially loved the tug of war that Goliath has with the postman through the letterbox with whatever post he has that day. That brought back memories for me- I didn’t have a Great Dane but I had a Rhodesian Ridgeback, which is another huge dog, and we used to have a tug of war and dragged me all over the floor. I was gripped by this story from start to finish. I can honestly say that this is a fun and festive read and has to be one of my favourite reads of 2020.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Country Village Christmas Show’ and I would recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Cathy’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

The Country Village Christmas Show - Cathy Lake

"Recently divorced, the family home sold and her son all grown-up, Clare is at a crossroads. She's dedicated her whole adult life to her family, and now it's time she did something for herself."

The perfect Christmas read, what's not to love? Romance, cosy small village life, mulled wine, Christmas shows and good friendships! My favourite character has to be Kyle, who is Claire's grown up son, and also Goliath the dog. Full of community spirit but which also deals with lots of family related issues.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the chance to read and review this book!

Everything I hoped it would be - and so much more!

Clare is forlorn now her divorce is finalised and the family home sold; she has dedicated herself to being the best wife and mother she could and now she finds herself a bit lost. With no immediate plans, she moves in with her mother to give her time to pull herself together and sort out her future, but it's not always easy going back in life. Finding her mother not quite as active in village affairs as she remembers and coping with Goliath, the Great Dane, gives Claire no time to mope around - she just has to get on with things!

I've followed this author for quite some time and she really knows how to create a fabulous story and has some wonderful series' under her belt, so it came as no surprise that this is another. With a terrific array of well-rounded and diverse characters and with her trademark dog (or two!), this is a spectacular introduction to Little Bramble and it's residents - I rather fancy living there myself! One of my bugbears in books is where animals are introduced but then their basic needs are completely ignored which never happens in Cathy's tales; the animals are only a very small part of the story but they add such a lot to it. Greatly entertaining, this is tender, touching, realistic and very, very funny! I couldn't believe it when I reached the end; it just flew past! I'm thrilled that there is going to be more from Little Bramble and it will most definitely be on my reading list. Love, love, LOVE this one and it easily earns all five sparkling stars!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

This wasn't what I expected, but I enjoyed it. this was lovely read.
Christmas and romance what more do you need?! And little help from your friends.

3.5 stars.

A wonderful and warm story of second chances and new starts! After a messy divorce and with a return to a small village that is a world away from her old life, Clare is ready to start over. The Christmas village show gives her that push to start following her dreams and connecting again. A heartwarming and lovely read, wonderfully festive to get you in the Christmas mood!

I struggled with this book to begin with after a few chapters I couldn't put it down. So happy as it's a Brilliant story on how sometimes people just need someone to help them find their inner sparkle.

I'll admit it did take me a while to get into this book, but once I worked out who the characters were, and got used to the, I really did find it to be a very enjoyable story.

It's all about family, and finding yourself, and rebuilding yourself after a divorce.

I really loved Kyle, Claire's grown up son, who seems just a lovely young man (I can't be old enough to be saying things like that surely?). Then there is Claire's mother Elaine who is interesting character, and I did enjoy the eventual reveal as to why she is the way she is, even if it did come almost too late into the book.

And I loved the sections focusing on Sam, the local vet, and his relationship with his sister Alyssa.

Easily my favourite character though was Goliath, the Great Dane, from his battles with the postman, to the situations he gets into, including dragging Clare through a hedge - he is also instrumental in a hilarious incident in the vet surgery between Clare and Sam!

In fact I think most of the comic moments probably feature Goliath in some way shape or form, he is just one big lovely doggy. Although coming up quick second is the first few meetings between Clare and Sam which are awkward and amusing,

A slow but lovely story that I found really got going once plans for the Village Christmas Show start, and I loved everything relating to the show. It left me with a sense of community and Christmas spirit.

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

Drama in real life and drama on stage!
Clare Green, newly-divorced, jobless and homeless in her mid-forties, returns to her home village of Little Bramble to live with her widowed mother, the somewhat spiky Elaine. She renews her once close friendship with old schoolchum Jenny, and makes the acquaintance of local vet Sam. Despite an unpromising start, the two are quickly attracted to each other, but first both have to come to terms with themselves - Clare with her perceived marriage failure and Sam with his perceived guilt for the accident that put his sister Alyssa in a wheelchair. Elaine, meanwhile is thoroughly depressed for some reason, and showing no interest in the am-dram productions that she used to love so much. The scene is set for a thorough exploration of deep-felt emotions between all the parties, which can get a little heavy at times. Fortunately, it's relieved by the antics of Great Dane Goliath, and the arrival of Clare's son Kyle with his happy outlook on life and love.
Despite its title, this one takes a while to get its festive frolics on! Though there are hints, we're halfway through the book before the idea of a Christmas show is mooted, and it remains very much in the background while the narrative continues to explores the themes of divorce, fractured family relationships and new beginnings.
However, it all comes together in the end, with lots of drama as the am-dram production finally takes flight and Kate, Sam and Elaine move towards the fresh beginning they so need.

A pleasant Christmas book, set in an idyllic setting. I love books that have a friendly and welcoming community, and this was certainly the case with this book.

Not what I expected but I loved it. Nice to read a story about a middle age lady and love. I loved her son Kyle and you felt for her mother. The confessions of how the village hall burnt down made me laugh. A great read

After her divorce Clare moves back to her mother's cottage in Little Brambles that she can reassess her life. She always had a difficult relationship with her mother, who was always unemotional, but finds her not her normal extroverted self. She decides to bring back the village Christmas show, which stopped after the original village hall was destroyed in a fire, hoping to give her mother some purpose in her life.
Again I enjoy books set in small communities, a grumpy vet adds that romantic touch, a loveable Great Dane Goliath humour. There was some whodunit over the cause of the fire at the old village hall and the storyline did draw me in and I would have loved to have joined in. A great read for a Winter's evening.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Clare is at a crossroads in her life, with the ink drying on her divorce papers, her son at uni and the family home sold, she must now start all over again.

Moving back into her childhood home in the village that she grew up in, Clare faces new challenges.
When herself and her son Kyle chance upon the idea of running a Christmas show in the village to bring the community together, it feels like she has purpose again, but can she manage to pull it off?

I snuggled down to read this book with a large mug of hot chocolate, the dog on my lap, and rain lashing down outside and for a few hours I lost sight of the doom and gloom going on in the world – COVID hasn’t reached Little Bramble yet! I did enjoy the book, the characters were believable and I got a taste of the village community which I yearn for, after living all my life in the Big Smoke!

However, saying that I was a little disappointed in the fact that the first mention of the show was made almost half way through the book, so up until that point it really felt like we were treading water. It also felt quite rushed at the end, lots of things happened in the last 10% of the book which could have been sprinkled around the story earlier on.

I thought that this was a nice story but for me there was far too much detail and it detracted from the main storyline and affected by enjoyment as it spoint the flow of the story.

I will be honest that the book disappointed me and I was skim reading the pages to get to a page where people were actually talking and carrying on with the plot line of the book.

It is 3 stars from me for this one, others may really enjoy it as the story is nice, it just didn't work for me.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
First time reading this Author and what a FANTASTIC book it really does make you think .
I also think so many of us can definitely identify with. Certain aspects of this book I can highly recommend to all

My first book by this author and I really loved it. I really identified with Clare as a character and the developing relationship between her and Sam had me on the edge of my seat numerous times! So much chemistry between them right from the start. The supporting characters were also so likeable, especially Clare’s son Kyle and her mum Elaine. I loved following Clare’s journey in Little Bramble as she began building a life she loved after her divorce and the story left me with a warm, Christmassy glow that stayed with me long after I finished the last page.

This is the first book published by Cathy Lake (aka Rachel Griffiths). The blurb and the gorgeous cover drew my attention to this book, plus the feature on Readers First.

I felt sorry for the main character, Clare, at the start of the story – her happy life had vanished in a relatively short space of time as her marriage faltered, her job was made redundant and she ended up moving back in with her mum and a very large dog called Goliath.

However Clare soon starts to rekindle old friendships and make new acquaintances on her voyage of self discovery, although the path to romance is a tricky one to negotiate at times.

A great mixture of characters, a canine friend, Christmas preparations and three generations of a family working together provided a cosy autumnal read. I look forward to reading more by Cathy Lake.