Christmas Wishes by Sue Moorcroft

Hannah and Nico meet in Stockholm he is her brothers best friend and they a have to quickly refresh an old friendship .
As she has lost her shop in Stockholm she returns home to England only to find Nico has returned home too. They have many obstacles to overcome if they are to have a romance. She has a boyfriend and he is a single father with two children.
Set at Christmas it is very much a case will they finally overcome everything in their way to have the love they really want ?

A beautifully written book covering many difficult issues sensitively . A very enjoyable Christmas audio book. 4.5/5

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

I am a fan of Sue Moorcroft lovely books. Christmas Wishes is a fell-good Christmas story that also incorporates some heavy subjects. A light story but also thought-provoking.
Trigger warning: Eating disorders

You can't beat Sue Moorcroft at Christmas, can you?

I loved this story, the emotion and the hope and the way it felt so uplifting. I love it when stories explore themes of friendship.

Something about this book and the story felt very picturesque and quaint in a way. It was a delight to read.

I listened along to the audiobook, narrated by Julia Winwood, as I read this book. The narrator does an excellent job bringing the characters to life and I would definitely listen to more of their books.

This is such a festive, feelgood book that I felt ready for Christmas after reading it.

Set between the UK and Sweden, it was beautifully told, really pulling me in to the characters lives and hoping for them to find true love and happiness.

I liked that we saw what it's like from a man's perspective to be a 'single dad' and to appreciate the difficulties they have too - quite often books focus on the mother's perspective, so this was refreshing.

This was 'more than just a festive book', it had depth, beautiful descriptions and a really engaging storyline.

I loved the narrator too, she helped to bring the story to life even more.

Thank you Netgalley!

Hannah’s perfect little life in Sweden is thrown into turmoil when her dismissive ex-boyfriend decides to end it all, kick her out of their home and take back ownership of the shop she rented from him. With just a couple of months until Christmas she has no idea how she’s going to pick herself back up and start again. Moving back to London is a start, throwing herself into work projects and trying to keep herself busy. When Nico; an old family friend pops up out of the blue, he’s a welcome distraction, especially knowing that he has demons of his own to deal with. Between his alcoholic cheating ex-wife, the patriarchal responsibilities he feels towards his daughters half-sister and the emerging feelings he has for Lottie, it’s definitely a tumultuous time for them both!

I’ll be honest straight off the bat – I really wanted to like this book. I really wanted to be transported into a wintery, magical Swedish wonderland. I really wanted to feel an affinity towards Nico & Hannah – rooting for them to the very end. But honestly? The whole story really fell flat for me and I just couldn’t get into it at all, no matter how hard I tried! The narrative didn’t flow enough for me – there were a lot of words, but very little substance behind them. I felt like there was WAY too much unnecessary detail that went into the story – I don’t need to know the colour of the wallpaper or the exact taste of the chocolate; these long flowing descriptions just made the story completely drag for me.

It also wasn’t a Christmassy book in the slightest – the subject matter was so depressing and boring and the characters were really unlikable. Narrator Julia Winwood unfortunately also didn’t really hit the mark for me. I found her voice quite grating, with excessive annunciation and irritating character voices. It’s a shame because I was really excited when I got this book but it just didn’t spark my Christmas spirit in the lead up to the big day.

Overall, although this audio book wasn’t my personal preference – it’s definitely something that some people would enjoy. So, if you’re looking for a long audio book with a lot of detail and an in-depth family based storyline – then you might as well give this a go!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Audio UK for my advanced reader copy! 💕

I found this to be an Easy fun Christmas “listen” and is something that I would easily recommend to others. I will be on the look out for more titles from this author in future.

I didn’t like this at first but decided to give it a second chance, thoroughly enjoyed the second time round. Potentially in the wrong headspace for it the first time round.

Thank you for the opportunity to read it in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I enjoyed this book from the start, Hannah’s character really grabbed me as she’s so likeable.
Set in Sweden to begin with it really gives the wintery/Christmas feeling.
After an old friend drops by her shop, Nico is in her life. Nico character I really liked, although feel there should possibly be a trigger warning for some as ED is mentioned. Being a dad to Josie and having to take Marie, his ex wife second child, the relationship that develops with them through the book is lovely.
Hannah has to return home after a change in her circumstances and to help at home. Hannah develops more when she gets home, starts to stand up for herself.
Where does it leave her and Nico? Will their friendship develop after her brothers wedding?
What will become of little Marie?
A fantastic story that leaves you smiling.

The audiobook of Christmas Wishes is just incredible - the narrator Julia Woodwind, was just fantastic throughout! It is so wonderful to listen to the accents of the distinctive characters, it brings the book so much more alive! The emotions expressed were all perfect! I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook and found it very hard to pause! Childhood friends Hannah and Nico are just the best characters, full of loveliness and make the absolute delightful couple! I loved the storyline, I loved the dual setting in Stockholm in Sweden and Middledip in Cambridgeshire. You felt like you were there, as you could envisage so much. I loved reading all about the Swedish Christmas festivities - definitely a place to visit at Christmas time! Very tough and real life issues are dealt with extremely well and incredibly sensitively. I loved the intricate detail that went into every page. Sometimes an event or happening occurs in a book and you think that would not have happened or they would have done this. Everything that happens in the book has been carefully thought about and reactions to incidents for example are done so perfectly and accurately - there are no flaws in this book at all. I loved every page and it is definitely a book that I will read every Christmas. Such a heart warming read that will tug at your heart strings and make you smile. A festive story about love, family and bonds - the well known saying that sharing bloodlines doesn't tie families together, love does, is certainly true in this story - Hannah, Nico, Josie and Maria are a wonderful family together.

Lovely feel good seasonal book. It was just lovely. Romantic book you dream about. Great plot and characters. Perfect for reading over the festive period. Or at any time if the year. Christmas books can be enjoyed anytime anywhere. Very well written and flowed well. Charming author I just love her books

This is a lovely romance story with a bit of travel between Sweden and a small English village, a woman who is about to be uprooted, and a single father who is forced to take care of his substance abusive ex-wife’s young child and their own child. Overall, good story, but I lost a bit of interest toward the end when Hannah decides to leave just before Christmas instead of talking through the problem. I’d give it 4.5 stars.

This story is beautiful. I really enjoyed listening to it.

Nico and Hannah are both great characters and I really enjoyed following them on their journey.
I really like that this book touches upon eating disorders in men and also single fathers and the hardships they face. I love how caring Nico is towards Maria although she is not his.
Both Nico and Hannah are great characters and I really love the relationship they build. They both face big problems in their lives but together they face and overcome them.

The audiobook was good to listen to. Although as someone who understands Swedish, the pronunciation of the Swedish words is somewhat dramatic and made me want to laugh more than anything else

All in all, this is a beautiful book and I enjoyed listening to it

*ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley

This was my first book by Sue Moorcroft and it will not be my last. Christmas Wishes was a fantastic Christmas read full of romance and that feel good factor. I was truly captivated by this story and felt fully developed in the characters emotions and experiences. The characters were brilliant but my favourite part was seeing Hannah and Nico’s friendship develop.

Overall, this was the perfect Christmas read and I cannot wait to get my hands on another one of Sue’s books.

Merry Christmas.
This year I thought I'd read a couple of seasonal books in the run-up to Christmas, to get me in the mood. Christmas Wishes was an enjoyable Christmas read, set partly in Middledip, UK, and partly in wintry Stockholm. But the heroines of the story, for me, were the children.

When we meet Hannah, she is in Stockholm, running her own high-end boutique. She lives with her boyfriend, Albin, in his swanky apartment, but we get the impression that all is not well with the relationship. Nico, a friend of her brother's, turns up at the shop while on a business trip to Stockholm. He looks like he's been living in a ditch and she is concerned for his well-being. She tries to buy him supper and in return he brings out his merchandising skills.
Nico is separated from his wife and has custody of their 8 year-old daughter, but life becomes even more complicated as her addictions start to resurface and she is unable to look after her second child.

The story unravels gradually, as Christmas preparations proceed. But as I said above, it is the children who steal the show.
It was interesting to spend part of this novel in Sweden, a place I've never visited, but I did find the constant dropping of Swedish place names and phrases became a bit irritating after a while. Characters were either super nice or totally awful, I can't think of anyone who fell in-between.

An enjoyable read, if a little predictable, well narrated by Julia Winwood, who obviously has a knowledge of Swedish. I'm not a great fan of Chick-lit, so if that's a genre you enjoy then I'd definitely recommend this.
3.5 stars.

I didn’t work last year, so I had time for everything before Christmas and was able to listen to a lot of audiobooks. That’s why I requested 3 books on NetGalley this year. But in December, I had no desire to read any Christmas book, I would have preferred to read something else. So I wasn't eager to start this book.
I requested this book because I read in the synopsis than the book sets in Sweden. Then I surprised in a bad way that there weren’t that many parts in Sweden, rather the book was set in England.
I don’t know what to say about this book. I’m sitting here in front of my laptop and I don't know what to write about this book. So I’ll start with the boring question: What did I like about this book? To be honest, I don't have a lot of things on this list. I liked the scenes set in Sweden, they were cosy. Also, Nico and Hannah were cute together, loved their chemistry. Maybe, I loved the two girls, too. I found the Mariah thing interesting (I listened to it as an audiobook, hopefully, that’s how they write the little girl’s name). I haven’t even dealt with someone taking his ex-wife’s child because she can’t take care of her. Even if only it's a temporary thing.
So let's see what I didn't like about the book? In the beginning, I think, nothing bothered me. I found Alwyn awful, maybe I would have been without him. But the truth is that I did not like anything except which I listed above… But then it came to an end. I was so annoyed by Lauren's and her mother's behaviour. It was disgusting. I read to have fun, not to be annoyed by awful people. But let’s just say I might even look at this as we need negative characters in the book… But, what did Hannah in the end??? SPOILER STARTS - Now seriously, if your boyfriend’s ex-wife’s mother says that they’re the ones who belong together, and he's just having fun with you, the first things will be to go away because of how shit that the guy chooses his ex… Yes, there was ONE night when he didn't call her back, but then she needs to go there and discuss with him, not going into the world… - SPOILER ENDS. It was so annoying. I wanted to give 3.5-4 stars before that, but because of that, I decrease to 3 stars. Unfortunately, I have to rate this book among the worst books of the year :( It wasn’t a good experience in the end…

I got a review copy of this as an audio book and really wasn't enjoying it, I found the attempt at a Swedish accent really distracting. I then purchased the kindle version and enjoyed it much more.
I really enjoyed the different take that this had on the traditional Christmas Romance, with much of the story focusing on Nico and not just Hannah, I also appreciated the sympathetic handling of some very difficult subjects (Addiction and eating disorders).
I loved the fact that for those who have read other Sue Moorcroft books we got to see some existing characters but their stories weren't that engrained into this novel, so it still worked well as a standalone.
My only negative would be that this wasn't a particularly festive book and it wasn't really a feel good book, which is what I'd be looking for in a festive read.

This is a sugary sweet romance. Based in London, an english village and Sweden during December, it couldn't be more seaonal or romantic if it tried! I enjoyed listening and the narrator was very appropriate and apt for the genre. However I cannot give it the highest praise as many have done as I found it astonishlingly predictable. I found that I could guess the scenes coming up a chapter or two ahead. Rest assured despite the many missunderstandings and mishaps, all is well, very well in the end!

I really enjoyed this book, the storyline was predictable but still, a lovely read/listen. The story revolves around Hannah and Nico and the difficulties that are happening in their lives that eventually bring them together as a couple. As a foster carer I felt for Nico and his relationship with his daughter's sister and loved the fact that he was willing to bring her up as his own so his daughter didn't miss out on a relationship with her sister. A heartfelt romance that was a joy to listen to.

This was such a warm comforting listen, I am going to miss my hourly listen every night. I really need to a sequel as I want to see the next stages in their journey. The two families become part of my family dynamic - really love Nan and the kids.

Initially I was concerned as there was a lot of Swedish words and I thought oh no - but it really got it good.

I just loved the audible book and can't say anything more. I would never have listened to it normally.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review which I have done.