Jo's best book yet!
I am a huge fan of Jo Thomas but nothing prepared me for the amazing 'happy-feels' that I got from reading this book. Inspired by the wonderful true life story of the TV programme Escape To the Chateau, she has taken the day to day running of a chateau and mixed it with a huge serving of French life, food, traditions and forbidden romance creating a Christmas feel-good masterpiece. I devoured this book in four hours whilst snuggled up off sick from work and ended up feeling like I could run my own chateau and take on the world!
Thank you so much to the publishers & NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest and unbiased review! I just loved it!!

Another fantastic story from Jo Thomas. Again I absolutely 'gobbled' this one up, beautiful setting in a French chateau, with all easy to get to know characters. If you enjoy watching 'Escape to the chateau', then this is for you.

I loved reading this story right from the start. Inheriting an old French Chateau is right up there on my wish list, but seeing as that is not going to happen I had to live the fantasy through Fliss and her sisters.

When the three sisters decide to turn the old, run down Chateau into a B&B before it bankrupts them, it doesn’t go as smoothly as they’d hoped. Much like the path to true love between Fliss and the broody mayor, Jacques. They are perfect for each other but ex’s and a difficult situation in the past threatens their happy ever after.

Fliss is a very capable heroine, but she still occasionally needs rescuing and the handsome farmer / mayor / next door neighbour, Jacques is never far away.

The supporting cast are great; from Fliss’ nephew Jason who comes to help restore the chateau and blossoms in France, to Clementine Jacques step-daughter, to the huge working horse Pegasus whose always sticking his head through the fences and causing havoc, and Cedrick the peacock whose sometimes turns up to delight the guests. I have to mention the sitting tenant too, the chatelaine. She holds the key to the mystery of how Fliss’ grandfather came to own the Chateau in the first place, if only she could overcome the events in the past to confide in Fliss.

At the heart of this novel is mystery, love and family relationships. And of course there’s plenty of Christmas magic and a New Year’s Eve wedding at the Chateau to look forward to. You can’t get much better than that.

A joy as always.

A french castle at Christmas, yes please!

It's as if you can feel Jo's smiles through her words as she writes. This really is feel good fiction so if you want a good story, cosy setting and lovely story then this is it!

I loved the character of Fliss from the very start of this story- never quite finding her place in life, she’s bossed around by her older sisters and kept hanging by her boyfriend. It’s only at the chateau that she starts to grow in confidence and work out what she wants. Jo Thomas has again written a wonderful heartwarming story - full of great characters- Jason and Charlotte were especially engaging- and a beautiful setting in the heart of Normandy. The perfect festive read.

As usual Jo Thomas writes a book that leaves you wanting more.

When Fliss and her sisters inherit a chateau in France from their grandfather they wonder what is in store for them. Do it up and sell? However Fliss is left to get things started and with Jacques, the neighbour available to lend a hand is hopeful that it will be sorted quickly. Could there be more to him than meets the eye? However, the chateau has other ideas and Fliss begins to wonder whether it is time for change. Can she stay and make chateau life work?

A truly relaxing read that I didn't want to end. Brilliant as always Jo and vividly described as always. So much so, I felt I was there with the characters living the chateau life. Thank you for letting me review this on #Netgalley. It is a privilege as always.

When their beloved grandfather dies, Fliss and her sisters are astonished to inherit a French chateau! Travelling to Normandy to visit the beautiful if faded house, they soon discover the chateau is a money pit. It requires major work, a huge tax bill is due . . . and there's a sitting tenant to whom they owe a monthly allowance.

Unable to sell but strapped for cash, Fliss decides to spruce up the elegant old rooms and open a B&B. But, why is Jacques, the neighbouring famers and also local mayor, so hostile, and how did their grandfather come to own the place anyway?

I have had this book on my TBR shelf for a little while, but I was so excited to read it, that I pushed it up my list and I am so glad I did as I devoured it immediately. It was absolutely fantastic and I promise you won’t be disappointed when you read it. It has love, food, jeopardy and characters that you will want to befriend!

I have read most of Jo’s books now and believe me, this is by far the best, they just keep getting better and better. I loved the characters in this one, they grew throughout the book and at the start I was thinking of Fliss in one way, but then by midway through the book my opinion of her completely changed (in a nice way!).

This book actually made me smile!! Last night, I knew I was going to finish the book, and so I snuggled into bed with a grin on my face as I delved back into the lives of Fliss and her sisters.

I would love it if at some point we could revisit the chateau as this wonderful book has left me wanting more!!

Another wonderful story by Jo Thomas.
When their grandfather dies, Fliss and her two sisters head to France to.visit the Chateau he has left to them. But little do they realise, firstly that it has a sitting tenant, but unfortunately unless they can find the money for its upkeep and tax bill, they will lose it.
A adorable story of how Fliss finds a way to reveal the Chateaus true beauty and the love that is hidden all around in the people of the village, the beautiful apple orchard and in the memories of her grandfather. I loved it from it’s beautiful setting where you could just imagine the apples and their smell in the long forgotten orchard

The book begins in France with Fliss and her two sisters going to view a chateau which has been left to them by their Grandfather. It is all very mysterious as no-one had known about the chateau, and initially the girls hope to sell it and use the money to provide a better lifestyle for themselves.
However, as the plot unfolds, the girls discover that all isn’t as it seems and there are serious hitches to their plans, including hostility from the local village. This is a mysterious story with several twists and turns, and quirky, interesting characters. There is a friendly, humorous feel to the book as the story gradually unfolds. I like the way that Fliss manages to overcome the most difficult obstacles in a practical, determined manner and proves herself to be a strong capable woman.
A ight-hearted story set in a beautiful part of the world, with interesting character development, but the romance element didn’t progress fast enough for me.

I really loved this book. A heartwarming read with a lot of character. The setting was enjoyable and the plot and characters were very engaging.
I would reccomend this book

A truly romantic novel with a feel god factor. Fliss and her three sisters inherit a house in Normandy that turns out to be a chateau that they are unable to sell as it has a sitting tenant or chatelaine who they must support. In addition the village appears to be full of animosity. Fliss , the sister with no ties and no job, is left with the challenge of finding a solution- a B&B.
A wonderful mixture of characters across the generations from the reclusive Charlotte the chatelaine to Jason and Charlotte the younger generation and a wealth of village characters. You can pick up the atmosphere of rural France and soak it in leaving you with a warm glow

A truly wonderful cosy seasonal Book to curl up with when because of Health you have to rest ,or have trouble sleeping ,the characters all have secrets or are trying to unravel secrets in order to bring happiness & love to one another & the beautiful old Chateau with it's Cider Apple Orchards.. The Animals Pegasus the Percheron Draft Horse, the Cows one of which actually gets drunk on fermenting windfall apples , Cedric the haughty & proud Peacock .plus Charlotte's dog Percival . They all add much fun & laughter., you cannot read this without feeling warm & joyful so I highly recommend it .#FB, #Instagram,#GoodReads,# NetGalley, #Amazon.co.uk,#<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/c566f42be23a0e25d120e78a3454e2d427c4beee" width="80" height="80" alt="50 Book Reviews" title="50 Book Reviews"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/ef856e6ce35e6d2d729539aa1808a5fb4326a415" width="80" height="80" alt="Reviews Published" title="Reviews Published"/>, #<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/aa60c7e77cc330186f26ea1f647542df8af8326a" width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>,a book to buy & keep on the shelf .

Beautiful, just stunningly beautiful. Perfect book to curl up with and get those festive vibes. Adored it.

Another good story line from Jo. Super characters and a lovely setting. I couldn’t put it down. A good, easy read.

An enchanting story of a French chateau and village being brought back to life.

Following the death of their grandfather, Fliss and her sisters inherit a French chateau, which could be the answers to all their prayers, The reality is that the building and grounds have seen better days, the villagers are suspicious and hostile and there is an unexpected chatelaine.

Instead of making them money, they are at risk of losing the chateau if they cannot afford to pay the associated costs by January.

Fliss must work hard to overcome the chateau’s past, but thanks to a rogue horse, Pegasus and a herd of unrepentant cattle, the local mayor, Jacques soon warms to her and what she is trying to achieve, not just bring the chateau back to life, but the village too,

Naturally, there are problems, a wayward nephew, Lothario’s, dodgy boilers, and pyro mother in laws, but will the plucky Fliss get what she really wants, A man who loves her for her, that is committed to their relationship and her dreams?
Only time will tell but I highly recommend this 5-star rated enchanting read.

My thanks as always to the author, #RandomHouse #TransworldDigital and #Netgalley for allowing me to read and review the wonderful #CelebrationsAtThe Chateau

If I could give this 9/10 I would, I so enjoyed this book. A perfect snuggle in under a cosy blanket kind of read.

Fliss and her sisters inherit a French chateau, as you do, that they had no idea existed. When they visit to decide what to do with it, they do not receive a warm welcome from the locals. Fliss decides to stay on to sell it but there is a chatelaine in residence meaning it cannot be sold as not actually rightfully Fliss'.

Nothing was too much of a surprise to me but it was such an engaging read with likeable characters, having Fliss' nephew (16) and the 70-odd year old Charlotte (the chatelaine) amongst the mix made it a little different to the norm and I enjoyed reading about multi-generational friendships.

Reading how Fliss tried to turn things around and also win over the locals was a real page-turner. In the current climate this was the perfect bit of escapism!


My many thanks to Random House UK via Netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy which I have reviewed honestly.

An easy to read feel good romance. Ideal to curl up beside a log fire and read in an afternoon. Not overtly romantic as the story revolves around three sisters in England inheriting a French Chateau.

Thank you to Netgalley , Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Corgi for an advance copy of this book.

Another thoroughly enjoyable read from Jo Thomas. Definitely a heartwarming, feelgood book to curl up with over the coming months. A wonderful escape to Normandy with a definite feeling of community and battling against the odds. A definite nod to 'Escape to the Chateau' TV series with bringing an old neglected French chateau back to life even if the main character, Fliss managed to achieve this in a somewhat unbelievably short amount of time with just a sweep of a broom here and there! Overlooking this, it is a delightful tale to immerse oneself in.

A wonderful story set in a French Chateau that was left to Fliss and her sisters by their grandfather. It was enthralling as Fliss tried to renovate the chateau despite the negative feelings she was receiving from both the locals and the chateau’s living tenant. Love, friendship and family eventually win the day.

What a wonderful book. Right from the start I was captivated by this, the descriptions of the chateau, even when run down and in need of TLC were beautiful, and I loved the introduction of each new character. Charlotte was an amazing character and her back story so sad, yet her bond with Fliss was instant and I loved how she helped bring out the best in her and build her confidence. The chateau breathed life into everyone who touched it, it was just what Jason needed and the rest of her family and it helped build the broken bridges of Jacques and his grand mother and allows everyone to move forward with their lives.
It was wonderfully inspiring, a solid message for believing in yourself and the power of community spirit.