One of my favourite authors. Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book. Idyllic location that set the tone of the book to perfection. Perfect seasonal book to get you in the mood for the festive season.

A very heartwarming Christmas romance. The main character suffers from a trauma of sexual assault when she was a teenager, which caused her to flee her hometown. She has returned about 15 years as an adult and starts a romance with her high school crush, who just happens to be her assaulter’s brother. There is a side plot regarding her sister and niece, one who has a history of anxiety and the other who is being bullied at school. Together, over the course of the novel, they manage to work on their problems and overcome them.

A beautiful story of family and festivities.

It also covers a lot of deeper themes such as infertility and divorce, which I feel were done respectfully.

However, I do feel this is marketed incorrectly as a contemporary rom-com, and would fit better in women's general fiction.

A really moving read about a family with a range of issues, both from the past and present, who pull together to try and overcome those fears and finally try to forgive.
Great characters, well written, and a lovely Christmas story all help make this a lovely book.

Thank you to netgalley for sending me the audiobook version of this book!

3 stars from me.

I was kind of hoping for a light fluffy Christmas read and this wasn’t that. It was great and I don’t want to take that away but it just wasn’t what I was expecting from the cover / description.

It deals with really tough themes like infertility, sexual abuse, divorce, agoraphobia.

I would read the trigger warnings before diving in.

I am very conflicted when it comes to this book. I read reviews that said rom com, Contemporary romance, all the feels. Well I did not get that.

I did enjoy it, but at the same time all the other drama took over and her trauma felt over the top. Ok so yes the drama took over. But she also slowly got to know this guy again, but this is not a romance. It is about friendship, family and yes getting some love too

I did like the narrator! She was good and if feels were missing, she sure put them there

Under the Mistletoe by Sue Moorcroft is a lovely, emotional holiday book. I want to start by saying that the cover suggests a sweet, fluffy holiday romance and that is not what you will get here. Having said that, this is an uplifting story, but it deals with some difficult issues in the characters' past that need to be worked through. I did enjoy this story and I do recommend it, but there are issues some readers might find difficult.

Laurel has returned home to Middledip to help her sister Rae who is suffering from agoraphobia, her niece Daisy, and to figure out what to do with her life after a difficult divorce. Shortly after her arrival, she runs into Grady, her highschool boyfriend who she left behind many years earlier when she fled Middledip. Grady never knew or understood why she left without a word. She also runs into Grady's brother, Mac, who is a teacher at Daisy's school. This causes problems for Laurel as Mac was the reason Laurel fled year ago. Can Grady and Laurel rekindle something they had all those years ago? Will Laurel be able to spend time with Grady when she can’t even be in the same room with his brother Mac? Will she be able to forgive Mac for his actions?

I really enjoyed visiting the village of Middledip, you have to love that name. It is full of quaint and eccentric characters. The descriptions of the people, shops, and activities brings it to life and it is a place I would love to visit. This is a holiday story that deals with some important issues. There sexual assault, mental health (agorophobia), bullying, guilt, forgiveness and the fallout of keeping secrets. I have to say there were times that I wanted to sit Laurel down and talk to her about finding support to deal with the issues that were still taking over parts of her life. She was such a caring and compassionate person that I wanted her to find some peace as well. Grady was a sweetheart who was in the dark for a long time about what had happened between Laurel and Mac. He was in turmoil when he found out and Laurel was concerned about ruining his relationship with his family. I liked that the author treats the type of assault that Laurel deals with seriously as well as showing how this affects a person's life forever. With all the seriousness in this story, the story is not all doom and gloom. There is humour, Christmas Spirit, Family and Friendship. The ending is wonderful. All is not perfect, but much is worked through and healing is underway. This is a story of hope, family, healing and love set at Christmas time. I did a read/listen with Under the Mistletoe and enjoyed both formats. Olivia Mace does a wonderful job with the narration of the audiobook. I recommend this one to those who are looking for a balanced Christmas story, not all sweet, but real and uplifting. If you enjoy audiobooks, I recommend this one, but it is also good to read as well.

Another festive treat! I really enjoyed this book. It made me feel the perfect combination of cosy and festive! It was a treat to listen to and really helped the frosty mornings walking the dog! I do love a Christmas book and this one ticked all the boxes for me! I think I will definitely be reading some more Sue Moorcroft in the future!

Absolutely wonderful! The perfect festive treat for cosy days by the fire. I adored the story of Lauren and Grady and the added depth of the way the story played out and how Lauren had to learn that her own happiness was at one with forgiveness.

I really enjoyed the narrator of this one, the different voices she put on for characters was done brilliantly.

I don't normally read this genre so this cosy Christmassy romance made a nice change.

In the story Laurel has moved back to her childhood home in the village of Middledip after her marriage has ended. She wants to help her sister who has agraphobia and her teenage niece who is having a few problems at school. Surprises are in store when she returns however as old flame Grady is living in the village. Will there be Christmas under the mistletoe?

I loved the idealic village setting and the Christmassy vibes from this story. Laurel was a character that was easy to identify with and I was willing her and Grady to get together. The author deals sensitively with issues of agoraphobia, assault and infertility and these more serious issues gave more depth to the story. A great festive read!

When Laurel returns to the village of Middledip, she’s looking for a quiet life. Adjusting to her recent divorce, she’s ready to spend some time getting back on her feet amidst the glorious snow-dusted countryside.

Yet, life in Middledip is far from straightforward. Coming to the aid of her sister, Rea, as she navigates her own troubles, Laurel barely has a moment to think about where her own life is going.

However, time stands still when she sees her old flame, Grady Cassidy – and it’s soon as if they’ve never been apart. But through her happiness, Laurel remembers why she left the village all those years ago, as she recalls a dark night and Grady’s once-wayward brother, Mac…
Great audiobook

I really enjoyed this book, it’s full of festive feels and has a really engaging storyline. 100% recommended

I was keen to request this book as I am a big fan of Sue Moorcroft’s books as well as being a fan of festive fiction.

I loved reading this book from start to finish. I warmed to all the characters. It was lovely having siblings as characters as you have with Laurel and her sister Rea. Rea suffers from agoraphobia and Laurel is back in Middledip to help her and also assist with Rea’s daughter, Daisy.

Then there are the brothers Grady and Mac. Mac teaches at the local school, but Laurel isn’t keen for him to be present in her life due to something that occurred when they were teenagers. However she dated his younger brother Grady for a while.

Moorcroft sensitively handles issues of bullying, assault and agoraphobia. Add to this a quaint village setting in the lead up to and including Christmas and it is a lovely festive read.

Oh I do love Sue Moorcroft books! I always know that when I read or listen to them that I’m going to come away feeling totally satisfied with a lovely warm feeling, and this book did exactly that. This book is a lovely read, but, there are some sensitive topics within it that Sue Moorcroft covers delicately and beautifully.
The characters are so warm and easy to bond with which I absolutely adore in books like this, and the whole setting of Middledip and Mistletoe Cottage seems so idyllic that I felt myself wanting to pack my bags up and move in!
I just want to mention the narrator of this book as she did a fabulous job portraying the characters throughout and made it very easy to listen too.
A great book to start of my Christmas reads with.

Under the Mistletoe is a gorgeous story. It explores a range of emotional and evocative story lines and how life isn't always straightforward and that the past is never far away.
I really liked Laurel, she is a strong determined character.

I started this book and was unable to see it all the way through. I picked this because I had liked another of the author's works.
The lead protagonist in this book refers to her fertility issues as being infertile as an umbrella term. For someone who has issues of the sort, I did not feel like the emotion or the weight was genuine enough. There is no elaboration when she tells another about being 'infertile' I do not think anyone would leave it so simply.
I did not know that this would be the core story around which the narrative was built and so was unable to see it all the way through. This is a very personal reason as to why I cannot read and review the entire work, it might not impact others who would not focus on that aspect of the narrative.

This was a heart warming and touching read. When Laurel moves back to her hometown of Middledip, she doesn't expect to see the reason she left standing in the road after being pranked. Neither does she expect his brother to be with him, her first love. Laurel has moved back to help with her truant niece and agoraphobic sister, using it as an excuse to escape her London life, her ex and infertility diagnosis.
This book covers all things from bullying, infertility, agoraphobia, loss of a parent and PTSD, to name a few. I enjoyed this much more than I initially thought. The Christmas feelgood factor was definitely there, but there was also the layers under that of the real life problems Laurel and her loved ones face added depth to the book, making it a thought provoking read.
The audio was a delight to listen to, the narrator added warmth and character to the book, great range of voices for the characters and a pleasing timbre.
I will be reading and listening to this again for sure and it made me nostalgic for village life.

Great Christmas romance read.

Narrator has a beautiful voice, which really aids in the telling of this lovely story.

Laurel returns home to help care for her sister and niece but has bad memories from a previous assault in the village. She bumps into her ex boyfriend where their relation is rekindled but it was his brother who participated in her previous assault.

Laurel struggling with returning to the village but finds both love and forgiveness for herself and her assailants from her previous life.

Thanks NetGalley and the published for the lovely festive audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins Audio and Sue Moorcroft for an Audio ARC in return for an honest review.

This is the perfect festive book for curling up on the sofa in front of the fire. I thought this would be a light-hearted read but there is a part of the book which may be distressing for some. This is a heart-warming read which gives you back some faith in humanity. The narrator perfectly sets the scene and adds to the festive cheer. I loved this and thoroughly recommend.

I've read this book both as an audiobook and as an ebook, and I enjoyed both very much. I might be a bit partial towards the audio version because the narrator Olivia Mace does a really great job and is definitely an added bonus.
Sue Moorcroft knows how to write a good story beautifully, I've read a few of her books now and I've never been disappointed.
There are many difficult themes in this one (bullying, agoraphobia, assault, ptsd, infertility) and they are all treated very sensitively in the set of a beautiful Christmas story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for providing me with an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.