I just love this author. She never disappoints. 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.

This was the perfect escapism from the madness of Christmas prep! The only problem was that it was over too soon because I couldn't put it down.
I loved Bo's character; she was authentic and genuine and her budding relationship with Ran was cute

Thank you to netgalley and the author and publisher for allowing me access to the eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Apologies for the late review life has been hectic.

This is a fun easy to listen to Christmas based romance set in Cornwall and as I was there over the holidays to see my family made the book feel more unique I loved the main characters and the progression of the book felt good . the cover is beautiful and the narators voice was perfect for this book.

I found myself struggling a little to start this review. So much so that I decided to use this as a crutch to begin. It is not because the book was bad, but mostly because there was no specific thing that stuck out for me. That may be because I do not have a background/ association with either Christmas or rock and roll music and dancing. People who hold either in a special place in their heart will definitely find more to enjoy here.
I listened to an audiobook from NetGalley, and the narrator did a great job balancing the upbeat persona that our leading lady Bo puts out to the world while being insecure on the inside. The narration saw me through the whole book. I should yet again mention that I do not mean any of this as a criticism of the book because the characters were varied and flawed in their own way. There were growth arcs for several of the people who play different roles in the narrative.
The story begins with Bo finding out some hard truths, then we fast forward and move on to the almost-Christmas season of the following year. Bo has a lot of healing to do, and her friends are there to help. They each have their own issues to deal with, which forms the bulk of the narrative. Dancing and the music is a focal point which was not my thing, and I did not know enough about either topic to appreciate the emotional quotient being discussed here. The love story(ies) are inevitable but are done well.
I liked the author's style of writing and would pick up another book by her, and I liked this visit to the Cornish coast, although not as much as I would have liked.
I received an ARC(audio) thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own listening experience.

I don’t always like audiobooks as I often find the narrator can be quite annoying but this was just right, this heart warming story was very well read. It’s the sort of story to cuddle up in a blanket with a hot chocolate and just let the story take you to Cornwall and make friends with the characters. I would definitely recommend this audiobook or book whichever you prefer. I will be finding more books by Phillipa Ashley as I enjoy her style of writing. A great Christmas story well worth the read.

I was given the chance to listen to this audiobook by NetGalley in exchange for an independent review.

I listened to this as an audio book rather than reading it, which isn't the best for me as I'm usually cooking at the same time and find it hard to concentrate. Nevertheless it was beautifully read, and a sweet Christmassy story.

It is coming towards Christmas, a time of year Bo used to live until her boyfriend broke up with her last Christmas. She has immersed herself in her cafe, and the other joy in her life - a dancing group called the Falford Flingers.

When Bo and her friends went to see a fortune teller she told them all that they will be with the love of their lives by Christmas. Who is the mysterious Madame Odette, the fortune teller? How does she know so much about them? Will Bo allow herself to fall in love when she had her heart so badly broken before?

A sweet story, well narrated, but I would rather have read it.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4321986356

If you are into the sort of Christmas stories that introduce you to a group of characters living in a small town that almost seems a little frozen in time yet also someone completely modern, a story that will make you feel like you know the characters personally, and one that you will just simply walk away from feeling good then this may just be the book for you.
This book starts you off with a Christmas that turns out to be pretty disastrous for poor Bo Grayson then starts back up eight months later. She and her pals decide to go get their fortunes told by a mysterious fortune teller who tells all three that they will meet the loves of their lives by Christmas day. Being quite the love skeptic, Bo dismisses this one very quickly and moves on.
As the festive season quickly approaches, Bo has a lot keeping her busy. She finds herself creating the seasonal menu for her Boatyard Cafe, getting the rock and roll dance group she runs ready for the up and coming Christmas show, and completely and totally avoiding any and all thoughts about what happened the previous Christmas. The one that ruined her favorite holiday for her.
Bo is in no way ready to fall for anyone at all (ever again in her mind) but sometimes it really doesn’t matter how much you try telling yourself that because every once in a while fate steps in and does what it’s going to, or at least tries really hard to.
I won’t tell you more because this is a cute book. It’s pretty predictable in a lot of regards but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a feel good Christmas story so it’s alright to have that predictability to it. It’s the little things that happen in between that make it stand apart. This book in particular relies heavily on old time rock and roll and a lot of dancing. Neither of which will ever really get that old regardless of the years that go by so it was a lot of fun.
I want to take a second here and thank Netgalley for the audiobook copy of this book. It was fantastic to be able to read and listen along while doing so. The audio was a lot of fun because you got all the accents that you just can’t get correctly (or I can’t anyway) while you read it. It added a nice dimension to the story and was done extremely well. The narrator was fantastic. I definitely recommend the audio plus other books with the same narrator!

Thanks again to Netgalley, the publisher, author, and anyone else I might have missed!

I loved this book so much! The Christmas feeling of the is marvelous and I loved the atmosphere!
I liked the characters and the tight knit community they are.
I love the romance and the relationships built during the story.
The plot is interesting and complex but still light and lovely and I enjoyed it a lot.
I had the privilege to receive the audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley and I I really enjoyed the author! They made the book come alive and I feel like they made it more Cornish.

A lovely Christmas read
Get snuggled up and get yourself a hot chocolate
And get engrossed in this brilliant story of love and heartbreak
It will have you hooked from the first page and you won’t want to stop listening to it
Great narrator
Thanks NetGalley

Overall this was an enjoyable read/listen to as I had the audio version. Nice little story for Christmas. The book was well read and easy to listen to. Decent amount of background story carrying on alongside the main story as well. Recommend

Classic romantic storyline with a dash of Christmas.

I actually really liked the story, although I'll admit it was rather predictable.
But it worked perfectly as a comfort-read, where I felt relaxed and just fully enjoyed the ups and downs of Bo's life.

The audiobook version is highly recommended. Great narrator!

Bo is dumped on Christmas eve and her friend Ray is recovering from a divorce. As their friendship develops they learn to fall in love again through shared hobbies of music and dancing.

A really nice Christmas read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC.

Incredibly cute book set in Cornwall. This was the perfect first Christmas book of the season where the holiday isn’t the main focus. A great transition read.

Characters were lovable and I liked the variety of “baggage” that came with each character that wasn’t the traditional love story. This appealed to me as an almost 40 year old reader as it wasn’t the typical young fresh faced love story. I was able to listen to this audio book and really enjoyed the flow of the narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Whilst this book is called A Special Cornish Christmas, I think it is worth nothing that the timeline of the story actually runs from late summer up to Christmas.

The story follows Bo, a cafe owner and keen rock & roll dancer and her friend/potential love interest Ran (a diver & DJ) and her friend and fellow dance enthusiast Angel who works in a local store.

The 3 visit a clairvoyant at a summer fete and are informed that they will each be with their true loves at Christmas and so it takes a while to get even close to Christmas time, nevermind discovering who their true loves actually are! 😄

It's a slow burner of a tale, by chapter 31 we've only just reached start of the festive season. That being said, it is a perfectly sweet, enjoyable, feel-good story to read at this time of year.

I loved this audiobook, the narration was perfect and I found myself sneaking the odd chapter whilst sitting in the car as I was desperate to know what happened next.
The story was perfect for the season and transported me to Cornwall. A perfect cosy festive read. .

A wonderful festive story that is just a little bit magical. I highly enjoyed the narration and felt the audio just helped to bring the story and characters to life. One word.... Fabulous

Set during the run up to Christmas in Cornwall, this book has lots of warmth and community spirit. However, the slow-burn romance was slightly disappointing in that it lacked intensity and passion - plus I found myself waiting for something good to happen for the majority of the book. For the most part, this book is pretty predictable and I wasn't completely invested - I don't have the same interests as the characters, e.g. rock-n-roll music, vintage clothing and dancing - so that most likely affected my enjoyment level.

In terms of characters, I can't say that I liked Bo at all - she actually got me rather agitated at times with her constant justification when lying to one of her closest friends - even about the most trivial and unnecessary of things - let alone her suspicions regarding her friends' husband. Ran's estranged wife is also extremely annoying and Ran is a complete doormat.

Many thanks to NetGallery and HarperCollins UK Audio for allowing me to get a copy of the book.

This was such a joyful read!  Bo’s character in particular was so interesting.  As a dancer, she loves the music and dress of the 1950s and this is featured throughout the book.  She’s also focused on her Boatyard Cafe which has become a favourite spot with the locals.

Christmas has always been Bo’s favourite time of the year.  That was until last Christmas when Bo experienced a failed relationship which has her almost wanting to ignore the holidays this year.  I love that this makes the book relatable to others who have also experienced losses.

What I appreciated about the book was the deep friendships between Bo, Angel and Ran.  Each of these characters was having to “start over” during the past year, but they could count on the others to support them.

The scenes with The Falford Flingers were a lot of fun.  I loved the descriptions of the dresses and the dance routines. You can feel the romance between these dancers which brought a smile to my face.  You can feel the Christmas magic in this story.

I listened to the audiobook version of A Special Cornish Christmas which was narrated by Emma Powell.  Her voice is sweet (almost whisper-like) and enthusiastic which lived up to the charm this book exudes.  I would not hesitate to recommend the audiobook book version of this book to those that appreciate this format.

What I Liked:

The deep friendships between characters
The inspirational message of starting over to create something better
The 1950’s vibe through various points in the book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Audio and Phillipa Ashley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

What a beautiful book. This is the first book by Phillipa Ashley that I have read and I loved it. This book is perfect for the festive season. It is funny and heart-warming. The characters are lovable and you root for them throughout the book. The narrator chosen for this audiobook is perfect. The changes in her voice make it easy to differentiate between characters. The story is a little predictable but it didn't bother me - a lovely read.

This is everything you want from a Christmas novel. It is warm, feel good, and funny. It is a recipe for the perfect winter evening snuggled up by the fire with a hot chocolate. I devoured it, the story is uplifting, a little predictable, but that would be it’s only fault. If you’re looking for a Christmas story then this is the one to pick.