What a lovely book by Jo Thomas.

This one sees us journey to Iceland with a group of friends who go to fulfil the dream of their lifelong friend who has passed away.
Will their trip to see the Northern Lights be everything they imagine it to be.
Will the friends relationships deepen and will time away from their daily life help them to put things into order again.

A festive read that is thoroughly enjoyable.

Great Christmas read, thank you for such a positive and fabulous storyline after heartache – very uplifting.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Iceland is on my bucket list and seeing the Northern Lights even more so, but until that day I can make do with the wonderful new book from Jo Thomas.

Laura, Freya, Meg, Joanne all created their own bucket list when they were much younger and now they are here in Iceland eventually to tick one off. Expect, they are all much older and Laura is no longer with them, her dying wish was for them to still carry on without her. And whilst they have, life it seems has got in the way. Getting them to Iceland was the first challenge.

And it seems there is more to face.

Poor food, weather warnings, no lights and then an avalanche mean this short sojourn is about to be a lot longer. Trapped in an Icelandic village, the three women have to embrace the weather, village life and their own shortcomings.

However this unexpected turn of events leaves them reflecting on what they have lost and what they have to look forward to. It seems the magic of the village, the community and the wonder and beauty of nature have healing properties for them all.

Starting to know Thomas writing, there is a wealth of descriptive food to make your mouth water, that I could have rushed out and ate copious amounts of smoked salmon! The landscape and the environment is very much a feature and the effect that progress can have on such a thing is also brought into sharp relief when the village nearly loses one of it’s own.

Whilst a festive read, this book tackles issues of grief, blending families, moving on and living your best life for yourself and no one else. As always so much packed into the pages, that the book is a wonderful escape and a great example of strong women’s fiction that is almost always overlooked.

Not for me. Nothing wrong with the books such but I can't deal with books about grief at the moment no matter how well they are written

This is a really nice feel-good book which would make a great Christmas movie. Freya and her three best friends have known each other since they were young and together develop a bucket list of things they want to achieve both individually and together as they get older.

One of the things they've promised is that they will get together and see the Northern Lights. However, life gets in the way and when one of the friends sadly passes away, the remaining three friends go on a trip together to fulfill the promise.

During their trip they meet Petur who Freya realises she is becoming attracted to. Will the friends manage to see the Northern Lights and how will things develop between Petur and Freya. During the course of the trip and their quest to see the lights, they all have chance to evaluate their lives with some surprising results.

Brilliant read.

Iceland has become one of my favourite locations for books having visited a couple of years ago. This book brought back lots of memories of the beautiful places we went to including the blue lagoon. The friends Joanna, Meg and Freya complaining about the smell in their room which turned out to be the natural smell of the geothermal water made me laugh.

The friends had promised to see the Northern Lights in memory of another of their group, Laura, who had died. Their determination to do this despite the weather being unfavourable led them into real danger. As I was reading about the friends driving along the snow covered roads and continuing despite the worsening conditions, I remembered what those roads were like and was practically screaming at them not to go any further! It wasn't a surprise that they got trapped by an avalanche but how lucky they were trapped somewhere they could find shelter with the handsome though gruff Pétur.

As is often the case with Jo Thomas's books, food is firmly at the centre though there's no putrid shark in sight! The making and sharing of food is an act of love and trust. I would so love to taste Pétur's smoked salmon which sounded divine!

We read a lot about the things people do to get by in such a harsh landscape. It has always fascinated me how people survive in very cold conditions when you think how we're a bit hopeless here with the slightest flurry of snow. There's a healthy respect for the weather and for nature with people working with nature and what it provides seasonally. This was a community which rallied and looked out for each other when conditions turned bad or if there was a emergency. There was well practised routine to make sure that all the villagers and livestock were safe.

Friendship is at the heart of this book and I so enjoyed reading about Joanna, Meg, Freya and their late friend Laura. They ad been friends for so long and had lots of shared history. After Laura's death, they had promised to live their best lives and try to fulfil some of Laura's dreams on her behalf. However, when they are trapped the tensions mounts and tempers flare as the snow means their short break will be unavoidably extended and important events missed. However, it was so lovely to read how this led them all to be honest with each other and themselves and how this really changed their lives.

Jo Thomas has excelled herself with this book. I loved it from start to finish. Keeping a Christmas Promise is a beautifully romantic story with themes of friendship, community and following your heart. It really is Jo Thomas at her best and has made me want to go back to Iceland again. Maybe this time, we'll see the aurora as it was too snowy when we were there!

Iceland is one of the places that is at the absolute tip top of my bucket list but, since I have no idea when I’ll get there, the best I can do at the moment is to armchair travel there. Luckily, Iceland has been a favourite setting for my favourite genre of novel (romance, in case anyone was in any doubt) over the past few years so there has been no shortage of options when I want to take a quick virtual trip. Of all the Iceland-set books I have read over the past few years, Keeping A Christmas Promise has been one of the very best at conjuring the scenery and atmosphere of Iceland in my living room.

Freya and her two friends take a trip to Iceland in memory of one of their group whom they lost. Like me, a desire to see the Northern Lights in Iceland was on her bucket list, and they are determined to tick off the experience to honour her. So already you know the book is going to be full of high emotion, like all good romance novels.

What makes this book special is that, through a series of events, the group end up stranded off the beaten tourist track and in the Icelandic wilderness where they have to live with and like the locals in the run up to Christmas. This allows the author to explore life as the Icelandic live it and explore some of their Christmas traditions, which really immerses the reader in the life and culture of the country. Obviously there are some hunky locals to spice up the girls lives, and peril in the form of danger to the local environment to impart tension to the plot, but the beauty is in the exploration of Icelandic life and how the people interact and respect their homeland. This is the very best type of travel fiction and Jo Thomas cements her reputation here as the queen of the genre. I always come away from her books feeling like I have been on a holiday to the setting of the book, which is an incredible gift.

Perfect for anyone who is looking for a festive read that gives you just that little bit more by way of a genuine exploration of another country, fans of Jo’s books will not be disappointed. Another hit. Now I just need to find a gap in my schedule to book that ticket to Iceland.

I’ve read Jo Thomas’ books before and really enjoyed them, this was another great book of hers. It was such a feel good book, full of inspiration for people falling in hard times and finding themselves again. I really enjoyed the characters, the dynamics of the three friends I could imagine people in my life behaving in the same way. It was a pleasure to read a book set in Iceland, I think this is the first books I’ve read set here. Although the setting was quite terrifying with so much snow, there was comfort in the community.

Another great festive read from Jo Thomas. First off, I love the cover. It's joyful, colourful and pretty, perfect for a Christmas story. It is also a very good reflection of the story itself.

I really enjoyed this story and escaping into Freya's world. I liked the premise of keeping a promise to a friend that is no longer with you and fulfilling their dream of seeing the northern lights. However driving out into a building snowstorm? That was never going to be a good idea. Cue Petur, and what a savior he turned out to be!

I loved the friendships and sense of community with this story. I wasn't let down in the romance department either.

I felt like I went on an adventure with Freya and her friends, though admittedly I hate the cold so you wouldn't catch me getting up to some the things Freya did! I much preferred snuggling up under the covers and imagining the experiences as I read about them.

I recommend you pick up this book and devour it with a hot chocolate next to an open fire!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC copy and apologies I'm so late posting this review. I've been working on a little of my own Christmas magic in the form of festive short stories.

a beautiful and heartfelt Christmas read. All about finding your place in the world and following your heart. Definitely filled with some emotional scenes but overall I really enjoyed this book. I loved the 3 leading ladies and the community they fell into. Definitely one of this years best Christmas reads.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Uk for a copy of “ Keeping A Christmas Promise” for an honest review.
Another heartwarming and life affirming book by Jo Thomas , that deals with friendship and living your best life..
Relatable characters, and in a beautiful setting, a lovely way to get yourself into the festive spirit..

Another great heartwarming book from Jo Thomas. Christmas, snow, enduring friendship and love - what else do you need!

Overall I did like this festive tale. There was much to like. A story of friendship. Of beautiful scenery. Of communities supporting one another. And a healthy dose of romance plus the Northern Lights. However, at times I found there was a little too much repetition, and it felt like more careful editing should have picked this up.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Really enjoyed this story of 3 friends who make a trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights in memory of their friend. Things don't pan out quite the way they were planned and the friends find themselves doing things a little differently this Christmas!

I do love Jo’s books and this lovely Christmas one was as good as the others. Full of cheer and festive things I really enjoyed this one. It put in the the festive mood already. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Amazing. The heart of this book was beautiful. I really felt like I was in Iceland as the descriptions were so vivid and learning all the Icelandic Christmas traditions and foods was amazing, my mouth was watering at times as Freya cooked up a storm.
Seeing each of the friends look deep within themselves while getting guidance from Laura was beautiful and very thought provoking. Freya and Petur really brought out the best of each other and I enjoyed watching their friendship grow and develop. The ending was just beautiful, everyone living their best life.

This, for me, is Jo's best work to-date. And it will be hard to beat this book for a unique Christmas read. There's not really any of traditional festive detail in it, which actually is a relief. I preferred to read about the snow and the Northern Lights, the candlelight, the way a small community comes together. It was also refreshing to have a 40+ female protagonist (and I personally was pleased she wasn't pregnant by the end. Such an over-used cliche). The scenic description, the friendship, the gentle romance, learning about Icelandic culture, the foodie element - I loved it. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 friends visit Iceland to fulfil their late friends' wish to see the Northern lights. Following a blizzard, they are stranded in a small coastal village, where they are forced to review their lives. an insight into Icelandic life, enthralling, a really good book to curl up with on a wet and cold day.

What a lovely, lovely story!! Jo Thomas never disappoints!! How she comes up with all the romantic ideas is beyond me!!
Freya and her two friends, decide to go to Iceland, to see the 'Northern Lights' to celebrate their friend Laura's birthday, who'd died. They made a promise to each other that they would go, as it was one of the things Laura wanted, but never got to do before she died!!
They get there, but things turn out not to happen as they thought it should!!!!
Fabulous, romantic read!! Especially reading it, now that the cold nights are drawing in!! Loved it!!

I absolutely loved this book. The descriptions of Iceland are magnificent and the cast of characters were so well written, it really brought the story to life. Highly recommended.