I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book. How festive was it going to be?
The answer in short, is that this is more a winter read than a festive read. Absolutely nothing wrong with that though :)

I loved the characters, the narration & the ending!
It possibly could have been a little shorter but thankfully the characters carried it so it didn’t feel like a slog.

Would recommend :)

Another wonderful read from Karen Swan. Time after time she never disappoints and this one was just as good. Love the story line and the setting, not much to dislike about this one.

The characters are so well developed and they have such interesting back stories. The writing is very beautiful. A great Christmas read

I’d not read a Christmas book by Karen Swan for a while, but this one made me realise why I have enjoyed them so much previously. It’s not massively themed around Christmas, so really it could be read any time of year. When Natasha is on her hen party, she meets and connects with Ben who makes her wonder if she is making the right choice. Four years later and her child’s beloved soft toy is lost then found by a man named Duffy, who is climbing some of the world’s toughest mountains in Nepal - he reassures her daughter by sending her “postcards” in the form of emails. As Natasha’s seemingly perfect life seems to be slowly unravelling, why does she feel more connected to Duffy than those around her? I did guess some of the twists in this book, but it made it no less enjoyable and I felt really invested in the characters and all the different layers to the story!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
Cons: some parts of the plot are predictable and credibility is stretched a bit too far at times, despite the cold weather and mention of a Christmas gift and decorations it's not very Christmassy, and it's set in England with English characters so why, oh why do we have to put up with American spellings that ruin the atmosphere?
Pros: has some surprising twists, the trekking / climbing sections are very interesting and well -described, the friendship between the women is lovely and the romance superb.
I have read a few books by this author and I can honestly say this one had me completely absorbed and I thought it was her best to date.

This was a cute festive read. If you're a fan of slow-burns you may love this. Personally this was a tad too slow for me, and I felt that the structure could have been a bit better for ease of reading, but that's just my personal preference.
#TheChristmasPostcards #NetGalley

There's something about Karen Swan's writing style that just gels with me. I have loved every single book of hers I've read, and I've read quite a few now with a few more lined up on the shelf.

If you pick this book up expecting a happy-go-lucky, straightforward festive read you're going to be pleasantly surprised as this book contains believable and realistic characters, elements of domestic drama and twists and tension on a thriller scale.

I totally identified with Natasha's lack of fulfillment and her need to do something other than be a wife or mother. My own journey has helped me see that the man that's meant for you may not be the one who you have your first child with and I completely understood Natasha's inner turmoil and questioning of her relationship. Of course the romance storyline emphasises an idyllic and deep bond that doesn't necessarily pass for realistic but everything else that goes on around it gives a humanity and realism to the book. What would a Christmas book be without an obsessive and compulsive romance, anyway?!

Towards the end of the book, I was completely hooked and invested in these two well drawn main characters of Natasha and Tom. There was some really shocking twists and tense moments which made me feel like I was going to cry or scream, but that's all part and parcel of being lost in a book when the writer is as good as Karen Swan.

If you're looking for a Christmas read which has far more depth than the usual Christmas romance but also carries strong themes of love (in all its forms), family, friendship and determination then I'd definitely recommend this one. Completely unique, it's hard to compare this to any other book or writer on the market.

Oh Karen is another one of my must read authors, I absolutely loved this story. It's beautiful, the difference a lost toy can make to the lives of those involved. It pulls the heart strings. It's thought provoking. I certainly recommend it.

When I started this book, I wasn't too sure about it as it moves between 2 characters as well as back and forth from 2018 to 2022. I'm glad I persevered as my curiosity grew the more that I read. I became hooked and I found it a very gripping read (albeit with a brief ending which was disappointing).

This was such a delightful read. Made me laugh out loud and I also had a lump in my throat a couple of times. Sit down, get cozy and enjoy, it's a recommendation from me.

Karen Swan is a natural story teller and a favourite author of mine for quite a few years . A brilliant read, not particularly Christmassy , more a winter read .
Natasha, Rob, and Duffy’s story and of course Mabel and Moolah the toy cow!
It is hard to put into words this story, it evolves over the book, draws the reader in and keeps them captivated till the end.
Beautiful locations, The Cotswolds, Vienna, and Annapurna. This book is full of twists , turns and sub stories
A book you don’t want to finish
Highly, highly Recommended. I would give it more than five stars if I could
Thank you to Netgalley, Pan MacMillan and Karen Swan for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

Wow!

Natasha’s daughters beloved toy goes missing, there ensues a beautiful pen pal friendship with Duffy, the man who has found the toy and sends postcards and photos of the toy’s journey with him.
There is a connection between Natasha and Duffy that even they don’t realise.
Set in the idyllic Cotswolds and the majestic Himalayan mountains, the journey is breathtakingly beautiful.

This was a bit different to Karen Swan's usual Christmas offering. But brilliantly so. The boy-misses-girl postcard angle was a very refreshing new angle. Loved it.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

Great read that’s not just for Christmas. Thoroughly enjoyable, full of surprises and completely engrossing. The book starts reasonable slowly by the momentum builds to quite a crescendo. Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley

Loved this book. It was a cosy sit down read.
I love the concept of the story. A little girl lost her toy, a man found it but was on a tight schedule so he took the toy with him on his journey, but sent postcards back to the little girl so she could follow the toy as it traveled.
Karen Swain always delivers a story you can get involved with.

Having loved Karen Swan’s previous novels, I had high hopes for this book and was not disappointed! The story sucked me right in and I was routing for the characters to find their person, no matter how difficult their road might be. Highly recommend this novel to all true romantics out there!

This is a good book. I enjoyed the flow of the story, it had well rounded robust characters, a good dose of fun and romance and is a all round general good read.

This was not the cosy Christmas read I was expecting, which actually wasn’t a bad thing but while I was invested in the story it took me a while to get there, mostly because I just couldn’t warm to Natasha and her designer kitchen and cashmere socks! 😆
Also it didn’t sit right with me that Tom’s story is very obviously based on that of real life climber Alison Hargreaves and her family, although as I’ve got the @net version I’m not sure if they are mentioned at all in the acknowledgements?

I really enjoyed The Christmas Postcards.

The story is told through two people’s perspectives – Natasha and Duffy.
Natasha and Rob are back from a holiday that was 'make or break' for them.

From the outside their marriage looks perfect – a lovely home, an adorable three-year-old and Natasha gets to create art and be around for their daughter while also having lots of time to socialise with friends.
In reality, Rob is hardly ever home, Natasha feels lonelier than ever and they are struggling to conceive.

During their journey home, their toddler Mabel ends up leaving her precious stuffed cow toy, Moolah, behind in an Air BnB, and the little mite is struggling to eat sleep or settle at all without it.

Natasha decides to post about Moolah being lost on Facebook and thanks to a friend’s connection to none other than Harry Styles it goes viral.

Only Moolah the cow has her own adventures to enjoy before she can return, as the person who found her is on his own life-changing trip and documents Moolah’s adventures to “jump over the moon” in an email exchange with Natasha prints off into postcards for her toddler to enjoy.

There’s some flashback chapters to Natasha’s hen do which takes place at Whinfell Center Parcs (where we went on holiday last year!) and when she met Tom the one who got away,

There are a couple of far-fetched conclusions to the story, however, they didn't detract from the story which I enjoyed overall.

There’s a few trigger warnings – infidelity and death.

I did want to find out more at the end though.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review