It's not a festive reading season without a new Karen Swan novel and I'm delighted to say this is another winner from her.

Couldn't put it down, was completely hooked on Duffy's chapters, and his trek in the Himalayas.

And I loved the "postcards" he sends to Mable from Moolah, utterly adorable, as is Mable.

Nats we get a couple of timelines from, and I enjoyed seeing the lead up to her marriage as well as how things are with her now,

She's a complex character, who its hard to get a complete handle on at first, but I soon grew to care for her too.

And there are many curveballs thrown at us, the reader, to keep us on our toes and had me gasping at times.

I always enjoy my Christmas books with a spot of something different which the Himalayas gives us plenty of, plus a side order of peril.

Was completely hooked on another wonderful festive Karen Swan novel.

Thank you to MacMillan and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

When I see a Karen Swan book I know I am going to be treated to a beautifully written story with romance and a few teary moments along the way.
This book was just that little bit more than I was expecting and I LOVED it!
What a beautiful story of a romance.
Amazing how 2 lives are interwoven and we all know how possible it can happen. How often do we say ‘ what a small world’
I also loved how you can read this anytime of the year and still be immersed into it.

I don’t read many festive books but every year I do read Karen Swan’s offering. What draws me to her books is that they are not overly fluffy or Christmassy if that makes sense, they always have a thought provoking plot line and more often than not are set in some wonderful locations. The Christmas Postcards is the perfect example of this formula at work, set partly in Nepal, partly in Somerset and is a story of loss, love, family and secrets.

Karen Swan always draws characters that readers can relate to, and Natasha is someone most parents or grandparents could relate to.; a child’s lost favourite toy can be distressing to both child and parent. The catalyst to the story of Natasha and Duffy is a soft cow toy, lost by Natasha’s three year old daughter Mable. Duffy finds Moolah, as Mable calls her, and takes her as a good luck charm on his journey to climb Annapurna. When Natasha goes on social media to find her daughter’s beloved toy she finds herself in correspondence with Duffy.

Whilst Natasha seems to have the perfect life, perfect marriage and perfect child, she still feels lonely as her husband works away a lot. Duffy’s ‘postcards’ become a solace for her as she follows his journey. Duffy on the other hand is trekking across Nepal alone, on a mission to climb Annapurna, something that has personal significance for him. He is a troubled character, on what feels like a journey to self destruction at times but Karen Swan shows how a simple connection between two people can make all the difference to both.

As mentioned above, the settings chosen by Karen Swan are an integral part of the plot. Nepal and the Himalayan mountains may not be as glamorous as previous choices but it was a beautiful and powerful choice that fitted well with the themes of this book. Karen Swan captured the majesty and beauty of these huge mountains and juxtaposed that with the danger and respect that they deserve from those who try to conquer them. I found my self looking up details and images of Annapurna and it’s base camps as I followed Duffy’s progress and felt I became part of his perilous journey.

I have to say Karen Swan has created another perfect festive read. I loved the characters of Natasha and Duffy, both facing personal battles of their own and how Moolah became a talisman between them and Mable. Whilst this may be classed as a Christmas book, it could be read at any time of year as Christmas is not the main focus of this book, just that it is set in December and has a message of new beginnings. A stunning setting, secrets, lies, adventures with a touch of wit and warmth made this such a fascinating and fabulous read.

I love this story, especially the dual storyline. My sister did Annapurna Base Camp around 20 years ago. The descriptions in Nepal vividly brought to life the pictures she returned home with. This book has made me long to travel to Nepal all over again. I was rooting for them to go reunited but couldn't see how it would come about. I wasn't expecting the twist in Natasha's life but so glad it happened. Only downside for me was that I was expecting a Christmas book. I really think the title doesn't fit the book at all. Misnamed but wonderful nonetheless

The Christmas Postcards by Karen Swan

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

It had been a make-or-break holiday for their marriage, but Natasha and Rob’s rekindled romance is short-lived when their daughter’s beloved soft toy disappears on the journey home.

As Natasha comforts the distraught child, she turns to social media for help. Miraculously, the toy is found, but it has become the lucky mascot of a man named Duffy, who is thousands of miles away.

When Duffy promises to keep Natasha updated with pictures, the pair begin a correspondence that soon becomes more meaningful to both of them. Sometimes, Natasha feels this stranger understands her more than the man lying next to her.

But as the weeks pass and Duffy heads deeper into the mountains, Natasha begins to notice a change in him. Then one day, the messages stop. Too late, Natasha wonders why he had ever needed a lucky mascot at all.

My Opinion

This will play with your emotions. There were so many twists and turns to this story that I was hooked. For me I think this will be one of those books that I can read more than once as there was just so much packed in. A charming book that makes for a great escape.

Rating 5/5

A cosy christmas family romance, however, it was a bit too slow for my liking.

The story seemed to start with a good pace, but the storytelling slowed down in the middle and I got a bit bored, to be honest, however, once we were nearing the end of the book it picked up again. So, in my opinion maybe the book is a bit too long for the genre?

Such a cute cover…. Karen Swan never, ever disappoints and this is her best book yet, I simply couldn’t put it down. Full of “what ifs” and “will they?”, twists and turns, a bit of a shock reveal and hopes for a happy ending…a cliff hanger in so, so many ways. I really can’t recommend this book enough. Five stars!

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Natasha and Rob return home from a holiday that was set to rekindle their relationship. On the way back their daughter loses her beloved toy cow Moola. Natasha puts a advert on social media to finger the lost toy. Duffy finds the lost toy and takes it with him on a journey to the Himalayan mountains as his lucky mascot. He sends Natasha and her daughter regular updates on the cows adventure. Will Duffy manage to compete his journey through the Himalayas and return the soft toy to its owner?

Time for a couple more seasonal offerings this week. First up is The Christmas Postcards. I've read a couple of Karen's Christmas themed books now and really enjoyed both of them. It really helps when you can empathise with the characters and that they are fleshed out enough to feel real.

Natasha and Rob have just been for a week in the Maldives to try and save their marriage. Rob works long hours and is always away so Natasha feels like she is raising their child on her own. Unfortunately on the way home their daughter Mabel's favourite soft toy goes missing and all hell breaks loose. The treasured soft plushie cow, Moolah, is lost in an Air BnB in Vienna. Anyone who has spent any time with a toddler will know what a calamity something like this is.

Duffy is in Vienna on a stopover to visit a friend before he does trekking in the Himalayas. Unfortunately due to family issues she can't make it and Duffy moves on quickly but not before finding the cow in the apartment and deciding to take her with him as a lucky mascot.

Natasha resorts to social media to try and find the treasured toy and after some celebrity reposts it finds traction and Moolah is identified as being halfway up a mountain in Tibet. Duffy promises to keep Mabel updated with photographs and emails and the correspondence between them begins to take on a lot more meaning than it should have.

There is are two timelines running through the book. One from Natasha's hen weekend the week before the wedding and the main timeline in the present day. I did guess the twist about halfway through but it didn't spoil my enjoyment at all. The descriptions of the conditions in Tibet are quite graphic and they may not be to everyone's taste but personally I really like my "romance" to have a good grounding in real life.

Supplied by Net Galley and Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

UK Publication date: Oct 27 2022. 476 pages.

This is probably one of my favorite books I've read this year. Some books can be predictable and by the half way point you can guess what's going to happen and I thought that was going to be the case with this book until it caught me out with a couple of plot twists I did not see coming. Brilliant book!

What a wonderful heartwarming story. It made me cry and it made me smile. Having visited Nepal, I loved the parts set there and really felt that I was in the Annapurnas. Great characters, there was nothing to dislike in the book. Thoroughly recommended.

I always love to read the Christmas books by Karen Swan. And I definitely loved this one. The characters are interesting and the storylines keep the reader’s attention till the end. It is at the same time a story of a failed marriage, an unfulfilling life and missed opportunities but also the story of revealed talent, second chances, amazing achievements and a special Christmas.
The perfect way to slide gently into the Christmas season.

Out of all the Karen Swan books I've read I think this is my favourite. The title would suggest a gentle Christmas read but it's not overly Christmassy and it's definitely not gentle.

Mabel, Natasha's three year old daughter looses her favourite toy, Moolah, the one she can't sleep without in an airbnb in Vienna. Duffy who stays there after finds the little stuffed cow and takes it with him on a journey of a lifetime to Nepal!

It's a captivating tale of chance encounters, friendship, love, loss, deceit and second chances and the Himalayan chapters will have you on the edge of your chair!

One to put on your Christmas wish list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC

This was a wonderful and so very unique Christmas story. I just couldn't put it down and had to binge read it in one day. It took me on the most wonderful reading journey that I didn't want to end. Its obviously a brilliant page turning novel. It made me feel so happy reading it. I just loved the fact that the child's toy got to go on the journey of a lifetime. It had some great unexpected events and had me gripped to the progress. I was on the edge of my seat at the end. The characters were fantastic, lovable and realistic. The story-line was just brilliant and so very unexpected. It definitely isn't Christmas until you have read the Christmas novel by Karen Swan. This was certainly an amazing break from the normal Christmas romance novels. I really can't recommend this book enough. This book is definitely a mystery read bookthat will take you on such a wonderful heartbreaking and heartwarming adventure.

Only the highest of praise goes out to the author and publishers for creating such an amazing story that will take you on an emotional adventure. I will definitely be reading more books from this fantastic author.

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-christmas-postcards-by-karen-swan-pan-macmillian-5-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

Moolah the toy cow is left abandoned in an Airbnb in Vienna.
When little Mabel can't sleep without her a whole social media storm brings parts of Natasha's past back to her memory... her hen weekend, a kiss with a stranger.
Postcards start coming from Moolah in her journey up one of the most dangerous mountains in the world.
I loved this book, with its snowy landscapes, family drama and wonderful storyline.

A heartwarming yet heartbreaking read. An emotional festive read that did not entirely focus on the holidays, rather it focused on love, loss, timing and fate. A few twists thrown in to keep the story intriguing. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this and will definitely read more of Karen Swan in the future

A thoroughly enjoyable read whilst not being particularly Christmassy apart from being set in December and decidedly wintery. Totally engaging with some predictability but also many unexpected twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. A book with visiting the recent past which then begins to unravel in the present with the delightful presence of Moolah a much-loved toy cow. Quite heartwarming and life affirming along the way. Believable characters which developed nicely.

This was a lovely book - slightly predictable at times, but equally twists and turns that you didn't expect, from Nats and Tom's history, to the marriage of Natasha and Rob, and Duffy's travels. It was all brought together very satisfactorily with an unexpected result with the marriage of Natasha and Rob.

I loved the mixed timelines in the story as this brought depth to all of the characters and the reasons why they acted like they did.

Karen's books always have a twist in the tale, but always have characters that make you learn things - this one about climbing and painting as a start!

I couldn't recommend this enough and want to see the picture of the cow jumping over the moon!

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for approving me for an ARC of this book. I had an Audible credit and decided to use it on this book, especially once I learnt that Kristen Atherton was the narrator. I have listened to a few books narrated by Kristen and she always blows me away with her exemplary voices.

This book is told in a dual timeline, focusing on Natasha and Duffy. Our present-day story involves Natasha’s child, Mabel, and her lost toy. When a social media post, asking for help to find it, goes viral Natasha learns that it is in the hands of Duffy, who is on a hiking expedition. We then skip back a few years to Natasha and the night of her hen do where she meets handsome Tom and finds her world is turned upside down.

Initially, I was confused with the two storylines and wondered what relevance they had to each other. Let’s just say that it became clear very quickly where this story was heading and I was here for it! The romantic in me loved the idea that you can know someone by just meeting them and feeling that magnetic pull.

Natasha was an interesting protagonist. As a mother, I related to her and her inconsolable child, if I was in her shoes I would have done anything to find Moolah again too. Her bond with Mabel and natural mothering instinct was beautiful to read but I felt that she had lost her own identity. Her marriage and astonishing home didn’t seem to make her happy and I desperately wanted her to see the light and forge a new path for herself and Mabel.

When Duffy entered the scene, it was clear that there was more to his hiking expedition than he let on. He seemed to have a lot of emotional baggage and I often found myself wondering what the end result of his hike would be. I loved his touching responses to Mabel and his ability to engage with her even when he was miles and miles away.

What started as a slow burner soon ramped up to a tense and climactic ending for both Natasha and Duffy. Whilst the romance elements were a given I hadn’t expected a lot of the other twists and action that were packed in towards the end. Karen Swan had built a foundation that made you love the characters and care about their outcomes, in those last moments I was holding my breath and struggling to hold back the tears during that phone call. I shall now be devouring the rest of Karen Swan’s collection!

Another amazing read from Karen Swan. A mixture of romance, heartbreak, a travel log of Nepal and the Himalayas, and the danger of extreme mountaineering. Wonderful, enthralling reading. The best book I have read for ages.