When Natasha is on her hen weekend with her friends, she meets Tom who tries to dissuade her from rushing into marriage with Rob. After three years of marriage Natasha, Rob and their daughter Mabel are coming back from holiday when they lose Mabel's favourite toy.
This is a combination of stories that come together with relationships and friendships that go through many strains. A really terrific read that takes you across the world into a world that few encounter. I loved this book and did not want to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley for this copy. This is a really good book, kept me entertained throughout and I would thoroughly recommend to all.

Very descriptive book which doesn't suit everyone. Good characters with a nice ending. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

I just loved this captivating story, I had a job to put it down. The characters of Natasha and Duffy were so likeable. I do enjoy the descriptions, especially of places I haven’t been to, it really brings the story to life. The story takes place mainly in the present day but also flashbacks to four years earlier. This story really pulled at my heart strings, it has great friendships as well as romantic relationships and the love of a mother and child. I always look forward to reading this author’s books and I’m not disappointed. I’m still thinking of the characters, long after finishing the book. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Absolutely loved this very unlikely tale of a hen night, one night in Vienna, a trek to the Himalayas, the painting of Artemis and a lost cow.... Completely gripped, not least by the beautiful descriptions of Nepal. Christmas is the least relevant part of story.

I am a big fan of Karen Swan, the story, the descriptions, the writing; a level up from the average romance. This one I found harder to get into than usual but well worth it coming to the Himalayan section which is incredibly powerful. The portrayal of the journey from the foothills to the ascending of Annapurna with all its privations and dangers. I was blown away . It will stay with me for a long time, along with Moolah. Set around the Christmas period but not so much a Christmas book but definitely a winter one to curl up with and enjoy.

Natasha is staying in an Airbnb in Vienna with her husband and young daughter Mabel, when they oversleep and nearly miss their plane. Too late they realise Mabel's precious toy cow, Moolah, has been left behind. Even when they return to their home in the Cotswolds, Mabel is distraught and refuses to sleep without it. Unable to find a substitute, Natasha puts out a request on social media that goes viral. It turns out Moolah was found by a climber named Duffy, who has now adopted it as a lucky mascot because it reminded him of a toy his sister had. Now hiking through the Himalayas, Duffy can occasionally get an Internet connection, but there are no post offices, so he can't send Moolah back. Instead, he sends electronic postcards to Mabel detailing all Moolah's adventures.

This story has Sleepless in Seattle vibes in that it is told from the point of view of two unhappy people in two very different countries. Natasha is desperately miserable in the Cotswolds, despite her supposedly prefect marriage to the handsome Rob, and Duffy is suffering his own demons, from a broken relationship in his past and his poor relationship with his father - hence his pilgrimage to the Himalayas. (I do love a 'tortured' hero!)

The story is set in the run-up to Christmas, but is not overly 'Christmassy'. It's a sweet story about facing your mistakes, grabbing second chances, and learning to live rather than just exist. Perfect escapism! One of my favourite reads this year!

Thank you to Karen Swan and Pan for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Karen Swan has written a beautiful and convoluted romance, full of great characters and wonderful locations. Someone must have carried out a lot of research into mountaineering, particularly at altitude, as these aspects ring true to the uninitiated. There has to be a certain suspension of belief as there are some massive coincidences/serendipitous situations. That being said, this is a lovely warm-hearted read which may cause the shedding of a few tears. Natasha has some wonderful friends and a gorgeous daughter who deserve happiness. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

A slow start, I only really got into this book two thirds of the way through. Two things didn't sit right with me. Firstly, Natasha and Tom being so deeply in love after having a few hours together and then not seeing each other for years. Secondly, the massive secret Natasha kept from Tom. The end was rushed and some key matters glossed over. Some of the detail of Tom's climbs bored me and I skimmed over them. It's good, but it didn't really grip me emotionally. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Yet another fabulous book by Karen. All of her books have been comfortable and easy reading and this one is no exception.

I was completely absorbed by this book, it is absolutely wonderful. Set in an English village and the Himalayas, and in the present day and 4 years earlier, this is the story of lost love as well as a lost child’s favourite toy. The descriptions of climbing in extreme cold and at those heights are amazing. I can’t recommend this book highly enough!

A lovely story with several near misses but well worth a read. I don't want to give the story away but it is family based with added extras. 4 stars and I recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

Told over two time periods and by two different people. Natasha is married and returning from her holiday with her husband Rob and three year old Mabel, who's favourite toy cow Moolah gets forgotten on their stop off before returning home. Mabel cannot sleep without her companion, and the hunt is on, living in hope that Moolah can be found/returned. And so the story begins...

Following life's ups and downs of marriage, love, suspicions and friendship. Whilst it makes reference to Christmas, and it's set in the run up to the period, its not overly Christmasy, but more about Moolah's travels and families. A definite read at anytime of the year.

A breathtaking tale of two lovers
who must face emotional and
physical challenges- they must weather so much , however each does it alone. Both Nats and Duffy, with the help of Moolah, the stuffed cow, aim to survive life.
This is an engrossing and enthralling read that keeps the pages turning. from the Himalayas to Gloucester. A treasure to read.
Such an enjoyable book.

This was a very cleverly written story. A young woman goes to her her Hen do at Centre Parcs and falls in love with one of the assistants. She resists her feelingscand gets married. The story then starts twisting and turning and the tension grows. It rises to a climax or does it. You need to read the story and find out!

This is a perfect, feel-good, cosy up with the fire and Christmas tree lit behind you kind of book. Perfect Christmas read, simple and easy! This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no large gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book therefore a star is lost for this.

This novel really intrigued me which is unusual these days as so many books seem to be carbon copies of each other or lacking fresh original ideas, I was so curious to read about who the mysterious Duffy was that brings comfort to Natasha our protagonist whose marriage is in peril until she begins this connection with somone thousands of miles away (Duffy) who finds the lost toy of their young daughter, . I think this would make a really good book club pic for Reese Witherspoon.
I really enjoyed it and will be sharing more thoughts soon.

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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.

Addictive reading. Loved the cover but the title is misleading, this isn't a traditional Christmas story.

After a holiday in the Maldives, Rob and Natasha stopover in Vienna but oversleep the following morning and in a rush to catch their plane home they accidentally leave behind their daughter’s toy. Three year old Mabel is inconsolable for days. In desperation, Nat decides to use social media in an attempt to locate her daughter’s toy cow Moolah, she's shocked when her request goes viral. A reply comes from Duffy in Nepal, he found Moolah in the Austrian airbnb and has taken it with him as a good luck mascot for his travels in the Himalayas. Duffy begins by sending Mabel photos of Moolah during the long trek in the mountains.

With the clues the author provided I was frequently far ahead of the plot, not that this spoilt my enjoyment of an excellent book.

Gripping and atmospheric. The sections when Duffy was at Annapurna were breathtakingly dramatic, can't say more or I'll give away spoilers. The Christmas Postcards was far better than I expected, this is a book to read again and again.

A compelling read which I thoroughly recommend.

Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

Loved the cover very Christmassy buy it is definitely not a Christmas book.
Took me a while to get into this book and it dragged a bit for me so I ended up skipping a few sentences.
Though I did like how the story came together at the end.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

Karen Swan, you did it again!
I thoroughly enjoyed this story of love and loss and hope through adversity.
Natasha and Rob are back from a holiday that was kinda 'make or break' for them. their little girl Mabel somehow ends up leaving her precious stuffed cow toy, Moolah, behind in an Air BnB, and all hell ensues as she is unable to sleep settle or live without it.
An idea by one of Natasha's friends to post a Lost Toy search on social media attracts the attention they need, and soon there is a reunion of sorts.
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.
The ensuing story filled with emails and pictures, or postcards as Natasha likes to call them, that wing their way to Natasha and Mabel, keeps you on your edge, especially as there is a past story thread running through the book which weaves its way into the present.
There are a couple of far-fetched conclusions to the story, however, they didn't detract from the story,
I read it in a day.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.