Margi is getting ready yo make the annual Wheaton christmas village made out of gingerbread. Her mum started it but its now got bigger and she doesnt want to do it any more. She has help from her friends Izz and Patrick but decides this will be her last year

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exhange for a review.

Sorry, but this wasn't for me. Didn't enjoy what I read and DNF.

What an easy and adorable read. This book just made me smile and I couldn’t put it down. It really puts you in a festive spirit and makes you want to curl up with it and a warm drink.

Margi was fantastic and made me laugh. Love her ❤️ would definitely recommend for this holiday season!!

I loved this Christmas book! It had a unique quality that while yes, of course, the setting is Christmas time in the Cotswolds, its also more of a love story. You can read it any time during the year and especially if you're feeling a little wistful for the Christmassy feels. It was just such a sweet story with so many folds of real life problems. At several points in the book I went aweeeee how cute is this to my mom. And she promptly reminded me that my book isn't reality. However, that is the point of this book. It exists to show you that you are deserving of kindness and love no matter how old you are. The main character, Margi, is the cool aunt who just rounded 65 and is learning this lesson. She is picking up the pieces after her husband Don, did a runner almost directly after he married her. She's struggling to understand that her perception of herself as the crazy old lady clouds her life. She has to get the annual gingerbread grotto her mom started 60 years ago going and just has lost all steam. Through the help of some really great friends, and of course her love interest Patrick this rag tag group weathers all the storms thrown at them. Margi and Izzy both experience a second chance at love in just the most beautiful unraveling of a tail I've read in a while. This will be great to get you in your feelings this Christmas season!

I really enjoyed this book. I am a huge fan of Christmas books and this didn't disappoint.

64 year old Margi has lost her Christmas spirit and interest in love.
When everything goes wrong with the gingerbread display does Margi stay or go.

In America, there are approximately 30.8 million women over 65. Yet, if you were to look at the population of Hallmark movie heroines, you'd think there are about 10 (or less). Which is why I was delighted to read The Gingerbread Christmas Village, about a women in her 60s who is at loose ends. Dunbar really captures that "what do I do now?" that happens after you retire and are looking at the rest of your life. This eventually segues into the standard Hallmark formula: chaos, disaster and a community drawing together to do the right thing. A very sweet and gentle read.

This was a cute read with charming characters, a good plot, and plenty of Christmas feels. It also hd a real component that didnt get lost in ll if the holiday fantasy. I struggled getting into it, but only because of personal preferences. It was well written, enjoyable, and a solid read!

Unfortunately this book was too slow for me. I loved the concept and was excited to read it. It just did not catch and keep my attention.

My first Christmas read this year and what a wonderful way to start! The love and friendship in this lovely village in the Cotswolds and indeed all over the world is stunning, bring on the gingerbread!

Margi Frost has run the Wheaton Gingerbread Christmas Grotto since she took over the role from her mother. But as time has gone on it has become more of a chore and less of a fun tradition. Coupled with some personal Christmastime tragedies and she is completely disillusioned by the whole season. She used to be a leather-clad punk woman - how has she become old and invisible?

Enter her niece, Lucy, and Fern, the new employee at Margi's bestie's cafe. Together they get both Margi and the Gingerbread Grotto online and when things go spectacularly pearshaped she discovers a wealth of support and love from unexpected sources.

This was a bit of a slow burner of a book, and a little difficult to get into initially, however it did significantly pick up with the addition of Lucy and Fern as supporting, encouraging characters. It was funny, moving and romantic all in the right places. The character of Margi frustrated me at times, but ultimately I really enjoyed this.

Kiley Dunbar's books are always ones Iook out for, and this one was a lovely addition to the mix. The different demographic showcased in this book made an interesting change from the standard 20-30-something romcom heroines, and added a different perspective to the women in my life (those punk rockers masquerading as middle aged, community minded ladies -I see you!)

~Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

Definitely a different kind of romance story. Great to read about someone older finding romance and Kiley tells of how finding love is possible regardless of age. It did take me a while to get with the back story and a Christmas gingerbread village but stuck with it and in the end thoroughly enjoyed it. Would recommend this to get you into the Christmas spirit.

The Gingerbread Christmas Village is a lovely, cosy Christmas read that I thoroughly enjoyed and sped through! It brings a mix of inter generational friendships and warm festive tradition that worked really well together and the whole feel of the book brought up feelings of nostalgia for me.

It was very refreshing to have a main character in her sixties and I don’t believe that I have read a book from a similar perspective before. I loved the humour that Margi and her friends had and I really enjoyed the closeness of the friend group. Patrick stood out as my favourite character, I really liked the way he was written and I am glad that the story had such a happy ending.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a good amount of representation of LGBT characters. I felt that this was done very naturally and flowed seamlessly with the story as a whole. Considering that this is set in a village, it was nice to see some diverse characters.

The setting was great and I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Cotswold village and the lovely feel of community that it brought with it. It now has me pining for Christmas time!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for allowing me early access to this title.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Who doesn't love a feel good Christmas story. 64 year old Margi has lost her Christmas spirit, this is her story of getting it back. It truly was an adorable and enjoyable read.

I love reading books by kiley dunbar. It was an entertaining book, it gave you the christmas feeling, the banter was good. And I really liked the Main characters
Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

Who doesn’t love a book that gives you those warm, cozy, Christmas vibes?🎄 This book was super cute and I really enjoyed it! I know once we get closer to Christmas, I’m going to read it again near the fireplace.

Sadness occurs when disasters strict but in this case. It can show how powerful a community really is.

The story had very relatable characters. The sense of love, support, community, and friends really captured the beauty of the story. The perfect rom com!

I enjoyed how the main character was older which I don’t normally see in the books I read. I highly recommend this book.

Ah I love a Christmas themed novel! This is a great story of community life, I also loved the fact that the main character was older than normal (64) - a heart warming emotional Christmas read, I adored it!

3.5 rounded up. I loved all the gingerbread themes throughout this book. It was wonderful how the whole town....and world came together to help out their gingerbread village. I loved Patrick in the story as well as a lot of the other characters. Their date was really cute! I also found the online dates and plot line to be quite humorous. I wish the reason Margi gave for not being able to be with Patrick was more than just her being older than him. It got a little old after awhile especially since they got along so well together and had such great chemistry. It just seemed like she shouldn't have worried about it so much. All in all it was a great Christmasy book and I would read books by this author in the future.

Yes I am reading this in July when the rest of Europe is melting under 40+ temperatures and I've got a fan on because I'm too warm. So what a perfect time to read a Christmas book!

I could practically smell the gingerbread from the page. I love baking (even though I don't do it as much now), and especially Christmas baking, so this was a major hit for me. The very idea of a small village at Christmas time, with the waft of freshly baked gingerbread...oh it's just idyllic.

What I love is there's space for every age group in this book. Margi isn't old by any means - 60s - but we have people her age, people older, and people younger. It is a community where everyone is valued. And you don't get many books that gives equal billing across characters like that. There's also an underlying romance between a man in his 40s and a woman in her 60s and I loved that. If it was the other way round - and we frequently see that - no one would bat an eyelid. So it's refreshing to see it the other way round and it be normal.

The whole cast of characters - Margi, Izz, Patrick, Fern, Lucy, Leo, Sully, Shell, and many more, are all fabulous. They're diverse and they all go through their own transformations in this book, whilst still working perfectly around Margi's main story.

This isn't a one size fits all love story. There's romantic love, both heterosexual and homosexual, friendship love, parental/guardian love, and a general love for yourself.

Kiley deals with potentially complex topics in society, such as older people and loneliness, relationships, breakups, age gaps, same-sex relationships, budgeting concerns, community breakdowns etc. in a sensitive way where they make sense in the story, but still seem appropriate for the reader. There just isn't a scene or character or word out of place. Kiley is definitely one of my go-to authors for a warming happily ever after book.

I read it in a matter of hours. Once it grabs hold of you, you don't want to leave until you've reached the end. My first Christmas book of the season (if you can count July as the start of the season) and it sets it up very nicely.

I don't know if this is a standalone novel or if she's thinking of expanding it into a n ew series. I can understand why it could be a one-off as it's a satisfying and comforting ending. But equally, I would be more than happy to visit this village year after year.

Kiley's books are so uplifting and this is no different. Whether you read it in the height of summer like I did, or save it for a cold winter's night, it will wrap you up in a cozy hug and make you have a smile on your face constantly.

Unfortunately I didn’t take to this book, the main characters narrative at the start just put me off her. She sounded unlikeable with her “me, me, me” attitude and while other authors manage to make that narrative endearing, this one didn’t. Couldn’t get past chapter three.

Absolutly love Kileys books and this one certainly didn't disappoint. A massive big hug of a book, just right for winter nights.

Margi and her elderly friend Izz head up the Wheaton annual gingerbread exhibition....the village made out of gingerbread and displayed in the village hall, alongside Santa's grotto. With the gingerbread recipe handed down from margi s mum, the whole village love this busy time of year.

However, having had her geart broken, margi us set to sell up and move to Birmingham to be near her niece.....except her niece suddenly arrives on margi s doorstep, thwarting her plans.

This beautiful story leads us through not only the whole village, but curtesy of the Internet, the whole world coming together when the village hall collapses, leaving the exhibition destroyed. Will they ve able to pull off a rebuild in a bed venue and will Margi ever find the true love she yearns for.

A magical Christmas story....highly recommend a read.