Tantalising story about the reunion of a group of students who used to share a house 9 years previously.
Written in alternating chapters from each timeline, this story unfolds slowly, dripping gems of information subtly into conversations and narrative.
The characters are very well defined and transform themselves from selfish shallow undergraduates to career minded individuals. . As the story develops the characters also show their unpredictability.
This is not a jolly festive read but a read which develops into a tangle of suspense and secrets.

An excellent novel that talks about how our past relationship can still be strong now but the damage done in the past cannot be easily healed.
A group of interesting characters, poignant, strong emotions
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Not The Christmas They’d Expected… ❄️

Told over two different times, alternating each chapter from present day and 2014, (college years). It’s been many years since Libby caught up with her college friends, on her return from a wedding on their way to their family Christmas. Libby and her boyfriend attend a Christmas reunion, but things do not go to plan…. After getting snowed in tensions gradually start to show, with a slow thaw as with the weather.

A very different Christmas to what they originally had planned, with many challenges along the way. Overall great read which could be read any time of year.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This is is a dual timeline story set between 2014 and the present.

Libby and her boyfriend Max are on the way to Archie’s Manor, there she will meet with her old university friends, whom she’s not seen for a long time.

As they are leaving after dinner, they find that it’s snowed heavily and they can’t get away as the car is stuck in snow, and find themselves staying.

The story goes back to those days, where we find out what happened between them and why no contact was kept. In the presents there’s some shock disclosures between them, and the atmosphere is both scary and uncanny.

I recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and the author, Karen Swan, for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review.

This was my first toe dip into Karen Swan’s writing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t think there’s a better way to discover new authors than to read seasonal novels - especially Christmas ones. And this one was no exception.

This took my interest as I’m from the NorthEast and I used to work in Durham so it felt familiar. The authors mention of places like Klute brought back memories and numerous stories so had a sense of nostalgia and the descriptions were all largely quite accurate.

The characters definitely developed as the story went on, although it was almost a little tooooooooo cliche with the 70% statistics and the ultimate outcome of the couples. The bit I felt was lacking most was a vivid description of the physical attributes of each character. We got snippets which allowed us to slightly build up an image in our head but I didn’t feel I got a full description of anyone.

The plot and the premise was typical Christmas but also very lovely and homely and warm. Archie’s house sounds wonderful albeit a little cold, and I loved the additional little stories including teabag and the washing up.

Overall an enjoyable read and a good Christmas book to delve into.

Karen Swan never disappoints and this book is no exception. She just gives and gives as you want more.
A duel time set novel which enables one to establish what has gone before,
A group of people who were university students who shared a house meet nine years on at Christmas for a reunion.
However it is their relationship and life experiences that were left unfulfilled and the consequences of some of their actions that fill the crux of this story.
Absolutely brilliant read and don’t worry if you don’t like Christmas reads this book is not one of those as it is only the fruition of the story that happens then.

A second chance holiday romance that alternates between the past and the present. It follows Libby, who pulled away from her friends in 2014, after graduation, and has been making excuses ever since. Finally, for a 9 year reunion dinner, they get her to attend. It seems like nothing has changed, which makes it all the harder for Libby to forget what happened all those years ago. She may have brought Max along, but Archie may not strictly be in the past. It was a great story that had me unable to put it down. It's a lot more complex than you would think, and it definitely had me in tears. Heartfelt and emotional and everything you could want from a Christmas story.

I have read a lot of Karen Swan's books but the past few I have struggled to get into. I am not sure why.
Christmas by Candlelight drew me in immediately. I resented having to stop reading when really what I wanted to do was curl up with a warm drink and lose myself in the worlds of Libby and her frieds.

The story begins in 2014 with Libby, a conscientious university student, being convinced to get out of the library and go out with some of her more gregarious friends. Nothing major happens while their out but it's the beginning of finding out the story behind Libby and her friends in 2014 and understanding how it affect the dynamics between them as we jump to 2023 and she is heading to a reunion meal with them for the first time since graduation.

The story unfolds from there as we meet Libby's friends and move between 2014 and 2023, gradually learning more each time.

The story is tightly plotted with well drawn characters. I lost myself in their world several times and will be happy to revisit it next Christmas. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

I didn't love the pace of this book and it took me a while to get into it. I felt like there was a lot of time spent hinting at secrets, and then quite a swift reveal and resolution in the final chapters. The characters were relatable and I did like the remote country house setting however when choosinga Christmas read I would usually go for something a little more feel-good, rather than some of heavier topics that were touched on towards the end.

A splendid read to give you warmth of heart in a set of very chilling circumstances. A group of university friends meet up at Christmas at a country house friend and original playboy Archie inherited . An unexpected snowstorm locks them all in together and realise who they really are and who they want to be with. Echoes of the past come back to ‘haunt’ them and give closure to episodes from the past

This is an absolutely brilliant book. Initially I bought it was a story of old university friends meeting up at Christmas, but it has so many layers and hidden depths. Chapters alternate between present day and their final year at Durham, and as the past is revealed tensions mount in both strands of the story. At one stage it gets quite dark and scary. I can’t wait for the next book by Karen Swan, this writer is going from strength to strength!

My festive reading never feels complete until I've read a new Karen Swan Christmas novel. Every single one of them is amazing, and they always feel completely different and this was no exception.

Within the first 10% of the book I was already so engrossed within the pages that I very almost missed my tube stop, I definitely had no recollection of the stops between where I got on and started the book, and where I was aiming to leave the tube.

There is just something about Karen Swan's writing that draws me in every single time, and I was transported into Libby's life, both the present day story, and the much harder to read sections from when she was at uni and what happened to the friendship group back in the day.

Libby has always felt as though she doesn't quite belong in the group, but that's not even part of the reason why she hasn't seen any of them in 9 years, but she did agree to attend this reunion.

But Libby was only intending to stay for dinner, and then head back down to London, but mother nature had other ideas, and what then happens, would be for many authors the setting for a rising body count, and a really claustrophobic thriller - instead what we have is a group that are forced together in close proximity, and having to make the best of the situation. But still with some atmospherically spooky things going on and an element of danger.

I loved seeing how the group dynamics changed, how secretes have a way of coming out, both from the past and present, and generally just enjoyed every last second of this book. Had I been able to, I'm confident I would have read this in one sitting, as it was I was reaching for it at every opportunity.

So much to love contained in these pages, and I'm already looking forward to next Christmas and hopefully another epic Christmas story from Karen Swan.

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

A fabulous enthralling book. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t put it down. I loved the different characters and how the story developed through each one. It was interesting to see how past events had an effect throughout the characters’ lives. There were twists and turns, some comedy , some heartbreaking moments and some happy outcomes. Definitely one to read for wintertime. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

Old uni freinds get together for a catch up and get caught in a snow storm. We learn about their histories, what brought them together as friends, what drifted then apart. Where their life will take them now. A good read.

Libby and boyfriend Max have agreed to stop in on a reunion of her old university friends at a remote house owned by one of the old gang. It is to be a flying visit, but when they find themselves snowed in and cut off, they are faced with days of secrets and lies. Can Libby face the truth she has spent years covering up?

I found this to be a really enjoyable and emotive book, with lots of interesting characters. The only thing that let it down for me were a few continuity errors which had me instantly thinking that events couldn't have happened like that due to something mentioned earlier in the book, but I was so involved in the story I forgave them!

This beautiful Christmas story has so much depth to it. My heart felt totally ripped out and trampled on it before the book set about bandaging it, kissing it all better and finishing with the most heart-warming hug!

The story is told through a then & now aspect with each chapter alternating between the present where the friends are gathering for a pre Christmas meal and 9 years ago when they shared a house while attending Durham University. Even though Libby hasn't seen them since they left Uni, you can tell the bonds of friendship between them all are still strong and we learn about what bound them together, aside from sharing a roof!

The characters and situations they find themselves in are all believable, some of the things that happen are hard to read about but, they should be, life isn't always kind! There is a lot of fun and a wonderful ending which tied a lovely bow around the story leaving me with a smile and happy thoughts of the book I had just devoured.

As I have read a Karen Swan Christmas book previously I has a suspicion and made sure to have a box of tissues on standby, I did need them, this is a very emotional read but it is one that I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend!

Another great story from Karen Swan. This one was great fun, lots of romance, drama and difficult stuations. All involving a group of University friends who stay in touch after Uni finishes. A lovely conclusion that left me happy!

I started reading this book and at first felt like I struggled to get in to it, it didnt really grip me from the start but I persevered and Im so glad I did. Once I had established the characters in my mind I found it a really good book. I could imagine each character and how they looked and the story reminded me of the Netflix series 'How to get away with murder'. There were plenty of twists and by the end I couldnt wait to find out what was going to happen. This book has everything from drama, sadness, suspense and a good old love story. Its certainly a book you should add to your 'To be read' list.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy for an unbiased review.

I would like to thank netgalley for providing this advanced copy for the purpose of review.

I have read and enjoyed other books by the author o was looking forward to this. It lived up to expectations and i found myself engrossed. Great writing and interesting characters make this a perfect read.

Karen Swan has written another great (winter) holiday ensemble piece. This time it is about a reunion of old university friends in an isolated stately home. As the story progresses the strengths and weaknesses of the different relationships are revealed, plus a few secrets. Great characters and setting, and some happy outcomes.

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