This was such a great read! So festive and I loved the rarionships between the three main characters

And what a joy it was- this book is as warm & comforting as a lovely glass of mulled wine.

This does not mean that the story is lacking structure & conflict, there are problems and secrets between the friends , dealt with in a very realistic way.

It left me believing in the characters , and thinking what a great concept it is to go away with a group of friends to discuss a book. Sounds perfect!

If there's one last minute book to pop on your list this Christmas, I'd suggest this one...

A heartwarming Christmassy read set in a picturesque little hotel in Vermont.

Hattie is doing her best to keep her business going but it isn't easy when she is still getting over the death of her husband two years ago whilst trying to bring up their 5 year old daughter alone.

Having had to postpone their summer book club holiday, three best friends book a pre-Christmas break at the gorgeous hotel. All turning 40, they have been friends for decades. Their lives have taken different paths, but this year's gathering proves to be pivotal for each of them.

Erica, Claudia and Anna have been friends since University. Now in there 40's they continue to meet annually for their book club. It was easy to relate to their stories being of similar age. Erica is the strong, independent, career woman who has not let anybody in. Claudia was in a long term relationship that has ended and she is currently unemployed so is feeling lost. Anne is married with 2 children about to leave home so is upset about that change.

They decide to go to the Maple Sugar Inn, run by Hattie who has a young child and whose husband died suddenly.

The book goes through storylines for each woman, that link together nicely.
The book does revolve around books so as I book lover I could appreciate this. All characters are nice and likeable. The ending was obvious from the outset but didn't detract from me finishing the book.

This is a nice Christmas book.

Lovely Christmassy read, well written and with great characters. I read it on a snowy weekend sitting by the log fire so absolutely perfect. A lovely festive read, much enjoyed and recommended.

Genuinely it isn't Christmas without a Sarah Morgan novel. Such a cosy festive story I absolutely loved it! Thanks to Netgalley, HQ and Sarah Morgan for the ARC.

So sweet, a little predictable but charming and Christmassy and warm.
Cute characters, idyllic setting, and happy ever afters all around

The most perfect, Christmassy, feel good read of 2023! Filled with friendship, camaraderie, and romance all in the backdrop of a festive village - what more could you want!

Another great book by Sarah Morgan

Not much Book Clubbing, but lots of soul searching and growing! A lovely story of three friends on different life paths coming together for their Christmas Book Club where they make many discoveries about themselves and others. Really festive and heartwarming

I look forward to reading a new Sarah Morgan Christmas novel every year, and this one didn’t disappoint. The Christmas Book Club follows a trio of friends — Claudia, Erica, and Anna — who are meeting up for a short holiday before Christmas. Every year, they go away together and spend a holiday just reading and discussing books (where do I sign up?). This particular year, Erica chooses the hotel: the beautiful Maple Sugar Inn in Vermont.

Despite the cosy, festive nature of the Inn, though, tensions are running high behind the scenes: owner Hattie, a widow at 28, is juggling caring for her five year old daughter, Delphi, and how to keep the Inn running according to her late husband’s wishes. Staff members quit just as Claudia, Erica, and Anna arrive, and the three women become involved in helping out Hattie in one form or another. And then there’s the real reason they’re at the Maple Sugar Inn, one that only Erica knows.

All of the characters in this novel are brilliantly crafted, and each has quirks and mannerisms that are uniquely their own; I felt very close to each of them at various points, and my heart alternately hurt and sang as the plot progressed. Anna is struggling with empty-nest apprehension and anticipatory grief because of it; Erica is stoic and independent, but facing some opportunities to let her guard down, and that makes her uncomfortable; and Claudia is facing crossroaads in both her personal and professional lives. Friends since college, the connection between these three women was undeniable and so well described. Hattie also has some tricky self-reflection to consider: should she continue to run the Inn as her late husband did, or should she listen to her gut and run it the way she feels? And what is her daughter Delphi really wanting for Christmas?

One of the things I love about Morgan as an author is how even the less-featured characters have their own personalities can get under your skin. Noah was a gentle and stable presence in the story, whilst his mother Lynda was so reassuring and loving that I missed her acutely after I finished the book. And, in a delightful “Easter egg” for us readers, the book that Claudia, Erica, and Anna are reading is by Catherine Swift — one of the protagonists from Morgan’s previous book, Summer Wedding. This was done in such a lovely way that I was left smiling.

The Maple Sugar Inn itself is a picture-perfect cosy Christmas holiday spot, and the small town is also delightful. As always, Morgan’s prose is concise but very evocative when it comes to describing locations, and I wished I could be transported to the Inn for a winter book club getaway. Log fires, good food, books, and friendships old and new — it’s all so lovely.

Overall, I loved this story. Despite some of the themes being potentially heavy (bereavement, divorce, empty nest, parental loss, etc), Morgan pens this story with a light but caring touch, and it’s a perfectly cosy Christmas read. I especially liked the direction in which Morgan has been taking her books of late — grown women supporting women, and helping each other step into their own agency, authenticity, and power. This book is perfect as a Christmas read, but also definitely one for any time when you need a cosy, loving hug. Highly Recommended.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, HQ, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Furthermore, in the interests of transparency, I know the author via Facebook.

A lovely, festive feel good book set in an idyllic hotel surrounded by mountains and a blanket of snow. Cosy rooms with open fire and arm chairs to nestle with a good book.
The perfect setting for friends Anna, Claudia and Erica to host their annual book club trip. Despite the obvious draw, Anna and Claudia are surprised by Erica's choice of hotel and suspect.
As the story unravels it becomes clear that all three friends need this stay to work through their own thoughts and feelings about events in their own lives and each plays an instrumental role in supporting innkeeper, Hattie, when disaster happens on their first night.

I really enjoyed this book!
It has such lovely heartwarming & relatable characters that I loved listening too 😘

Sarah Morgan really captures friendships & family dramas so well ☺️

a really good good book to read telling a story of three friends who meet in a beautiful place for a book club and thats were the story starts to unfold and finishes and what a story it is a must to read

What a lovely Christmas book by Sarah Morgan.

We meet best friends Claudia, Erica and Anna as they have their yearly book club trip. This time it takes them to Maple Sugar Inn in Vermont where heir lives get intertwined with that of the owner, Hattie.
Hattie is dealing with her own difficulties being a widow and single mum whilst still running the inn.
I absolutely love how Sarah has told the story of all the characters and how she has brought them to life in the book.

A great, uplifting Christmas read.

“𝚈𝚎𝚜, 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕…𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝’𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚂𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚛.”
“𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚂𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊? 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚜𝚔 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚏𝚘𝚛?”
“𝙸 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚂𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚊 𝙸 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝙽𝚘𝚊𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚞𝚜. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚒𝚏𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝙸 𝚐𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝙽𝚘𝚊𝚑 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚍𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚜…𝙸’𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐.”
“𝙸𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚎, 𝙸’𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚍. 𝚂𝚊𝚢 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍-𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙽𝚘𝚊𝚑.”

🍷🍷🍷🍷 / 5

🌶️ / 5

»»————-✼————-««

Review:
Last year, I have an absolute pleasure of reviewing Sarah Morgan’s book Snowed in for Christmas. So I was incredibly excited when Sarah and her publisher reached out, asking me to review her new book the Christmas bookclub. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas until I read a Sarah Morgan book, and I
definitely did not looking on the Amazon black Friday, sale to nab a few more.

I love how Sarah entwines the storylines of multiple characters allowing us to watch how the grow and develop throughout the story. The Christmas Bookclub focuses a group of 3 best friends and the owner of a small Christmasy hotel where they stay for their annual bookclub. Set in a Christmas hotel in a small snowed covered town I felt like I needed to put my tree up and light a fire while reading (apparently November 12th is too early to put a tree up🤧). Full of twists that kept the pages turning and personal issues that seems to weigh the group down The Christmas Bookclub shares the highs and lows of life around Christmas and the struggles of dealing with change.

I love all the characters in the book, but I disliked them all at certain points as well! I love watching a characters full growth and feeling the resentment and dislike as it only makes me love them so much more at the end!

I found Anna’s fears about change really relatable, although I’ve not got kids, I often think about the future and the end of uni and worry about what I’m going to do when I have nothing to focus on and I wonder what I’ll do without the structure (I suspect having a breakdown and reading will occur at some point). Like Anna I’ve been putting off thinking about it as it’s ‘so’ far in the future, but watching her come to terms with her children growing up and leaving home, and figuring out what she wants to do with her life, was like a big hug reminding me it’ll all be okay. It also served as a reminder that no matter how perfect your life looks from the outside, you are entitled to feel lost or scared or however you want because no one knows what you’re going through. I felt so sad for Pete and I wish Anna had realised sooner that he was struggling too!

This book does deal with difficult issues such as the loss of a partner and parent, the effects cheating and the loss of a job; make sure you’re looking after yourself my loves🥰

For lovers of:
- Small town romance
- Single parent
- Mature MC
- Christmas vibes without being full on Christmas

This is a lovely Christmas book about some friends who come together for a book club holiday at Christmas time. Erica, Claudia and Anna are the three friends who come together, and then they meet Hattie at their holiday destination, which leads on to a big surprise.

I loved reading this book, as the story was really interesting, and I loved the friendships and romance, as well as the family ties coming together. The setting of the story was lovely too, and the Christmas theme. I love Sarah Morgan's books! Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

There’s so much I loved about The Christmas Book Club, it’s hard to know where to start … it’s taken me a while to sit down and write out my thoughts!

I have no idea how Sarah Morgan can create so many different characters (I’ve been reading and enjoying her stories since 2015) of different ages who have unique voices/distinct personalities from each other. I could never be bored reading any of her books!

28-year-old Hattie feels a mix of emotions about her life and how to run the Maple Sugar Inn. She doesn’t get any time for herself although she makes time for her 5-year-old daughter Delphi (who is adorable). When we first meet her, she’s dealing with conflict with a couple of the staff at the Inn and is reflecting on a Halloween party she attended at a neighbouring farm.

Erica is single, independent and happy to be so. She deals in facts, not emotions. She has an ulterior motive for selecting the Maple Sugar Inn which becomes clear pretty quickly. The situation pushes her out of her comfort zone and makes her feel awkward. I loved seeing those hard corners of her personality soften.

Claudia doesn’t know what shape her life is going to take. She’s feeling lost without the things in her life she identified with. I really enjoyed her rediscovering and rekindling her passion.

On the surface, Anna has life sussed. She has a loving husband and family and is settled in her life. But yes, she’s hiding a lot of turmoil that no-one would ever guess.

These three women have a friendship that is inspiring! I felt as if I belonged with them and experienced it all too.

The theme of perceptions and how different they are for everyone (no matter how well you think you know the other person) was a reminder for me to not take everything at face value. I think it helps us to be less judgemental and much kinder humans 🙂

When I say this is an easy story to read, I mean that once you get started it feels like this is your life (if that makes sense). The pace and setting is fabulous and the life of our four women just swept me along. I was left feeling centred and balanced and in love with life which is exactly what we need sometimes isn’t it!

An easy 5 star read for me.

It’s not Christmas without a new Sarah Morgan book…

When I first saw the title and cover reveal for Sarah’s 2023 Christmas book I was rather excited, I mean it’s Christmas and books rolled together, and the cover is just absolutely gorgeous!

This was such a cosy feel good Christmas book and I really enjoyed the close friendship between the girls and how easily Hattie fitted into it, there was also plenty of romance - cue Sexy Jack and Noah! The characters were fab and you felt like you got to know all of them a little bit, I could definitely relate to a few parts of each of their characteristics and troubles!

And then we have the inn and the nearby town… all I’m going to say about the town is that there’s a bookshop there that every reader will want to visit! The inn itself just oozes Christmas charm, as the girls drove up to it I could just imagine the site in front of them thanks to hallmark movies, and then the library… it’s just the perfect place for a book lovers Christmas holiday.

Really charming story, gorgeous setting, very well written, flowed well, great characters that i could really connect too, and it was a lovely read. Sarah is one of my favourite authors and there isnt a book of hers i havent read.

This was such a gorgeous book that I ended up reading in one sitting! I was a little unsure of the fact that it followed the lives of four women to start off with, however I trusted the process and Sarah dealt with each story beautifully! I loved how two in particular were so woven together, the backstory was filled with pain and anger, but led to so much love and happiness. I loved that each woman was very different from the other, each story bringing something unique to the whole book. I definitely couldn't pick a favourite story, each one was perfect in their own ways and the entire book just felt like one giant hug.