This was such a lovely feel good Christmas story, it was a pleasure to read and very difficult to put down.

Chloe really is thrust out of her comfort zone when Ruben goes to spend a month with his Dad so it wasn't a surprise to see her following his instructions in the notes he had left her within his Advent calendar. Each day she found a new instruction from him to help her keep the season alive and to bring her some cheer being alone. Not that she was alone for long after following the days instruction to say yes when offered a trip to Canada to investigate a possible inheritance!

I loved that opening the notes and gifts from Ruben became something the whole community became involved in and the way they all worked together to make Christmas special for everyone.

The ending wasn't quite what I was expecting but it was a great finish to a wonderful tale. I always enjoy Jo Thomas Christmas books and this is certainly no exception. It's well plotted with great characters and full to bursting with Christmas traditions and cheer, it really is everything I want from a Christmas story.

I'm a huge fan of Jo Thomas and as a rule would rate 5*, but this book didn't quite reach that rating for me this time. It was a great story idea and was enjoyable but I just felt some areas of the story seemed rushed or even a tad unlikely, but those parts aside, a good read. Thanks netgalley for an advanced copy.

Rating: 2.5/5

It’s sad to say, but I’m quite sure Jo Thomas’ books are not for me. Once again this was pretty mediocre and the characters were very one-dimensional.

Chloe’s only purpose in life and personality trait was her son, which fair enough she’s a single mom, but it would have been great to actually learn more about her other than that she has a 12 year old and likes to bake cakes.

Don’t get me started on her love interest. Theo is your typical romance love interest; tall, incredibly handsome and has zero personality. Honestly, the best characters in this entire book were Oceane, who is a child, Bea who was stubborn and excitable but was only really there to be pregnant and Ike, a turkey.

It took so long for me to really get into the flow of the story and I hate to say it, but the majority of Countdown to Christmas was boring. There was no real conflict, only a tiny section at the end and even the whole ‘my new lover’s ex-wife is here and she’s mean’ bit didn’t even land. She was mean to everyone, not just Chloe.

Once I got into the story it wasn’t as boring, but I feel like so much more could have been done for the Christmas aspect of this book. You only get to hear about most of the events in passing and it really missed that festive spark. Christmas day only lasted about five pages and quite a lot of the build-up is skipped in time jumps.

I can’t quite put my finger on what I actually liked about this book. It was a pretty quick read and it wasn’t completely terrible, but looking at it from an analytical point of view, it was painfully average.

Christmas books are one of my favourite things I look forward to about the season, this Jo Thomas story is a great example of why, full of warmth, love, joy, fantastic Christmas spirit, it’s just perfect Christmas comfort. It’s such a beautiful story that will melt your heart, warm it back up and fill it full of festive cheer, fabulous

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Chloe's son Rueben is off to New York to stay with his dad for the Christmas holidays. He leaves her a homemade advent calendar counting down the days till he returns.
As far as Chloe is concerned, Christmas is cancelled.
An heir hunter phones Chloe telling her she owns some land in Canada. Can this be true? There is only one way to find out. So Chloe heads off to Canada on an adventure.
For me, this has to be Jo's best book yet.
Full of warmth and joy. I love the way Chloe is accepted into the community, and she, in turn, runs the diner, supports the girls' ice hockey team.
Ike the turkey is hilarious.
It is a very snowy and cold setting, not sure I'd want to live there.
A perfect Christmas read with some romance. Loved it!
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A wonderful Christmas feel good book!
I loved every page of this brilliant book along with the wonderful cast of characters. I could not turn the pages fast enough and felt I was right in the story with them all.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review. It was an absolute pleasure.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Ruben is going to stay with his dad in New York until new year and leaving his mom alone at home.

Chloe Rubén’s mom wants Christmas to be over as she can’t stand the thought of celebrating without him and the only thing keeping her going is her son’s advent calendar. Then Chloe receives a surprise call and is told she may have inherited some land in Canada. Is it a scam? She decides to take a chance following the message she receives in the advent calendar telling her to say yes.

She finds herself living in a log cabin in the middle of a forest that produces Maple Syrup. The villages community are worried for their future. Will Chloe help secure the villages future or will they lose everything they have worked had to keep going?

Chloe’s son Ruben is going to stay with his father in New York for Christmas, and Chloe is counting down the days until he is home.
When she is contacted by someone telling her a distant relative has passed away and she is in line to inherit some land, Chloe initially dismisses the idea, after all she doesn't have any relatives in Canada.
Finally convinced it could be true Chloe decides to visit the land and try to find out about the relative she knew nothing about.
Foret des Esprits is a beautiful winter wonderland and as she begins to learn more about the place she begins to feel more at home than she ever has.
Could this be the chance she has been waiting for to turn her life around and begin to live again.
This is wonderful, festive, heart-warming, brimming with characters that you can really engage with and set in amazing surroundings. It’s Christmas in a book.

Countdown to Christmas tells the story of Chloe who's dreading Christmas alone when her young son, Ruben, flies off to New York to spend it with his Dad.
Chloe then receives the news that she may have inherited a parcel of land in Canada. Chloe flies to Canada to find out more about her unknown family member and see the land.
What follows is a beautifully evocative festive story as Chloe realises she's finally come home.
Jo Thomas is very clever setting this in maple syrup country in Canada. It's not the usual setting for a Christmas book and this sets it apart from the others. The detail is fascinating.
I truly loved this book.

Truly loved this story of what happens when Chloe finds herself going to check out a possible inheritance in Canada, amongst the snow in the month of December, whilst at the same time counting down to Christmas with a special advent calendar.

Great descriptions of the scenery, which almost made me want to be there, which would be fine and dandy except I fall over my own two feet with no snow around - so I may want to revisit that thought. The residents of where Chloe’s investigation take her are all folk, that you soon find yourself relating to and pulling for.

A warm snuggly feeling in print, in the fall, leading up to Christmas. What more could I ask for?……nothing at all. I thoroughly enjoyed this one from Jo Thomas. Now need to investigate her back catalogue.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Even though the temperature here is nearly 30 degrees I raced through this book which is set in Canada over Christmas.
When Ruben goes to New York to stay with his father for the month of December, he leaves his mum Chloe a homemade advent calendar with suggestions of things for her to try whilst he is away.
When an heir hunter contacts Chloe to inform her that she may have inherited some land in Canada, she takes the plunge and travels to a snowy area of Canada renowned for its maple syrup. There she finds a community which works together and looks after each other but is struggling to find the time to prepare for the Christmas festivities.
A host of quirky characters, both human and animal, inhabit this very readable book. It’s never too late to change, either career, hobby, love or country..
a quick read which I could not put down.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

What a lovely Christmas story, Ruben is going to his Dad's in American for Christmas leaving Chloe alone but he leaves her an advent calendar counting the days until he's back. Things don't quite as Chloe plans though....

Chloe is a single mother. Her son Ruben has gone to stay with his father, and his father's new family in New York. It's the first Christmas Chloe has spent without Ruben and all she wants is for it to be over.

Then a mysterious heir hunter approaches Chloe, she may have inherited a tract of land in Canada which, if sold, would enable her to buy a home for her and Ruben. So Chloe travels to a small town in Canada, miles away from any cities and is overjoyed to discover that they too seem to be avoiding Christmas this year. The truth is somewhat more prosaic, Bea the owner of the town's café/restaurant is heavily pregnant with twins, since she is the one who organises all the Christmas festivities nothing has been done.

Soon, despite her 'Bah Humbug' feelings, Chloe is wooed by the townspeople, she quickly starts to take over Bea's duties in the diner, particularly after she is ordered to go on bed rest until the babies are born, and the townsfolk get invested in her homemade advent calendar which Ruben prepared for her. Chloe discovers that her land is crucial for the own's maple syrup cooperative, without it they wouldn't be able to distill the raw syrup they tap from the trees.

But just when it looks like Chloe could be getting her very own Hallmark Christmas it seems that she might not be the only heir - and he has no intention of selling to anyone except the highest bidder.

I love a schmaltzy Christmas film/romance as much as the next woman but this just felt too sugary, without enough grit to make it real. All the characters felt like stock romance characters, just there for one-dimensional purposes, including the obligatory grasping ex-wife. I feel blasphemous writing this, but it felt a bit lazy. And the ending ... ridiculous what about red tape? Also the idea that you can chop and change transatlantic flights that close to Christmas is laughable - most flights are sold out months in advance at Christmas.

Not one of Jo Thomas' better novels for me.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A Christmas themed book and Jo Thomas, what could be better?! I've read a lot of Jo Thomas' books and this is just perfect.

We follow Chloe and her son Ruben as he heads off to New York to spend December with his Dad. Chloe feels lonely at the idea of spending Christmas alone and when the opportunity comes along to go to Canada she takes it. What a setting for a Christmas book: snow, maple syrup, ice skating and pine trees. It was so magical and I can just imagine being there.

This book is packed with positivity with Ruben's advent calendar giving daily prompts of things to do to get through the lead up to Christmas. The characters are wonderful and it's filled with kindness and community.

Very festive and very sweet.
I liked all the characters, loved the community feel to the book and the descriptions of the scenery. The snowy winter wonderland, the taste and scent of the sweet maple. Sounds wonderful.
It was a great book, would be lovely to read under the fairy lights with a great big mug of hot chocolate by your side.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review
.

What a lovely Christmassy book. This is everything you want from a feel good Christmas book; the location, the jeopardy and the characters. Jo Thomas does it again with a fantastic story that makes you want to book a flight to snowy Canada.

Really loved this book, although it took a while to get into.
Knowing how wonderful Jo Thomas is though I persisted and that was worth it!!

Beautifully written Christmas read, love the advent calendar from her son such a caring idea knowing he will be away. The cold of Canada takes your breath away in a nice way. Perfect cover for a perfect book. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

This is a brilliant Jo Thomas book. Started in England and ended in Canada. I learnt loads about maple syrup. The food descriptions were amazing . The advent calendar is the star of the book. You will love it. The snow elements make you tingly .. It is just a great read. I loved all the baking bits and the mousse and her baby. You have to read it.

This was such a cute feel good Christmas romance. I could relate to Chloe who was not exactly in the Christmas spirit this year and is using her son's Advent character to get her through. .It turns out Chloe is the unexpected owner of some land up in Canada and pair that with a sexy lumberjack and you have the perfect romance to cozy up with by the fire!