Sophie gets jilted by her fiancé on Christmas Eve, now the once Christmas loving Sophie begins to detest the holiday. She ups sticks and moves to Cumbria to buy Sunnyside hotel which she markets as a Christmas free hotel, for those who do not wishes to celebrate.

Sophie starts to build a relationship with the local vet, Brody and as expected it does not go smoothly and as her guests start to arrive more chaos ensues.

This is a cosy read, which would be good on winter days, when you are ready to escape reality and suspend some belief, with characters full of depth and complications, who all bring something new to the story, but some inconsistencies throughout and Brody, the love interest, not really hitting the mark for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This was a beautiful festive story that was almost centred around escaping and avoiding Christmas traditions. However, plans never really work out how they are supposed to so there are many nods to traditions and even one to the story that started the whole celebration!
The many characters we meet in this book are mostly likeable. Some though, while not being bad or evil, are less likeable for a variety of reasons but many of them do sort their issues out and are happier by the last we see of them!
The storyline of this book sounded so simple from the synopsis and that was a very interesting read seeing Sophie and Brody get to know each other. Far more interesting were the other stories happening around that which all together made for a wonderful read and kept me wondering what was going to happen next.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read, it was a lot of fun and had a great deal of heart spread through it’s pages, it’s a fabulous festive read!

What a wonderful story. Sophie runs a Guest house in the Lake District and wanted to host an alternative Christmas because she'd been badly hurt the previous year. The guests were wonderful and survived the bad weather, a power cut and a baby making an early appearance. Among all this, Sophie was falling for her neighbour, Brody, the local vet and the New Year starts with a lovely relationship for them both, together

A cute, cosy feel good read. I did want to shake Brody at times though and sometimes it was a little predictable.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

What an enjoyable story. I absolutely loved Sophie's little hotel in the Lakes, Sunnyside. And I especially loved her idea of offering an Escape for Christmas that isn't your typical Christmas break - she was offering Paella, Flamenco and no turkey!

After all not everyone is a fan of Christmas, but she has her reasons for wanting to not be festive this year. But yet fate has other plans for her.

The entire break with the guests was brilliant, I loved getting to know the various guests both paying and completely unexpected. To say things didn't go quite according to plan, would be an understatement. And just about everything made me smile.

I also really enjoyed her neighbour Brody who really is s knight in shining armour on multiple occasions and I had a real soft spot for Jingle, Belle and Harold - some of our four legged friends in the story.

The setting is gorgeous and I really hope the author will return there in a future book as all the characters wee meet are fabulous.

This was just really entertaining, and I definitely enjoyed my time between the pages of this book.

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

A cute festive rom-com. I really enjoyed this story about Sophie - who isn’t a fan of Christmas and is hosting a non festive Christmas getaway at her guest house - and amiable vet Brody, who would be perfect if it wasn’t for his fiancée.

There are a host of fabulous characters (even the four legged ones) and lots of humorous sub plots to keep the reader entertained.

The story was fairly predictable, but this is typical of the genre and didn’t affect my enjoyment.

Thank you for my arc.

Another absorbing, delightful novel from Phillipa. A warm, touching story with wonderful characters and romance. Sophie has distanced herself from her ex fiancé and bought a Cumbrian guesthouse. She plans to have an alternative Christmas for guests- quite different from the Christmas shop she used to have.

Philippa Ashley really is the Queen of Christmas fiction and this book was no exception. The novel follows the story of Sophie who has many reasons not to like Christmas, who offers an alternative getaway to the festivities at her new guesthouse. Expect fun, frivolity and lots of warm festive feelings in a book that's perfect for cold, cosy, dark evenings.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK/Cornerstone for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Sophie used to love Christmas, even running a Christmas themed shop with partner, Ben, until she caught him cheating with her best friend. After selling the shop, she started over buying a guesthouse in the Lake District. As her first Christmas comes round she hosts an escape for Christmas themed holiday for guests which is snapped up. What could possibly go wrong?
Her nearest neighbour is vet, Brodie, who Sophie soon regards as a good friend but is still feeling bruised by Ben's behaviour.
Philippines Ashley has another winner. Her stories always ha e relatable characters and well researched storylines.

this book is about sophie who loved the joys of christmas until her fiance ben ruined it for her so she now starts a new life in the lakes in her guest house she advertises guest to join her to escape from christmas and o what a christmas they have by not giving too much away this book is a joy to read as you dont know whats going to happen from one page to next but after turmoil everthing turns out to be a merry christmas

This is a great escape for people who would like a different Christmas.

The characters are all totally different and the situations are enjoyable, although laden with panic at times.

There is a light romance in the story, just to confuse the issue.

An enjoy Christmas romance.

Another great book by a lovely author. I really enjoyed this one. I found the storyline engaging, though I’d have loved to read about the actual Christmas shop too - an actual Christmas shop is my dream!
There were some great stories threaded through the main storyline, some very relatable and poignant.
Definitely recommend this one for a lovely festive (or not!) read.

Not everyone loves the trappings of Christmas and this includes Sophie for whom the magic of Christmas was spoilt by her cheating fiancé and ex-best friend. After the split, she decides to leave her old life behind as she sets out on a different path running a guest house in the Lake District. As Christmas approaches she turns her back on the usual Christmas celebrations and advertises an alternative break, Escape for Christmas, Locals think she's mad, but soon all her rooms are booked with people who want to get away from it all. Let the mayhem begin!

A good read with a strong storyline and interesting well-drawn characters. There are enough twists and turns, ups and downs to keep the reader's attention and, being a romance, we must not forget the lovely village vet, Brody, with an eye for Sophie but a secret which he wishes that he hadn't promised to keep.

Once again, Phillipa Ashley delivers a festive, feelgood story with the requisite trimmings. Settle down and enjoy

Sophie used to love Christmas and ran a Christmas shop all year round, until she found her fiance with her best friend tangled in tinsel in her stockroom. Sophie leaves everythin behind to start Sunnyside Hotel in the Cumbrian countryside.

This first winter after her break up Sophie decides to host an 'Escape for Christmar' retreat for people who would like to escape the festivities. And to her surprise her hotel is fully booked. She is looking forward to hosting this wonderful mix of people, but stumbles upon some difficutl situations along the way.

Fortunately, she has her neighbour and vet Brody around who is more than willing to lend her a helping hand. From unexpected guests to power cuts to Sophie's cats getting ill, Brody is there for her.

Attracted to one another, Brody is dealing with a estranged fiancee of his own.

Will Sophie and Brody find eachother in the end?

Philippa Ashley has done it again! I absolutely loved this festive cozy read. Well paced and with very likable character, this is one of those books to curl up with on the sofa, a hot chocolate within reaching distance.

Sophie loved Christmas, after years running a Christmas shop all year round she was never happier than in the festive season. Until the year it was all ruined for her. Sophie sold her shop and opened a small hotel in the Lake District.
Now Christmas is fast approaching, and Sophie has decided to advertise her hotel as a Christmas free zone, perfect for those, like her, who want to escape the festivities.
Everything is planned to the last detail and to her surprise all her rooms are booked.
Then a heavy snowfall and some unexpected visitors throw all her carefully laid plans into chaos.
Can Sophie really avoid Christmas, or will her resolve begin to thaw and her broken heart begin to heal.
For a book about escaping Christmas, this is very Christmassy. It’s full characters you will warm to, it’s funny and has lots of festive magic and sparkle in a beautiful setting and will leave you with a warm glow.

Cozy and festive as expected from Phillipa Ashley...and the cover is stunning too!

A mix of family tensions, a will they won't they romance, and an alternative Christmas all wrapped up in festivities, warmth and hope. A great big festive hug on a cold winters night read .

Another unputdownable book by Phillipa Ashley. Sophie is a great character and the storyline is funny and romantic. Highly recommended

3.5 stars rounded up.

Escape for Christmas is a lovely, heart-warming festive read which I really enjoyed. The only thing holding my score back really was how frustrated I got with the love interest, Brody! I know the story sort of depended on him not just standing up for himself and being honest, but boy did it wind me up!

It’s Sophie’s first Christmas running her own guesthouse in the gorgeous Lake District. But she is not feeling Christmassy – after breaking up with her fiancé on Christmas Eve last year. Now she has started a new life for herself, doing something she’s always wanted to do. And she’s going to do things her way – with an Escape for Christmas alternative celebration at Sunnyside guesthouse.

The locals are suspicious – but the getaway is a success and a troupe of interesting characters arrive at the hotel for the not-festive period. These were some of my favourite characters – each bringing with them something they wanted to move on from, and finding something at Sunnyside to help them do that.

There was such a lovely warm feeling at Sunnyside – and despite the alternative Christmas theme taking place, the book itself is full of festive cosiness, snow, hot chocolates and lovely winter scenery, with an overriding theme of hopefulness and starting anew.

And then we have Brody! Sophie’s neighbour and the local vet who she starts to grow close to. But there are some twists in the tale as she gets to know more about him.

A lovely story, ticking all the boxes for a cosy Christmas read – I just wanted Brody to have a bit more ooomph about him!

A lovely festive, feel good read. The story has all the elements you need for a good romance. Sophie who runs a B&B and Brody, her neighbour and local vet, have romantic feelings but they are always pulled apart due to circumstances and misunderstandings beyond their control.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed reading this lovely festive book. Loved the will they, won’t they romance, the Christmas Eve drama and the B&B guest drama. A lovely uplifting book.