I love a Christmas read so this book was perfect, for me it was full of Christmas cheer and what it means,

A perfect read in the run up to Christmas. Very entertaining.

Many thanks to all concerned for letting me read and review this terrific novel.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

This was a wonderful romance with a great plot and memorable characters. A very enjoyable read.

I am dnfing this book beca I’m lit eat 50% and I don’t know where this book is going and I don’t really want to continue this rn. Maybe in future I’ll pick this up but dnf for now :(

This was interesting enough for me to finish it, but not groundbreaking or memorable in any way. At first, I was hoping for hateful in-laws (we have two sets of those, Tommy's and Joel's parents) to take center stage, but alas, nope.

All in all, not bad but there are better Christmas books out there.

Holiday read about three grown women and the issues they encounter around the holidays that leads to a quick escape to the Scottish highlands right before Christmas. Their family members aren't the best, and in some cases, almost seem like caricatures of the people the should be. With families like that, of course the women want to escape. I would to.
I did enjoy the overall story line. I found the main characters of Shelley, Lena, and Pearl likeable even though i don't think we got to know them all that well.
I had some trouble following point of view as it jumped regularly to the point where I had to double check who was speaking or who's thoughts I was reading.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this egalley.

This author is new to me and I would like to check out other books she has written. The main protagonist’s have to face severe problems, among which one may identify cancer, grief, and infertility. I enjoyed Fiona’s style of writing and the level at which she developed her characters. This I can say is quite a book and I recommend anyone interested in reading it, to go for it.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I read this book while sitting in +30 degree heat reading about 4 friends that take off to the Scottish highlands the week before Christmas for a break. An enjoyable read with a good few laughs.

This is an unusual festive feel good novel following three girls trying to escape the festive season by travelling to Scotland.
Trying their best to be helpful, they find themselves snowed in and in charge of a B and B.
Unfortunately this was a book I did not really connect with and for no obvious reason. Maybe I need to return to it nearer Christmas .
3 1/2 stars from me.

Three friends Shelly, Lena, and Pearl have had Christmas prep up to their eyeballs they are sick of it. When Pearl mentions a relative who owns a b&b in the wilds of the Scottish highlands they dreamily decide to go for a few days leading up to Christmas Eve. Time to charge their batteries before the onslaught of the big day what could go wrong?
A hilariously funny and heartwarming tale that will leave you with that Christmas feel good feeling. Just the book to be read tucked up with a cuppa readying yourself for Christmas.

Entertaining jaunt into the Highlands to take a breather: have they really left their cares behind?🌨🎄

What an entertaining take on worries and pitfalls of the hectic run-up to Christmas. Fiona Gibson really has a deft hand at relating realistic issues like difficult prospective in-laws, unappreciative teens and straying spouses. I felt as frustrated and let down by the folks at home as the three women, especially Shelley. Divorcee Lena, widow Pearl and married mother of two Shelley are dealing with some difficult issues at home in the weeks before Christmas. They escape together to a remote B&B in the Scottish Highlands run by Pearl's cousin Michael and end up with a whole new set of challenges with the other guests at the B&B (especially young Theo, the wannabe Christmas pudding!) and the Scottish weather. These three women are resourceful and turn adversity into an adventure. I liked their storyline but my enjoyment was doubled by the alternating glimpses into how the familes they left behind are handling things without them.

And I loved the way the story ends up for the three women and Michael once their Highland adventure draws to a close.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Fiona Gibson for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Have you ever emotionally and physically just shut down before the holidays and said "get me the heck outta here?" Yeah, me too. Same for our three leading ladies, and guess what- they did it. They got the heck out. Good for them.

This book is not as lighthearted as the cover would make you believe. Each of our leading ladies deals with some heavy topics- cancer, grief, infertility, infidelity, classism, and more.

Being classified as a romance is technically true- but I'd lean more heavily on the women's fiction classification.

If you relate to these heavy topics and want to feel seen this holiday season, this book is for you.

Unfortunately I just could not get into the spirit of this book. I was thinking it would be light hearted, funny, entertaining but it was the opposite. Depressing so much so I could not finish it. It is labelled romance, it's not. I hate books with infedality so put it down at that point. So many POVs.

3 friends
Shelley, Pearl and Lena
All for various reasons want out this Christmas as it’s turning as always into more hassle than enjoyment
But there is no escape, nowhere for them to run to
Until there is

And once they are there their other halves and families have to get on and make do ( and make don’t )

Very funny, very Christmassy and a very good read, one of those you can read for 15 mins and come back to and immediately know where you are and are straight back into it

Loved all character’s good and not so, even Joel I couldn’t fully dislike at the end, toothpaste and all

A perfect read waiting to be had that will make every reader feel good, relaxed and happy to have chosen this book and all it brings 😊

The art cover for this book gave me the wrong impression that it was going to be light-hearted, but it was filled with messy families and too many POVs to keep up with too many dramatic events for a rom-com.


This felt more along the lines of the book Eat Pray Love, not Sophie Kinsella

This book is a perfect Christmas read, especially in the lead-up to the festive season. It follows three girlfriends who, in a spur-of-the-moment decision, escape the stress of holiday preparations by retreating to Scotland, only to find themselves snowed in. The story beautifully explores family dynamics, delivers heartwarming romance, and is filled with plenty of laughs. The only drawback is the rather brief ending, which leaves you wishing for a bit more closure. Despite that, it's an enjoyable and cosy holiday escape.

DNF. I’m not the target audience for this book—it’s too angsty for me. I was expecting something more lighthearted. I’m sure others will enjoy the book.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book! I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. This is a first by this author but will not be my last! I read this in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down.

This is a new to me author but I immediately looked up her entire backlist and added it to my tbr when I was finished this book. I am a tough critic, anyone who knows me knows that, and this is one of the few books that actually cracked the code. It is funny, heartfelt, cozy, and just an overall perfect holiday read.
Three friends decide to escape to Scotland for a couple of days right before Chris after their respective families let them down and don’t appreciate all the hard work that they do for them all year, and especially in the time leading up to Christmas. They decide they need a break, so they escape to a friends inn and are having a lovely time until they get snowed in. On top of that, the inn’s owner, who happens to be their friend as well, has jetted off to meet his online love leaving them in charge of the inn when the storm hits. They are left to tackle managing the B&B and dealing with the prospect of not being with their loved ones for Christmas. What ensues is the women having time to bond, reflect on their lives care for each other and their friendships for a change.
If you’re looking for a chance to escape for a few hours don’t hesitate to pick this one up asap!
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

A solid 3.75 stars for me! This festive read follows 3 long-time friends who need to get away. There comes a time where a woman deserves to dig her feet down and say, “I’m a woman and a person before I’m a wife or a mom.” And then deserves to make her own happiness.

Their trip to the cottage B&B was perfect, even though they ended up taking over temporarily instead of relaxing, but in the end you could tell they loved it. They were doing this together with the people that ‘see’ them.

Joel and Theo took their special little places on my special, fictional naughty list but Joel actually took the cake. Poor Shelley, married to the narcissistic troll that was Joel, happily ended up in a better place in life thanks to Joel’s indiscretions. I’m just glad Joel received his karma. A fun read about messy lives. Life is messy.

Highly recommend. A good, clean cozy read that I loved snuggling under the covers with.

Thank you, NetGalley! This is my honest opinion! Grab it when it comes out