I absolutely loved this book, but then I am loving the whole series and truly hope that Jennifer will keep writing books to the series. I just adore the board game theme but then that is because I am a big fan of modern board games, love them as much as I love reading.

Anyway, this is book 4 and this story focuses on Kate, whom we have met in the previous books but in this story we get to know the real Kate, her story, what she has been through. And she gets a second chance at love. The whole story was just wonderful and so heartfelt.

Another bonus to this story, is that it features Christmas, who doesn’t like a bit of festive spirit and activities in a book.

I also loved that we got reacquainted with some of the previous characters, Em, Jo, Taylor, Harry, Ras and Ludek. What I wouldn’t do to have friends like them, they seem like such a lovely bunch to be around.

The whole story was really well written, and the author has left me wanting more, I just didn’t want it to end. I loved that there was even more mention of different modern board games in this book, such as Wingspan, Forest Shuffle, Cold War, Azul, all of which are great games, although my favourite is Forest Shuffle.


So last words, if you haven’t experienced the joy and entertainment of Jennifer Page’s books yet, the don’t delay, as her books truly are gems. I already can’t wait for the next book, well I truly hope there will be a book 5.

Another great board games cafe book from Jennifer Page. Kate is centre stage with this book although Em, Jo and Taylor are also there as firm favourites. Kate is single and hates Christmas but takes on organs Christmas Advent trail in order to try and boost trade for the two villages. A great Christmas read even if it’s October. Thanks to Jennifer and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

I was so excited to read this book! I adore the Board Game Café series and to have a Christmas theme included added another fantastic layer to the story.
It was brilliant to see Kate’s story unfold. A character in the other books, her gentle support and enthusiasm for her community already made her a character that I enjoyed reading about. I loved her fantastic idea for bringing people to the area with the living advent calendar and it was entertaining watching her pull it all together.
I also love seeing a second chance at love theme too, Xander was a wonderful character and I relished seeing them reconnecting as the story progressed.
So much festive fun, and a gorgeous community made this a really uplifting experience. I would love to create a living advent calendar in my community now! This book has inspired me to be more creative with my decorating and also to dig out some board games too! It’s everything I love in a festive book!

A cute and cozy closed-door romance for the holiday season.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kate has put forth a lot of effort to be seen as the successful career woman she is while hiding away her sadness and frustration that her personal life just isn’t as fulfilling as she wants it to be. As all the people around her are happily coupled, facing another holiday season alone is taking its toll.

The local businesses in the cute little town of Essendale, including her BFF’s Board Game Café, are struggling to make ends meet. The town is becoming a summer vacation town which is leaving the winter streets empty. Kate, using her marketing genius comes up with the idea to do a living Advent calendar window display to bring people to Essendale. Each day in December, the town will gather to unveil a new and beautiful window display.

Kate is thrown an unexpected twist when one of the windows she hopes to use is in a shop now owned by her ex-boyfriend. She will have to put all of her trust in him to come up with a display worthy of the final reveal.

All of the characters in Essendale make this series such a joy to read. I really enjoyed following Kate on her journey as she grows as a person, deals with some of her past trauma, and repairs relationships. The dual timeline aspects that show us what happened between Kate and Xander helped pull me into this story.

Another must read from Jennifer Page! I absolutely love all the references to some of my favorite board games in this series.

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

This is Kate’s story. She has always been there for her friends, whether it’s to offer advice, help to grow their business or offer a shoulder to dry on. But, what her friends aren’t aware of, is that she is feeling lovely.

She has been on dates, but as yet she’s not found her someone special, or is it a case of she’s already met him and let him go?

As Christmas approaches, Kate is feeling that being on her own is extra lonely.

In her town of Essendale, it’s really quiet, for her friends businesses, who also find that there’s not enough footfall through the doors. They ask Kate to find a solution, and comes up with doing a living advent calendar.

Hoping that if she organises it, she’ll find herself feeling festive too.

Then she meets Xander, he was the one that got away. Will meeting him after all this time change all the plans she’s made? And what does it mean for her newly started relationship?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, loved the setting and characters.

I highly recommend this book.

Christmas at the Board Game Café follows Kate, a skilled organizer who is tasked with reviving business in a struggling village during the holiday season. She devises the idea of a Living Advent Calendar, revealing one window each night leading up to Christmas. Despite her professional success, Kate feels lonely and unfulfilled, especially when it comes to finding love. However, this Christmas brings her a second chance at romance.

The book is a cozy, heartwarming read, perfect for fans of Christmas stories. The well-drawn characters, realistic friendships, and the charming English village setting make it feel like a Hallmark movie. Kate, an overachieving perfectionist, wrestles with feelings of inadequacy and the pressure to find a loving relationship. As she takes on the challenge of organizing the village-wide event, the story unfolds with warmth, humor, and a touch of romance, leaving readers both satisfied and longing for more.

Another cracking book from Jennifer Page! I absolutely love this series, I just want to live there be friends with all the characters.

This time it was Kate's turn to be the focus of the book. With the other three books, the main character had been someone new, with the cast of regulars in the background. This time, it was someone we already knew who was the main focus. Kate has been key in all the other books and it was so nice to see her shine through this one. She became a truly three dimensional character with a backstory that makes you want to give her a big hug.

I loved the Christmas theme of the book too, particularly as it was focussed on Advent, the period leading up to Christmas. Advent, and the expectation that season brings, is my favourite part of the Christmas period so this was perfect for me!

And this book also provided me with some more boardgame recommendations. Keep them coming, Jennifer!

This is a great addition to the series but could also be read as a standalone if you're in need of a sweet, wholesome Christmas book to read or gift to someone this festive season.

Jennifer has done it again!! I love the book and Kate's story. And above all that Christmas magic that makes all look full of cozyness.
Since the beginning I have love her books and how she writes. Just 10 out of 10

Festive feel good book with a community twist, can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend the series to you in full. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

How nice to be back in Essendale! Don't worry, though, if you haven't read the earlier books in the series because this will be fine as a standalone. It's very much a "it takes a village" novel about how Kate helps the village revive its somewhat sagging economy. The idea of a living Advent calendar seems unwieldy at first but it works. Kate's a treat as are the others. And there's a romance. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An easy read that will make you smile.

A charming festive read. Kate’s story drew me in once again to the lovely world of the Board Game Cafe. This book could work equally well as a stand-alone for anyone who’s new to the series.
I enjoyed Kate’s journey as a character who comes to realise that some of her fundamental beliefs about herself and her past are built on shaky foundations. I also enjoyed her second chance romance with a geeky guy, and her efforts on behalf of her community, which built to a satisfyingly heartwarming climax on Christmas Eve.
A fun and cosy read to get you into the Christmas spirit.

This year I discovered the Little Board Game Cafe in Essendale, among the pages of this wonderful series by Jennifer Page, and I've absolutely fallen in love. Over the first three books, Emily, Jo and Taylor have gotten their HEA! Always by their side being the bestest friend ever has been Kate. Always there to help cheer them up and offer advice, she's the best friend anyone could ever ask for. But what about her happily ever after? Well it's time for Kate's story!

I love, loved Christmas at the Board Game Cafe. Kate is the epitome of Little Miss Perfect, always trying to achieve perfection [and she really does seem perfect], but what she really wants is her own cheesy, happy ever after. When she sees that the Board Game Cafe is struggling she puts her marketing thinking cap on and finds a way to help make Christmas a little more cheery in Essendale with a "Living Advent Calendar". However, will her Christmas also come with a happily ever after too?

What I love about this series is the community feel. Every book builds on the previous book, with the same characters coming back to cheer on their friends and family to be the absolute best they can be. This shines through in Christmas at the Board Game Cafe. They way the whole town rallies around Kate's idea of a Living Advent Calendar is beautiful. The idea itself is absolutely brilliant and I would love to see it in person... especially Mr B's Baubles!!

My favourite thing about this series is the characters. Jennifer Page writes characters that are realistic and ones that you can see yourself in. She really pulled at my emotional heartstrings with this one, as I could see myself in Kate and this gave the story an added layer of "got to grab the tissues while I read"! Right up to the last chapter I was rooting for Kate and hoping that she would get the HEA she so deserved!!!

If you're looking for a book to get you in the holiday mood you need to add Christmas at the Board Game Cafe to your holiday reading. It is beautiful, heartwarming and I can honestly say it would warm even the grinchiest of grinches!!

I took my time to get to this story as i really wanted to finish all the books in the series first and of course I was a little behind but i'm so glad i read all the books in order because I was so invested in the whole series by the time i got to this one and this was just the perfect addition. With it's lovely festive setting and even lovelier characters. I really wanted the best for them and wanted to see them finally get their act together!

I can't wait to have a re read by the fire with a hot chocolate and a Christmas tree twinkling in the corner!

Such a fun read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I’ve loved the previous books in this series so I was looking forward to returning to Essendale. This is a another great read about friendship, love and community with a festive twist - highly recommended!

Back at the cafe, with familiar, beloved characters, this is a lovely escapist tale, full of Christmas cheer. The festivities, tension, and a little romance make this atmospheric story sparkle. A very enjoyable read.

Another return to Essendale where despite it coming up to Christmas things are quiet and someone needs to help the local economy. Cue Kate with her great marketing ideas and organisational prowess she can come up with something, but she really doesn’t like Christmas. It’s time to address these problems and maybe change some long held opinions. I’ve been waiting for a book about Kate and her life and this doesn’t disappoint and with a great festive touch . Fantastic Christmassy read

A lovely return to Essendale! A really festive read catching up with lovely characters. Highly recommended.

This was a cute holiday read! I loved it because I didn't need to follow a complicated storyline, yet it was interesting enough to keep me turning the pages. I enjoyed the evolution of Kate's character from the beginning to the end. I also enjoyed the message.......people gathering together and finding common ground as human beings and not labels.

I received a complimentary ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you Netgalley, Aries/Aria Fiction and Jennifer Page.

Gorgeous third book in this beautiful series.
Book Review: Christmas at the Board Game Cafe

I just finished reading Christmas at the Board Game Cafe by Jennifer Page, and it was an absolute joy from start to finish! This fourth installment in the series immerses us in the charming Yorkshire town of Essendale, where Kate seems to have it all—great friends, a thriving career, and a picturesque life. Yet, beneath the surface, I found her loneliness resonated deeply with me, especially as the festive season approached.

Kate's idea for a living Advent calendar to attract visitors to the town is nothing short of brilliant. It highlights her creativity and commitment to her community, but also the pressure she feels to make everything perfect. The sense of urgency to help her best friend's board game café added layers to the story that kept me invested.

The arrival of Kate's ex-boyfriend brought an unexpected twist. Their dynamic was both complicated and relatable, and I appreciated how the author navigated their past while allowing Kate to confront her feelings. The tension between wanting to trust him again and the fear of repeating past mistakes was palpable, making me root for their second chance.

The festive atmosphere is beautifully depicted, from the cozy café scenes to the magical unveiling of the Advent windows. Page has a knack for creating a warm, inviting setting that feels like a hug on a cold winter day.

Overall, Christmas at the Board Game Cafe is a heartwarming read that perfectly captures the essence of second chances, community, and the magic of the holiday season. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to curl up with a cup of tea and savor every page. I can’t wait to recommend it to friends as we approach the holidays!