Book Review: The Night Before Christmas by Nicola Knight

The Night Before Christmas is an absolute gem of a festive romance that had me chuckling from the first page. Felicity Brooks, our protagonist, is refreshingly relatable with her strong aversion to Christmas. I found her disdain for the holiday both amusing and understandable, which made her character feel real and grounded.

The story takes a delightful turn when she meets James, a charming stranger dressed as a giant penguin, while working at an animal rescue center on Christmas Eve. Their initial banter and shared dislike for holiday cheer provided the perfect backdrop for their blossoming relationship. I loved how their connection deepened as they worked together to care for a sick kitten—talk about an adorable meet-cute!

As the plot unfolds, Felicity faces unexpected challenges, including the return of her ex-boyfriend, Adam, which adds a nice layer of tension. I appreciated how Felicity's journey led her back to her childhood home, where she uncovers family secrets that force her to reflect on her life choices. This exploration of her past added depth to the story and made me root for her growth.

The balance of humor and heartfelt moments kept me engaged throughout. Nicola Knight has crafted a festive read that perfectly captures the spirit of self-discovery amid holiday chaos. I was invested in Felicity's journey, and the ending left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Overall, The Night Before Christmas is a delightful and laugh-out-loud read that beautifully blends romance and festive cheer. If you're looking for a cozy escape this holiday season, I highly recommend curling up with this charming book!

This book follows Felicity Brooks, whose traumatic childhood has left her disillusioned with love and Christmas. Working at an animal rescue center, her life changes on Christmas Eve when James, dressed in a penguin suit, brings in a near-death kitten. This sparks an unexpected romantic journey. As Felicity bonds with James and faces the surprise return of her ex, Adam, she begins unraveling family secrets and confronting her past. The novel balances humor and emotional depth as Felicity learns to heal, discern her relationships, and embrace her worthiness of love and friendship.

2⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for an advanced copy of The Night Before Christmas.

Felicity absolutely hates Christmas so she offers to work at the animal shelter so her coworker can enjoy Christmas. That night a man in a penguin costume named James arrives at the shelter with a cat he found on the side of the road in bad shape. She finds out he also hates Christmas. They both feel an instant connection and he ends up volunteering at the shelter and they spend more time together. Can they both help the other heal old Christmas wounds?

I could not get into this book or connect with the characters at all. The love story just seemed to lack any real spark between Felicity and James.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

I received a free copy of, The Night Before Christmas, by Nicola Knight, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Felicity Brooks despises Christmas, he music, decorations. all of it. One night she meets a man dressed up as a penguin, with a sick cat, at the animal rescue she works at. Could this be the year Christmas is not despised? This was a warm and cozy read.

A quick and easy read that I absolutely loved, for some reason in these cosy months I love reading spooky book and christmassy heartwarming ones and this didn't disappoint

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for this ARC.

Felicity Brooks hates Christmas since her Dad abandoned the family on Boxing Day when she was six and her Mum turned to alcohol. James hates Christmas since his fiancée abandoned him on Boxing Day. Their meet cute is a tiny kitten brought by James on Christmas Eve to the animal rescue centre Felicity works in. Sparks fly pretty much instantly, even though James wears a penguin costume. However, their progress is stalled by various exes and jealousy, plus serious trust and abandonment issues on Felicity's side.

I acknowledge that this is a debut novel but all that angst and jealousy was too much for me. Adam is a walking red flag, stalking Felicity and not taking no for an answer, but Felicity herself is a damaged doormat who can't face up to him for long, crumbling instantly once he collapses on her. I expected a cute, light-hearted, funny Christmas story but what I got were characters with serious issues who permanently stood in their own light.

I didn't even like Felicity's friends very much - Bex certainly does not follow the friend code and should be ashamed of herself, but Felicity also doesn't feel like a good friend to her for not trying to intervene.

Also, for a book that has Christmas in the title and a cute festive penguin on the cover, this isn't very Christmassy at all - for one because the main characters don't like Christmas but also because it doesn't actually cover very much of the Christmas period.

I liked the rescued animals (who wouldn't), but the whole story is so predictable, and I didn't find any of the characters very mature. James backs off after a talk with Adam, Felicity lets her Dad issues overshadow her whole life and both of them irrationally hate Christmas as if it's Christmas's fault that sometimes bad things happen during it. In the end Felicity only seems happy once she is loved by a man and I'm not really sure that's a great message to send.

Read if you like cats, men in penguin costumes and traumatic childhoods.

This debut novel is a solid win, possessing a range of emotions, humor, likable main characters, and charming animals. While the storyline has classic elements of the “I hate all things Christmas” trope, the setting in an animal rescue center and the penguin give it an original spin.

Felicity Brooks’ romantic life is haunted by her traumatic childhood – a father who abruptly walked out at Christmas when she was six and a negligent mother who liked alcohol more than her children. Her safe place is an animal rescue center where she can lavish her love on the animals and receive unconditional love in return. On Christmas Eve, Felicity is confronted by a dripping wet, life-size penguin (James in costume) carrying a tiny, near-death kitten. Setting aside her fears of this unknown man, she sets out with him to find the mother and launches an adventure in love she never saw coming.

I enjoyed Felicity’s journey toward healing and recognizing her worthiness in love and friendship. Her life is peppered with supportive people as well as those who take advantage of her for their own purposes. I appreciated how she began to develop discernment in her relationships as she gained insights from newly revealed secrets from her past. While the novel ends on a high note, there is much emotional turmoil before reaching the conclusion. Overall, I enjoyed the book wish the author well in her future writing endeavors.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

I fully adored this story with animals, festivities, and the holiday spirit. It was a quick easy read full of heart and Christmas. Highly recommend for the upcoming season!

Felicity Brooks is a bit of a Scrooge—but when she meets a man dressed as a giant penguin on Christmas Eve, could it spell a change of heart?

The ridiculous music. The excessive presents. The stupid Christmas sweaters. Felicity wants nothing more than to escape it all, and she pounces on the chance to work shifts over the holiday season at an animal rescue center. After all, it’s the only place that brings her true happiness.

But one day, her evening is disturbed by a stranger named James—dressed as a penguin and cradling a weak kitten. As Felicity and James work together to nurse the sick feline back to health, it gives them the perfect excuse to bond over their mutual dislike of all things festive. And soon, sparks fly.

However, their attraction is interrupted when Felicity’s ex-boyfriend Adam returns to declare his undying love. And when she’s let down by both men, Felicity decides to return to her childhood home for some peace. While there, she uncovers an array of family secrets, and even more about herself—which may just help her to make a choice between the penguin and the ex...

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄

Christmas, cats and a gorgeous man dressed as a penguin...Two of which I absolutely adore! ps It's not the penguin.

I devoured this in one sitting, starting it literally moments after being given the ARC from Netgalley.

Felicity and James were such likeable characters, they both hate celebrating Christmas, have an affinity for Die Hard (which is NOT a Christmas movie BTW!) and they both love animals. They were perfect together, but as with all book romances not everything is plain sailing.

The Night Before Christmas is a heartwarming festive fiction read guaranteed to leave you with that warm fuzzy feeling and a smile on your face.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 What’s the strangest Christmas you’ve ever had? A potentially murderous festive penguin might take the prize for non-spirited Felicity. This memorable meet cute with a man-sized handsome costumed man turned out quite alright and it turns out she and James have a shared bond over Die Hard and a hatred of Christmas. Whether you are a fan of traditional Christmas cheer, or need a little something different this year, The Night Before Christmas is a wonderful new spin on Christmas magic.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Review is on Goodreads and final will be on instagram 10/3 and on Amazon when published!

This was an amazing read. I thought it would it would be a light Christmas read but oh no it was gripping . You follow Felicity who hates Christmas and her story is amazing. Lots of twists . You have to read it. You have an animal rescue centre . I can’t do my review justice but one of my books of 2024 and a neat ending.

Enjoyed this light hearted story. Got a bit lost at some points , think too much going n . But
Overall I enjoyed it

What a fantastic debut, I adore Christmas stories and this one was done so well, I adored how Holly and Gennie were brought into the story, it was such a cute storyline, I really loved getting to know Penguin Man, he made me smile so much, so much more than a certain ex, I but that’s just my personal opinion, honestly if you like animals then this story is for you, and even if you don’t like Christmas, you will still love this story.

Felicity lleva 3 años sintiéndose culpable porque corrió de su casa a su novio después de ver mensajes con otra mujer ¿? No tiene sentido para mí, se supone que al descubrir lo que hizo el infiel, ella no le dejó explicarse, lo corrio y no volvió a hablarle, y eso la convierte en alguien como su papá, quien se fue un día y no volvió.


¿Qué fue esa tontería de la mejor amiga de Felicity con el infiel?? ¿Por qué Felicity siguió siendo amiga de Bex despues de enterarse que tuvo y sigue teniendo algo con el infiel???



James el interés amoroso parecía buena persona hasta que cuenta que estaba saliendo con alguien cuando iba a citas y se besaba con Felicity. Además la dejó (a Felicity) porque el ex (el infiel) le hablo y por el código de hombres decidió alejarse para que tuvieran su oportunidad, claro, porque lo que ella quiere no es importante y lo que vale es lo que el hombre quiere.

Este libro va de mal en peor.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloodhound Books for this ARC copy.

I really enjoyed this book, I binged it in a day and although at times the story seemed like a lot was going on, it was really easy and quick to read and I really loved the ending of it. I hope there will be a sequel to this one.