Christmas romance done perfectly by Jo Thomas. A recipe for christmas follows Clara, a middle aged woman recently made redundant and taking stock of her life, she makes a leap of faith and travels with her fairly new boyfriend to Switzerland. Her love of chocolate leads her to enrol on a course in chocolate making, however unknown to Clara this is a course for serious chocolatiers and not just lovers of lindt! Despite being the obvious outlier on the course she perseveres and continues on even though she is often the subject of ridicule by her classmates and teachers. Along the way she learns so much more about chocolate than she could ever have dreamed and unlocks new passions not only with chocolate but in her romantic life too. I was rooting for Clara's happiness for the entire novel and Jo Thomas did not dissapoint in allowing Clara her happy ending.

A heart-warming festive read filled with romance, food, and holiday charm. Set in Switzerland the story follows Clara's delightful journey of love, second chances, and the magic of Christmas traditions. After taking redundancy, Clara rushes off to Switzerland with the new man in her life. As she had a choice to do a career changing course as part of her package, she opts for a Swiss Chocolate course, where she quickly finds she is out of her depth. Her new boyfriend is also not quite what he seems.Perfect for fans of feel-good holiday reads, this book is a comforting escape that pairs wonderfully with a cup of hot chocolate.

A delightful festive read with lots of heart.

Warning though, you will have a craving of chocolate whilst reading this, so keep some handy!

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Thanks must go to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Thank you to netgalley for the chance e to read this book.

Another great Christmassy book from Jo.

I loved this read so much. Jo has the ability to transport you to the foodie dream of choice in every page.
If you love chocolate or love a romcom this one is the perfect pick up.

This was a fun Christmas read which gave all the festive feels.

Clara finds herself at a crossroads when she is suddenly made redundant, not long before she is 40. Her new boyfriend, Daniel throws her a lifeline when he invites her to live with him at his new job in Switzerland and she seizes the opportunity to try something new, signing up for a chocolatiers course while she is there.

The oldest and least experienced person on the course, she soon finds that she is out of her depth, and with her boyfriend less reliable than she first thought, she wonders whether she made the right decision. But with a determination to succeed she soon finds herself making friendships, and learning a lot.

Really good seasonal read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read this one in December but have only just got around to reviewing it sorry. Really enjoyed this wonderful festive story. I liked the fact that Clara is a slightly older MC, stuck in a bit of a rut, who throws caution to the wind and heads off to switzerland with a man she’s not long met. An impulsive move, sure, but also gutsy and one I found relatable, as someone who has dropped everything and travelled on a whim as well. The setting was great, the writing clever and the vibe of the book was just lovely. Thanks Netgalley and the publisher.

Such a lovely feel good book that you could read at any time of the year not just christmas. I've been recommending this to my friends since I finished reading it. Jo Thomas is like a warm hug, it's so easy to pick up her books and find yourself hooked within minutes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It ticks all the boxes when it comes to a Christmas themed book.
Clara, approaching 40 has lived the same life with the same routine and is essentially stuck in a rut.
When redundancy suddenly appears as an option and having met someone on a dating app (Daniel) who will be relocating to Switzerland. Clara sees this as an opportunity to breakaway from her mundane life and embark on an adventure (albeit with a guy she has just met but seems to have connected on an intimate level).
Part of the redundancy package includes being enrolled on a pre paid course. Being in Switzerland, a beginner's chocolate making course sounds perfect. When she gets there, it might not be as beginner as she thought it might be and makes Clara rethink her decision and if she’s cut out for this course. But what I loved about Clara is that she wasn’t deterred and chose to battle it out and learn as much as she could and prove to herself and the others that she could do it even if she was an amateur.

As well as pushing herself to prove herself in the chocolate course she discovers that Daniel is not all he seems and is forced to leave their shared apartment.
With a commendable undeterred spirit, Clara decides to stay and immerse herself in the course and life living with her fellow students.

Without ruining the entire storyline, a few other notable characters add to her journey and experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book. The descriptions of Switzerland, the world of chocolate and Clara’s personal journey was a wonderful combination. Clara’s tenacity and drive was inspiring and you felt yourself cheering for her throughout. I wholeheartedly recommend, A Recipe for Christmas.

I found myself constantly reading "just one more" chapter every time I picked up this book. It is light (yet with some depth) and a very enjoyable novel. That said, it does require some suspension of disbelief, I think.

Have you ever felt that you were in a rut? Doing a job that you know well but which feels unsatisfying? Have you ever hoped for the rush of a new romance and the chance to make a spontaneous life change? These are aspects of Clare's life so when the opportunity to live in Switzerland with her new romance is a possibility, she does the unexpected and goes.

Clare wants to take a course while there and chooses chocolate making. Through a bit of an error, Clare has enrolled herself in a class with those who have much more experience than she. Not everyone is nice to this beginner. Despite doubts, Clare stays.

Readers get to know a lot about the making of chocolate. I enjoyed this aspect of the book. They also get to know the other students in Clare's class and those who work at the school.

The boyfriend turns out to be a maybe. Read the book to see if Clare is with him at the end or with a well-known chocolatier whom readers learn is facing his own challenge.

Recommended to those who like fiction, women's fiction, romance, stories of growth, Switzerland and chocolate. That certainly means many readers who will enjoy this one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK-Transworld for this title. All opinions are my own.

Jo Thomas never disappoints. Food, family, love and fresh starts. Any book Jo writes jumps to the top of my TBR list and this book reminds me why. Another cracker.

After losing her job, Clara makes the rash decision to move to Switzerland with her new partner, who is moving there to work. She is enrolled on what she is expecting to be a beginner's chocolate making course, but quickly finds herself out of her depth, and that she has moved there with someone that she really doesn't know.

I loved this book. A cozy festive story, full of chocolate, snow, romance and a bit of humour; perfect for getting lost in.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for letting me read a copy in return for my honest review

I read this book on a Christmas holiday abroad. The book was a perfect backdrop to the rest and relaxation. The story is heartwarming and lighthearted. I loved it.

Clara takes redundancy and is offered a course paid for as part of the redundancy package so she chooses to go on a chocolatier course in Switzerland. After all she can put a fair few Lindt chocolates in her mouth at one time so definitely has a passion for chocolate.
Clara finds herself on a journey of self discovery, making new friends with a little romance thrown in.
A lovely festive read.
Thank you to Random house UK and Netgalley for an advanced copy review of this book, with opinions all my own.

I didn't want this book to end. The setting was fantastic, the characters were relatable and the chocolates sounded amazing. I was pleased that the main character retained her sense of self worth. Good read.

I’m a fan of Jo Thomas and A Recipe for Christmas was such a warm, hopeful novel. Cute friendships and a blossoming romance. A perfect festive read

Jo Thomas is one of my all-time favourite authors, always managing to capture the most perfect of backdrops mixed with romance and the main characters finding out who they truly are.

Having just returned from Switzerland this was the perfect novel to lose myself in as I could feel and see the backdrops being described which made it all the more perfect. The chocolate focus was so interesting and just that little bit different - as not much of a chocolate lover, I can tell you now that I wanted to try every single one!

The romance was perfection and I completely fell in love with Clara has a main character, maybe because I have a lot of the same feelings as her right now..

Yet another favourite book that I’ve enjoyed recommending to customers.

This book contains all the elements for a feel good book.
Christmas, snow, chocolate, love, romance. I think I'll be rereading it every Christmas - and I’ll certainly be reading more books by this author.

Loved Clara's story and the beautiful Swiss alps which I could just imagine I was there. A lovely foodie author who combined a great story with what's better than Swiss choccy. Absoulty gourgous read wby a cracking fire and a cup of hot choc

well jo as done it again this is a book to read how somebody writes a story about chocolate is so good it makes your mouth water throughout your reading it tells the story of clara who loves chocolate and finds her way in life at last by going to chocolate school in the alps and starts to taste all the new chocolate which she invents along with help of her friends and long the way daniel and gabriel are in her life where she dines with them to enjoy the qualities of the alps diners now for you to enjoy it for yourself