My thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a copy of “ A Recipe For Christmas “ for an honest review.

This was a cosy festive read , with the delightful snowy setting of Switzerland..Not overly christmassy but definitely helps to get you into the spirit of things .
You’ll definitely be craving chocolate by the end of the book. So stock up first !

Another Christmas cracker from Jo Thomas.
A stunning mixture of Switzerland, snow, slow burning romance and best of all ....Chocolate!
I loved this book, it made me feel Christmassy and had me so desperate for chocolate that I had to go and buy some. Be warned, stock up on your favourite choccie before settling down to read this, you won't regret it!

I read my first Jo Thomas festive book last year and really really enjoyed it so had reasonable hopes for this one but I also didn't feel that they were too high. However while this book was by no means bad it also wasn't really anything special and didn't stand out among all the other festive books I've read.

A Recipe for Christmas follows Clara who has just moved to Switzerland with her new boyfriend and has signed up for a chocolate making course that is more serious than it seemed and not everything is going to plan with her new boyfriend either.

I enjoyed reading about Clara and seeing her discover what it was she actually wanted in life rather than just following the path she had been set on since her first job and starting to take risks that she wouldn't have previously. I also enjoyed meeting many of the other characters that this book featured including Clara's friends from home and those on the chocolate making course with her.

The chocolate was fun and a part of the book I found myself looking forward to reading. It was nice to watch Clara learn, find her feet and work out what she wanted to do with her chocolates, it also made me crave proper chocolate which is a good sign.

However where this book fell flat for me was that I didn't find myself invested in the story like I normally am, I definitely had opinions about what I didn’t want to happen but with some characters featured you definitely are meant to feel that way. I wasn't invested in Clara and Gabriel's budding relationship and I felt like I could have just put the book down one day, not gone back to it and that not have ultimately bothered me. I can also pretty certainly say that it wasn't the predictably of this sort of storyline that put it off for me as that is one of my favourite things about festive books, you know what will ultimately happen in the end but get to experience it with slightly different plots and new characters.

I also found that while parts of the book made clever sense for the book and worked really well, they were kind of resolved too easy for the ending and everything conveniently comes together at the end to make this perfect ending and it just felt like it was done to make the ending as meaningful as possible to the plot but instead to me just felt convenient and I wasn't a fan of.

Overall this was a festive book that I would recommend to some people however with the window that I read festive books in I almost wish I had read something else as I think I will just forget this one as time goes on. I will give Jo Thomas another chance as I loved Countdown to Christmas last year however I suspect if I feel similarly about that book as I do this one she may not be an author I return to.

I am always excited to delve into a new Jo Thomas’ book and this one didn’t disappoint. A great combination of snow and chocolate can’t disappoint and this one doesn’t….especially when you throw in some beautifully written characters around a delightful storyline! Recommended

A festive delight that has me craving chocolate!

This was just the pick me up I needed. Thomas's novels always have a knack of putting a smile on my face.

Filled with a great mix of characters and emotions, there was everything to love.

Set in Switzerland, the backdrop was just as good as the story itself.

If you are in need of a book to give you all the feels, then this is the one for you!

If you like chocolate, (and who doesn’t!), you will love this book from Jo Thomas. And where else would you go except Switzerland to learn the art of chocolate making? And that’s exactly where Clara ends up with her new boyfriend. Unfortunately, neither the boyfriend or the chocolate course are what she expected them to be.

If you love snow and if you love chocolate you will love this book!!! I really enjoyed this read a lot! It was a page turner for me! It’s a book about taking your chances and starting new in life. It’s also about friendship. And it was a lot about chocolate making too and I really loved that too! and a touch of romance!!! I am giving a 4 stars for this very lovely book!!!

I love Jo's books. The romance is pitched perfectly with the atmospheric delight of food. I really enjoyed reading this book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

A Recipe For Christmas (written by Jo Thomas) is a lovely little, easy-to-read, cosy winter romance. Set in a beautiful little town with a backdrop of the Swiss Alps, Clara joins her new boyfriend as he moves for work. Looking for something to do, she joins a chocolate making class, meeting a number of interesting chocolatiers. Quickly finding herself out of her depth, Clara struggles to find her feet but meets a very interesting chocolatier who can help her discover her passion for chocolate.
I enjoyed reading A Recipe For Christmas as it helped me get into the Christmas spirit.

This is a great book for a a Christmas gift, easygoing and comfortable with an upbeat, overcoming adversity, everything turns out for the best in the end kind of feel! It flows along quite nicely and the story line keeps you interested. It is all a bit too convenient and far fetched at times but sometimes it’s nice to escape to a fictional place where life is uncomplicated and good people have good things happen to them! A cosy type of book for cold winter days!

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of A Recipe for Christmas.

This book is like a lovely warm drink of hot chocolate on a snowy cold day. A classic romcom with chocolate making thrown in, where could it go wrong.
Recommend.

Jo Thomas can never do no wrong with her stories, she is beautifully descriptive and creative within every single word she writes and given that this story takes place around chocolate, I can very well say that all I did was crave chocolate during my time with this one. Clara was a really sweet and lovely character, wanting to better herself and improve her ways of life, moving to Switzerland was a scary but successful trip in making this happen. Clara's journey in Switzerland was definitely a rollercoaster of a journey, to say the least, and their were many characters that definitely could boil your blood. However, Clara is a patient soul who managed to win the hearts of everybody, including the dreamy Gabriel. I wish we had more time with Clara and Gabriel and less time with the waste of a space Clara first called her boyfriend, however what we did get of Clara and Gabriel was definitely worth the wait.

A move to another country and a fun chocolate course is what she is expecting, but the course proves to be anything but and is leaves doubts in Clara's mind. He boyfriend is not quite all she was expecting either and suddenly the new life seems to be unravelling.

However, Clara is not a quitter and soon we find out just how spirited she is and travel with her on a tough but enlightening adventure.

A delightful Christmas read set in switzerland. I loved all the characters at the chocolate school and enjoyed how their friendship developed so much throughout the book - a different kind of Christmas read but it made it all the more interesting

Jo Thomas never fails to impress me with her story telling, and A recipe for Christmas does not disappoint. With almost 40 something needing to take the next step, find themselves in a brief relationship there is a dribble of intrigue and a dusting of love all covered in heaps of chocolate. This is a fabulous story about Clara who takes redundancy and moves to Switzerland with her new-ish boyfriend she met on a dating app. All is not what it seems… but she takes a step in a beginners chocolate making course, which is not all it seems. Then there is Gabriel a grumpy master chef. Add some chocolate and we have a wonderful festive read that oozes Christmas and snow. Did I mention chocolate? Lots of chocolate. This book needs to be read while eating chocolate.
Jo Thomas really gives us everything! An amazing 5 star read.

#netgalley #arecipeforchristmas #chocolateconsumptionessential #thebookcaseofkay

It is not Christmas without a Jo Thomas book. Any book that starts with the line ‘How many Lindor chocolates can you fit your mouth at the same time?’ is a winner for me.

Jo Thomas writes characters and scenes so well, you can just imagine you are in the locations she writes about. I thoroughly enjoyed Clara’s chocolate adventure in Switzerland. I loved have the relationship between Clara and Gabriel developed. What a gem Alain was too.

This book should carry a warning though, it will make you crave chocolate!

Escape to Switzerland with Cara. Things don’t go to plan but it’s full of chocolate and self discovery.

This is Christmas wrapped in a chocolate box. Once I started on this magnificent book, I did not want to put it down.

Clara moves to Switzerland with her very new boyfriend. It turns out nothing like she imagined it would. True love hardly ever runs smooth. Within weeks the rose tinted glasses Clara seemed to have on, fell off.

One of her weaknesses was for chocolate. What better way of getting to know people than to join a prestigious training college and master the art of chocolate-making. Within a few weeks she has made wonderful friends, who help her move on, without the awful new boyfriend.

If you enjoy chocolate, by the time you have finished the book, your love of chocolate will have you smelling chocolate most of the time.
A truly delightful book which is well written and will definitely put you in the mood for Christmas. Jo Thomas has demonstrated the need for friendship and love. The characters all complement one another, with different personalities.

Jo Thomas has managed to write yet another novel which will entertain you and lose all sense of time as you will want to read this straight off.

I’m a fan of this author and enjoy every book so knew what I was expecting. Emotional story, great characters, a brilliant setting and delicious descriptions of food/drink. I was not disappointed at all.

A beautiful story about following dreams, overcoming adversity and perseverance. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and found that my mouth watered with such descriptive foods throughout.

A bittersweet story, full of delicious chocolate and vivid characters. A real gem, set in beautiful Switzerland.
I enjoyed reading this book so much.