I received a free copy of, A Recipe for Christmas, by Jo Thomas, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Clara loses her job, so she decides to go to France with her new man Daniel. Clara decides to take a class in chocolate making, she meets new friends and learns about herself and Daniel. I really enjoyed this book, its a great Christmas read.

Chocolate and Christmas- what a great combination.
I loved Clara’s story. Her ‘never give up‘ attitude was to be admired and her courage and resilience to be enjoyed.
Switzerland in Winter sounded magical and Jo Thomas has again given us sights and sounds to enjoy and feast upon.
As always, she’s included characters to love and maybe not love, but each play such an important role in the story. The setting, the people and the love all so evident and integral to putting the story together. Another one to savour.

What a gray way to spend an autumn reiny day. Curled up on the sofa whilst the dog snoozes on my feet. Clara is off on an adventure with her new man in Switzerland on a chocolatier course. She has a lot to learn she realises as she soon finds out it’s not a novice course and has a world renowned chocolatier judging. She’s miles older than the other attendees and her relationship is not what she thought it would be.
She is all out of sorts and tempted to give in. Alain the assistant is turning out the be her true friend and sue decides to take it one day at a time.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

I just love Jo's books. This had such a warm christmassy feel with the snow and the 🍫 chocolate. What a lovely story. Clara who was at a turning point in her life took a massive leap of faith moving to Switzerland with someone she hardly knew at all!

What a fabulous opportunity to join the course at the Chocolate school under the mentoring of such a luminary, Gabriel who was a well renowned chocolatier! That was part of Clara's leaving package in her old HR job and entirely different from anything she'd ever done. The only thing she had goind for her was her love of chocolate.
Although she nearly fell at the first fence, Clara picked herself up and was determined to prove herself.

I loved the ending and will look for more of Jo's books although I have read a few.

Thank you netgalley for this Arc.

I fell in love with the cute cover and thoroughly enjoyed this festive and heartwarming story that made me smile and root for the charaters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

How gorgeous is the cover for this book? I can't stop staring at it! I find that there is nothing better than a Jo Thomas book at Christmas time because not only is the story lovely but the setting and the descriptions of all the gorgeous swiss food and chocolate is absolutely fantastic and no one can quite take you right into the story like Jo Thomas is.

Clara is a wonderful character who moves to Switzerland with her boyfriend something which is very out of character for her, but she takes a chance and signs up to become a chocolatier and so her journey begins which of course is not smooth sailing. I learned so much about chocolate from this book and never understood the work that goes into it!

One quick note....do not read if you are hungry and have no snacks on hand!

I absolutely loved this book. It is not a typical Christmas book either!
It follows the story of Clara a HR manager who has decided to take redundancy and rent her home out long term
She has met a guy on the internet who seems compatible at least in the bedroom department and he has been offered a job in Switzerland, her company will pay for her a course anywhere in the world she fancies
She has always fancied a chocolate making course so off they go
Except in Switzerland chocolatier’s are of the highest quality and their schools are too so this one Clara is at is very high end from the start even the student at least half her age are mostly from famous chocolate families. She fails her first task miserably and Daniel seems to think she is there to pick up his underwear and have sex
I loved Clara and found myself fighting for her every step of the way
Lovely book by Jo Thomas

I love all things Christmas so this was right up my street. A fab festive read.
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review it.

Clara decides to make changes in her life and takes voluntary redundancy from her HR job at a department store. She makes a leap of faith and moves with her new boyfriend when he takes a job in Switzerland. As part of her redundancy package she has the opportunity to take a training course and decides to attend a training camp for chocolatiers.
This reminded me in a strange way of the film Chalet Maid where someone feels totally out of their depth, albeit with chocolate rather than snowboarding. The descriptions of the course sounded so tempting, but I'm not sure that I could take the pressure that the school attendees were under. The course mentor, Gabriel, is certainly enigmatic and I felt sorry for the course assistant, Alain, who seemed to be the underdog at the school. I felt perpetually hungry reading this book , with a yearning for chocolate, and read it almost in one sitting. The Swiss setting also sounded fantastic, I haven't been there for decades, and the emphasis on friendship also struck a chord. Although set near Christmas this is a book to enjoy at any time of the year.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

A light and enjoyable seasonal read evoking the feeling of Christmas. Set in Switzerland with plenty of snow and warming Swiss food, of which there are some recipes at the end of the book. Clara, the main female character moves to Switzerland with a new boyfriend in a complete leap of faith having been taken voluntary redundancy. She enrols on a Chocolate course just on the basis she likes chocolate, although more on the cheaper popular end of the British market. What follows is her journey into the world of chocolate from being out of her depth at the beginning. Joyful read and definitely warming. Good character development and I found liking Clara more as she gains confidence and finds her way. Interesting other characters with a villain or too to balance out the mix.

This heartwarming novel by Jo Thomas follows Clara, a 40-year-old woman seeking a new start after losing her job. She moves to Switzerland to join a romantic interest and takes up a professional chocolate-making course, despite it being designed for experts. Clara’s determination and resilience help her overcome challenges, and her journey through the class becomes a metaphor for her personal growth.

The book is rich in vivid, mouth-watering descriptions of chocolate, and Clara’s character shines through her perseverance and support of others. The festive setting of snowy Switzerland adds to the fairy-tale charm, making it a perfect Christmas read. While the repetition of chocolate school scenes may feel slow initially, they become a comforting aspect of the story, showcasing Clara’s development.

Ultimately, the novel is filled with hope, joy, and emotional depth, delivering an uplifting and cozy reading experience, ideal for the holiday season.

Who wouldn’t want a book about making chocolates in Switzerland? Throw a little Christmas into the mix and you’ve got the perfect recipe. Clara is the brave heroine of the story who starts her life again by taking a chance on love with a new man who relocates to Switzerland. She goes too and invests her redundancy money in a chocolate making course. Will it go well?
It’s a great story of new dreams, relationships, friendships and making the most of new opportunities. Loved it!

Clara decides to take redundancy from her job in HR and focus on changing her life as she is reaching 40. She meets a man online who is transferring to Switzerland with his job and he asks her to go with him to see where their relationship will go. Why not she thinks. Part of her redundancy package is that the company will pay for her to retrain and she decides to do a chocolate making course – in Switzerland, a good plan. Once she starts the course she realises that it is not for amateurs which she is but she battles on and eventually begins to enjoy it. Things do not go well with her new man which adds more pressure in the mix. The other thing which is difficult is that some of the other students do not take too kindly to her but she eventually wins them round. The way the chocolates are described is amazing as well as the making of them. The book has all the good stuff you want in a book including the way the town is described especially as the course finishes Christmas Eve. I enjoyed the characters with their different quirks and agendas – lovely read

I loved this one so much! It was a Christmas feel good story. Being a lover of baking myself I loved following the chocolatier journey of Clara on her new adventure in Switzerland following what she thought was right for her heart.. will she make her new dream work or is it just a dream?

If you love the thought of the perfect Christmas story, snow, hot chocolate, mountains this one is worth a read!

I’ll admit that I was hoping this book wasn’t too Christmassy as I was reading it in October. I can report it is more about the recipe than Christmas. Clara moves to Geneva with her new banker boyfriend after taking redundancy. She chooses to take a course in chocolate making and this is the story of how that and her relationship pans out. I really enjoyed this story and the group of chocolate students, I could also picture the location and taste the chocolate. A feel good book with lovely characters.

Absolutely loved this book. Clara is full of dreams for her fresh start with a new boyfriend in Switzerland but when things start to go wrong she begins to doubt her decisions. The setting, chocolate, friendships and spirit of Clara makes for a great read, you have to race to the end to find out if it all works out. Wonderful, feel good Christmas book. Highly recommended.

A wonderful warm hug of a Christmas book filled with chocolate, snow and courage. Clara throws her customary caution to the winds and accepts redundancy, moves to Geneva with her new boyfriend and signs up to a chocolatiers course. I loved it and recommend reading it with a large fire and a mug of hot chocolate!

A great story with a lot of angles in it about life, love, friendships and passions. A good read that keeps you in the spirit

What a joy of a book full of happiness, self discover, chocolate, friendships, beliving, and the Swiss Alps with Christmas thrown in. Jo's new book is a absoutle joy to read from beginning to end as we meet Clara, a girl who sees herself nothing more than the HR girl from Duncans and Daughters. I just wanted to hug her and tell her that she is so much more than that. I love the fact she took a chance and was brave enough to throw everything away to follow a man; but is he the right one? I'm not going to give the story away but Gabriel is someone you just want to get to know more about.

I couldn't put the book down, wanting to know what happens next and wither Clara finally gets to the end goal. It's a book that just wants to give you a hug, to read in front of the fire and wanting to eat or drink as much chocolate as you can.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Clara decided to make some changes in her life. She signs up for a class, that is different than what she had in mind. I liked this book.