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.

"A Recipe for Christmas" is a great feel-good romance set in Geneva, city of finance and chocolate. Our heroine Clara moves to Geneva on an impulse to be with her new boyfriend. She is an out and out chocoholic and has been signed up for a chocolate-making course. To say that it is not what she expected is an understatement! Will she last the course? Will she find friendship and love in the snow, leading up to Christmas?

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4 star review … I finished this book in 3 days. I love the description of where Clara was in Switzerland and it felt like I was there. I loved the way the group and other characters were defined and they had their own individuality. I hadn’t read other Jo Thomas books until now but it’s made me a fan.

This is a perfect, feel-good, cosy up with the fire and Christmas tree lit behind you kind of book. Perfect Christmas read, simple and easy! This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

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Clara (always reminds me of the Nutcracker - so a good start) does not like change but, with her 40th birthday not too far away she decides that if she doesn't step out of her comfort zone soon she may live to regret it.
taking a leap of faith she takes redundancy and moves to Switzerland with her new boyfriend. Here she has signed up for a six week chocolate course to give her something to do in the run up until Christmas - a time to reflect and decide what she wants to do next.
Both the boyfriend and the course are not at all what she was expecting but, as she is there now anyway can do nothing else but, give it her best shot. Allowing herself to make new friends, eat her body weight in chocolate, learn about Switzerland but, most importantly learn things about herself.
The descriptions of the area and the food in the book are written well and you can almost taste the chocolate and feel the cold. The characters have plenty of flaws just like the rest of us so are very relatable and there are a few twists and turns so the story is not too predictable. Overall a nice chocolatey, cosy Christmas read.

Another feel good read from Jo Thomas, set in the stunning Swiss Alps, where the main character Clara has gone to escape and embark on becoming a chocolatier. Needs to be read whilst enjoying a huge bar of chocolate!

As always, a very entertaining read but I couldn’t understand why she put up with Daniel for so long.

This was a perfect recipe for an ‘under the weather day’ curled up with a cosy charming Christmas read with lots of information about chocolate.
When Clara takes redundancy after more than 20 years working for the same company, she takes a leap of faith and follows her new boyfriend to Switzerland . There she joins a chocolate school and turns her passion for chocolate into a flair for making chocolate.
She also finds new friends and a new role in life.
Beautiful scenery and a great description of chocolate making takes this mouth watering read into chocolate heaven.
The recipes at the end are just the sparkles needed to decorate the book.

A fantastic Christmas read! I loved every page of this book. Full of wonderful characters in a beautiful setting just right for Christmas. This is one huge ‘feel good hug’ of a book not to be missed.
Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review. It was an absolute delight.

A fantastic book just for the winter months, not just for Christmas. Clara works in HR but when her new boyfriend sets off to work in Switzerland she goes with him to do a Chocolate maker course. Along the way she finds out more about Daniel but more importantly herself. An easy read with fun characters. Thanks to Jo and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley