This book will scratch your Brit comedy itch - the kind that usually has you parked in front of BritBox, tea in hand, nodding appreciatively at the familiar chaos of village life. But here, instead of sitting slack-jawed in front of a screen, you get to soak up the sharp wit and quiet absurdities at your own pace. The characters are just as exasperating, the mishaps just as inevitable, and the humour just as wry - only this time, it’s all on the page.

Told through hilariously unreliable round-robin Christmas letters, this epistolary novel unpacks the carefully curated chaos of three neighboring families in a 1990s English village. Ali’s household is a whirlwind of kids and financial catastrophes, Caroline’s oozes glamour (and $4000 face creams), and Robert’s quiet respectability hides more than he lets on. Behind the cheery updates lurk feuds, mysteries, and the unsettling events of the village’s pagan summer festival.

At first, one of the character’s voices felt so intentionally smug and self-righteous, I found the contrivance distracting. But once settled in, I started to enjoy the sheer audacity of it. By the end of the book, I was properly invested and surprised when the last letter concluded so abruptly. I expect by the time it’s published [THANK YOU NetGalley for the ARC] we’ll see an epilogue.

This book had a good premise but the structure just didn't work for me. It felt more like a bunch of facts being stated rather than the author telling a story. The characters were also terrible and generally unlikeable.

Great for fans of Jojo Moyes!! I loved the family feel of the book, it flowed beautifully and I loved the use of the letters, an unusual style of writing that worked! The characters were (mostly) likeable and the story was captivating! Loved it!

Are you a fan of women’s fiction? I just finished an enjoyable book that should be on your list. A Perfect Year by Ruth Foster is one to pick up on publication day.

I had high hopes for this book based on this description as the style felt different than anything else I'd read based on how it was structured. However, upon starting to read it, I found that the story didn't flow as smoothly due to the short, brief letter-style format and it was difficult for me to keep characters straight and figure out how everything related to each other. I found it a bit difficult to follow and ultimately felt like I didn't get much character development out of this style of writing - it felt mostly like just stated facts without much context behind it. I loved the idea but the execution fell a bit flat.

Advertised as women’s fiction, A Perfect Year takes an epistolary approach, unfolding entirely through annual Christmas letters from three neighbours in a quaint English village/suburb of London. . Sounds charming, right? Well… yes and no.

The Setup 🎄

• Ali – A perpetually broke librarian juggling a Chilean artist husband and chaotic kids.

• Caroline – A posh, narcissistic nightmare with an overinflated sense of self-importance. She would be immediately cancelled today.

• Robert – The only genuinely decent human here, who moves back home to care for his elderly mum and special needs brother.

Their letters span the 90s to the early 2000s, giving us an inside look at village life, historical moments, and just how wild the technological and societal changes were over that time.

What Worked ✅

• The nostalgia factor – The nods to UK/world events, concerts, and cultural shifts were a fun time capsule. I found myself reminiscing about how fast everything changed in those 15 years.

• The letter format – It’s an interesting way to tell a story, and what the characters omit says just as much as what they include.

• Robert. Just Robert. He’s the only one I actually liked and wanted a happy ending for

What Didn’t ❌

• The characters (except Robert). Caroline is a cartoonishly self-absorbed snob. Ali is scatter-brained (albeit under a lot of stress), doesn't seem to take ownership over her life choices and is a bit of a pushover. Most of the other women? Vicious, self-serving, or downright criminal. This book did nothing to upend misogynistic female stereotypes.

• The extended family gossip?? Look, Christmas letters are not the place to roast your relatives—especially when those same people are probably receiving the letters. It felt unrealistic.

• The abrupt ending. No closure, just a hard stop. Where was my dude Robert? When does Caroline get her come-uppance? There’s even a murder mystery lurking in the background that never got resolved. What was the purpose of it? I will never know.

Final Verdict: 2.5 Stars ⭐⭐✨

It’s a stroll down memory lane with an intriguing structure, but between the meh characters and lack of resolution, it never fully clicked for me. If you love village drama and don’t mind deeply flawed protagonists, this might work better for you. But personally? It missed the mark.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own—and my opinion is that Robert deserved a better book.