A Perfect Year by Ruth Foster tells the story of three families living in the same neighbourhood over many decades, through their holiday letters. Robert, Alison and Caroline (and their families) each write an annual Christmas letter and we get to see multiple perspectives of these neighbors’ interactions throughout the years and how their lives develop.

The format was really interesting. I generally enjoy epistolary books so this was right up my alley. It did take me a while to get into the story and remember that there were three families writing and not just two. By the end, I was quite invested in their stories! I did feel like the characters were a bit one-dimensional and there wasn't a lot of character growth but it was still an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. Although it took me some time to get used to the style of this book, I ended up really enjoying it. Foster created authentic voices for each character and the round robin letters ended up being a unique way to tell the story and bring you into their world. Despite a few anachronisms, I loved the snapshots of Britain through the nineties and noughties, although some of the letters were out of order.

A Perfect Year by Ruth Foster is an intriguing novel told in end of the year holiday letters from multiple perspectives. We get to see multiple perspectives of these neighbors’ interactions throughout the years and how their lives develop.

Overall, this was an interesting format. I felt it took a bit to draw me into this story. It took me a while to get invested in the story, but by the end, I was drawn into the neighbors’ drama. I also didn’t really like any of the characters; however, that doesn’t keep a story from being enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

We all remember passing around the infamous round robin letters stuffed into ubiquitous snowy scened Christmas cards. There was always that family whose annual missive was a little bit more than the others. This book is a meandering journey through 3 decades of 3 families, joined by their wealthy neighborhood rather than in friendship. And of course, ‘that family’ have more holidays/trophies/kitchen extensions than anyone else!

I loved the idea of this novel especially as the round robin seems to have been replaced by non-stop social media feeds. It just goes to show that you never really know what’s going on behind closed doors but there’s always the highlights reel.

I requested this book solely from the cover when I first saw it, and then after for the description. It took me a bit to get used to the flow of the book being written with short bursts of letters. I loved the concept of it after I got further into the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

This felt like a pure release from the world. Sit and giggle a while at fake yet funny worlds.
I love how this was a never beleive what see. Or you really dont know what goes on behind closed doors.
These characters took it to a new level and I loved it for that! Although actually,what do we know about how relatable these characters are to real life.
We get to know know the fakery by the round Robin letter our main characters send out. Ali is in trouble with finance and full house. Caroline is a glamour puss and doesn't seem to even try to hide her smugness. And Robert well, I don't want to spoil it.
A few more fun twists and turns are to come with this one. So sit back and enjoy.

A witty and sharp exploration of social façades, this novel cleverly uses annual round-robin newsletters to unravel the hidden truths behind three seemingly perfect neighbors. With its mix of humor and intrigue, it keeps you hooked, questioning whose version of events you can trust. A fun, thought-provoking read, Loved it!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

If you know me you know I love a book that takes place at different times. Knowing that people loved something similar to you in a different time is so interesting to me and this did not disappoint. Always forever grateful when NetGalley gives me something fun

For the first 15% percent I enjoyed the specific format, but kept expecting the story to take off - preferably without it being something else than Christmas wrap-ups of the past year. I gave up at 41%, because nothing significant actually happened, most characters were bland, unemotional, and hardly interested in what was going on in the world beyond themselves. Where was their interconnection?

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.