Rebecca Carter's Reviews > The Christmas Wish

Esme has been through a rough time with her ex boyfriend and decides she needs to leave London. She escapes to the familiarity and the safety of Little Dove Morton and Thimble Cottage, the village in the Peak District where her grandmother lives, and where Esme has many happy childhood memories of.

Being back in her Grandmother's cottage helps Esme start to heal, and as Autumn turns to Winter and plans start being made for Christmas, Esme begins to accept her broken engagement with the horrible sounding Warren and enjoy spending time with her warm hearted and devoted grandmother Matilda. Her parents are going to spend Christmas with her and her grandmother, and hopefully some bridges will be built. However, when tragedy strikes, things don't go quite as straightforward as they initially seemed.

Although The Christmas Wish is the perfect heartwarming antidote to the hectic run up to Christmas, it still touches on weightier issues; such as emotionally abusive relationships and some moving storylines, particularly in relation to one character. This brings another element to the story but doesn't detract too much from the overall sense of reassurance the book brings, with its descriptions of the smells and sights you associate with December and Christmas. Baking of Christmas puddings and cakes, beautifully sparkling Christmas trees, colourful lights, decadent decorations, whiffs of steaming hot chocolate and frosty mornings.

The characters are likeable and good natured - with the exception of Warren - and the settings are delightful. There are gorgeous descriptions of the towns in the Peak District - Bakewell and its sparkling and twinkly Christmas lights, cute pale stoned cottages and proper pubs. I particularly loved the descriptions of the Arctic landscapes of blinding whiteness, miles of forests of huge iced fir trees, tiny villages made up of houses of coloured wood; just like the views you'd expect to see in a snow globe. The capital of Finnish Lapland - Rovaniemi and home of Santa Claus village - appears totally enchanting, with its gift shops selling sweets, chocolates and souvenirs and buildings draped in tinsel, lights and a sprinkling of snow dusting everywhere. It really is the epitome of Christmas, and back when you were a kid, exactly where you imagine Santa to live, with all the anticipation and excitement. Santa Claus's Village and a Northern Lights tour, have gone straight to the top of my "to travel to" list. It reads exactly how I remember Santa Claus: The Movie, which was my fave Christmas film when I was a child.

It's not entirely all light hearted fluff and is the ideal read if you enjoy your Christmassy books with a bit more meat on them, rather then just a straight forward, run of the mill romance. Nevertheless the descriptions and settings can't get much more Christmassy. This book has made me want to go out and buy even more Xmas decorations. I can imagine reading this book another year, just to get into the Christmas spirit. If you are feeling slightly "bah humbug", this is the read for you!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.