OMG I absolutely loved this! Daisy is a character that I loved from the off , her rivalry and friendship with Ollie that has spurned since childhood and is reignited every Christmas as their parents compete over their achievements whilst Uncle T is the slightly eccentric Uncle everyone needs in their lives a beacon of light guiding the way and keeping everyone anchored together, with his annual Christmas eve parties.

This book is brimming with fantastic characters that you would love to attend a Christmas eve party with as they all bring a little something different to the lovely little bookshop each year. Daisy's dog Stanley reminds me of my own dog, always on the hunt for food and cuddles.
I love Zara Stoneley's books and I was really excited to hear that she had another book due for release before Christmas. Four Christmases and a Secret has just become my new favourite, it was a lovely story that draws you in and the last 40% flew by as I just had to keep reading as was loving how the story was unfolding. This was a book that I finished and then felt disappointed that I had read it so quickly as I had loved the characters so much. I love a festive read and this is a fab one to add to your pile to help you get in the Christmas spirit

If you're not getting ready for Christmas now....I want to know why! Surely Zara Stoneley's new book has put you in the Christmas spirit in erm....September?! By the way, this cover is SO pretty!!! Simple yet extremely effective - I love it!

Now, I am a massive fan of Zara Stoneley's books, so it absolutely pains me to say that I really struggled with 30-40% of this book. I thought the stepping stones to the story were there from the beginning, however I felt that the connection was very thin and the storyline didn't have the same flawless, continuous vibe like many of her other books. I am well aware that there is a lot happening in the book, and often that can make things feel a little bit up in the air at times, that wasn't the issue at all. In fact, I loved the randomness of Daisy's character and the fact that she just dived head first into literally everything about her life. For me, it was the fact that there were snippets of events, issues, relationship drama etc, yet they seemed to lay there dormant and unconnected to the main storyline. That's what I struggled with.....however....

wait for it......

Once I hit like 40% of the book, everything fell into place and I ended up falling head over heels in love with the book and what Zara Stoneley was trying to achieve. At the end of the book my cheeks were aching something chronic, and it turned out I was grinning like an absolute loon. I didn't want Daisy's story to end! I am so pleased that the jigsaw pieces came together eventually.

Daisy is such a bonkers character and I thought she was absolutely brilliant. She gave the book the element of surprise, the element of uniqueness, and ended up becoming a character I would love to meet again in another book. Honestly, she is hysterical and made 'Four Christmases' what it was. Well, her and Stanley....oh, and Uncle T. Oh my heart! Uncle T, what a legend! He reminded me of my Great Uncle Ted - a gentle giant who would do anything for anyone, yet also the type of person who would stand their ground if need be. I will hold my hands up and say that my eyes did leak a bit where he was concerned.....that's all I'm saying on that matter though!

Back to Stanley. Another legend of the four legged variety! I love how Zara Stoneley always puts a doggy character in her books, and the way that she gives them such a memorable personality instead of being just a background ornament as it were. Stanley was as much of a character in the book as Daisy and Ollie were.

Daisy's mum was a belter too - absolutely hilarious, cringeworthy and simply perfect! Even though there is a lot of hilarity in this book, there are also several discussions of topics on a deeper scale. That said, they are also written with a hint of hilarity....just to even things up a bit.

By the time I got to the end of the book, I couldn't believe my reaction to the first part of it, but I am so glad that I trusted my judgement and Zara Stoneley's writing as I ended up absolutely loving this book.

Zara Stoneley creates such hilarious, heartwarming storylines which are both memorable and unique; 'Four Christmases and a Secret' is no different. If you're after a book which puts a unique spin on the festive season, bereavement and relationships, I would urge you to read this in a heartbeat. Another brilliant, brilliant book by an author who certainly knows her way around a pen and paper!

Zara Stoneley has written some bestsellers. And now in time for the holidays, we have the joy of her latest book, Four Christmases and a Secret. According to her About the Author pages at the end of this book, Ms. Stoneley tells us that she writes about “friendships, dreams, love and happy ever after. She hopes her tales make us laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say ‘ahh!’” As booklovers, aren’t these exactly the treats we like to find in Christmas books?

Four Christmases presents three characters that you will love. (Four as we should also count Stanley the dog.) Daisy lives in a lovely U.K. village. She has a warm family, and her best friend is Ollie. Ollie’s family is friends with Daisy’s family and everyone loves Ollie’s Uncle Terence. As children, Daisy and Ollie competed all the time, and specially at school. Ollie was going to be a doctor and Daisy was eager to be a vet.

But when they meet up at Uncle Terence’s annual Christmas party at his charming book store thirteen years after Ollie and Daisy parted at the end of school, things have changed. Ollie has become a successful doctor and is quite grown up and handsome. Daisy is not the shining star she had hoped to be. She is lost and subdued.

The title of this book promises us four Christmases AND a secret. You will enjoy reading about all four Christmas parties that take place in Uncle Terence’s book store. The decorations and holiday foods are wonderful and there is always something funny and surprising happening. Each year we see how Daisy and Ollie have changed. And what about the secret? Turns out there are several secrets that will move you to tears and then shaky smiles.

I loved seeing how Daisy learns from Uncle Terence that she must seize the opportunities she has and do something with her life. She starts believing that she can succeed at life. She learns who her friends are and who really loves her. Daisy is warm-hearted with a friendly and funny way. I enjoyed reading about her and seeing how she grows and learns from her comical escapades. There is a bit too much dialogue and Daisy’s inner thoughts for me which slows the story down but there is also plenty of depth and insight, too. Enjoy this lovely holiday book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Impulse for a digital review copy. This is my honest review.

This book made me smile, laugh, root for the characters and share a lot of emotions with the characters.
I loved Daisy, Ollie, and Stanley: they're all likeable and well written. All the cast of characters is fleshed out and interesting.
It was a good read, the plot is engrossing and entertaining and once I started I couldn't put it down.
It's the first book I read by Ms Stoneley and won't surely be the last.
It's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A lovely emotional life journey with amusing and heartwarming family interaction, romance, laugh out loud moments and some life-altering poignant events and secrets. Christmas is the time when families and friends come together, not always successfully. Everything is intensified during the festive period,

Daisy’s story, as the title suggests, is told over four Christmases, focusing on an annual Christmas Eve party, at her honorary uncle’s bookshop and her interactions with Ollie. her friend since childhood.

The plot is well-paced. and the secrets are successfully interwoven into the story for dramatic impact, but it’s the characters who make this special.

Daisy is lovely, self-effacing. and easy to like. She is comparable to the ‘Bridget Jones’ character, as she draws you into her life, and lets you experience the lows, high and outrageousness of it. The cast of characters are also believable and vital, they are so well -written, it is easy to visual them.

The beauty of this book is its vivid imagery, as I read, I can see the scene playing out and the characters within it, and this makes it addictive, easy reading. Whilst, Christmas is an important element in the book, it is not just a festive read.

This is a journey of self-realisation for Daisy, significant events turn her into someone who lets things happen because she doesn’t feel worthy enough to stop them. As the story progresses. through the four Christmases, so does her self-development and character maturity. It’s this that makes this a heartwarming, satisfying read, with the bonus of romance, friendship, laughter and tears.

I received a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

Zara Stoneley writes charmingly British romantic comedies that are very much in the vein of Bridget Jones, and Four Christmases and a Secret fits perfectly into that niche. We meet Daisy Dunkerly, our heroine, at a Christmas party when she’s still in her teens, about to sit her A-levels, with a bright future ahead.

Fast-forward 13 years to the same relative’s annual Christmas Eve bash and Daisy is somehow completely failing out of life, with a dead-end job, a tiny room in a friend’s flat, and a boyfriend who’s just dumped her. She’s no longer in the same league as childhood friend Ollie, a successful surgeon, and feels like an even more massive failure as the inevitable comparisons are made. When you bring a rescue dog as your date to a party, things are looking pretty dire.

This is a romantic comedy, though, with a guaranteed happy ending, and we do get to see Daisy muddle her way through to find her happiness at last, though not without a lot of angst and a few false starts along the way.

I do need to put in trigger warnings for past miscarriage and death of a major character, someone who is a significant presence in Daisy’s life and throughout the book. I was pretty devastated at this particular death, so be warned if that’s something which might set you off.

Five stars for a poignant, charmingly British rom-com.

I was chuffed to be asked to read and review Zara's new book, as you all know I am a huge fan of her stories and this one is another corker! A story that includes festive jumpers celebrating Christmas Eve at a party in a bookshop has my vote! But don't fear if you think festive books are out too early, this story takes us through all the seasons as well as covering four Christmases so no bah humbugging just yet!

I really warmed to the main character Daisy straight away. A fun, caring and like a lot of us a little insecure in where life is leading. With an interfering mother who means well but can be suffocating Daisy lacks that confidence which I am pleased to report builds throughout the story, such a joy to witness.

How can Daisy not feel in direct competition with Oliver's name being thrown around. Oliver, a boy from Daisy's childhood and son of her mum's friend. Being told how amazing Ollie is can be downright annoying but Daisy decides enough and is determined to shine brighter.
You can't beat a pushy mother in a book (especially when there not yours) but luckily Zara gave us two! The rivalry between the two mums was cringing but oh so fun to read.

My favourite character though has to be Uncle Terence who owns the book shop where all the magnificent Christmas Eve parties take place year after year. I liked the relationship between him and Daisy, he is a true gentleman, a confident throughout giving her that little encouragement to dream big and to not give up.

Romance... It's not a festive read without a little romance, after all Daisy deserves a little love in her life. Although I have to admit I wasn't too keen on one of her love interests, I took an instant dislike!

With a perfect ending to such a heart-warming story, This gave me all the warm fuzzy feelings right until the very end and made me want to play Michael Buble Christmas on repeat.. too early? NEVER!
I would love love to see this on the big screen! A mix between Bridget Jones and Love Actually. I would be first in line!

Oh and not forgetting the secret... well that would be telling and I shall leave that for you to find out. But I had no clue all the way through, didn't stop me guessing though!

Another fabulous book from Zara that you all should read anytime of the year. Huge thanks to Zara Stoneley, Rachel Random Resources and Netgalley for the ARC which I have reviewed honestly and for inviting me along on this fab Blog Tour!

This has it all - fun, romance, animal love and a solid warmth which will melt your heart!

Daisy and Ollie have a history; they have grown up with ever competing mothers who spend their time trying to out-boast each other. Somewhere along the way, Daisy's ambitions fell by the wayside whilst Ollie went out to fulfil all of his, so she hasn't missed him when he's been unable to attend Uncle T's annual Christmas party for several years. This year, however, she going to prove that she has her act together and is finally becoming an adult . . .

There is so much content in this novel, and it's an absolute delight to read! With a plethora of fabulous characters, there is always something going on to keep the reader glued to the pages and I loved everything about it. It's just perfect for the festive time of year although, to be honest, I would love it at any time. A gorgeous story, with secrets and revelations throughout as we get to know both Daisy and Ollie and find out what makes them tick. Beautifully written - as expected from this author - and I just adored everything about it. Totally heart warming, highly recommended and, naturally, a full five stars!

My thanks to publisher One More Chapter for my copy via NetGalley, and to Rachel's Random Resources for my spot in this blog tour. As always, this is my honest, original and unbiased review.

Daisy. Dumped by her ex, Supported by her bestie, handsome Dr Ollie, and adored by her doggy friend, Stanley.. An amazing read made more amazing by the bookshop setting. Stoneley has an amazing gift - she paints with words. I could almost believe I was in the room with Daisy - stunning.

A delightful read that gives us more than your typical festive feel-good frolic.
Although we have a lot of festive cheer through the annual Christmas party held by Uncle Terrance (in a bookshop – how amazing does that sound by the way!?!) a lot of this story is based throughout several points throughout the year in between each party. Moved along nicely and timely so the pace is good, if you aren’t a huge Christmas fan then this is perfect as it isn’t all festive all the time.
I think Daisy is a lovely character, although perhaps it took me a bit of time to get used to her, she grows on you and she develops as a character throughout. I liked the fact she loved books, she was funny and caring and the way she cared for Stanley. I laughed so much at the rescue mission she went on with Ollie.
Ollie is the enigmatic, successful and gorgeous doctor – he has always been in Daisy’s life, but could now me the time they are more than friends, or will Daisy’s interesting, confident colleague get in their first?
The thing with secrets is that they do come out and honestly this book took me on a rollercoaster of revelation. Some secrets and just heartbreakingly sad and emotional. I didn’t necessarily expect everything this book gave me, but it made the story more enjoyable.
I’m a big fan of Zara Stoneley’s style of writing, managing to engage you in the lives of her characters without it being too much. A beautiful look at relationships, family, friendships and moving on from the past.

So, my problem is that I hate first person narratives. Like, really REALLY hate them. But I've decided, just lately, to at least give them a go before I mark them DNF.
Jesus, am I glad that I did.
This is the first book I've read by Zara Stoneley and its made me want to go out and read everything she's ever written.
My issue with first person narrative is that I never feel fully connected with all characters, everything I feel about each individual is influenced by that one person who's eyes we see the story through. But this. This!
I actually forgot that it was first person, it was so well written, so emotional and full of passion throughout that it was easy to love these characters, tp laugh with them and cry with them. I downloaded it thinking it might be a good read but then became unconvinced after realising the narrative style. I've read it in one evening and haven't wanted to put it down. I actually want to read it all over again. I'm going to settle with reading more by Stonely!
4.5 stars

I loved the story line but maybe old fashioned in thinking Frankie lowered the tone of the book. Just because she was over the top didn’t mean every second word she uttered needed to be a swear word.

IWhen it comes to gearing up for the holidays, I don’t typically want to see anything Christmas-related until after Thanksgiving. However, I will always make an exception for two things: Hallmark Christmas movies and Christmas-themed books. Throw in that beautiful cover and I was all in for Four Christmases and a Secret.

This is one of those books where I don’t feel the synopsis does the story justice. It’s slightly misleading and doesn’t really explain about what the book really is. While there are definite Christmas and Romance themes, I really felt like this one fell more into the Women’s Fiction category. Daisy is quite a mess when we first meet her and a big part of the book is made up of her getting her act together. With a lot of encouragement and support from Uncle Terrence and Ollie, she gets her confidence back and figures out what she actually wants out of life. I did like her journey and found her a likable character. I also loved Ollie, Uncle Terrence, and Daisy’s mother. It seems to be a bit of a Stoneley signature for the main character to have a very loud, outspoken, quirky mother and she was on full display here. The only character I didn’t really like was Daisy’s best friend, Frankie, who I thought was awful right from the beginning.

I enjoyed the friendship and romance between Daisy and Ollie. I thought they fit really well together. I felt like a lot of their relationship was kind of glossed over, though. In one scene they’re having their first real kiss and then in the next they’ve been ‘together’ for awhile and we didn’t get to see any of that discussion or proper dates or anything like that. The first time they say they love each other is off page, as well. I didn’t really know how serious they were or where they were at in the relationship because there were jumps in time and a lot of the development happened between scenes. I thought this could have been handled a little better, but I still shipped them and was happy where they ended up.

Overall, I enjoyed Four Christmases and a Secret. I liked the characters and the romance and the journey of self-discovery Daisy went on. It ended up being a lot more serious than I thought it would be – more Women’s Fiction than Romance – but it still worked for me. It definitely put me in the mood for some good holiday themed movies and books. I look forward to checking out more from Stoneley in the future.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars

This book was wonderfully written with an amazing story and even better characters. There was a lot of banter between them and a lot of other fun moments that had me constantly smiling. The book is a very light and fun read and is absolutely perfect for romance readers. I loved Daisy and Ollie, as well as Stanley! I can see myself reading this often, I definitely recommend it.

A heartwarming story, a nice and enjoyable Christmas read, light and seasonal. A bit slow at times, but still entertaining

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Passion love and love lost
This story centres around Daisy, Ollie, Uncle Trevor and his book shop.
Daisy has history with Ollie going back to their childhood, staying with their first snog at the age of 6 and another drunken one at the age of 16, however they went their separate ways and not meeting up for years until one of Uncle Trevor's calls Christmas Eve parties. Ollie has done really well in his life, Daisy not so much.
The story follows their lives over the next year as Daisy's fortunes waxes and wanes, with details of the reason for her present situation gradually unfolds. With a mixture of humour, romance and sadness this story is well worth reading.

Charming, touching, and romantic!

Four Christmases and a Secret is a cute, heartwarming read that takes you into the life of Daisy Dunkerly as she meanders through all sorts of highs and lows, from losing her boyfriend, enduring an unsatisfying career, fostering dogs with sweet personalities, surviving the annual Christmas parties, ugly sweaters and all, and reconnecting with a successful, handsome friend from the past.

The writing is sentimental and light. The characters are charismatic, unique, and endearing. And the plot is an engaging blend of heart, humour, family, friendship, nostalgic moments, attraction, chemistry, spirited shenanigans, awkward moments, tricky situations, painful secrets, and a little Christmas cheer.

Overall, Four Christmases and a Secret is another refreshing, enjoyable, emotive treat by Stoneley that reminds us that life is an adventure and mistletoe can sometimes be magical.

I like Zara Stoneley’s writing style and this was another relaxing read from her, I really enjoyed it overall but for me it was quite predictable however that didn’t impact too badly on my enjoyment. Daisy was a likely but flaky character but that makes her quite relatable and Ollie (Oliver) was nice but a shade too perfect, Uncle Terence was fabulous, he was without a doubt my favourite character, wise but lives life to the full. The story is steady going, more character based than plot based but it works well for that and it’s not a standard Christmas story which is another plus for me!

A Christmas themed novel perfect for any time of the year. 

Uncle T's infamous annual Christmas Eve party looms signalling it's time for Daisy Dunkerly to dig out her festive jumper and flashing antlers, although she's not in the festive mood this year. It's a yearly reminder of Ollie Cartwright and a teenage kiss under the mistletoe and the fact he's now a doctor and she's failed to live up to expectations. With Stanley her foster dog in tow, she heads to the bookshop party venue hoping some seasonal luck will rub off on her. 

It's easy to understand and sympathise with Daisy and how her life has panned out over the years. A star pupil with ambitions, her life is a shadow of what she could have achieved. To make things worse, her mother is a friend of Ollie's mum who's favourite topic of conversation is bragging about her son's accomplishments. Growing up, constantly compared to him is a constant reminder of her shortcomings. 

Full of laughter with an overload of puppy love, the main plot's centred around Christmas but there's much more to the narrative than a seasonal chicken vol-au-vent and Pringles. It's about second chances, building confidence and realising some people are not who they seem...both positive and negative. Packed with emotions, secrets are revealed, deceitful acts uncovered yet the overall mood of this novel is upbeat. Who doesn't love a second chance? 

Everyone loves a happy ending and Ms Stoneley delivers one with touching sentiment and it's a fitting finale to this delightful rom-com. 

4.5 stars 

***arc generously received courtesy of the publisher One More Chapter via NetGalley***

I don't know why but I kept expecting weddings.

Daisy and Ollie were childhood rivals, pit against each other but the mothers. Unfortunately, life drives them apart and takes them on different journeys. A series of events gets them a second chance and this time they are not willing to let go.

This book was slow to begin with but a quarter of the way through found its purpose. The plot was predictable and twists contrived but it worked. I liked the Christmas setting, it added charm to the story. All the characters were well written, excepted their flaws and faults and stayed true to their roles.

This book is definitely recommended.
I received a copy of the book from Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Luanna