Notting Hill in the Snow has to be one of the best books I have read this year, and trust me I read the book 3 times and it still gives me those warm and fuzzy feelings every time.

The story is about Viola, a member of the London Metropolitan Opera Company as a Violist! Which is exciting right! Well to her parents and extended family she is just the general dogsbody! It doesn’t matter if she has a rehearsal or a performance if her mother needs her to take care of her or her two cousins want “me” time away from their kids, they dump it all on Viola. And that seemed to be the theme at the company when Viola was placed as the outreach person for the LMOC, to put on a Christmas play! And she has paired with grumpy school governor Nate. But Viola got much more from this placement that she does from her own family! And it gives Viola a chance to grow, find her backbone and fall in love!

This book honestly gave me the desire to get my Christmas tree out and sing Christmas carols and really crave custard creams! Which is really tough to get hold of as a British expat.

Jules Wake is a new to me author, but she has been quickly added to my must-read authors list, as her writing is fantastic, her character are relatable and she is able to really change your mood within a chapter!

Christmas came early with this sweet, heartwarming romance! As a big fan of the movie, Notting Hill, the tittle captures my attention immediately but the Christmas cheer, beautiful, witty, writing style held me to the very end!
The characters were so relatable, I loved the family element between Nate, Viola, and Grace! It was so incredibly sweet to read about.

This book just filled me up with the heartwarming feeling that comes with Christmas and family time! And chemistry in the romance was addicting to read!

I also really enjoyed the subtle nods to Frozen 2 which I’m really excited for! I’m excited to read more from this author! Be sure to pick this up, a beautiful story filled with heart, humor, family, and the magic of Christmas!

Favorite Quotes:

‘I’d offer you a biscuit … but the biscuit burglar has been to visit this week and all the chocolate ones have gone.’ Grace was suddenly very studious with her drawing, nodding in agreement. ‘I hate it when that happens,’ I said. ‘And why do they always steal the good biscuits and leave the custard creams behind?’ Nate laughed. ‘You have the same burglar.’

She came running into the kitchen. ‘I’m starvacious.’

My Review:

I had never noticed this wily author until falling upon this marvelous book but I am completely enamored and besotted with her craftiness while selfishly coveting all her clever arrangements of words. Goodreads lists thirteen books to her credit and I want them all! I was instantly pulled into her vortex like a house of cards in a tornado, and smirked and grinned my way through her brilliantly crafted tale while savoring each perfectly chosen and highly amusing word. The characters were lovable, the storylines were delightfully engaging, and the writing sparkled with perceptive insights and smartly observed and well-paced levity.

In addition to gleeful entertainment, Ms. Wake provided me with two new items for my Brit Word List with: fill your boots – which is an invitation to eat as much of whatever is offered as you want and take some home with you; and LOL dolls – which are apparently highly prized collections of small dolls with big eyes.

I have read a couple of Jules’ books now and I really enjoyed reading them. I read the synopsis for ‘Notting Hill In The Snow’ and the book just screamed ‘you need to read me’ at me. Books do that all the time- that’s my excuse and I am sticking to it. Anyway for once I did as I was told and jumped straight into ‘Notting Hill In The Snow’. Blooming nora, it was one heck of a fantastic read and then some. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Notting Hill In The Snow’ but more about that in a bit.
I couldn’t help but take to Viola Smith from the first moment I met her. She is a bit accident prone to say the least, which just helped to endear her to me. I know that sounds daft but I could identify with the accident prone bit. Viola plays the viola in an orchestra. I had to admit that I started giggling at Viola playing the viola. Anyways it’s whilst she is on the train that she meets Nate Williams, who is a widowed father of one. Their first meeting doesn’t exactly go to plan. Viola keeps bumping into Nate- sometimes quite literally and it’s as if fate is trying to tell them something in that they are destined to be in a relationship. Viola is roped into helping with the Notting Hill nativity play. She isn’t exactly overjoyed about the prospect but she goes along with. This brings her into contact with Nate again, who isn’t a huge fan of Christmas and who really needs a ‘Bah Humbug’ hat. Nate’s adorable daughter Grace gets one of the main roles in the nativity play which means that Nate has to switch off the anti-Christmas sentiments and he ends up volunteering to help with the nativity. There’s definite chemistry between Nate and Viola and I was just hoping and keeping everything crossed that they would get together and have the happy ever after ending that they both deserved. So what happens? Well you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
‘Notting Hill In The Snow’ was a delightful read, which soon became addictive. As soon as I started the first page, I knew that this was one book that I would have to read over the course of a day because I couldn’t bear to go to bed without knowing how the story ended. I found ‘Notting Hill In The Snow’ to be an unputdownable page turner. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it went everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story for fear of missing out on some little nugget of gossip or on some development in the relationship between Viola and Nate. The pages turned increasingly quickly as my desperation to find out how the story concluded steadily grew and grew. All too soon, and despite my attempts at rationing how much I read in one go, I reached the end of the story which I was disappointed about. I don’t mean that I was disappointed with how the story ended but I was enjoying the author’s writing style, the characters and the storylines so much that I just wanted the book to continue.
‘Notting Hill In The Snow’ is brilliantly written but then I wouldn’t expect anything else from Jules Wake. She has created a lovely character in Viola and it is impossible not to warm to her. In fact I felt as though she had become a friend of mine by the time I had finished the book. Jules draws you into the story from the first word on the first page and once she has your attention she will not let it go. I was completely swept along by the story. Jules uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself. I even found that I was interacting with the book in the sense that I was ‘talking’ to the characters as if they could hear me and answer me. I know, I know I get far too involved in stories that aren’t real.
In short I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Notting Hill In The Snow’. It’s a funny, festive, heart warming and downright fantastic read. I found that it made me chuckle throughout the story. I would definitely recommend it to other readers. I will definitely be reading more of Jules’ work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I've read and loved several Julie Caplin books so imagine my excitement when I realised that she also writes as Jules Wake and I was signed up for her latest blog tour.

This book just instantly became my happy place for a few days.  I just loved it.  

As a primary teacher the hilarious (but oh so real) delights of being responsible for a Christmas play were accurately portrayed in this novel and I could fully put myself in this situation.  Of course, I usually only have some frazzled colleagues rather than a handsome and charming male helper like viola does.  

I really felt that this novel brought together some of my favourite elements from an array of Christmas movies and it just flowed as a story so seamlessly that it played as a film in my head whilst reading.   

The setting of Notting Hill and the theatre where Viola plays are perfect setting for a Christmas book.  I also adore how Jules wake has including many traditional aspects of most family Christmas's into Viola and Nate's experiences as they give the book so much warmth and depth. 

Nate and Viola are characters that you will fall instantly in love with but the winner of my heart was Grace (Nate's daughter) by far.  She really adds a child-like voice and perspective to the novel and brings all the elements together beautifully.  

I could go on and on about how wonderfully charming and adorable this book is but my advice is just to plonk yourself on a sofa in your pajamas and just devour every word of it.

Captivating, romantic, and festive!

Notting Hill in the Snow is a delightfully heartwarming novel set in the idyllic Notting Hill in wintertime that takes us into the lives of two main characters. Viola, a young woman who is thoughtful, hardworking and always ready to help out, and Nate, a loving father who tries to spend as much time as he can raising his daughter while his wife is away and his career is booming.

The writing is warm and light. The characterization is spot on with a cast of characters that are dependable, kindhearted, sentimental and endearing. And the plot is an irresistible blend of heart, humour, family, friendship, tension, attraction, chemistry, support, understanding, tender moments, and spirited shenanigans.

Overall, Notting Hill in the Snow is an enchanting, humourous, magical treat by Wake that I absolutely devoured, highly recommend, and is hands down one of my favourite holiday reads of the year!

If you love Christmas novels you will adore this one. Notting Hill in the snow is a well written happy Christmas romance.

This hilarious novel will sweep you away to London and Notting Hill during the festive period.

Viola the main character who is a musician for the London Opera house is “volunteered” to help organize a nativity play. She is left in the lurch by a another teacher and only has the occasional help of Nate a school governor whose daughter Grace is in the play.

Nate’s wife is taking a break from their relationship and living in New York and Grace is desperate for her mother’s attention.

Viola a nice person who can’t say no begins to help out with Grace and Nate and you guessed it a romance starts to bud.

Lots of perfect festive moments you would expect from a Christmas romp. Warm mugs of hot chocolate, mince pies, Christmas tree decoration and Christmas preparation.


Absolutely a fun read that you will fly though on a cosy sofa day. A hug in a book ideal for a duvet day or a glass of red under a blanket. Jules Wake writing at her best.

Thank you Net galley for this ARC copy in exchange for a honest review.

When I reluctantly put down this book at its end, wiping away the remaining tears (and blowing my nose noisily, ruining the moment entirely…) I thought it was already Christmas – but the thought that remained with me, once I returned to the real world and realised it was still only October, was that this book really was absolutely perfect. I’ve read (and enjoyed) books set around nativity plays before, but I’ve never before wanted to take one of the children home with me (and if it really can’t be Grace, I think it must be George the innkeeper…). And I really, really wanted to be out in the snow with Nate, Viola and Grace, building that snowman (OK, I know, I hate snow…): I’d even happily sit through the DVD of Frozen (and several choruses of Let It Go) if it meant I could join them for one of those hot chocolates with whipped cream and marshmallows. This book just oozes everything Christmas, and overflows with love – and I adored every wonderful moment.

I can’t imagine anyone not liking Viola – and when you’re a little girl like Grace, whose mother has allowed her job to become more important than anything else in her life, it’s rather a given that she’ll fall in love with her too. Viola plays the viola in the orchestra at the London Metropolitan Opera Company, currently preparing for the Christmas production of The Nutcracker – I really enjoyed her visits there, that glimpse of the back stage, and it was so good to meet again some of the characters I loved in the last book I read. When Viola’s not working, her family are only too happy to fill her time – the babysitting, the nursing, the shopping, the cooking, putting together their Christmases – and she’s already struggling to fit in the practice time she needs. She can, though, just about manage the outreach work with the primary school in Notting Hill – until what she expected to be just a few carols turns into putting on a production from scratch (including an armadillo).

Nate’s on the PTA – and he’s rather hot, so Viola certainly won’t mind spending a little more time with him. But his life isn’t going too well, with his wife absent and Svetlana the nanny about to disappear – so Viola, of course, steps in there too. Her relationship with Grace is just magical – a little girl used to being hurt, however hard Nate tries to make up for it by being the best dad he can possibly be, and she suddenly finds a best friend who will move mountains to make sure she’s never let down again. And as for the relationship with Nate… well, he might be hot but he’s still (just about) married, Grace comes first, and however strong the attraction it’s a relationship that’s just not going to happen.

The story that follows is one of the most heart-warming and lovely that I’ve read in ages, that breaks your heart and puts it together again – all against the backdrop of the nativity play taking shape (far more quickly once Viola calls for help, which is a bit of a first) and the continuing demands of her family, with a few really massive hurdles to overcome before the hoped-for happy ending. This whole book grabs you by the heart and never lets go – and it’s all swathed in multi-coloured sparkly lights and fluffy tinsel, just like that Christmas tree in the corner of the snug, as the snow steadily falls outside.

I don’t really need to add that it’s full of the most fantastic characters, do I, and that the setting of Notting Hill – with the Christmas market, the familiar landmarks and those wonderful enclosed gardens – is brought vividly to life? Or that the romance at the book’s heart was real, convincing and so thoroughly wonderful that it made me ache inside? Or that the humour is perfectly judged, and that the writing is something very special indeed?

Unless you’re totally allergic to Christmas – in which case, I might let you off – I guarantee you’re going to love this book every bit as much as I did. Just don’t miss it, whatever you do. Now, tell me… do you think it’s too early to get out the Christmas tree? I do have some decorations that mean a lot to me too…

(Copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

Cute. This was a great book with a wonderful setting. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Notting Hill in the Snow is another wonderful Christmas story from Jules Wake.

The story features Viola, a local musician, and Nate, a solicitor, who have been tasked with putting on the Christmas nativity at his daughter Grace’s school. Grace’s mum has been working in a different country for the past year, in an effort to further her career, and Nate is struggling to be both parents to his daughter. Viola offers to help out and as she becomes involved in their everyday life, she realises that she has developed feelings for Nate. However, when his wife suddenly appears back on the scene, she knows her feelings can never be reciprocated.

A great book with good characters. A quick and easy festive read which was excellent entertainment.

My first book by this author, and what a lovely festive read it was. Thanks to the film ‘Notting Hill’, I know what Notting Hill looks like, and now thanks to this book I can imagine what it looks like in the snow!! Viola and Nate meet whilst assisting in the community nativity play. Nate is the epitome of the Grinch, whereas Viola has a complete zest for everything she does – the complete opposite of each other. There is an instant attraction between the two, but Nate’s life is way too complicated for things to be simple….

I love Viola’s character, and loved the fact that she plays the viola also (very clever!). She such a likeable character, and you could feel her enthusiasm for everything she does coming out of the pages. The grumpy but handsome Nate takes a bit of getting used to though! Obviously, there are reasons why he’s so grumpy and looking after his daughter, Grace, can’t be easy but as the story moves on Nate grows on you just as much as Christmas grows on him. The star of the book though has to be little Grace who is absolutely adorable!! The relationship between her and Viola was wonderful and the whole storyline involving Grace’s mum certainly tugged at the heartstrings!

Whilst it’s obvious where the storyline was going as Viola and Nate’s chemistry was instant right from the beginning, it was a lovely, romantic and heart-warming journey to reach the book’s conclusion. The Christmas theme was very welcome and I loved how festive this book was! The author’s writing and descriptions produced fabulous images of London in the snow at Christmas! Full of romance, friends, family and, of course, Christmas, this book draws you easily into a cosy feel-good hug! Easy to read and well written it’s absolutely perfect for this time of year! Would definitely recommend!

It didn’t take me long before I knew I was going to love this story. The character of Viola is one of my favourites and I’ve always had a soft spot for stories where the main character is a musician.
The chemistry and relationships between characters is honest, real, and at times, maddening lol. I love the genuine moments, the emotion, and the storyline build-up.
I will 100% be buying this book for myself as I need to read it again and again. Welcome to my annual Christmas reread list, Notting Hill in the Snow!!!!

🎁 Heartstirring romance to warm up the holidays with love and compassion👨‍👩‍👧
👍👍What a wonderful book! I knew from its earliest stages that I was invested in Viola's happiness and then, Grace came into the picture and won my heart. This is more than a romance between two adults. Viola's care and compassion for young Grace's motherless existence was, for me, the emotional core of the story. The connection with Grace's handsome father Nate was just icing on the cake.

❄ Apart from the threesome, Viola's family stood out early on as truly unreasonable and annoying, so demanding and unthinking. Her hectic drive to drop her father at the airport, her cousins' nonchalant dependence on her immediate acquiescence to their plans and her mother's bossy ways after her accident sealed the deal for me. I had to see the family dynamic change and Viola stand up for herself. Her identification with Grace as a child in need of parental encouragement and attention after her own childhood experience was poignant and so well done.

🎀 Finally, the trappings of the season, from warm mugs of chocolate and mince pies, to playtime in the snow, nativity plays, Christmas tree selection and decoration, to watching Frozen for the nth time: it all gave the story a cozy, heartwarming, emotional feel that had me looking backward to the holidays of my youth and forward to my next Christmas with friends and family. Author Jules Wake has conjured up a deeply emotional novel, touched with the kindness of strangers and the deep need inside all of us for trust, acceptance and love. Little Grace's attachment to her charity shop boots was a moment I would not have missed!😢

Thanks to publisher Harper Impulse and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of this superb book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

Notting Hill in the Snow is a well written and entertaining Christmas romance. I enjoyed the plot, setting and the well developed characters. A really good Christmas book. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

This gripped me right from the start and I truly loved it, my only complaint is that there was no epiloguue so you didnt get proper closure on the story to see how they were, after the story ends

Thanks to One More Chapter for the ARC!
Nice novel for those who enjoy Christmas stories.

Nate Williams is a governor at a primary school in Notting Hill. His mother-in-law is a friend of the Opera House. Their nativity is one of the best events of the year. When the usual teacher, Mrs Davies, goes down with appendicitis, they need to find someone to replace her.

Viola Smith plays in the orchestra for the London Metropolitan Opera Company and that's how she gets invited to help with the school's musical project.

When Nate meets her, there's an instant chemistry between them. But, things are not so simple. His wife, Elaine, is "taking a break from family" and working in another country. It's been almost a year since she went away. Grace, their daughter, is a charming little girl who dreams of the day when her mother will return, without realizing that she is not exactly excited to come back.

So, what should Nate do in this situation? Should he try to recover a broken marriage, or deal with all the challenges of starting a new relationship, even though he knows it's complicated to have a child emotionally involved in this mess?

It's a quick read, but really enjoyable nonetheless. Some moments were a little boring for me, especially those about members of Viola's family who weren't so relevant to the story. I was waaaay to anxious to know what would happen to the couple. I honestly didn't care about the other characters.

But I liked how the subject was addressed. It's not as if Viola was stealing someone's husband, she was actually helping him to fix a very broken home. She truly cares for the child, which is something that the real mother doesn't seem to do. I think it's a nice, hopeful, romantic Christmas story.

After a reading slump after having a rubbish head cold I decided on a trusty Jules Wake Christmas romance.
I LOVED IT.
Jules's characters are always realistic and as always very lovely.

I kind of guessed what would happen, but it was still absolutely lovely. The bond between Grace and Viola was just so heartwarming.

Definitely a warm cosy hug in great book. Ideal for a an afternoon under a blanket with a hot chocolate or a glass of red.

The setting of Notting Hill is always fantastic for romantic comedies. Besides I liked that the female lead was a musician, a nice change when it comes to fancy jobs held by rom-com heroines.

I thought the relationship between Viola and Nate was natural, with good chemistry. The first half of the novel was enjoyable and well-paced. However, I felt the second half lacked rhythm and was dragging on a bit. The finale was sweet and nicely written.

All in all, a lovely, festive read even though it won’t remain my most memorable Christmas read of the season.

At the start of this book, I was thinking that this would be like the usual Christmas romance novel but it was so much more than that. I loved the main characters in this book but especially Nate’s daughter, Grace. She was just so adorable. Vulnerable yet so grown up. Loving but so insecure.
Jules Wake’s writing style is so descriptive. You can actually visualise that you are there in the story. This book is full of warmth, love and humour. A great festive read.

This is a sweet Christmas romance with wonderful atmospherics- London during Yuletide! Viola and Nathan meet thanks to the community nativity play and his daughter Grace. Yes Nathan seems like a grouch but he's had a tough time raising Grace alone. She's a terrific kid. Viola, a musician, is bright and cheery and the last thing she was looking for was a love story but that's what happens. You might guess how this will end but don't worry about that and enjoy it because Wake does a nice job with the characters and all the ups and downs of life. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Happy happy happy.