Member Reviews
Summer headed to Jersey to stay in Aunt Sylvie’s cottage “Mandla” after the shock announcement by her husband of twenty years, Seth, who wanted a six-month break from their marriage. Summer realized she felt relief, not grief and her twin sons weren’t surprised as they’d been able to see Summer wasn’t happy. The view from the cottage was magnificent; the Corbière Lighthouse sparkled in the sunlight. She felt she could be happy there for the six months she was staying.
Jude had been working in a dead-end job for the past four years since being stabbed by a student at the school he’d taught in. His normal workday changed when he received devastating news – after a few days he resigned from his job, determined to enjoy life while he could. Then, through a set of circumstances, Summer and Jude met, and it wasn’t long before their lives changed. Summer encouraged Jude to work through the bucket list he’d recently written; they grew close, walking together, watching sunsets by the lighthouse, being in the moment. And then there was Prinny, the dog they rescued that no one else wanted. But could their happiness last?
Christmas by the Lighthouse by Rebecca Boxall is a heartwarming, delightful story of hope, love and loss – and taking chances. Prinny the labrador was adorable while both Seth and Summer were great characters. I’ve only read one previously by this author but have two others waiting in the wing which I’m pleased about. Exceptionally well written, I have no hesitation in recommending Christmas by the Lighthouse highly.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
A book with an unusual storyline: a sweet tale of love, loss, and illness. I did enjoy reading this book but was bracing myself for an unhappy ending throughout. Won’t spoil things by saying whether or not that happened. Not very Christmassy although Christmas did feature,
A delightfully enjoyable tale of love found. Heartbreaking in places but warm and uplifting in others.
The characters are easy to like, there is not a bad bone between them. This is a book to make you wonder about the fates and just what could be. In its own way a modern day fairy tale.
Received an advanced copy from NetGalley for a fair review.
The story starts off with two characters whose individual lives are in a bit of decline. Their paths cross in a lovely meet-cute way. They have a wonderful love story. A very quaint lovely read.
I was looking for more “Christmas”. When I chose to read this book I was hoping for a Hallmark Christmas type novel, however the Christmas feel was lacking.
Lovely feel good read. It was well written and flowed well. I enjoyed it very much. The plot was good and interesting. Hard to put down
If you like books that have little to no conflict and everything resolves relatively easily, you'll enjoy this book. Unfortunately, that isn't for me. I knew this would be a light, fluffy book since I only chose it for the Christmas theme but only about 2% of this book takes place during Christmas, so I found the title slightly misleading. I didn't particularly enjoy any of the characters, but the setting was nice and made me want to visit. It's heavy on the mushy romance, but mostly just completely and totally unbelievable. Jude has an inoperable brain tumor, Summer's husband wants a marital break. They both end up confusing their luggage at the airport and this is what brings them together. I did enjoy that idea for a meeting, but other than that this was just too much happy romance that felt entirely too convenient for me. But if you read books so that you're not challenged and just want a happy ending, then you'll really enjoy this!
Even though I read this book in July, the Christmas theme was not overwhelming and did not hinder my reading in the middle of summer. Although the story begins with sadness and brokenness, you will begin to feel the joy and warmth of the story as you keep reading. I wasn't really sure what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty in the midst of the sad. It's an overall clean romance but just to note, one of the characters is still married and in a broken marriage while embarking on another relationship. There are a few twists in the story that I wasn't expecting. Overall, I enjoyed this quick read that isn't really about Christmas at all.
If you are looking for a Christmas read, this would probably not be the one for you. But, if you are a Nicholas Sparks fan, you will enjoy this read anytime of year.
This is an entertaining book but lacked depth.
The pace of the book was good but the writing style was average- nothing special
The characters lacked depth and were not easy to engage with.
An ok book
What an easy, feel good book to read. A hugely random meeting between summer and Jude in Jersey turns into a beautiful love story. Jude is suddenly having to embrace every minute of his life following life changing news. However the random meeting of summer, who is taking a marriage break, leads to a deep relationship and grasping living life to the full.
A really l9vely read that is not too Christmasy and can be read at any time of the year.
A perfect Christmassy story that is heartwarming and very well written. Really enjoyed it but beware it is most definitely a tear jerker!
A powerfully, poignant tale of finding yourself. I'm tempted to say "in light of circumstances", but it would perhaps be more honest to say "because of circumstances." Summer and Jude both find themselves in a unique opportunity to redefine who they are and who they want to be be going forward. An emotional story of finding the one you love and stopping at nothing to achieve your happy ever after. A new to me author and I was delighted at taking the chance. I didn't necessarily get the warm, fuzzy, Christmas vibe many Christmas stories provide, but I did get a satisfying, overall clean, love story with a beautiful backdrop and characters who pulled me in from page one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Beautiful book, I absolutely loved this title, so much that I had to buy the other book in the series! Such a lovely story!
What a lovely quick read devoured in one sitting!
This book chronicles the lives of Jude and summer, Jude’s husband surprises her with the news that he wants a six month break from their marriage so she decamps to her aunts cottage in jersey,Jude is stuck in a dead end job and bored with life in general when he gets devastating life changing news. Unexpectedly their paths cross and what could be a depressing difficult time for them both turns into a magical time of discovery,love and happiness! Despite a few ups and downs along the way this books delivers a delightful happy ever after ending a perfect feel good read that I would highly recommend.
Thank you net galley for this advance copy
Summer has been married to Seth for over 20 years. They have twins Luke and Levi then Seth decides he wants a 6 month break which is devastating for Summer. She goes to Jersey where she meets. Jude. Jude feels his life is boring and he can't get out of a rut. He then is given devastating news.
Wow, this is quite the journey of Jude and Summer. Summer's husband Seth tells her he wants a 6-month break from their marriage and she decides to go to Jersey for the six months because her aunt has a cottage there. She doesn't understand the reason why her husband all of a sudden wants a break but stays positive. They agree not to contact each other for the six months. After arriving in Jersey she discovers she took the wrong suitcase at the airport. Jude, who has just learned he has a brain tumor and was given a year to live also had the wrong suitcase. His friend was a reporter and she reported on the story and Summer say it on the news. The two get together to exchange suitcases but discover an instant attraction to each other. Jude was looking for a place to stay by the sea and Summer invited him to live with her.
They start working on Jude's bucket list. The book shares their adventures, the things they learn and the ups and downs, and twist and turns of their lives. This is the first book I have read by this author but I am going to check out her other books because I enjoyed this one so much. Knowing this one was Christmas by the Lighthouse, I hoped that things would work out for Summer and Jude and there would be a miracle. But I am not saying if it happened because this book is a wonderful book to read and I want you to enjoy it as much as I did. I think telling you if it happened or not would take away from the experience of reading it yourself. so grab the book and enjoy the reading. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC.
Christmas by The Lighthouse by Rebecca Boxall a five-star read that will light up your life. I loved the alternating POV of this story, Summer and Jude both had great sides to them, they are both such complex characters, but they bring the story and the setting of Jersey to life. I was right there with Summer when her husband devastates her, you feel her pain and anguish. As well as Jude his story is a hard one at times, but you need to find that one as you read. I love a good Christmas story, and even though this isn’t truly a Christmas story, it just happens to be set at Christmas really, it still has enough of the sparkle to make it great.
This is a well written book that holds your attention. It is a tearjerker so have a box of tissue close. Thank you Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
This is the first book I've read for this author and I immediately got into the book from the very first page and this is an author I'll be reading again I truly love this story..
I was totally Blown Away by Seth deciding he needed 6 months separation because he needed to find himself I mean who does that in a marriage I guess that's just life so summer goes and lives on the Beach.
And then there's Jude who works at the bank and he gets a really bad headache one day worse than he's ever had and he has to go to the doctor to find out what the results are but I don't want to tell more about this book because it's that good and I think everyone should read it I found this book to be really amazing and one I absolutely could not put down I know a lot of people say that about books but that is true about this story.... I would like to thank the author for writing this book it was a wonderful story so pick up your copy when it comes out and give it a read the author did a wonderful job..
I absolutely Loved this Book..Thank you...
I loved this book and the tear jerker of a twist that keeps you hooked. I really hope there is a second part.
An emotional read, the story of Summer and Jude
They meet when she is on a break - her husbands choice. Summer moves to Jersey for 6 months and after a switched suitcase incident meets Jude. They soon fall for each other, but he is ill with not long left to live.