Friendship, family, and community all play a part in this sweet love story. The holiday magic is brought alive through the story of saving the food kitchen. It was cute, easy and will be great read for a cozy night by the fireplace.

Nothing really grabbed me about this novel, although I applaud the idea of helping the homeless and the creative way they go about it.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Something about this fell flat for me. I didn't feel uplifted by it, nor did I feel any strong emotion. Quite a lot of space was given to stories from people using the food bank. I get the author wanted to raise awareness, but it could have been toned down a little. I would have liked more regarding Fern and Kit's relationship, and I think more time could have been given to Kit's story too. It felt as though the surface had only just been scratched. It's a good read for the festive period, given all the Christmas references. I loved the inclusion of the living advent calendar. Strong female friendships feature too, which are well-written. A good read, but like I said, for me it felt a little flat at times. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely and sweet book, full of emotions and heartwarming.
It's more complex and multilayered than the typical Christmas novel as there're themes like homelessness and poverty.
I loved the gripping and enjoyable plot, the well written cast of characters and the setting.
It's an interesting read entertaining and thought provoking.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A heartwarming, family and community based christmas romance.
All the characters felt like they were meant to be a part of this community.
All the stories like were genuine and heartfelt. The realism of the book was refreshing.
I wish there was an epilogue, that gave a glimpse into the characters future.
I received this book from Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Luanna

A gorgeous feel-good festive story about friendships, community and finding love.
Samantha Tonge knows how to nail a good book that has a gripping plot, interesting characters and tackles complex issues. I am always excited to pick up one of her stories because I know they'll be entertaining and heartfelt.
This book looks at the complexity of homelessness, food poverty, loneliness and even toxic
masculinity. This certainly wasn't a typical Christmas romance book, and actually focuses more on the sisterhood of friends, and how different women can support, love and lift up one another without being in competition with each other. However, there is a very appealing love interest in the form of Kit who seems to be the British answer to Jason Mamoa and was a delight to get to know. The fact that both Kit and Fern have had their lives in the past thrown in to turmoil and are both dealing with their own pain of course means that their encounter is fraught with difficulty and you are routing for them both to get together and not get hurt.
A real joy to read!

This is a lovely, feel good, novel about the power of friendship, of facing the future, and accepting the past, wrapped up as a Christmas reading pleasure.

Fern moved to a small town after the death of her husband, enrolling daughter Lily in the local school where she met Davina and Cara who soon became fast friends. As the third Christmas without her husband rolls round Fern find out the local food bank is threatened with closure and decides to try to help keep them open. The living advent calendar idea she comes up with takes over much of her life but she still has time to help her friends with things going on in their lives as well as spending time with new friend Kit who she met when volunteering at the food bank.

Although this is a very easy read about a delightful time of year it doesn't shy away from the problems caused when families are touched by addiction, bereavement, loneliness or unemployment. There is a realism to the descriptions of these all too common problems which are treated with both compassion and understanding.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys an easy going read especially if they want a little early Christmas spirit in their lives.

Such a lovely book I adore Samantha Tonge books and this one is probably one of my favourites. It is so festive and so much more than the average Christmas story it has stayed with me since I finished it and now I really wish I could read it all over again!

Loved this book. Great characters, easy read, uplifting, funny, romantic and charming. A really nice story that is the perfect escapist read.

This was rather slow and over detailed at the start but did pick up and gather momentum towards the middle and beyond. Predictable conclusion but some nice touches approaching the need for a food bank and various addictive behavioural problems. Somewhat unbelievable fund raising support but a light easy read nonetheless

The main plot is the romance (obvs) but the main subplot is pretty awesome too. What a fantastic idea to have a living advent calendar! Then there are a couple of sub-sub-plots that add depth and intrigue.
Add to all the above the author's willingness to tackle social issues head-on (in a totally realistic, yet empathetic manner) and you have the ingredients for a darned good story. Throw in a bunch of close-knit friends, a hunky fella, and lots of festive cheer, and it becomes a thoroughly enjoyable read.

What a fabulous book. This is so much more than a cosy Christmas story, its packed with family and friendship dynamics , humour,love, loss, guilt, addiction. With the help of her friends, we meet Fern a woman who wants to get a community pulling together at Christmas time to try and help a much needed food bank from closure. A brilliant fundraising idea is agreed upon and soon it unites people in trying to help people that have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own doing, a very real and relevant theme in society today. There are some subject matters that are written with such warmth and depth and positivity. Add in a little romance a bit of snow and gorgeous sounding food and this book has it all. A heartwarming, realistic story. Thank you netgalley, Aria and of course Samantha Tonge for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

What a lovely Christmas book
I loved the characters and also the writing style of this book
I would love to live in this village

This one was just not for me. I found the writing to be stiff and unnatural while the characters were a mess.

It was a nice thought to try to bring to light the homeless and food banks in a book but it was not done well here. Everything just read really stiff and fake, at times almost laughably so.

Wish I had a better review for you but for me this is a big fat meh.

The Christmas Calendar Girls by Samantha Tonge four-star wrapped up read. This could have been a five-star read, but in places it just went on a little, the story made me smile in so many places, it also made me sob in places as well, dealing with the loss of a partner and parent is always hard to do well, but Samantha Tonge did it very well. There is so much heart in this story, with loss and the risk to the food bank closing, as well as several other issues that we all face in life, they were all well done and couldn’t be faulted, it was the glue that held all of those bits together that just didn’t stick enough for me. Kit was the one that surprised me more than I could imagine, he was something I didn’t expect even though I had my ideas about his story from the start, there was still something to surprise and make the story whole.

I always enjoy Samantha Tonge novels but this one is possibly my favourite of hers so far. The location sounds so pretty and idyllic and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters. The idea behind the calendar is such a good one and will leave you feeling warm and happy. It was a great Christmassy read and I would recommend reading it to get you in the festive spirit!

I struggled a bit at the start of this book but as the story unfolded I really enjoyed it. The story centres around the friendship of three very different women and their families. Their fight to save their local Foodbank involves getting the community behind the idea of a Christmas Calendar. The information about the role of the food bank was very thought provoking

Kit, who is the male interest in the story, has a past that still haunts him Will he be able to see that embracing the future means letting go of his guilt

4 star review of  The Christmas Calendar by Samantha Tonge

Christmas, it’s the most magical time of the year and my favourite holiday. Samantha Tonge is a new author to me and I loved the blurb for The Christmas Calendar. Chesterwood sounds like a beautiful place to live and I found this story to be full of hope, love, family and friendship.

When the local food bank is in danger of closing, widow Fern decides to take action with the help of her friends Davina and Cara. I admired Fern’s community spirit, her sass and feisty determination not to give up was something I could easily relate to.

Can the magic of the Christmas season bring people together to help one another?

When the new man in town Kit, offers his support and assistance, Ferns feels the beginning of a spark of interest, not felt since her husband passed away. However, Kit also has baggage from his past, will it be enough to keep him from pursing happiness or will Fern be able to break down his walls?

All the characters were well written and I enjoyed reading about the people of Chesterwood and how they come together to help one another out in a show of true community spirit.

I received a copy of this book through the publisher via Netgalley.

A heartwarming story about friendship, solidarity, poverty and grief, and how romance can happen in the most unexpected circumstances.
It took me a while to warm up to “The Christmas Calendar Girls”, by Samantha Tonge (Aria), the first half of the story focusing on too much mundane tasks and details and with diary-like tones that I found a bit dull.
But the themes of grief, addiction and poverty are tackled in a realistic way, and Kit, the male hero who is an odd but compelling combination of light and darkness, really intrigued me and kept me engaged.
Kit is very hard on himself, yet a sunny and very kind and giving person, and the paradox makes him a very flawed and fascinating character.
I also liked the take on the single mom, a widow, and how the author dealt with the grief over the late husband and father.
Serious social issues are tackled in the story, too, and the importance of family and friends and the support they provide in our life.

This book was my first Christmas 🎄 book for this year, and my goodness what a cracker of a story it was! Filled to the brim with feel good emotions, kindness and friendships, it truly touched my heart ❣
I was addicted to reading this, wanting to find out if Fern and Kit could become more than friends, to see if the community could achieve its goal of keeping the local Food Bank running and to watch friendships grow throughout the Christmas season.
For me this gorgeous book has set me up, ready to embrace the season of giving, its themes of kindness and positivity were a perfect combination, alongside a little romance and intrigue.
It’s a definite 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 score from me!