Member Reviews
I love a Christmas book and books by Bella Osborne! This did not disappoint. Although Lottie is grieving for her Nana she is determined to have one final big family Christmas at the Henbourne Manor before it is sold, even though she's not a very good cook! She persuades everyone to come together one last time and then the fun begins with a stray dog, an old boyfriend who comes back to the village and her brother who is trying to propose. Along with uncles and aunts and a mum who hasn't grown up herself all of whom have secrets, Lottie has her hands full. I felt this truly described so many family christmases that it will resonate with lots of people who will be able to identify their own family members!! It certainly made me chuckle and I will be stealing the stocking game idea. Curl up with a box of matchmakers, tea and forget your turkey is cooking. Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books and of course to Bella Osborne for another smash hit.
I wasn’t a big fan of the story. I had a hard time getting into it I didn’t feel it was written that well. The storyline just didn’t capture my attention and found myself just kind of skipping through to the end.
The ultimate Christmas with a dysfunctional family- absolutely brilliant, loved it!
Lottie is home again and helping her beloved Nana to bake for Christmas. The family always comes together for Christmas and this year is no exception.
This is a laugh out loud and smile to yourself as Christmas unfolds with a totally 'normal' group of people! Christmas family traditions, games, Christmas trees, holly and more!
Loved the characters and the story, which has Christmas and all the trimmings! Recommended!
I really enjoyed this Book and the story it told and I would recommend that everyone reads this book, Its the 1st book that I have read by Bella Osborne and I will definitely be reading more books by Bella .
I loved this book as it tells the story of family get together and the character Lottie cooking a family christmas and what happened when all the family get together , This book remind me so much of my own family and what happens when they all get together
Reading this book during the covid 19 and hoping that I be able to have a christmas like in the book this years as mine are very similar esp with the family gathering but lucky i don’t have to do the cooking.
With thanks to Netgalley & Avon Books UK for the ARC of this for this my honest review.
After her Nan a passed away it falls upon Lottie to organise the last Christmas gathering for her family at Henbourne Manor before it is sold. Full of her madcap family, Lottie's mother and her toyboy, a feuding Aunt and Uncle, a poorly Great Uncle and his carer plus her brother Zak with his girlfriend Emily and his daughter Jessica cat called Duchess and a dog called Dave this truly deserves the description of being a romantic comedy. As with all good books of that genre there are some sad moments to counterbalance the happier moments. Throw in an ex boyfriend Joe, who disappeared to America years before and a Megan Markle lookalike this book kept me hooked to the point where I finished it at 5:15am as I just couldn't put it down. Definitely highly recommended.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.
I am all here for new Christmas books! This was the perfect book to get me in the mood for the holidays and reading it I could imagine myself in front of the fire with a hot chocolate, even though it was 105 the weekend I read this book. I loved Lottie and her attempts to bring her family together for one last Christmas in their family home. Like every family, hers has its flaws and they play out with hilarious results. Underneath it all, however, is a strong current of love. I enjoyed finding allies in surprising places, enjoyed the twists and turns, and enjoyed spending Christmas with Lottie's family.
Wonderfully, delightful book! I absolutely enjoyed this cleverly written novel. I haven't read anything this heart-warming and whimsical in a long long. I can absolutely see this as being made into a holiday film. Lottie is an original character. She is filled with patience, understanding, loyalty, and the biggest of hearts. Lottie is definitely a memorable heroine.
This story takes place in a small English town. Most everything about this novel was unrealistically entertaining. That was my favorite aspect of the book. These things just don't happen in real life. And if they do, not at this scale. Poor Lottie. She went through so much trouble to make everything as perfect as she could. Nothing was perfect and that is just how I liked it.
As dysfunctional families go, Lottie is part of one of the flightiest. After her grandmother passes, Lottie is determined to make her last wish of the traditional holiday get-together a reality. The truth is, none of the family wants to attend. But Lottie puts her foot down and tells the family they are going to spend the Christmas and Boxing Day holidays together whether they want to or not. Lottie has her work cut out for her. I mean that literally and figuratively. Trying to prepare meals through the chaos going on around her is beyond a challenge. It doesn't help that nearly everyone is hiding a secret. Oh! I just laughed so much. This author made humor out of some serious situations and kept me wholly engaged. I was truly sorry this book ended. And that ending? Amazing!
I'm intentionally keeping this review vague. You should go into this story with the only expectation that you're reading a holiday fiction. There is a ton of fun and laughter. Secrets galore. Some angst and even heartbreaking moments. A touch of suspense and mystery. And some romance to add even more enjoyment. The book is written alternating different perspectives which makes the story even more fun and a bit more complex. I absolutely recommend this wonderful novel. One Family Christmas will be one of the handful of holiday romances I will re-read over and over each year.
This is my honest and unbiased review and I thank you for taking the time to read it. :)
Absolutely loved this books. Really warming Christmas story with all the true values and reality of a family Christmas. Full of love and festive quibbles. I loved the way little seeds of some questions are planted at the beginning and then the story keeps you waiting and wondering what the answers are going to be. I just loved it and didn’t want it to end. Left me a warm a Christmas glow.
Wow what a fabulous book. When Netgalley sent me a copy of this book to review I could wait to start reading.
After the death of her beloved Nona its up to Lottie to provide one last family Christmas before the beloved family home is sold and if that weren't enough her first love has returned to the village.
Over a three day of Christmas festivities Lottie and her dysfunctional family try to make it through Christmas without killing each other.
This book is so full of heart and you really get to know the characters, It made me laugh upriariously in parts and cry in others. I couldn't put it down till I finished it but now feel as if I have lost friends forever.
What an absolute joy of a book. Warm, very funny with every character you can relate to. The true epitome of a traditional extended, disjointed British family Xmas.... plenty of turkey, arguments, love and tears.
Nana always hosts a family Christmas at the manor but sadly this year dies before the big day. With the manor house up for sale, Lottie is determined to carry through the festivities as nana would have wanted one final time. However throw into the mix a boyfriend from the past, a lost engagement ring, mum's new boyfriend who is a porn star and an uncontrollable dog, a peaceful time is far from guaranteed.
A book that absolutely feels like a warm hug.....hugely recommend.
This book is a great read to get the holiday season started. Family brings many dynamics: laughter, tears, yelling, and chaos. This book had me smiling and laughing out loud because I was so engaged with the characters. I will definitely be looking for more books by Bella Osborne.
I really like Christmas stories. Crazy families are always a bonus. Lottie is out to make this last family Christmas in her grandmother's house a memorable one. It is. With an old love, an unknown child, a possible pregnancy, and a sex crazy mom, what can go wrong.
I enjoyed the story, but Lottie waiting until the last minute for everything was annoying. Dutchess's condition not being noticed by the vet. Too many silly sidetracks. But a HEA is worth it! Thanks Netgalley!
After the sad loss of her nana, Lottie hosts one last family Christmas in nana's home before it is sold off. The story mostly covers Christmas Day and Boxing Day, reliving traditions within the family, along with a whole host of unexpected guests. Although the loss of nana is clearly very sad, this book is beautiful, upbeat and a riotous festive read.
I loved reading about the baking that Lottie did, with and without Nana. These old family recipes are something to treasure. I have my own nan's recipe for stuffing and Christmas pudding and fondly remember her making them for each family member. And just like in this story she lined the ceramic bowls with parchment and tinfoil and tied it with string. This stirred up some very fond memories for me and I always get a bit misty-eyed at Christmas time missing my own nan.
There are so many festivities in this story that will resonate with most readers - making homemade Christmas cake, sausage rolls, and mince pies. And of course, the wonderful traditions like decorating the tree together remembering stories behind special Christmas baubles.
One Family Christmas is full of great characters and lots of slapstick humour, especially relating to Lottie's mum, Duchess the cat, and Dave the dog. Add in some drama, a couple of love affairs, a moving and heartwarming ending, and it all makes for the perfect Christmas read. I think this has been my favourite Christmas read of 2020 and I really hope there will be more books featuring this cast.
Having read all of this author’s books, this one is my favourite.
After the death of her beloved nana, Lottie wants one last family Christmas. But as her family arrives, so does chaos and when a past love walks back into her life Lottie is left wondering just what she has let herself in for.
A great fun filled story with entertaining characters. This book will put a smile on your face.
Lottie wants a last Christmas at the family manor before it's sold. Lottie was brought up by her grandmother because her mum was irresponsible & had had many 'man friends'. The story looks at the family dynamics of them all being together. Throw in an old boyfriend, an uncle being ill, a niece she didn't know existed, a lost engagement ring & a few other calamities, makes this a full on but amusing & entertaining read.
#onefamilychristmas #bellaosborne #netgalley #netgalleyreview I’ll be honest this delightful cover drew me in before even reading the description. 🤷♀️ what can I say. I definitely #judgeabookbyitscover 🙈 this cheeky book did NOT let me down. What a cute little Christmas story to get you in the mood for the holiday season. I adored everything about this charming story ❤️ we have Lottie. Poor girl. She’s been thru the ups and downs of life. More back home with her Nana and Uncle Bernard. In this endearing story of coming home. Holidays. Love. And more. You’ll be enraptured from that first chapter. This is definitely a must read for your holiday season #bookstagram #netgalleyreviewer #booklover #romcombook #booksbooksbooks📚 #christmasbooks #boxingday #bookstagrammer #reviewer
Far too many characters with far too many intersecting stories. Impossible to keep anything strategic; just way too confusing.
Another fantastic read by Bella. I have read most of her books and loved them all.
Lottie wants one more Christmas with the family before the sale of nanna Rose's
house after her death.Of course not much runs smoothly not least because Lottie isn't much of a cook. Also after nine years her ex Joe returns. Lottie's mother brings her toyboy new boyfriend who is vegan and her brother brings his girlfriend who no-one knows about and his 6 year old daughter Jessie. And let's not forget uncle Bernard.
A lovely cosy Christmas read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon books UK for the ARC
A lovely story of how Nana gone but not forgotten brings her family back together for Christmas before everything changes. However poor Lottie soon begins to realise how much stress she has put herself under. I loved Dave and Dutchesses love/ hate friendship. An abundance of love, laughter, friendship and hope
A dysfunctional, British family comes together at their family home for Christmas where all their secrets unravel. This was a solid 3 star for me as the POV changed suddenly which can be jarring, the secrets were unoriginal and weren’t exposed until almost the very end and almost all the drama could have been avoided had everyone just communicated and been honest.