Member Reviews
A truly funny romcom centred around a family who've lost their matriarch coming together for one last Christmas in the family home. Bella Osborne strikes a perfect balance, never trivializing love or loss, while threading a light touch throughout. A wonderful Christmas read
Bella Osborne's "One Family Christmas" was such a fun read. Osborne's characters were delightfully flawed and kept me on my toes for what would be reviled next. "One Family Christmas" was fast paced and perfect for anyone who loves a big family Christmas but always questions why once you've all gathered and realized how much people can eat.
Really good fun!! I do enjoy a typical family Christmas boom I’ll admit.
I really enjoyed this book! With funny moments that literally make you laugh out loud and a main character that you want to pull for, this is a great choice for your next Christmas read.
It doesn't have to be Christmas to read a Christmas book right?!
This is a fabulous all year round read and I love Christmas so I loved reading it like a Christmas in July book.
It is filled with festive vibes and a rollercoaster of emotions and relatable family moments that will have you choking back tears of sadness one minute and then have you crying with laughter the next!
A real feel good story with a perfectly wrapped up ending.
I really enjoyed this book! With funny moments that literally make you laugh out loud and a main character that you want to pull for, this is a great choice for your next Christmas read.
Found this one to be a bit too fast-paced (couldn't keep up) and this was compounded by all the people in the tale and this got confusing very fast. Also did not find the characters likable let alone sympathetic, so this turned into too much for me too fast and I couldn't get in for the ride, unfortunately
Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book
This is the perfect Christmassy read. It takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions, one minute you're united with Lottie in grief, the next you're giggling yourself silly over Dave's antics, with a festive backdrop and all the family traditions and politics this time of year entails. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am really looking forward to Bella Osborne's next book.
What an absolute delight to read this festive beauty! Bella Osborne is such a wonderful storyteller and her Christmas stories are always a favourite.
Lottie moves in with her Grandmother and then her Grandmother dies. At her funeral Lottie gets together with her family and asks for them to get together one last time for Christmas. Lottie prepares the house and meals for the group but she has hicupps along the way. Then her old boyfriend comes back to town after nine years.
I'm a fan of Bella Osborne. This is a good romance.
Brilliant Christmas book, it had me in giggles from the start. I would highly recommend this book, it had everything about a Christmas book it should have.
Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.
I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A sweet and heartwarming wintery read. The writing is well done and the characters are quirky, likable and relatable. Perfect for anyone looking for a light hearted and fluffy read.
A good story.
This book was an absolute delight from beginning to end. I loved all of the unique characters and all of their individual stories. The ways in which all of their pasts and their secrets impacted on one another kept me fascinated and unable to put this book down. There were moments of heartbreak, followed by points that would make me laugh out loud. It was truly heart warming and the ending was perfection. A definite must read.
This was a wonderful Christmas read, filled with the most entertaining family dynamics throughout. The story captured plenty of humorous moments between the family that us readers could also relate to from own family memories, allowing this story to feel heart-warming and personal. It had all of the cosy festive vibes and caused for all the fun!
I really enjoyed this book! It was fun, light and fluffy, a typical chaotic Christmas story, easy to read and very fun. Would definitely recommend!
What a fabulous story, perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Chrissie Manby. I absolutely loved everything about this book, especially the insights into Lottie’s thoughts as she tries to decide how Christmas is going for everyone. I enjoyed the ending as well but no spoilers! Highly recommended!
The Collins have just lost the matriarch of the Family. Nana. It is up to Lottie to fulfill her one last request, and that was to have one last family Christmas at the manor. Despite the sadness that looms overhead, Lottie is bound and determined to make this happen. It's pretty safe to say that when a big family gathering occurs, there's bound to be chaos, and with some family's, secrets. The Collins family is no different. In fact, there doesn't seem to be any event that they attempt that goes as planned. A few botched attempts at a wedding proposal, meals that include bickering and even some mishaps with the food, a dog named Dave, and so much more. Everyone seems to be harboring some sort of secret. Can they make it through the holidays without some major catastrophe? Can Lottie pull off her Nanas' last wish?
I loved this book! It was so cute and very entertaining. I loved the kookiness of this family. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you to Netgalley, Bella Osborne, and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this book. I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review. I rate this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐.
I adored this book as a festive read for myself, not my class. It has all of the family dynamics that made you feel content with your own family and perhaps they aren’t that mad after all. The romance was real and not forced and it had me laughing and crying. What a perfect festive read.
Lovely feel good seasonal book. It was just lovely. Romantic book you dream about. Great plot and characters. Perfect for reading over the festive period. Or at any time if the year. Christmas books can be enjoyed anytime anywhere. Very well written and flowed well.
Rating 3.5
Lotty has always loved a big Collins family Christmas hosted by her grandma at the old manor house. This year is a little different as her grandma is no longer with them. Lotty has convinced her family to gather for one more family Christmas before the house is sold. However, like many families they have secrets a plenty and as they gather chaos ensues.
This was such a fun book. It reminded me of one of my family chaotic Christmas’s but elevated by 10. This story had a large very different cast of character and I loved them. They all had such a good dynamic, with them all complimenting each other so well. We have Lotty who was feeling the pressure of hosting Christmas. We also have her brother Zac and girlfriend Emily, both of which are acting oddly. Then there’s Lotty and Zac’s mum Angie and her toy boy Scott who, made me laugh of several occasions. Lotty’s uncle Dan and his family get a shock on Christmas day that completely upends their family. Also thrown into the mix was Lotty’s ex Ben who has returned from America after leaving her years ago. Of course, Christmas is never complete without some animals, children and unexpected guests. It was a big list of ingredients that could have become muddled and had too much going on, but it didn’t. It was really well balanced and although it was a little crazy it never felt over the top or unconvincing.
I really enjoy that there was lots of humour and funny moments included. They balanced out what could have been quite a sad and emotional book because of the family losing the head of the family. As mentioned Lotty’s mum Angie and her younger boyfriend gave us many laughs as does Lotty’s niece Jessie. The addition of a rather naughty dog also added lots of funny moments too.
This book offered such cosy festive vibes. It has so many of my favourite element I like in books, especially at Christmas. Its set over the three days of Christmas, it involves a big family coming together and it follows the weird and wonderful things that only seem to happen when families gather together. One of my favourite parts was watching the family’s annual traditions. From the star present to the village duck race to the stocking game, they were all so much fun. I could just so easily envision this large family spread over this big house decorated for Christmas. It made me feel so warm, cosy and festive.
Overall, this book was a lot of fun. It was funny but also quite sad at times. The cast of characters were great as were their antics and secrets playing out. I loved Lotty, our main character and her desire to keep her grandmothers Christmas and traditions alive. It would be perfect to read over the Christmas period especially If your family, like mine are a tad crazy. It’s nice to know other families (even fictional ones) are the same.