Member Reviews
This was a lovely, warm, festive read. I really felt for Lottie, the poor main character who spends the entire book trying to wrangle her messy, difficult family into having one last traditional family Christmas now that her beloved Nana Rose has died. She couldn't have tried harder to live up to Nana's Christmas and yet was faced with huge challenges at every turn. This book was funny, highly entertaining and relatable. A great read for this time of year.
The perfect Christmas read full of fun family and food. A numerous charming relatable story to read on tge run up to Christmas x
This was my first of Bella's books, and I enjoyed it. That said, I did find a few small things that needed a tweak.
There are so many characters in this book, meaning it can often be difficult to determine who's who among the cast. It felt at times like Bella herself had forgotten too – at one stage, one of the characters called Lottie his aunt, but she is actually his cousin.
The book has so much going on too, and it's a real comedy of errors. I feel like a lot of the plot could have been shaved off and little difference would be made to the book. I think it needed a little more editing overall, as it was rather long and there were a few mistakes.
I’ve wanted to read more by the author since I loved her novel Meet Me at Pebble Beach when I took part in the blog tour earlier this year. I was a bit cynical as the book is set at Christmas and my experience in the past is that such books tend to be cheesy with few exceptions such as crime fiction. The family at the centre of this book are quite dysfunctional and are keeping secrets from each other. They don’t come across as nice people at first, more concerned with jetting off on luxury breaks than the fact the matriarch has died. Lottie brings them together for one last big Christmas at Nana’s big house by the sheer effort of her will. She seems to be the only one interested in keeping this tradition alive. I laughed a lot reading this book as I warmed to Lottie’s family and I also cried a few times. This is the perfect mix of happy and sad.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this.
A big family. A whole lot of secrets. A Christmas to remember…
This year, Lottie is hosting one last big family Christmas at the home she grew up in – just like her Nana would have wanted.
But when her relatives descend on the old manor house, Lottie gets more than she bargained for. Every family has its secrets, but in this family, everybody has one!
So, between cooking a Christmas dinner, keeping tensions at bay and a stray dog out of mischief, she has plenty on her plate (and not just misshapen sausage rolls and a frozen turkey). And then her first love shows up – nine years after he walked out of her life.
I love any stories about Christmas. This had the added bonus that Lotties family are quite simply crazier than mine! Lots of crossed wires and unique characters make this an incredibly enjoyable read. I would happily read another of Bellas stories if this is the calibre of her writing. Thoroughly recommend with a large hot chocolate and a comfy seat x
Can Lottie make their last family Christmas one to remember… for the right reasons?
One Family Christmas by Bella Osborne
Rating ****.8 4.8/5
Hilariously brilliant.
The first paragraph had me hooked and it didn’t disappoint. Chuckled out loud. I was already telling my friends and family about “One Family Christmas” well before I had even finished.
Bella Osborne’s characters are fabulous: Lottie’s family are eccentric, egotistical and so funny I would love to meet them. Sherry-loving Shirley is a hoot. Dave and The Duchess, life with them would certainly never be dull.
A heart warming novel not to be missed.
This is the first novel I have read by Bella Osborne and it won’t be the last. Thoroughly recommended.
Thank you to Bella Osborne, HarperCollins/Avon and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for which I have written and honest and unbiased review.
This was a lovely festive read. I was wary at first because there were lots of characters; but things were quickly put in place with character developments and plots revolving around a dysfunctional family Christmas.
One Family Christmas was quirky and funny & most of all, heartwarming. I was laughing out loud at the, 'celebrity sighting' in the village store and the curtsies that ensued from Angie.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
After losing her nan, Lottie wants to organise one last family Christmas together and is pleased when everyone says they will be coming.
There are a catalogue of disasters that she takes in hand to provide the sort of Christmas her nan always used to make happen. She comes to realise just how hard her nan had to work and I was amazed how little help she was getting!!!!!!!
The families all have niggles , and are quite selfish at times. But I loved all the family scenes, the embarrassing mother, the grumpy uncle, the blossoming romance being thwarted.
It has elements of everyone's family christmas moments and it's a really lovely read.
I absolutely loved this story, the characters were all so unique and I loved the chaos and ups and downs of the family Christmas. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments but the book also had me in tears a few times. So Christmassy and just a really beautiful story. I was sad to finish it.
At first, I thought this was going to be another clichéd Christmas novel but actually I was pleasantly surprised. The characters were deliciously annoying with their irritating quirks. A bad mother, soft hearted brother and a scandalous uncle, it was the perfect combination. Lottie had a lot of pain and she needed this Christmas to help get rid of it. There were lots of mishaps, secrets and twists to keep me hooked. It made me laugh and cry- always the sign of a good book.
I always feel like I’m cheating on December a bit when I read holiday reads throughout the year, but this one was totally worth it.
It was fun, quirky, full of real family drama and also real family love.
It’s the perfect holiday read and will surely make you laugh out loud!
The perfect Christmas read. Yes I did just type perfect. I loved this. It’s full of everything you could want from a Christmas read and more - romance, home life, humour, food, family, drama.
Lottie wants one last Christmas in her family home and moves in with her Nan. That is just magical in itself. And from there.....
It’s an absolutist read 6 stars here.
I may be the odd one out on this review judging by how high the rating is. I was So looking forward to this book because in times like today, We need an escape especially with the holiday season upon us where most of us won't be gathering with family. But this book simply didn't catch me. I could not absorb any of the characters and would drift off through the book, not remembering much of the story, I will revisit this book in the near future and hopefully update my review!
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
After Lottie and her boyfriend broke up, she moved back to Nana's house. This is her favorite place to be, and it holds many memories. For Lottie, Nana is home, Nana is love, Nana is precious memories. Christmas is fast approaching, and both Lottie and Nana want this Christmas to be one filled with memories. Nana is hiding a secret though, and that secret is revealed right at the holiday. Nana isn't the only one hiding a secret though, and Nana writes each person a Christmas card to 1) share her secret, and 2) encourage them to.
I did enjoy this book. There were comical moments, there were emotional moments, and there was family drama. One Family Christmas was about a family reconnecting, and realizing that they are not ready to give up their Christmas tradition (even when they originally felt like they should).
*I was provided an ARC of this book by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a review.
A fast paced book that sends you on a roller coaster of emotions. Lottie wants one more Christmas with her family in the house she grew up in. But what family Christmas would be complete without disaster, drama and secrets from the past? I really enjoyed this book and fell in love with Lottie and her family. A Christmas movie in a book.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Bella Osborne and Avon for a early e book copy.
When picking out something to read for Christmas, what do you look for?
Humor? Check.
Family drama? Check
Family secrets? Check
Romance? Check
Basically, this one checks everything off the list. It was a quick read that I genuinely enjoyed and would be happy to read again next year! And the year after...
Thank you for allowing me to read and review this.
Wow what a book love it such fun characters plot just hooks you your pull into the story from the first few words on amazing read I recommend to you all love it
Lottie's family always spends Christmas together at the old Manor, but this is not just another Christmas. Everything has changed, and Lottie's the one in charge now. Will she manage to pull Christmas off as Nan did? You get to decide for yourself.
Big families make for a very busy, loud, messy holiday. As much as it is chaotic, it is as much filled with love. This is what I love about this particular Christmas story. It's relatable.
You can relate to their chaos. Every family member comes with their own baggage, and that baggage is opened up on Christmas! What's not to love?
I loved the fact that all the characters are super real. Nothing was exaggerated, it is what it is.
One thing that I didn't enjoy, was how fast everything was. Too fast. Almost every other page, something catastrophic was happening, and I couldn't think fast enough to wrap my head around it. I didn't have time to process the character's feelings, and my own too. I felt like we didn't need to have as many accidents, fires, spills etc.
Other than that, it is an enjoyable read. If you love something that keeps you on your toes and gives you a little bit of mystery throughout the entire novel, this is for you.
I really enjoyed this book. Such a feel good story. Descriptive and well written it described how easy it is for families to lose their way but how Christmas can occasionally work some magic and bring them back together again.
A must read this Christmas.
Uproarious, poignant and absolutely delightful, Bella Osborne’s latest novel, One Family Christmas is an absolute joy to read from start to finish.
Christmas is a time for joy, celebration and family and Lottie is determined to make this Yuletide as special as she possibly can and to honour her Nanna’s final wish for the whole family to have one last Christmas in the family home before it’s sold off. Lottie plans to pull out all the stops and have a Christmas which none of her relatives will ever forget – and that certainly proves to be true although as Lottie soon finds out, it will be for all the wrong reasons. Every family has its fair share of secrets and skeletons rattling in its closets – and Lottie’s family are certainly no exception for it looks like it won’t be just lame jokes that they will be pulling out of their Christmas crackers as shocking revelations are about to come to light over the turkey and mince pies.
Poor Lottie has certainly got her hands full this Christmas. Not only does she have to keep the peace between warring family members who seem intent on giving vent to all of their grievances and frustrations, but she has to cook the perfect Christmas dinner and cope with a stray dog who is just adding to her already sky high stress levels by getting up to all sorts of mischief. But all that pales into insignificance when Lottie gets the shock of her life and something she certainly did not want to find under her Christmas tree – her first love who had walked out on their relationship almost a decade ago!
Lottie might get her wish to have a Christmas to remember, but she certainly never counted on revisiting old ghosts and finding herself confronting demons she had thought long buried. Yet, little does she realise that, amidst all of this chaos, her dreams might just come true – but only if she believes in the magic of the season and follows her heart…
Bella Osborne is an immensely talented writer of romantic comedy and One Family Christmas is a brilliant tale that sparkles with warmth, humour and plenty of mischief to keep readers gleefully turning the pages. I absolutely adored Lottie and couldn’t help but relate to her as she tried to juggle dealing with her fractious relatives whilst trying to create a convivial atmosphere – something which I am sure readers everywhere can sympathize with. I also adored the effortless charm, delicious wit and touching romance which One Family Christmas has in absolute abundance and which kept me absolutely glued to its pages from beginning to end.
Hilarious and heart-warming, Bella Osborne hits it out of the park yet again with One Family Christmas.