In The Christmas Swap by Sandy Barker, we get to see three best friends – Chloe, Jules and Lucy swap hometowns for a change in their Christmas Holidays. It was a fun, light-hearted book, and had the perfect touch of cozy-ness. The storyline made me fall in love with the characters from the very beginning, and that feeling stayed with me throughout the book.

I have always been a fan of destination-based books as well. Nothing gets better than travelling to different places through books while staying inside your homes for me! Sandy Barker’s writing style is simple yet so captivating – she described the characters’ lives in Colorado, England and Melbourne in such a vivid manner. I felt as if I was jumping through Chloe, Jules and Lucy’s lives and celebrating the holidays with them!

Books with strong female friendships have always been a favorite trope of mine in books, and I was really glad to see such a lovely relationship between the three women in The Christmas Swap. Despite of being very different from each other, Chloe, Jules and Lucy had a very powerful bond, and it was clearly evident from their conversations in the book. Each of the characters added their own charms to the story, and made reading The Christmas Swap a joyous ride through and through.

I loved seeing the best friends’ adapt into their different lives. The side characters – mainly people from Chloe, Jules and Lucy’s family were so sweet! I adored reading about them. Christmas is all about being with your loved ones, and this book stayed true to that aspect in every possible way.

The Christmas Swap comes out in 4 days, on the 16th of October. If you haven’t pre-ordered it yet, please do!

his is the 1st Book that I have read by the author , I enjoyed this book.

This book tells the story of 3 friends who met aged 11 in Hawaii, fast forward 20 years and the three of them realise they have never had the christmas experiences they wanted so the 3 friends swapped countries , without giving too many spoilers away this is good .

if you loved the film the holiday you love this book, I would give this book 3.5 stars out of 5, with thanks to Netgalley & One More Chapter for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As I’ve been reading and reviewing Christmassy books since the first week in September, I suspect you might have realised that they’re something I really enjoy – so you can only imagine my delight when I discovered that this book focuses on not one but three very different Christmases. Jules, Lucy and Chloe have been the closest of friends since childhood, despite the fact that they live on different continents: when they talk about Christmas, they’re all looking for something different, and the obvious answer is to swap their Christmas experiences.

Instead of her traditional family Christmas in an Oxfordshire village, Lucy heads off for Colorado, Jules’ extended family, and the white Christmas she’s always craved: Jules heads for Melbourne, for a beach and city break with Chloe’s friends, and where the heat will be more than just the warmth of the season. And Chloe? She finds herself in Lucy’s very pink childhood bedroom in Oxfordshire, roped in to helping organise the village fair.

I loved all the Christmas detail – the differing traditions, the food, the entertainment – but all three of them find romance, with Jules’ lovely little brother Will, with Matt the winemaker, and with Alan (now Archer) the rather unexpected international film star. Their stories alternate, clearly signposted, smooth and easy to follow – I’d planned to tell you which one I enjoyed the most, but just can’t because all three are quite lovely stories, beautifully told.

Well ok, if you push me a bit, I might particularly mention Chloe and Archer – as film stars go (and you don’t often find one in Oxfordshire, spending his Christmas with his mum), he’s very real and grounded, but fame has its downside when the press are watching your every move, and that’s without the additional complication of the ex from hell. But who couldn’t also love Lucy’s snowbound experience – the skiing, the snowboarding, the rum-infused hot chocolate, the cabin in the woods? But then there’s Jules’ Australian adventure – Melbourne itself, the beach, the winelands… I loved them all equally.

Underpinning it all is that amazing friendship between the three women – shaken up a bit at times, a little light conflict, but no-one writes female friendship quite like Sandy Barker. The supporting characters are quite wonderful too – the families, and each woman’s own friendship circle – and I really don’t think I’d have said no to any of their gorgeous love interests. I read this whole book in one glorious sitting – and when I finished, I really felt I’d been travelling, spending Christmas on three continents, and enjoying every single moment.

There’s such a tremendous warmth about the whole book – the settings, the festive touches, the way the characters develop and discover themselves, that strong friendship, the perfect romances – and I entirely loved it. You really must add it to your Christmas reading list – you’re going to love it too.

(Review will be copied to Amazon UK on publication day)

👣Walking in someone else's moccasins: lovely locations, good multiple plots🌏🌎🌍

4.5🌟stars
I really liked the three prong plot for this sweet holiday romance. The chances of all three women finding a perfect holiday and romance in their borrowed locations is not particularly realistic, but it's a feel good novel with a festive tone and emphasizing family and friendship. The Melbourne, Colorado and England locations add interest for armchair travelers in an age when intercontinental travel is difficult to forbidden.

Author Sandy Barker has hit the right balance between the romance and the holiday components. Neither overwhelms the other. Cozy present opening in front of a Christmas morning fire plays against exhilarating new love. A lovely read😌.

Thanks to publishers Harper Collins/One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

The Christmas Swap is a fun story that will get you ready for all the best parts of the holiday season.

I loved the different types of Christmases portrayed – a large, boisterous family gathering, a small intimate family celebration, and a Christmas orphans' version. It made me reminisce about the different types of Christmases I've experienced at various points in my life and started preparing me for the holiday season.

I also loved the main characters – Chloe, Lucy, and Jules. I think I liked Chloe's spunky, kick-butt attitude the most, but each has qualities that are endearing and qualities that grate on your nerves a bit. I wish there were another book or books out there with stories of the three of them together. I enjoyed them enough to love to see more of them and, more importantly, see them interact.

The locales are all so beautiful. I don't know which I think is more beautiful and the perfect Christmas spot. A white Christmas in the Colorado mountains, a festival-filled English Christmas in a quaint village, or a summer Christmas down under – how do you decide? Well, I didn't have to. I was able to experience all three in a day. All locations are beautifully described and incite the wanderlust inside.

I wish that all three characters did not instantly find the loves of their lives when they switched locales and holiday experiences. What are the chances of that happening? It would be rare for even one to have that experience, making it difficult to suspend disbelief. I would have loved to see some variety with this part of the plot, and that variety could have taken many, many different forms.

Lastly, I loved that, in the story, holiday romance movies were mentioned. That shout out to the type of tale that you would enjoy around the holidays on a particular network made me laugh out loud.

This is a beautiful holiday romance that will bring on all the feels for the festivities ahead.

I was drawn to this book by the cover image, which is very eyecatching, depicting different settings. I was also intrigued by the blurb, which made the book sound very reminiscent of “The Holiday” film, which is one of my favourite festive films.

The book tells the story about three friends, who swap homes for Christmas in the name of adventure, fun and shaking things up a bit. However, each gets a little bit more than they bargained for…

I found this a refreshing take on chick lit- for a number of reasons. Firstly, the stories were told from three different perspectives – those of the 3 main characters – Chloe, Jules & Lucy. Secondly, I got to enjoy three very different but equally beautiful settings at Christmas. Finally, I actually came across some words I’ve never heard before! I like to think of myself as well read and having a wide vocabulary, and I’ve not learnt words from a book in a very long time, so that was very refreshing.

I enjoyed following the girls’ journeys and the male characters gave men a good name, which isn’t always the case in books like these! Each of them were loyal, helpful, caring and charming!

This book has really helped me escape reality at a time when I’ve really needed to do so & I’ve found it a refreshing, fun, original read. I’ve read a few chick lit Christmas books for this blogging season, and this one currently sits at the top of my list!

I’d highly recommend this book to any fans of chick lit authors such as Mary Jayne Baker, Portia Macintosh, Holly Martin and Rosie Green.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The perfect Christmas love story! Reading it in October might have been a tiny bit too early, but it still was everything I could have hoped for. A bit predictable at times, but nonetheless amazing!

A wonderful story to get you in the festive spirit, I loved experiencing three very different Christmases with these wonderful ladies at three very different locations.

I was swept along from the first meeting of Jules, Chloe and Lucy and laughed throughout this story. A story that really set the scene at each location which added to the authenticity and helped to just sweep me along in the story.

I loved the references to the film The Holiday and whilst there were similarities there was also lots of adventures for the friends amongst the romance that is sprinkled on the pages.

A truly magical christmas read that I absolutely loved from beginning to end and would love to just curl up and read again!

The Christmas Swap by Sandy Barker

This was a lovely read! I love it when you get different perspectives in books, and here we follow Lucy, Chloe and Jules as they all swap christmases. As an English girl I would love to have had this opportunity, to spend Christmas in the snow with an American family, it sounds lovely! I’m not sure the Aussie Christmas would be for me, I like my Christmases cosy. But it was interesting to read about all the little traditions! A lovely Christmassy read! Available for preorder now, the ebook is available on the 16th of October!

4/5 ⭐️

Recommend ✅

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A truly enjoyable festive read with friends and fun!

Chloe, Jules and Lucy have been friends a long time and are spread across the globe; this year, each find themselves facing a very different kind of yuletide and agree to swap locations to experience Christmas in a new way. So Chloe heads off from the city of Melbourne, Australia to celebrate in a village in Oxfordshire, England. Lucy, in turn, heads off to a very wintry Colorado to experience a really snowy Christmas whilst Jules heads off to Melbourne, desperate for warmth and sunshine this holiday. Will they all find the kind of break they're hoping for?

I'm very fond of books where two or three characters are followed in turn, so this one was right up my street! I appreciated that each chapter was headed up with the name of the person focused on - saved me from getting muddled up until I had each one in their correct setting! Getting to know each of these young women felt like a privilege; a sneak peek into their lives, hopes and dreams with a great big dollop of humour dropped into the mix. Three for the price of one, all with Sandy Barker's wonderful dialogue which made me grin all the way through, keeping me turning the pages long after I should have been in the land of nod. A sparkling Christmas novel which made such a good job of putting me in a festive mood that I just had to purchase a fabulous decoration today! Guaranteed to fill up your Christmas spirit and easily worth all five stars and a huge recommendation.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley and to Rachel's Random Resources for my spot on this tour; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

What an amazing read, such strong, brave women.
This was first book by this author and I was intrigued by the swap. I was hooked from the moment Will suggested to Lucy to pee in the snow while stuck in traffic. I have to say I laughed a bit at that and fell a bit on love with those two characters.
I loved the triple plot line and them reaching seeing life from their friends point of view, but also how they each saw everything with fresh awe struck eyes. Jules and Wills family at the cabin were amazing and I loved all the descriptions of the streets, houses and decorations, seeing it from Lucy’s POV was as if I was actually seeing it.
I loved all the Aussie references and how the Aussie laid back almost carefree attitudes really came through with the characters. And I laughed at the British traditions, Christmas lunch, after the queens speech - not lunch time at all, but it’s just the way it’s done! Lol!
It was an easy, beautiful read that I honestly didn’t want to end, I wanted it to go on so I could see them all making the changes they were roasting the new year in with.

This was a very light hearted and enjoyable, entertaining ,festive read with all the feels. I was quickly drawn into the storyline and didn't want to put it down once I'd started it. It's very reminiscent of a few Rom com's that have become well known films , 'The Holiday is one of my favourite seasonal films end cos mentioned within the storyline a few times.
The storyline revolves around three very different women, who have been lifelong friends after meeting on vacation as children..
Chloe is Australian , Jules is American and Lucy is British. They decide to make Christmas different this year by swapping locations and spending the holiday season with their friends families instead. Chloe relocates from busy Melbourne to a sleepy village in rural England to spend Christmas with Lucy's parents. Jules normally spends her Christmas in snowy Colorado but relocates to Sunny Melbourne to spend the holidays with Chloes friends . Lucy normally has a quiet family Christmas but spends her holidays with Jules huge family at a lodge in the Colorado mountains.
Each friend finds unexpected romance during their stay and there are some humorous moments along the way.
The descriptive writing encapsulates the beauty of the very different locations and you feel like you've been transported somewhere wonderful as you follow each person on their voyage of discovery. Colorado sounded like a winter wonderland , you could picture the setting easily.
I was a little confused initially as to who was where , with whom and what nationality they were, but I did get past that after a few chapters.
This was a fun, easy going read with a happily ever after for each protagonist. I give 4.5 stars and recommend this book as a heartwarming festive read.

When Chloe’s Melbourne Christmas plans start to unravel, her two international besties have an idea - why don’t they swap Christmases? With Chloe heading to England to celebrate a traditional winter Christmas, Jules ends up in a Melbourne heatwave and Lucy experiences her first white Christmas in Colorado.

This was such a cute, squishy read. It was a great feel good novel in the lead up to Christmas, the only reason I didn’t rate it higher is that it wasn’t a stand out. It wasn’t all much different to many others of the same genre.

This was a lovely Christmas read. I loved the links between the three girls.
It was a bit predictable but enjoyable nether the less.

I particularly like Lucy and her sweet unassuming wats and her parents.

For those who love a festive romance book with snow, festive ness a plenty then this is your book.

Pine scented and fairy light lit up read ahoy!

This arc copy was provided for an honest review by netgalley. As usual Thankyou for the change to read before release.

They first met, in Hawaii aged 11. Since then, they’ve been best friends, the May Ladies, Jules in Colorado, Lucy in Oxford and Chloe in Melbourne, This Christmas is going to be so different. They are swapping homes, the perfect solution when Chloes’ parents decide to go away this year, leaving her home alone, apart from her flat mate. Add 3 attractive men, and you have a lovely Christmas tale.
This is a lovely read, just what you need to get you into the festive mood; added to that are the 3 very different locations, all so beautifully described that you feel as though you want to experience each one yourself. Perfect comfort reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute and fun holiday read- the three story lines felt like they might be a tiny bit too much to keep track of, but it also introduces many more holiday moments and traditions. I think that I would have loved this with two story lines instead of three, so that I could have focused slightly more. However, it is still highly entertaining, and is a wonderful escape from the stress of normal life!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sandy Barker, and One More Chapter for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved the concept of this story. I am now trying to figure out how I can do a Christmas swap with international friends!!!! How amazing?!? I feel so mind blown when I think of this and it gives me The Holiday vibes!!! So creative and fun! How great for each of them to be able to experience the kind of Christmas they were hoping for (in terms of climate and traditions)!!! I would say Colorado and England are more traditional to what I know, and Australia sure was different! Christmas Day with no snow, different meal contents, and different ways of celebrating!

I really enjoyed the relationship that forms between each girl and the family that is waiting for them wherever they are going to be celebrating Christmas.
They are all so welcoming, obliging, and treat each girl as if they were their own. And each of the three girls really immersed themselves wherever they are and tries not to hold back or let fear or hesitations stop them from trying new experiences!

One of my favourite things in the Barker books I have read is the use of multiple settings! It sure itches that need to travel in times in which it is not safe to do so! I really enjoy getting to see these places through the characters eyes, especially when they are seeing them for the first time! I think the settings chosen were just great and really suited each of the girls quite well!

If you are looking for a fun swap story, celebrating different Christmas traditions and stepping outside of your comfort zone, give this one a try!!!!

This book is about three women that have been long term friends decide that they want to swap christmases this year. One goes to Australia, one to America and one to England where each of them have very different christmases to what they would have had had they stayed at home.

Although I enjoyed this book it was very similar to the Christmas film “the holiday”. Each of the women meet men on their journeys and the whole story seemed too far fetched to be real. Everything just seems to fall into place for all the women and you can predict the ending of the book we’ll before the book ends.

Wasn’t a bad read but isn’t one that I will be reading again.

A real love story. Brilliant how they all wanted what each other had. Loved reading about Melbourne. The food market sounded yummy. Loved how Lucy felt about snow and sking. It was a story of love and ture friendship

What do you do when Christmas is coming, life is a bit samey, and you have a friend who will be living your ideal festive season? Three young women who have known each other since childhood face this dilemma but know exactly what to do - they swap with each other! Lucy wants a proper white Christmas, but lives in England, Jules wants a beach Christmas but lives in snowy Colorado and Chloe wants a traditional Christmas but lives in Melbourne.

How do you cope at Christmas when your families are thousand of miles away, will it be as you imagined? Will you fit right in or be counting the days until you can go home? No one's holiday turns out how they planned and their friendship is tested as well so what exactly will their futures hold as the new year starts?

First of all I really enjoyed this book, it is well written, fun, funny and definitely leaves a warm feeling. The main characters in all locations are great and work well together and apart. It is also totally unrealistic but even though I knew this it didn't matter because you leave reality behind as you start reading.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who wants a hug of a Christmas book. This is definitely one I will reread next year without a doubt.