Three Christmases in one, what more could you ask for? I found the idea of Christmas swapping intriguing and was not disappointed. Everyone has their own traditions, but you only realise just how many when you take part in someone else's. I found it fascinating and the romantic undercurrents and tests of friendship just added to the fun. Definitely one for the festive TBR pile.

If you enjoy the movie The Holiday, then you will love this book. It was a delightful, heartwarming holiday book that gave me all the same wonderful feelings I get when watching The Holiday.

This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you.

Great Christmas book! Really enjoyed it and would recommend. Three friends swapping christmases to see what it’s like somewhere else. To have their ideal Christmas! They each got something more

I loved the movie The Holiday so I knew I would enjoy this one. I love a good holiday story and this one was just what I needed. And it would be a fun movie!

A great holiday read. A winter setting and beach setting. Both wonderfully written characters and interesting adventures,

If you have ever wondered what your holiday would be like if you spent it somewhere else, this book is for you. I think all of us have wondered at some point, when the mountain of chores looms ever larger and there is no help in sight, we might all wish to be somewhere else. The three young women in this story have grown up together. From age 11, they have kept their friendship alive through any means possible. They've shared holidays and milestones but this year, they are not sharing, they are swapping!!!!
Sandy Barker took a great story concept and ran with it from England to Colorado to Australia, Christmas celebrations look different but have a core of similarity when Lucy, Chloe and Jules keep readers entertained with their antics. A fast read because it was so good that I read it in one evening. Let's hope we see Ms Barker plot another holiday with such skill.

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to make you pack your bags and have your own Christmas swap!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 October 2020
THE CHRISTMAS SWAP
Sandy Barker
A fabulously fun festive read that makes you want to pack your bags and find someone to swap with!
I’ve read all Sandy’s books, but this has to be my favourite. It was slightly surreal reading The Christmas Swap while I was on a beach in Rhodes last week, but the story and the writing were both so good I lay in the sun and read from cover to cover almost in one go.
It was great to see how three friends, Jules, Lucy and Chloe – all from different continents – meet at the age of eleven, dub themselves the May Ladies, and continue this friendship and bond both across the years and the miles until they are adults.
Barker is always so good at describing different places – the food, the weather, the customs – and with this one she has surpassed herself. It can sometimes be confusing with three different protagonists, but the author showed great skill - there was no wondering just which character the reader was back with now – handling each character with a sense of empathy as well as humour.
A great five star read and one for rereading when the need for a bit of Christmas adventure is on the agenda!

This is my favourite Sandy Barker book! With some brilliant characters and a fantastic plot, I couldn't put it down. The perfect book to get you in the mood for Christmas!

This was such a fun holiday book. It was a little predictable, but the story was sweet and cute. I would love to read more of this authors books!

A solid 3 stars on the enjoyment basis and another .75 stars for Barker's writing ability. She takes 3 distinct characters and splits them up across three distinct settings and yet manages to explore each woman's personality, fears, issues and quirks along with a budding romance. Of course it's full of <i>insta-love</i> and yet it didn't veer into the annoying.

I received a dARC from the publisher via Netgalley for review. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you netgalley for an early copy of this! This reminded me so much of one of my favorite holiday films, The Holiday! Such a good book, I’m definitely be recommending it!

It was an absolute DELIGHT reading this story, and I was so lucky to be able to partner up with One More Chapter to be a part of their read-along and get to do an author Q&A with Sandy on instagram!

WHO, especially this year during the pandemic, doesn't dream of having THE perfect Christmas - swapping your location & families with your lifelong friends. Certainly, that's going to go perfectly for all involved, isn't it? LOL

Chloe, Jules, and Lucy are such fun characters, I really enjoyed getting to know each of them, each of their traditions & the hilarity that ensues. Sandy made this such a fun read, and I loved getting to talk to her about some of the behind the scenes details that created this wonderful story!

Pick this one up if you want something just a little bit different during the holiday season, I highly recommend it! Thank you to One More Chapter & NetGalley for providing me an eARC to participate in the read-along in exchange for my review, I just LOVE being able to participate in these!

I absolutely adored this book and didn't want it to end! What a better way to spend the Christmas period, than travelling back and fourth between the UK, Australia and America - perfection! All three ladies were just so amazing & I only wanted the best for them. I couldn't recommend Sandy's travel romances enough.

This was my first book by Sandy Barker and I really enjoyed it. It was fun, easy to read, warm, cosy, light and fluffy. Would recommend.

Once I got to know the characters, I enjoyed this fun and uplifting festive read. Will be looking out for more from this writer.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was the perfect Christmas pick me up! Was such an easy book to get into but also a book I didn't want to put down at all! You can tell the author has been to the places in the book as the descriptions make you feel like you've been there before as well! Will definitely recommend this book!

A fun-filled, feel good festive romance! Exactly what you want to read at Christmas time!

What’s better than one romance? Three!

I loved the main characters; each on a different yet equally as exciting journey. I loved the romances, the humour & the family relationships.

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. A charming book to read

(links to review will be added soon, when post goes live on my blog)
Book Review | The Christmas Swap by Sandy Barker

⭐⭐⭐✨ (3.5/5)

Inspired by the film The Holiday, three friends (Jules, Chloe and Lucy) decide to switch homes for Christmas and each jet off to experience a different kind of festive celebration. It soon becomes clear that switching countries does not leave all of your problems behind, and the women face some deicions.

This novel was such a fun and festive read and it was perfect Christmas escapism. It was light, wholesome, funny and flirty and I liked the characters as well as the different experiences of Christmas, whether it be in sunny Australia, the English countryside, or Snowy America.

The theme of friendship was really strong in The Christmas Swap and I loved having a group of three women who support and care for each other. I liked all three women, although they are all different, and I think Barker portrayed all of her characters well.

Barker writes the plot cleverly so that there is overlap between the stories of the three women and their narratives were entwined well. Each chapter ends so that you want to know more about that ladies' narrative which means that the pace ends up moving along quite quickly as, for example, when reading about Jukes I wanted to get back to Chloe and Lucy but then Jules' chapter would leave me wanting more!

Something that would have made me enjoy this book more was actually that I wanted more of it. I wanted more romance, maybe more heat, and definitely more of the book. I wanted to spend more time with the ladies (and the couples) to find out more about what happened after the novel ended and just to see more of the romances.

Overall, if you want a fun, festive romance, pick this one up next Christmas (or any time you want, we all need some festive escapism sometimes).