Natalie Normann’s Christmas Island is the ultimate cosy Christmas book, so busting with koselig that even recipes are included at the end. The island, its customs and inhabitants are painted so vividly I could barely stand to leave it, and kept coming back to the book when I should have been doing other things. It didn’t feel like picture postcard Norway either, more a warm depiction of a particular way of life and that made it very special.

The romance at its centre isn’t complicated – and nor should it be – but the characters are, and Holly and Tor’s thawing out to each other was an absolute joy. Their story was perfectly tensioned, without the constant will-they-won’t-they that spoils so many romance novels for me. And Froy, the fluffy giant… well, the book just wouldn’t have been the same without him.

A truly lovely read set on a Norwegian island, perfect for some snowy escapism this Christmas.

Holly is a trainee doctor in London, when an incident with a colleague means that she’s suspended for a month. She hasn’t had a break in years, and her Dad persuades her to spend Christmas with Jack and his family on a small Norwegian island. Jack isn’t there when she first arrives, and an incident when trying to find their house means Holly soon comes face-to-face with Tor, a gorgeous Norwegian ‘hermit’ who is currently escaping his past on this remote island. He has a companion in the shape of a huge, fluffy black cat called Frøy, and I instantly adored him. Cats are such lovable, intuitive creatures yet they’re often overlooked as sidekicks in romance novels. I knew when we met him at 2% in that I was going to love it!

The sense of community is really strong in this book. They adhere to Norwegian principles of always offering to help each other out, whether it’s Alma plying everyone with her delicious bakes or Sigrid offering to help out at the market. Despite having just arrived, the residents recognise Holly on sight, which she finds a little odd as a Londoner, but endearing all the same. They embrace her whole-heartedly in to their Christmas preparations (of which she has little choice!), and Holly is soon swept up in island life.

The romance in this novel was deliciously sweet and simple. Tor is originally shy and extremely reluctant to integrate himself in to the community, but Holly’s joy for life is infectious. Soon he is attending dinner parties, markets and much more so he can spend time diving headfirst into an island Christmas with her. Their dates are also simple, but incredibly romantic. From taking her fishing to see the sunrise, to helping her man Jack’s stall at the Christmas market on the mainland, it’s thoughtful and down-to-earth. Tor starts to see the world through Holly’s eyes, gaining back his spark, and I loved seeing their relationship blossom. Whilst they both agree it’s a holiday romance, their compatibility and obvious love for each other means that you really hope for more.

This is a real different take on the Christmas novels I’ve read so far this year, and I loved that it veered away from a traditional English holiday season to a Norwegian Christmas. You are really immersed as you’re introduced to all the wonderful traditions and food (especially the food!) that they have. Discovering a new way of celebrating alongside Holly is wonderful.

Christmas Island drew me in with it’s cheerful cover that is reminiscent of the ‘hygge’ trend a few years ago (or ‘koselig’ in Norway): wonderfully cosy and cute, as if you’re escaping in to the warm houses away from the bitter winter storms too. It was a gentle read that was great to escape into, the ending was perfect and I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a different take on our traditional turkey-and-tinsel Christmases.

To get away from serious work drama, Doctor Holly takes a few days away on the remote Norwegian island that her brother has made his home. While waiting for her family to arrive home for Christmas, she meets the handsome local hermit and immerses herself in island life. Full of soothing koselig, plenty of sweet Scandinavian treats and an adorable fluffy kitty, this is a huge hug of a book full of community, culture and romance.

I'm so sorry but this book was just not good, on so many levels. Within the first couple of chapters, I had to Google the author to confirm my suspicion that English was surely not her first language - which proved correct, she is in fact Norwegian. Now don't get me wrong, it's incredibly impressive to write an entire novel in another language- but unfortunately, it is both obvious and jarring for the native English speaking reader. It's hard to believe the main character is from London when she speaks in awkward, Nordic-phrased English. The dialogue is uncomfortably awkward and at times just confusing - Holly seems to laugh often at things that aren't funny at all??

Holly is so dense I was surprised when it was mentioned she was a doctor - she doesn't come across as being that smart. There is very little build up of tension between the love interests - one minute they're awkward acquaintances, the next minute they're like, hey let's kiss and have sex. Like... okay?? It seemed to come out of nowhere, and the kissing and romantic connection is more told than shown. Frequent spelling and word errors were frustrating, I sure hope someone's gonna at least run spell check on this before it's released.

The descriptions of Norwegian traditions were nice enough but that's really all this one had going for it, I'm afraid. I was honestly pretty surprised when I saw it was coming from such a big name publisher. This read to me like a first draft that needs a LOT of polishing.

A cozy feel good Christmas read set on an island off the coast of Norway.

Holly is suspended from her job as a doctor in a London hospital. Whilst waiting to hear whether she can continue working she decides to visit her brother in his home on an island off Norway.

When she arrives on the island she finds she has become lost in the dark and a young, bearded, socially awkward but funny man and his cat come to her assistance.

The man, Tor, invites her to stay on his sofa until morning when he points her in the direction of her brothers house. Tor is spending some time in a holiday let, working as an architect and fishing, staying alone in the house having escaped his own trauma. The islanders have named him The Hermit as he is rarely seen.

What follows is a bit of a predictable romance but there is some gorgeous writing about the island, it’s welcoming people, Christmas traditions and the descriptions of the food had my mouth watering!

A lovely story I would recommend to anyone wanting a pick-me-up of a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers One More Chapter for a review copy of the book. Published 30 Nov 2020

Christmas Island is a cozy, closed-door holiday read that pairs perfectly with an equally cozy blanket. I loved learning about Norwegian traditions, while being swept away to a beautiful location. This was such an adorable read and has some absolutely delicious recipes at the end!

This was a fun seasonal read! I really liked learning more about Norwegian culture and traditions; it felt very cozy. The cast of characters was also very endearing and made me want to join this remote community. Tor and Froy were really relatable characters that I wanted to get acquainted with. However, I wanted either more romance between Tor and Holly or to get to know the characters better, to better understand their emotions, motivations, and backgrounds. I wanted something to take the story a little below surface level. Overall, it was a light holiday romance with a great sense of place but the plot was a little lacking.

Christmas Island by Natalie Normann is a perfect read for a cozy Christmas escape. In this story, a doctor, Holly, is on leave from her post to visit her brother on an island in Norway. While there, she meets the island hermit, Tor, and his super cool cat and learns that there's a lot more to the island hermit than meets the eye. I found these two characters very likable and charming. The romance is sweet and very mild. The best part about the book was reading about food and traditions in Norway. I must admit it made me very hungry so the recipes included in the book were a pleasant surprise. Tor's cat was also a really cool character that made the book special. I highly recommend this book to lovers of mild romance, cultural reads, and general cozy Christmas enthusiasts. Thanks to Natalie Normann, Netgalley, and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for access to this read.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

A fun holiday romance read! Holly goes to visit her brother on a small island to get away from a work situation that left her suspended from the hospital. While on the island she comes across another outsider who was visiting the island to escape from their own drama. Holly and Tor quickly develop a friendship while learning the island ways, especially around the the holiday season.

A wonderful insight in to Norwegian history and tradition. So much detail is given that you couldn’t help but feel swept up in it.

For me the story was a little slow but it was still a lovely read. I have to say Froy won my heart, I wanted to win his favour and have him purring in my lap. I loved how he had Tor so whipped.

I certainly learnt a lot reading this book about Christmas traditions in other cultures.

Christmas Island

By Natalie Normann



Thank you @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for the ARC.



This story follows Holly, a Londoner, who is convinced by her brother to visit him for Christmas on a small Norwegian Island.

She gets herself into trouble and meets Tor who the islanders have named the island hermit and his adorable sidekick Froy the cat. Thor and her slowly fall for each other through the magic of Christmas and the traditions on the island.



If you like anything baked goods, this book is definitely for you. I found myself salivating reading the descriptive Norwegian treats. You really get a feel for the traditions in Norway, and the way of life. Food and bringing people together was a main theme in this book. The tale is warm and has all of the Christmas feels. It’s a good read for this time of year if you want to get festive. An extra bonus is some of the Norwegian recipes at the back of the book.



I did at times find myself somewhat bored with the multiple descriptions of food, and wanted to know more about he characters themselves. And I would have liked to hear a bit more about Holly’s issues at home.



All in all, I would say it’s a good holiday read and if you’re looking for something for Christmas, I would definitely recommend this book.

I loved my festive escape to Norway. An enjoyable, cosy Christmas read. The Norwegian food and traditions were fantastic. So hungry whilst reading. Tor and Froy were perfect. Froy stole the show, such a great character. I loved the community feel, just heartwarming. The recipes at the end of the book are a lovely touch.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely Christmassy feel good book. Great images of Scandanavian life and great characters. I really warmed to them and would love to visit!

The story is about Holly, who takes a break from busy London life to visit her brother on an island off the coast of Norway.
The book is set in winter when it is dark and cold most of the time, but the author has done an amazing job describing and celebrating all the inspiring and warm local traditions. A perfect book to get holiday feels, but probably, will leave you disappointed if you are looking for an exciting romance. The setting is perfect, the main characters cute, but nothing much happens. For me, the love story is lacking excitement.

This book made me miss Norway. Fingers crossed that next year we get to enjoy traveling during the holidays!

I absolutely loved Christmas Island, it was the perfect book to get me out of a reading slump and get me ready for the holidays. I would read it over and over again because it was the sweetest Christmas love story and one that I enjoyed a ton. The characters were all so sweet and I felt like I was the one who had left the city life to go to this island. I cannot rave about this book enough!

If you're a fan of cats and Virgin River, this Christmas book is for you. After being suspended from the hospital, Holly leaves London for her brother's home on a small island in Norway to distract herself for Christmas. Because her brother and his partner took off to Spain a week before Christmas (who does that?!), she's left to her own devices which includes nearly wandering over a cliff in the dark only to be saved by a burly bearded man named Tor and his giant friendly black cat.

This is one of those Christmasy novels to read if you want to relax and get in the holiday spirit. Holly is a friendly character immediately welcomed by the islanders while Tor has isolated himself and become the island hermit. They bond as outsiders of the island and different challenging pasta, though I would argue these histories are made a bit more traumatic than necessary. The banter throughout the novel is there but not quite as fun as I would prefer and most of the supporting characters are relatively flat stereotypes lacking depth. Tor's cat stole the show as the most interesting character and plot driver and was probably my favorite part of the book!

I enjoyed the Norwegian Christmas traditions celebrated throughout this novel the most as Christmas desserts and activities were described in great detail. Even the everyday words and foods provided a great picture into Norwegian daily life. The plot was predictable but the culture was rich and interesting which made reading this story fun. There is a first book in this series named Summer Island that I may look out for to fill a few gaps from this book, but Christmas Island was a good standalone as is. If you're looking for cozy Christmas book with serious Hallmark movie vibes, I'd recommend checking this book out.

Also I am definitely trying out one of the recipes at the end of this book for Christmas. I must try delfia cake.

I don't usually pick up contemporary romance or rom-coms, but I couldn't resist this based on the blurb. I'm extremely picky about the content, writing, and characters in romance novels. With that said, I adored Christmas Island!!!!!

I didn't realize it's a sort of sequel to Normann's Summer Island, but it totally stood fine on its own. I definitely want to go back and read that one though, I enjoyed this one so much! And I'm really hoping there's another one after this because I didn't like the ending. That's the only thing I didn't like this book though!

Natalie Normann delivers on an delicious and immersive setting--FINALLY, so many romances I've read seem to bank on having a neat setting but don't actually deliver in the writing! The action, descriptions, culture, food, and language all work together to create a complete Norwegian escape for the reader.

And the characters!!!! I didn't love the main female--she's a typical bubbly babe, but our hero is a delightfully awkward, introspective, genius Viking type. There are some parts that are so awkward (on purpose) that it actually comes off the page that I felt awkward with them, haha! The supporting characters were all delightful. I can imagine that for readers who did read Summer Island, the following action with those characters was especially charming.

The Christmas details and culture were wonderful! This book is full of FOOOOD. There are recipes in the back!!!! Does it get better than that? It does actually, because one of the main characters is a wonderful cat!!! Oh man, I adored the cat. Where can I get a cat like that? Overall, this is a good long romance novel with developed characters, a wonderful and tense romance, and incredible setting that taught me new things about Norway.

*This is a Closed-Door romance*

Thank you NetGalley and OneMoreChapter for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

While I loved this book I didn’t realize there was a previous book called summer island which would have made this book a little less confusing having read that one first. Other than that this book was your typical light hearted holiday romance book, HOWEVER what made me enjoy this book over others is how it’s set in Norway. This setting then adds in the concept of the Norwegian culture and traditions which was really cool to read about. I also liked how the main characters expressed their confusion between each other’s countries and culture, it made the book even more relatable. I cannot express my love for this book enough!, and the fact one of the main characters enjoys pineapple on his pizza just makes me like him even more.

This book is a nice and easy read. I enjoyed reading about the Norwegian Christmas traditions and the descriptions of the Norwegian bakery treats were amazing. I really wanted to try them, and I will definitely be making some of them.
Froy the cat absolutely stole the show for me, I am a cat person, and really want a cat like Froy, so much character.
This is not your usual festive book, but it makes a nice change to have a different location and customs.

This book definitely put me in the Christmas spirit. The island was so cozy and quaint. I loved the descriptions and the people. It was so heartwarming. I loved hearing about the traditions and the food. I would want to hear more about it in the summer. I could pack up, move and live there all year round just from Normann’s words.
I loved Tors awkwardness and his cat Froy. Froy was probably my favorite character.
And the humor was really entertaining.

I did find that I was hooked at the beginning, but the story slowed down a bit. I felt like nothing was really happening and the romance was a bit lacking. I also wanted just a tad more heat, but that didn’t make or break this for me.I really just needed to “feel” the relationship development more. It wasn’t 100% believable for me.
I also wanted a little more drama with the reveals. There was so much build up, I found them anticlimactic.

Overall, this was just a warm and fuzzy, delightfully descriptive Christmas read, and I would recommend it to those who enjoy a cleaner romance and beautiful written illustrations.

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for a chance to read this novel. All thoughts are my own.