I love books about Christmas, but this is so boring and I'm not hooked on the voice after 30%. Some books just aren't for everyone, unfortunately. DNF.

Christmas Island was all the warm cozy feelings I look for in a Christmas romance. It was just the right amount of Norwegian foods and tradition that gave me a glimpse of what Christmas would be like in that part of the world. Holly and Thor were both great characters that went so well together. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The story comes alive as if you were taking part in the magical Norweigan scenes. We meet Holly, a young

doctor facing disciplinary charges back in the UK and Tor, the self-described Viking hermit. We enter the

wonderful

island festivities with our young couple and enjoy great cooking, local customs with true characters. I was

engrossed in a warm story. Christmas reading at its best.. The story unfolds easily


and allows us to experience an island Christmas.

Holly goes to her brother’s Norwegian island home to get away from London and her life. She’s a doctor and getting away from a fiasco at work. Tor is the visiting the island and living as a hermit. He wants to be away from people and to be alone. I enjoyed how their relationship developed and all the descriptions of Norwegian culture at Christmas. This includes lots and lots of food. The food and life on the island seemed to be a central character in the book. I enjoyed the peek into the culture.

I was provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas Island by Natalie Normann 🎄🎁❄️

When Holly escapes London to travel to a tiny Norwegian island over Christmas, she finds herself wrapped up in the warm community and the eccentric people. And then there is Tor, a handsome, slightly weird, mysterious and charming love interest.

I loved this story. The town was so wonderful, and described so well that I felt like I’d been there before. And the food! Thank goodness there were recipes at the end of the book, I need to try some of these Norwegian cakes as soon as possible. The love story felt natural and meant to be. Not forced, rushed or unrealistic. Holly and Tor were such a good match, although I knew they would end up together, I enjoyed how slow their relationship happened and all the quiet and simple moments between them.

This is the perfect holiday read. Warm, loving and full of kind characters. Just what I needed this year. Thank you to @onemorechapterhc and @netgalley for my advanced copy! Christmas Island is out on Monday!

🎄🎁❄️

#netgalley #natalienormann #onemorechapter #christmasfiction #fiction #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #arc #yycbooks #yyc #bookreviewer #canadianbookstagrammer #bookstagram #loveofreading #reading #booksbooksbooks #readmorebooks #lovetoread #bookbuzz #mybooks

A lovely Christmas read, full of Norwegian traditions and beautiful descriptions of the Nordic Winter. I thought Holly and Tor were great main characters and especially loved Froy, the clever, unusual cat. This was a warm, cosy story, just right for the few weeks before Christmas to get me in the festive spirit.

Christmas Island - Natalie Normann

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley.

After all the years of hard work it took Londoner Holly Greene to become a doctor, now it could all be taken away and she only has herself to blame. She’s retreating to her brother’s rustic home on an island off the coast of Norway to lick her wounds. Only, it’s the middle of winter and icy slush plus endless darkness isn’t exactly the cheery, festive getaway she had imagined.

Nearly stumbling off the edge of a cliff in the dark, Holly is saved by Frøy, a yellow-eyed cat of fearsome but fluffy proportions, and his owner – grouchy, bearded recluse, Tor. Tor has his own problems to face but the inexplicable desire to leave a bag of freshly baked gingerbread men on Holly’s doorstep is seriously getting in the way of his hermit routine.

On arrival at the Island, Holly finds herself lost in the dark where she is rescued by a grumpy stranger, Tor. Whilst waiting for her brother to arrive back on the island, Holly is made to feel welcome by all of the residents, creating the feeling of a large family Christmas gathering.

This book is an uplifting and cosy escape on those dark winter nights. Complete with Nordic Christmas traditions, festive food and drink. I found this read to be quick and a lovely introduction to the writing style of an author I hadn’t read before.


Rating: 4/5

I received this this ebook arc from Harper Collins, UK One more chapter from NetGalley.

I was happy to get a Christmas themed book bc I am ready to get into the holiday mood! Christmas Island did just that. We follow Holly, a London based doctor who has a bit of work drama that leads to some time off and she spends it on an island off of Norway at her brothers home. Normann creates the perfect Christmas atmosphere in this novel. The parts at the market I could practically smell the foods she was describing!

It’s advertised as “full of romance” and although there is a flirtation and love interest, the romance aspect fell short. The amount of delicious Christmas pastries, cakes and candies described in this book is amazing! It made me hungry! There’s also recipes at the end, which was a nice surprise!

💚 Review Time! 💚

This was a fast read and full of romance, and that Christmassy ( is that a word?) feeling. It's set on an island in Norwegia where everyone is laid back and no one locks their doors. The plot flows well and keeps you wanting more through the very last page.

Holly decided to fly from London to an island off the coast of Norway to spend Christmas with her brother. When she arrives her brother is not there and there are no lights along her path so she ends up nearly falling off of a cliff. She is saved by a cat and his owner Tor who is the island “Hermit”. At first her and Tor are not fond of each other but as time goes on a romance ensues.

Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon

What a cute cozy romance! Loved the Norwegian setting and all of the side characters. Frøy was the star of the show. Tor(not Thor!) was a nice male lead and Holly was fun to follow along on her adventure. Natalie Normann has a gift for storytelling. Enough Norwegian folklore was woven into the story to keep the reader enchanted.

I read this all in one afternoon sitting, it was a nice bit of escapism. Look forward to reading more by this author.

There were no surprises in this Christmas feelgood romance but that made it no less enjoyable. I chose it because of its Norwegian setting and that did not disappoint. What did irk me (and I do apologise for my linguistic sensibilities) is that's written in American and not English. I completely understand that it's written in the author's second (or possibly more) language and I know that most younger Norwegians' English is heavily influenced by US culture and so this is not so much a criticism of the author but more of the editor who should have picked this up.

The language apart, this was a fun and undemanding read with engaging and faceted characters. Holly and Tor were both keeping secrets which, in the end, didn't really matter much. I liked the fact that there was no big dramatic fall-out over something that in real-life wouldn't be an issue and that the characters behaved like average grown-ups.

If you're looking for a book to curl up with over Christmas, this might be well for you.

Holly and Tor are both avoiding their problems by spending time on a windswept snowy island off the coast of Norway. She's a physician who has been suspended from her job (the reason why won't come out for a while) and he's an architect dealing with sorrow (same thing). They meet when Holly almost falls off a cliff but is saved, more or less, by Tor's big cat Froy. From there, well, this is a nice romance and a tale of two people who come to appreciate themselves and others. Holly's brother is a chef and it's the Christmas season so be prepared for some yummy descriptions of food (there are recipes at the end). I learned a bit about Norwegian holiday customs-always a plus. I liked Holly, liked Tor, liked Froy, and rooted for all of them. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This one will cheer you up.

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

Unfortunately this book fell a bit flat for me.

I didn’t get on with the writing style and I just didn’t connect with any of the characters.

I found Holly to be extremely irritating and didn’t find the ‘romance’ at all believable or romantic. I can see what the author was trying to achieve, it just didn’t hit that target for me.

Such a fab premise for a novel at this time of year, just not very well executed in my opinion

I loved Ms Normann's novel, Summer Island, and I loved this one just as much. Maybe it was the description of all that delicious food, or maybe it was the wildness of the island and the cosiness of the community? Or maybe it was the slightly unnerving and far-too-knowing cat? The romance had something to do with it too, and who couldn't fail to love a Viking (not really, but close) like Tor?

Thank you for the ARC HarperCollins UK, one More Chapter and NetGalley. This is my first cosy book and I was not disappointed. Set on a picturesque island in Norway we get to follow Holly Greene as she navigates the holidays during a rough patch in her life.. This book is full of warm Christmas feelings, Norway holiday traditions and even provides recipes for some of the delicious treats Holly gets to discover. And we can’t forget about Froy, the loveliest black cat you’ll ever meet. I loved this story and it made me look forward to the holidays so much more. #omcreads #netgalley

Christmas Island is like a Hallmark movie set in Norway. Holly goes to Norway to lick her wounds and visit her brother. She gets lost in the dark and almost fall off a cliff. She is saved by Tor who is a bit of a hermit and his huge cat Froy. The book is full of Norwegian customs and food. Holly slowly brings Tor out of his shell while sampling the many Norwegian treats. If you like to read about other cultures and food, then this book is for you. A few recipes are even included at the end of the book.

Thanks to netgalley and One More Chapter for the arc.

Unofortunately, I didn’t really enjoy what I hoped would be a cosy, Christmas read.

The writing flows better afterwards, but my first impression was marred due to the writer’s writing. Each sentence at first seemed to be made up of maximum 4 words and it was so janky that I felt frustrated and didn’t care for the plot.

The scenery sounded fabulous, the people lovely and the giant cat adorable, but ultimately this just wasn’t the read for me!

After a fight with her boss (and ex) on how to best treat a patient, Holly is forced to take a month off. She decides to go to Norway to see her brother and his family even though they are in Spain and won’t be back until Christmas. On her first night there she almost falls off a cliff but is saved by Froy the cat and Tor the recluse.
Thank you to @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for a copy to read and review. If you love Hallmark movies or have ever wanted to travel to Norway this is the book for you! This is a fluffy, cozy romance where you learn all about Norway including the food and language. It reminded me of the cozy mystery genre but without the mystery. The best character by far was Froy the cat! 🤣🤣🤣 I loved him!

his was a lovely cosy winter read which I really enjoyed. 
The story is about Holly who decided to go for a retreat to Norway to spend christmas with her brother. The story leaves you feeling all cosy, I love the descriptions of Norways and its traditions.  The romance element within the story left me with a smile on my face. 
The story is heartwarming and definitely but me in a festive mood. I loved reading this by the fire. Overall a great festive read which I would highly recommend. 
A big  thank you  to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to One More Chapter for my copy of this book via Netgalley.