The perfect winter story. I loved the characters, especially the cat! Reading about Norwegian traditions and lifestyle as part of the story was great. I read this over the festive break and it was perfect!

This was my second visit to the Island and I enjoyed catching up with the unique and quirky residents. While they hold a fascinating appeal for me, as any supporting cast should, the romantic element was spot on with just the right doses of humour and heartache. Easy to read and cozy with seasonal traditions, it was an enjoyable festive read.

Take a trip to a cozy Norwegian island to enjoy all the Christmas traditions and a little romance. Holly leaves England to get away from a situation that has embarrassed her, but that she hopes doesn't ruin her career. Tor is healing from a deep wound and believes being a hermit is the best way to deal with his issues. The two meet, sparks fly and your heart will fill with warmth and fuzzy cats name Froy.

This is actually the second book in the series. You do not need to have read the first book to jump into this one, but I enjoyed the characters and the setting so much that I have already downloaded Summer Island, the first book.

Holly Greene left her life in London to visit her brother in Norway for Christmas. Her brother and his family were still on vacation when she arrived, so she spent time wandering around his small town island by herself. As soon as she arrived, she got lost and was saved by Tor and his cat Frøy. Tor is staying at the island temporarily, and he has kept to himself until he met Holly. Holly brings Tor out of his home and into the community so they can celebrate their Christmas traditions together.

I haven’t read a story set in Norway before so I found it fascinating to learn about their culture. They had a lot of customs and traditions that they did around the holidays. Many of these traditions involved delicious-sounding food. I highly recommend having treats on hand while reading this one!

I found some parts of Holly’s character confusing. She’s training to be an oncologist in London, yet she made a fuss about having to wake up before eight in the morning. She was also completely confused at why the sun set early. She couldn’t believe that it was dark at five in the evening, even though the sun sets early in London in December as well. Plus, since she’s a doctor, she would have to get up early when it’s dark and probably work until after the sun set. These issues came up multiple times and didn’t fit with Holly’s lifestyle.

This was a nice Christmas story.

Thank you One More Chapter for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a gorgeous festive read this book was!
I loved everything about it. The characters were all so loveable and unique, the storyline was perfection, and I just couldn't put the book down!.
It has me dreaming of christmas in Norway, all of the traditions sound so so beautiful.
A heartwarming festive read, full to the brim with love. I adored this book!

This book was a dream come true for me. I loved everything that had to do with the Norway setting. It was like stepping into a fairytale.

The characters were also totally loveable. Although totally opposites, they truly completed each other and it was magical to see the romance happen.

This book is perfect for the festive season ❄️

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this sweet Christmas romance set on a Norwegian island. It's a standalone novel, but I enjoyed returning to the setting of the author's other book in English, Summer Island. I was invested in the characters, and I was set to give the book 4 stars, but the ending was too abrupt and unsatisfying.

What a wonderful, heartwarming Christmas book.
I can’t say I’ve given much thought to Christmas in Norway before reading this but it sounds wonderful. I was googling so many things while I read this book. I wanted to see the strawberry waffles with brown cheese (tastes like caramel!) and the cake filled with candy (sounds like something Rose from Golden Girls would cook).

Holly goes to Norway to visit her brother during the holidays, when she shows up she meets Tor and his Norwegian Forest cat Froy.
Tor seems gruff at first but he’s just a loner. He’s pretty néw to the area himself, he’s gone there to get away from some sadness in his life. Ironically, Holly has also gone there to get away from something happening in her life.

Tor is nicknamed “the hermit” by the locals. Holly brings out another side of him. You could also say that Froy keeps bringing them together.

I love Froy. He’s an absolute character and an adorable cat. I enjoyed Holly and Tor’s story and I absolutely loved the descriptions of Norway and it’s foods.

While reading this, I looked to see if there had been another book in this series about Holly’s brother and was happy to find that there was. This isn’t listed as a series, so this book clearly works as a stand alone. But I want to spend more time in this book’s world and I’d love to “see” it at summertime. So I’ll definitely plan to pick up the first book too.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, I’m so glad I found it, this is one of the best Christmas books I’ve read this season and I have read a ton of them. Thanks NetGalley!

Holly has issues at the hospital in London, and seeks a respite. She heads to her brother's place on a small remote island off of Norway. The first night there she gets lost, and is found by a bearded recluse named Tor and his big cat (what a hoot!). Tor has issues he is trying to escape in Oslo, so between the two of them they want to be left alone, but keep running into each other. Slowly, things start to thaw. A wonderful Christmas book, and one I found hard to put down. A lot of the Norwegian cookies sound so familiar, as I also grew up with Norwegian relatives, so made me hungry too. Highly recommend this book, and a great feel good story.

In the bleak midwinter…
A really frosty wind is making Holly’s life absolutely miserable
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.
Call it kindness, call it Christmas, but Holly’s arrival means midwinter has never looked less bleak.
This book is just lovely. Easy to read/follow. All of the writers descriptions were such that you could imagine them so easily (and some of the food sounds amazing!). I thought the characters were well thought out with both having a bit of lived experience which we can all relate too. The story flowed well and didn't feel clunky. All I want now is a cat called Froy :-)

3.5 Stars

Incredibly cute and very. cozy holiday romance set on a Norwegian island. I never really felt the *heat* between Holly and Tor--I know it's not necessarily a sexy romance, but the spark between them was...just lukewarm for me. However, I did like their banter, the culture of the island that Normann created, and the cozy vibes. It was a perfect book to read curled up on the couch with a blanket while sipping a warm drink.

I recieved the ebook ARC of Christmas Island courtesy of NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine alone.

This was such an expected book for me. I didn't know what I was getting into and I must say that it is so much more than just a fluffy festive read.

I loved the setting and the Nordic traditions it sounds like the perfect place to be at Christmas.

This is the story of Holly who has been suspended from her job as a doctor and so she decided to go and spend Christmas with her brother on a Nordic Island. I loved how much Holly threw herself into the traditions around her and really grew as a person. The romance is pretty good too I must say!

This book completely transported me to the island in which the story takes place and I'm not mad about it!! I found Christmas Island to be a fun and lighthearted read and it was exactly what I wanted for this Christmas Season! The characters of the island were engaging and fun to get to know, the island itself was picturesque, and the love story was sweet and a whirlwind! I loved all of the little tidbits of language and customs that were researched and added to the story, including the recipes! These things are so different from my own Christmas and holiday traditions and I felt like they really brought this story to life for me! Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book, I really enjoyed it and have already recommended it to friends and family this holiday season!

Holly has been suspended from her job right before the holidays. She decides to visit her brother's new home on an isolated Norwegian Island. She discovers quickly that Norwegian winters are mostly always dark when she loses her way and almost stumbles off a cliff. Saved by a large fluffy black cat and the island's hermit, Tor, things between them are at first awkward and tense but as they spend more time together they become friends then lovers. This book explores a lot of traditional Norwegian Christmas food and celebrations.
Thank you to Natalie Normann and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read this book. It really helped put me in the Christmas spirit. I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

You know how Hallmark Christmas movies make you hungry because someone is always baking something? Well, Christmas Island had the same effect on me! This is a cute romance about a woman who spends Christmas on an island off the coast of Norway. Once there, she meets a handsome but reclusive man who saves her from falling off a cliff. Like any good Hallmark-esque story, they don’t like each other at first. But with the help of an intuitive cat named Froy, they soon fall in love. And they eat delicious Norwegian food in every other scene! I’m especially intrigued by the Delfia Cake, although I’m not brave enough to make one myself. A cool bonus? The author included recipes at the end of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed this one!

What a cute Christmas story. I don’t really read many Christmas stories but this one is worth the read.

Christmas Island is the perfect cosy holiday read and makes me want to spend the festive season in Norway, just to try the delicious foods the nation eats throughout December! When hospital doctor Holly arrives by boat o pin an island off the coast of Norway we discover she is there to wait out a decision over the future of her career. Within hours of arriving she has almost fallen off a cliff, been rescued by Tor, or rather his rather large cat Frøy. Tor has also taken refuge on the island. Locals refer to him as The Hermit....for reasons we come to discover. While Holly waits for her brother, wife and niece to return to their charming home after a visit to family ... we witness Holly and Tor slowly but surely fall for another. The backdrop is the Scandi winter days and nights, boat trips in freezing cold weather and heaps of delicious food. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love this enchanting Christmas novel!

I genuinely liked this book. An island in Norway at Christmas when I am literally unable to travel outside my state? Yes, please. My biggest complaint though, was that it was totally clean, and I didn’t know that going in! Come onnnn. Give me those deets about Tor the Viking!

This book was one that I was quite excited to read. I hadn't read the first book in the series (I actually only realised that it existed after completing this book), but you don't need to read it first to feel welcomed into this story.
I liked that the setting wasn't covered in the typical white snow and somehow everything is still lush. Being from Scotland, I found that the icy and windy description seemed rather festive to me. I know that other reviewers complained about this but it definitely didn't bother me.
I was totally sucked into Holly's life and loved the traditions of the island. I wasn't quite sold on her relationship with Tor though. I feel that this was because so much was left out. It was strange that their first kiss wasn't on-page, but I found it stranger that they didn't seem to bond. Yes, they did things together but it all seemed rather surface to me.
I was a huge fan of Holly returning to the job that she loves and not wanting to give it up for someone that she has really only just met. I also like that Tor asks them to give a relationship a shot after travelling to meet her (rather than asking to move in or get married etc.). It seemed a lot more realistic.
I am now tempted to give the other book a read because I did enjoy this story. I don't think this will be a book that I revisit each year, but it is definitely a lovely festive read. I always enjoy finding out about traditions from different places and this book is filled with that and lots of other Christmas cheer.

*I was given an ARC of Christmas Island in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to One Chapter More and Natalie Normann*

Christmas Island was a fun contemporary romance with buckets of festivity. Rating 3.5/5.

Holly, a doctor from London, is going to Norway to spend Christmas with her brother and his family. She is currently on leave from the hospital she works at for reasons unknown to the reader.

When arriving on the Island it is cold, dark and not at all the festive getaway she was expecting. Holly nearly falls off a cliff but is saved by a cat named Frøy and his owner Tor.

Tor is not a resident of the island and is also visiting for the Christmas season. Known to the islanders as ‘the hermit’ he too has issues of his own that he hopes can be solved by some time away.

The best part of this book for me was definitely the scenery descriptions. I now really want to visit Norway at Christmas and experience everything for myself. The island sounds like a beautiful place and I could vividly picture every event that was taking place.

I also really enjoyed learning about Norwegian traditions, especially all the parts that included food. There are recipes at the end of the book if you are interested in making anything for yourself. Which I thought was a really nice touch.

The festiveness of this book was also great. The chapters around the Christmas market and Christmas Eve were some of my favourites. Purely for the heartwarming and Christmassy vibes.

However, the romance was slightly lacking. I have found that with these types of books it can be so over the top and cliche that I actually didn’t mind too much. Although this is marketed as a romance and considering it is adult fiction it was almost painfully PG. The characters would hardly kiss without it going off the pages. This isn’t really something that ruined the book for me, but it did seem a little confusing.

You find out that Holly is on leave from the hospital she works at because of something bad that she did. This is not something that you can even remotely guess in the first half of the book. When the answer did come up I found it to be quite a lacklustre reason. I won’t spoil it here in case anyone hasn’t read this yet, but it was very underwhelming.

The same goes for Tor. He seems to be a very mysterious character with what could have been a shady past. But no. It’s quite the opposite really.

With that being said, I still really enjoyed Christmas Island and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a festive read with a little bit of romance.