The vibes of this one were everything I wanted. Unfortunately the story and plot themselves fell a bit flat for me. I wish the story itself matched the aesthetic of the setting.

Thank you to Netgalley, HQ and Jaimie Admans for my arc of The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane in exchange for an honest review.

Published: 16th October 2020

This book for me, would sit well with people who are fans of the Hallmark style Christmas movies. It's got that super cheesy, Christmas feel which I find just a little too saccharine for my personal taste when it comes to books and movies.

The story sees Nia finally getting a little shop on Nutcracker Lane in Wiltshire after waiting for a slot for many years. Nia makes handmade Christmas decorations and is sharing the shop with her friend Sarah who makes Christmas jewellery. All of the shops on the Lane sell Christmas type items from jumpers, to trees, to snow globes, to hats, all handmade. It wasn't particularly clear what Nutcracker Lane was exactly I at first thought an outside area like a Christmas market but then a roof was mentioned so I think it was more like the shopping village type places?

Another thing was the Nutcracker the Lane was named for. I know I'm probably just taking this personally because I myself have an allergy to nuts and at first I was impressed that said nutcracker had a selection of 'fake nuts' for allergy sufferers but then it mentioned a) they all go in the nutcrackers mouth which is super dangerous for people with nut allergies to be touching areas where nuts have been and b) nut shells are then tossed at his feet and left to 'compost' I myself have an airborne allergy to nuts so this would be dangerous for me to even walk past!

Anyway, less about my allergy and back to the main content. I didn't find the relationship between Nia and James very sincere mainly because of how opposite they were in the beginning, he hates Christmas, she loves it. I'm not saying opposites don't attract but I think it would have felt more realistic if at first they seemed less into each other considering their completely different personalities and values.

This one just really didn't do it for me. It wasn't the cosy festive read I'd been hoping for sadly.

I know this is an arc and not fully edited but it was hard to get through in some areas due to the grammatical errors. It pulls you out of the story too often.

Thank you to NetGalley & HQ Digital for the book in exchange for review!

This book was everything I want in a Christmas book! Quaint setting, charming characters, a little love and characters finding joy in the season. Throughout the entire story, I kept wishing I could visit Nutcracker Lane, it sounds lovely between the decorations, little shops and wish-granting nutcrackers.

I enjoyed the main character Nia, she would be so much to have as a friend in real life. She felt like a real person, she had hopes and dreams and valued all the relationships in her life with her friends, family and fellow shop-keepers.

This book did an excellent job of being charming without being too saccharine. If you need a heartwarming Christmas read, pick this up!

I really, really enjoyed this book! It was my very first by Jaimie Admans, but will NOT be my last! It was warm and cozy and just a perfect Christmas-time book. Nia and "The Grinch" were just too cute. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil the story. Nutcrackers, crafts, cocoa, and Christmas movies. are just part of the coziness. Grab a mug of your favorite warm beverage, pull up a chair, and settle in for some Christmas spirit.
Four paws up!
Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane by Jaimie Admans
Publisher: HQ Digital
Genre: Romance
Release Date: October 16, 2020

The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane by Jaimie Admans is a sweet, Christmas romance. It is a standalone novel. This is the first book I have read by the author.

I really wanted to like this book, but I had trouble getting into it and overall it kinda fell flat. The overall story was good, but it moved too slowly for me.

It is a cute Christmas romance that will help you get into the holiday spirit.

I'm so grateful to Jaimie Admans, HQ Digital, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

With thanks to Netgalley and HQ

The Little Christmas shop on Nutcracker lane is a lovely christmasy book and also a retelling of a chirstmas carol. that will get any reader into a Christmas mood. Buy this book now.

This was an extremely cute book, one that is just perfect for the holiday season! I really loved the premise, but throughout the book there were really dull and meaningless moments, which made the book overall less enjoyable for me.

Thank you netgalley for the early read
It got me in the Christmas mood

Just a wonderful Christmas story to bring me right into this enchanted time of the year. This is a magical festive read with moments of pure laughter and then deep sadness behind the story of Nutcracker Lane.
I loved the history of the Nutcrackers and the memories Nia had of visiting the Lane and choosing a favourite each year with her Grandparents. The idea of wish-giving too was wonderful, and I'd love to visit for my own magical wish as well as a visit to Carmen's chocolate shop.
The clever spin on A Christmas Carol (One of my all time favourite Christmas stories) brought the idea of Nutcracker Lane to life and the community spirit amongst the shop holders was magical. I loved it

The wonderful Jaimie Admans has once again created a wonderful fairytale that I loved from beginning to end.

A story packed with wonderful characters and the magic of Christmas, this was one of those stories where your pulled into the world of the characters and find yourself unable to put the book down as you want to stay wrapped in the festive cheer with hot chocolate and cookies.

Nutcracker Lane is such a visual creation that you can hear the bustle, smell the lingering scent of roasted chestnuts and imagine how wonderful it would look lit up in the dark. I absolutely love Christmas and this book has sparked my passion for this time of year leaving me feeling festive and bereft as I would have loved to keep reading about Nia, James and Nutcracker Lane.

Well this has been hands down the best Christmas read I have read this year (and trust me when I say I have read a lot!) I loved this one for all its references (think argos catalogues, 90s movies and of course nutcrackers!) This is my first read from the author but I will be keeping an eye out for more.

I have finished this today and just did not want it to end. I want to read it again already and I could totally see it being made into a film!!

👩 Nia Maddison has always believed that wishes come true on Nutcracker Lane. So, working late one night in her own Christmas gift shop on the lane, she decides to crack a nut in the mouth of the Magic Nutcracker that guards the market, wishing for Prince Charming. When, the day after, she stumbles across the gorgeous shop owner James, who looks exactly like Prince Charming, she wonders if her wish came true.⁠
⁠
♥️ I liked:⁠
🍫 The Christmas vibe. I really like Christmas, and I totally got Nia and her love for the most magical season of the year. I wish Nutcracker Lane was really to be able to shop in those cute stalls, sipping peppermint hot chocolate. ⁠
🎅 Nia. She is such a great character! She could be Mrs Santa Claus or a younger version of her. Nia spends days and nights creating nutcrackers, has a different Christmas jumper for every day of December and knows every single Christmas film by heart.⁠
❤️ The Wish-Granting. I loved the fact that the owners of the shops in Nutcracker Lane got together to grant the wishes that kids and adults made cracking nuts in the mouth of the Nutcracker. Christmas is full of magic, and they helped to believe in it.⁠
👨 James. He is probably every girl's dream: handsome, fun, eager to help and very generous. His only fault? He doesn't like Christmas at all!⁠
⁠
🤔 I wasn't so sure about:⁠
How did Nia not understand that something was coming? How could she not see the twist? I can't say more, to avoid spoilers, but it was easy to spot since the very beginning of the book.⁠
⁠
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5⁠ A cosy book that will definitely get you into the Christmas spirit. Lovely setting, lovely characters!

Oh my I just loved The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane by Jaimie Admans. I loved the idea of Nutcracker Lane and everyone coming together to save it. If you are looking for a book that will relive your own childhood Christmas memories then this is the book for you. It was so magical for me that I had to go out and buy my own nutcracker decorations this year.

A Hallmark movie in the making! Nia, long time customer of Nutcracker Lane turned shop owner, wishes for a Nutcracker prince of her own. Enter James, a Flynn Rider look-a-like, with a Grinch type heart who works in the new shop just across the way.

The connection between Nia and James was felt instantly.

Definitely recommend this book for a romantic, sweet holiday story. I also really hope it turns into a Hallmark movie *crossing fingers*

I read only one other book by Jaimie Admans, and while I didn’t particularly fall head over heels for it, I decided to go ahead and give The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane a chance to wow me…and it succeeded!

When I was younger, I used to visit someplace similar to Nutcracker Lane and remember how enchanting and festive it was; it became a part of my family’s holiday traditions. I believe that’s truly the heart of this story: how passionate these characters are about saving their beloved Nutcracker Lane and their own nostalgia surrounding its traditions. Of course, Nia and James were extremely likable characters in this story, and Nia truly epitomizes a heart whisked away by Christmas magic.

Although you sort of figure out the mystery of what’s going to happen pretty early on, it was a wonderfully enjoyable read. And during a time when the world feels like it’s spinning off its axis, we could all use go for a bit more happiness, love, friendship and community, and good old Christmas spirit.

I love so many of Jaimie's books, but I found this one a little tough to get into. It drags a little at the start, and I felt it could have been shortened by about 20-25 per cent.

That said, it's a lovely Christmas romance. It's not hard to feel festive when you're trying to instil the magic of Christmas in the local Grinch.

The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane is a twist on Dickens A Christmas Carol.

Nutcracker Lane is a quaint little Christmas Village that has seen budget cuts over the years and is now threatened with closure by the miserly accountant EB Neaser. It’s up to the shop keepers to save the lane. Here we meet Nia who has dreamed of working on Nutcracker Lane since she was a little girl, throw in a handsome new shop keeper James and we have a romantic twist.

The thing that bugged me though was that Nia did not see the twist, the one I saw coming since James was first introduced.

Whilst I enjoyed this book, the copy I read had a number of typos, a lot of spacing errors which made it difficult to read.

This book also contains a number of Disney references which did appeal to a massive Disney nerd like myself.

First sentence: My phone beeps with a text message and I look up from the nutcracker bunting I’m painting. Hopefully the guy I’m seeing telling me he’s missing me and he’s sorry I’ve got to work late again. It’s not serious yet, but maybe it could be one day.

Premise/plot: Nia Maddison, the heroine, is super-super thrilled to be opening her Christmas shop on Nutcracker Lane. She's been working towards this dream for years--if not decades. Nutcracker Lane is MAGICAL at Christmas time--well, it used to be years and years ago. Her best friend, Stacey, makes jewelry and she makes Christmas-y knick knacks. Together they are setting up shop. But this first year might be the last year because a 'Scrooge' business owner is threatening to get rid of Nutcracker Lane altogether. He's been cutting the budget and changing practices for quite a few years now--but could this year really be the last year???

Nia makes a wish on a GIANT nutcracker at the opening of the story...and when she meets another shop owner, James, could it be her wish come to life???? Maybe. Maybe not. Does she believe in magic really???

James, our hero, HATES, HATES, HATES Christmas. But he's falling hard and fast for Nia and her enthusiasm for Christmas might be just the medicine he needs to cure his ills and worries. But will she be a willing teacher? Can he be un-Scrooged? Will Nia do the work of four ghosts/spirits???

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one!!! It was just a delight to read. It would make a LOVELY movie. I could easily add such a movie to my yearly traditions. I just have a weakness for Christmas-y romantic comedies. Even if romantic comedy isn't my normal "thing" the rest of the year. Somehow all the sappy predictability is just perfect in a Christmas read. Is the book predictable? YES, a thousand times yes. Did I mind? Not one little bit. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I really LOVED that it was a clean read.

*I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to HQ Digital and Jaimie Admans.*

The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane is a wonderfully warm festive read. Nia Maddison loves all things Christmas and has been visiting Nutcracker Lane since she was a baby. She finally has her own shop in the festive village with her best friend Stacey. The day before opening Nia makes a wish using the infamous Nutcracker for her very own nutcracker prince charming. With a new shop opening opposite will James, the grinchy owner, be Nia’s prince charming or is he actually a nutcracker come to life?

Not everything is full of whimsy and the lane is not the warm community that it once was. Due to budget cuts and new ownership from a cruel accountant going by the name E.B. Neaser. The shop owners have been put into competition against each other to decide who gets to stay next year.

I really enjoyed this book, at first, it seems really cliche and cheesy and I thought I was going to hate it. But oh how wrong I was. Yes, it is a bit cheesy, but that’s actually what I liked about it in the end.

For a while I was quite worried that the plot was going to take a ridiculous turn and that the Nutcracker was actually going to come to life. It wouldn't have been the worst thing, but I think I would have actually laughed out loud at how ridiculous it is.

With all of the talk of ‘ungrinching’ and festive activities, you can’t help but feel warm and cosy when reading The Little Shop on Nutcracker Lane. This book genuinely made me feel Christmassy and I got the urge to watch Christmas films at the start of November!

I wanted to be transported to Nutcracker Lane myself to experience its full festive glory. I am a huge fan of all things Christmas and getting to see the Lane get progressively more Christmassy overtime was really nice.

Although the plot twist was very easily guessable, which I’m not even slightly annoyed about this is a Christmas book, not an Agatha Christie mystery it was still an engaging read. Both Nia and James we’re somewhat complex characters and I honestly did care about their backstories and what was going to happen going forward.

If you are looking for a heartwarming, extremely festive read then I more than recommend you check out The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane.

An ideal festive novel to enjoy during December. Full of magical descriptions and charming characters. Thoroughly enjoyable x