What a great book to read to welcome the incoming Christmas season!

I think what I loved the most about this book was the relationships that the characters had with one another. It was so pure, supportive, and full of love; something that is always a blessing to see in novels.

Maggie, our main character, was somewhat annoying because she was so stubborn and arrogant at times that I literally wanted to jump through the book and slap her. Nathan’s dedication to Maggie though was beautiful, and something that is to be desired in all relationships I think. He definitely had a lot of growth and Maggie had some too, but could have more.

This is a cheesy friends-to-lovers Christmas romance that provides a perfect distraction from current events .

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Maggie who is twenty five finds out she is fired from her job at the same time she is returning home for her sisters wedding. She is excited for her sister, but is nervous about returning home. This book was well written and I enjoyed the different characters.

An Imperfect Christmas is a Christmas-themed novel by British author, Tanya Jean Russell. Just as accountant Maggie Green, on temporary leave, is heading back to Honeyford to help out with the family accounting business and attend her sister’s wedding, she receives some concerning health news. Then she loses her prestigious London job. Then her sophisticated boyfriend, Rupert drops her. As if returning to her childhood home, and the likely presence of the man who rejected her in her teens, isn’t stressful enough.

Nathan Parker is back in Honeyford for good. He’s bought the Old Barn up on Castle Hill and is converting it into a home and carpentry workshop. He wishes he’d been able to tell Maggie about his plans for their favourite place, but he will first have to repair the friendship he fractured in their teens; he wishes there could be more between them, but it seems that now Maggie is dating his London-based brother, Dean.

At Frederick and Green, Uncle Walter offers her a partnership in the business; her sister and niece desperately want her to stay close, and neighbours, and friends, everyone in the village is so welcoming; and after some misunderstandings are cleared up, Nathan vows he will be there for her, come what may.

But everybody leaves: can she trust Nathan not to leave her like last time? And is it fair to land him with her potential illness? Maybe she’d be better off in London with a high-power job and Rupert and his coffee machine…

This is very much a tale of people making assumptions, not communicating, injured pride and running away to lick wounds. Maggie is a bit too proud and precious to completely endear herself to the reader, being stubborn and unforgiving for longer than necessary; when it finally comes, the showdown with Rupert is excellent, though.

The Parker family are enjoyable, although Nathan might just be too good to be true; little Evie is a delight, and Dean and Grandma Agnes are fun. While the main protagonist is a little frustrating, this is ultimately a sweet romance.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Sapere Books

This is the story of Maggie Green, who's life falls apart just as she is facing a difficult experience in going home after years of being away. It follows her as she deals with the emotional fall out of the things that happened to her, and how she brings herself back into a new kind of normal over the Christmas period.

I enjoyed the story, while I felt there wasn't too much in it to do with Christmas itself, it felt like the written down version of a traditional Hallmark movie and struck a nice balance between emotions, the storyline and the events. Reading Maggie's thought processes allowed me to identify some of my own issues, and in this it became relatable and very real to me. I felt the characters were genuine, and lovely. Flawed but perfect in their realness.

It's one of few stories like this that have ended and I have not been desperate to know what happened next. The ending was perfect, relaxingly so. Commendations to the author.

The book started slow but I came to like the characters and got involved in their different story lines. Maggie has trust issues and needs to find where her heart belongs. Is it back where she grew up or the fast paced London career she worked hard to achieve. The ending was predictable but it was an enjoyable read .

This book looked like it was gonna be really good, but everything just felt a bit flat! The lack of character development plus the pace and style of the book left it lacking. Not for me

The book sounded like it was going to be a really good read, but I just couldn't connect with the characters. Some people might like it, but I didn't. Thank you Sapere Books via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The premise of the story was great- however the poor writing and lack of character development made it very hard to finish

I received an advance copy of, An Imperfect Christmas, by Tanya Jean Russell. Maggie is having a hard time of it, just found out she might have cancer, her boyfriend dumped her, and she lost her job. Will this be Maggies last Christmas? Her worst Christmas? I really liked Maggie, she is a good character.