Sadly, I only made it to 50% of this book. I loved Raisin's previous work, so I thought this would be an easy book to read and love, and perhaps with a different main character, I would have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately, Flora is such an awful character that I cannot force myself to go on. Flora is selfish and manipulative. She gaslights herself into believing everything wrong in her life is someone else's fault and won't own up to any of her mistakes. Her best friend doesn't help in this deluding at all. If you can't hold a relationship, can't keep a job, and live in someone's spare bedroom rent-free, at some point, you need to grow up and own up to the fact you're the common denominator in all your problems.

Flora is incredibly rude to Connor, and then she acts like he's the one being rude. I think the author was trying to go for comedic, but there is no way anyone in their right mind would think the way Flora treats him is endearing. And after I've named everything above, what sort of appeal could she possibly hold for him? She's downright toxic. Frankly, I don't want to continue reading to see how that's going to stretch.

As a big Christmas lover myself I could really relate to Flora, I mean a job in a Christmas emporium called Deck The Halls sounds like an amazing job to me, and I had to get out the reindeer and elf slippers reading this! Case in point, you only need to look at the books I've been reading this last month and the films I've been watching to see how much I love Christmas. Yes, I'm one of those who's constantly got the Great! Christmas Movies channel on and will often be playing Christmas songs, and yes, I know it's only just November but hey.

When she loses her job she has a consultation with best friend Livvy and between them they decide that Flora should follow the blueprint of her favourite Hallmark movies and live it out in real life. Starting with buying a campervan, creating her own little travelling Christmas shop and heading off to a Christmas market in Lapland. I mean - hello dream! Just imagine all of the handmade wreaths, decorations, stockings hanging by the fire, all the mince pies and mulled wine, where do I sign up?

With all Hallmark movies there's a guy involved and this books just so happens to have it's very own Norse God in the form of hunky Connor, although there's one major glitch (or should I say Grinch)... he doesn't like Christmas. I know, I know, outrageous hey! He thinks it's all just one massive consumerism fest and a way that companies make money, he really has lost the true spirit and meaning of Christmas and it's time for an intervention. Cue Flora's 'Make Him Believe' project starting with getting him to help with the hospital toy donation run.

I really enjoyed this book, especially all of the notions towards hallmark films, and the elf moment, I mean we all love Buddy don't we! Flora's efforts to try and get Connor to believe are full of love and they all sound so Christmassy, I can't wait to go to a light switch on myself and just drink in the festive feeling. I would love to meet Flora in real life and discuss everything Christmas with her - although maybe she'll have to introduce me to the joys of eggnog?

Rebecca's writing just oozes Christmas spirit and it felt like I was at the market with everyone while I was reading this, snuggled in my blanket with the Christmas candles burning and a couple of mugs of something warm. It's definitely made me want to get the mulled wine out and explore some Christmas markets as soon as possible!

Flora loves christmas, she works in a christmas shop but gets fired and decides to go to lapland, buy a van, and sell things at a xmas market. She causes trouble, and meets a man.

I am not sure about this. I personally felt it wasnt descriptive enough and i strugggled to visualise what the van and market looked like. It seemed like a camper van but then later on customers were going in it and flora seemed to have an entire shop of christmas goods in it and i couldnt understand how that were possible.

Flora loves Christmas , everything about Christmas so when her life is turned upside down, she decides to buy a van and head to Finland to a Christmas market! Flora never has life go exactly as she plans but the path to happiness is the one, she is on. On her journey she meets Conner who has no love for Christmas and Flora is determined to show him how wonderful Christmas is.
This is a fun easy read. Grab a cup of cocoa and a comfy chair and sit back to enjoy this fun book.
Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca Raisin and HQ Digital for this book. This is my personal review.

The Christmas Factor: Our protagonist is enamored of all things Christmas and her favourite memories centre around her grandmother and Christmas preparations. She works in a toy store and ends up running her own traveling Christmas shop from a camper van named Noel. She also ends up working in a Christmas market in Finland where we are treated to a description of the Northern Lights. Umm… I don’t think it’s possible for the Christmas factor to be any higher!!! There’s even a life-sized gingerbread house, people!

The romance: Oh Connor, so broody, so unsentimental, so eco-conscious and so in need of some Christmas cheer! I love this dynamic of his resistance to Christmas festivities and adherence to “all the rules” pitted against Flora’s open zaniness. She’s all in, no-holds-barred versus his militant self-control. They really are a great case of opposites complement and attract. Of course, the absolute best part about Connor is how, despite everything, he accepts Flora just as she is and repeatedly tells her to never change.

Flora: Connor’s willingness to take Flora as she is, is a balm to her soul. Her eccentricities and larger than life character have never been her selling points where relationships are concerned. From her family to a string of ex-boyfriends, no one is ever happy to engage with her exuberant nature. Thank goodness she has such a great best friend and had a grandmother who built her up and gave her a safe, happy space to grow.

I won’t lie, though, Flora is a bit of an odd duck and there are some very questionable dialogues and decisions that may leave you scratching your head. Yet, I couldn’t help but delight in her antics, most of the time.

All thing Finland: Finally, another fantastic element of this story is all the details provided about Finland and Finnish culture. I absolutely loved learning more about this part of the world and especially loved that this Christmas story is set in Lapland!

This sweet, heart-warming story is a most charming Christmas tale and I’m so happy to add it to my Christmas reading for 2021.

It is too soon to start reading Christmassy books? I think It’s never too soon! 🙃🙃

This was such a cute book that gets you in the Christmas spirit. I loved Flora and her obsession with Christmas. The fact that she wears Christmas gear year round is iconic. For some reason, Flora reminded me so much of Louisa from Me Before You. They are both so bubbly, full of life, speak before they think.. you just can’t help but love them. Flora had me laughing so much throughout the entire book. I loved how sweet and kind she was to her friends. I want her to be my bestie!

I also loved how the story takes place in Finland and mentions the beauty and magic of the Northern Lights. I’m hoping one day I can witness the Northern Lights in person!


Thank you NetGalley, Rebecca Raisin, and HQ Digital for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful! I can get enough of this book.
Flora is absolutely fabulously festive and fun.. I love how she interacts with everyone and her quirky personality is addictive..
It is impossible to put this book down and even more impossible not to find your festive mojo.
As soon as I finished the book this morning I dug out my Christmas cds and put the Elf dvd on.
Another lovely van lifer book from Rebecca Raisin.



I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a superb read! Made me laugh until I was crying–and that is a feat not seen very often!

Flora loves Christmas. In fact she loves it so much she has a Christmas checklist to help her find her perfect Christmas loving partner. She works in Deck the Hall Christmas Emporium, which is her perfect job. Flora gets to have Christmas every day. Flora’s high Christmas expectations from others and her good intentions soon get her into trouble and she finds herself without a job, a boyfriend, and a home. Flora and her best friend decide Flora should live her life like a Christmas Hallmark movie. Soon Flora finds herself in Lapland as a Christmas market stall holder. Where she sells Christmas trinkets out of ‘Noel,’ her mobile Christmas shop and home. This new life does not quite live up to her expectations and she finds some of the other stall holders not as friendly as she had hoped, one of whom becomes Flora’s arch enemy.

Flora soon finds new friends and a new life in Lapland, and finds herself leading the project ‘get Connor to believe in Christmas.’ Connor, the Christmas market manager, is a total non-believer who thinks Christmas is all about consumerism. Flora is convinced she can get him to believe in Christmas.

This Christmas romantic comedy is truly an entertaining read. Rebecca Raisins brings Flora and the other characters to life and I soon found myself imagining the characters, places, and situation. Her writing helps to make the situation comedy so funny. Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop is a true delight to read. If you want a feel good Christmas book I would definitely recommend Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop.

I give Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop five Christmas stars! 🎄🎄⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🎄🎄

@rebeccaraisinwrites has created a gorgeous winter wonderland in this read set in Lapland. I loved the main character Flora, she was eccentric, adventurous and not afraid to speak her mind. I was absorbed into the idea of 'van life' and roaming around finding joy on the road as well as the Christmas market Flora rolled into. A perfect festive read!
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#festiveread #christmasread #festivebook #booksbooksbooks #christmas2021 #gifted #publicationday



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A cute, festive, quick read. It really did make me want to become a van lifer. I like Flora as a character, she stayed true to herself and wasn't afraid to be be herself. I can also appreciate somebody who doesn't think that Die Hard is a Christmas film. Its a good story, I just feel like there wasn't enough substance to it for it to be particularly memorable.

My favourite Christmas tale so far! I loved the style of writing and the fact it wasn’t too mushy with romance like a lot of Christmas books! Flora epitomises Christmas and does want to find love, like in a Hallmark movie, but isn’t sure she will ever find anyone who accepts her as she is. Due to recent events she decides to travel to Lapland where her whole story begins.
I read it in a day!

Flora's Travelling Christmas Shop - Rebecca Raisin

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily

‘Tis the season for mulled wine, mince pies, and magic under the mistletoe…
Flora loves Christmas more than anything else in the world, so she’s gutted when her Scrooge-alike boss fires her from Deck the Halls Christmas emporium. But now she finally has a chance to follow her dreams – and what better place to start than the home of Christmas?

Before she can say ‘sleigh bells’, Flora’s on her way to Lapland in a campervan-cum-Christmas-shop. She can’t wait to spend her days drinking hot chocolate and taking reindeer-drawn carriage rides, but something Flora didn’t expect was meeting Connor, a Norse god of a man who makes her heart flutter and snowflakes swirl in her stomach. There’s just one problem: Connor hates Christmas.

There is something about this book that just really appealed to me - it lived up to my expectation. This is the perfect book to read whilst curled up under a blanket with a nice festive drink. A quick, feel-good festive book that is easy to get lost in

This book will leave you with a warm feeling and will definitely help you get in the Christmas spirit. This is the second book I have read by Rebecca having recently read Escape to Honeysuckle Hall and she is fast becoming an author on my 'look out' list.

Rating: 4/5

I enjoyed this book and would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the early read. Flora is a girl who loves Christmas and sets out for Lapland to open a Christmas shop in a campervan. She meets Connor who has lost his belief in Christmas so Flora goes out of her way with some help from some friends to restore his belief in Christmas. It is full of festive cheer and will get you thinking about Christmas .

I'm nothing like Flora, who after being sacked from her job in a Christmas story decides to take up the "van life" selling Christmas ornaments in Lapland. I'm more a stick in the mud, but I could totally see where she is coming from. Connor, on the other hand, is an eco minded, relationship shy, manager of the Christmas fair that Flora sets up shop in. She decides to teach him the real meaning of Christmas, needless to say for her accident prone approach to life things don't go terribly well......
A feel - good Christmas story that is ideal reading for the run up to the festivities to get you in the mood, whilst thinking about what the season is really all about.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

I don’t usually read Christmas novels this early in the season but I’m glad I started reading this in October!

This is a cozy read about a woman named Flora who LOVES Christmas (like me), but this holiday season she is faced with a couple of obstacles.

She loses her job and boyfriend in one week, and is let down about not knowing what she will do with her life. But with the help of her best friend, Flora decides to buy a van and travel to a Christmas Market in Lapland, where she will sell Christmas products from her van!

Flora takes on a new adventure and meets some interesting and difficult people along the way, including Connor - who is in charge of the market and could be Flora’s dream man. Except, he doesn’t like Christmas. But perhaps Flora can change his mind?

One thing I loved about this book was all the Hallmark movies references it had. I adore Hallmark! So I love the way the author included it in the story.

However, I found myself at times a bit annoyed by Flora in her decisions or how she made things a big deal. But other than that, I love her Christmas spirit. And her starting a new business gave me more motivation to continue with mine!

Overall it was a cozy Christmas story with lots of humor and romance!

If you’ve read the other van lifer books, about Aria and Rosie then you’ll be familiar with the van life concept. However, if not don’t worry, this works brilliantly as a stand alone so you don’t need to have read either of the others first.

We first meet Flora at a tricky time in her life, everything is changing and she doesn’t know what to do next. However it doesn’t take long before the travelling Christmas shop idea takes shape and she heads off to Lapland to follow her dreams. I really liked Flora, she’s a little too energetic for me but at the same time she’s so enthusiastic and positive that nothing keeps her down for long and that is a trait I admire.

In the story she’s met Connor who doesn’t like Christmas and I can understand his point of view. Christmas can be a very materialistic time of year but that doesn’t mean it’s not also a magical time if you look at it from a different perspective, and that just what Flora tries to get him to see.

This book is an excellent combination of the risks and benefits of the van life way of living alongside enthusiasm for all things Christmas. There’s some magical parts with reindeer and times when it all slows down and there’s a campfire involved which help balance things out and stop it from being too full on and I liked that. There were times it made me want to ditch everything and travel, and other times it had me wishing for snow and frosty mornings so I can put my fairy lights up and light all my candles.

I know Christmas books can sometimes be read all year and this does fall into that category but I think it’s best read in the winter, there’s so much optimism and joy that it feels to me that it fits better then so it can be a contrast to the dark and gloomy winter days. If you’re looking for something uplifting then this is definitely worth checking out. Best read with hot chocolate and a warm blanket to snuggle under.

Flora loves all things Christmas so when she loses her dream job at Deck The Halls she knows she will have to do something drastic to bring Christmas back into her life. A conversation with her best friend, Livvie, sees Flora buying a camper van and heading off to Lapland to join a Christmas Market.
As well as her dream job Flora also finds who she thinks may be her dream man, there’s just one snag. He doesn’t like Christmas. This is an absolute deal breaker for Flora so she decides she will show him the beauty of her favourite season and see if she can’t find his inner elf.
A lovely story full of festive fun and a sprinkling of romance.

Christmas has come early for me this year! I was super pumped when I got the email saying I was granted access to the digital ARC of Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop. I’m sure if you have read any of my past reviews on Rebecca’s novels, you can tell that I am a fan of her books. But I have to say that the Travelling Shops series is by far my favourite series that she has written. I was like a kid on Christmas morning when I started reading this book.

Flora loves all things Christmas and loves spreading Christmas cheer no matter what time of the year it is. Flora will often speak before she thinks, which tends to cause a bit of chaos in her life. At the beginning of the book Flora, is experiencing a string of bad luck, the guy she was seeing tells her she is a bit much, she gets fired from her job by her grumpy boss, and her best friend and roommate is moving to LA, which means she needs to find a new flat to live in. After many cups of eggnog and some festive treats, Flora decides it’s time for a change and decides to buy a big van and make her way to Lapland to sell Christmas goodies at their big Christmas market. Flora’s journey into the van lifer world doesn’t go as smoothly as she would like. There are many misadventures, misunderstandings, and one very annoying Nordic god-like man who drives her crazy. Life is always interesting when Flora is around. I just adore Flora, she is just so much fun, and she had me laughing throughout this entire book. She does have this larger-than-life personality, and her love for the Christmas season is infectious. There is just something to love about a character who has a heart of gold and who stands out in a crowd (usually because she is wearing a Christmas onesie). I couldn’t help but cheer for her as she tried to change her life and learn where she believes in this big crazy world.

I just love the relationship between Flora and Connor (the annoying Nordic god-like man). Their relationship is an opposite attract trope, and they are just utterly adorable. I loved, loved, loved the scene when they first met. I knew right from that moment that there were going to be lots of funny, heart-fluttering, and swoony-worthy moments between these two. Connor doesn’t believe in Christmas. He thinks it’s all about consumerism, greed and it creates too much pollution. Flora believes it’s a tragedy that Connor doesn’t believe in Christmas and has made it her personal mission to show Connor the magic of the Christmas season. Because at its core, Christmas is about spending time with those you love and spreading goodwill to those around you.

On a side note, I now want to go to Lapland and soak up the Christmas festivities, see the northern lights, and just relax in a sauna (though not in one where you have to be naked. LOL).

Flora’s Travelling Christmas Shop will fill your heart with Christmas cheer. This book has so much heart and laughter, and you will wish it would never end.

Now excuse me while I bust out my ugly Christmas sweaters and blast some Christmas music!

Thank you, HQ, part of HarperCollins UK, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I noticed this week that Christmas ads have started on TV here. Normally I would be horrified that they have started before the end of October. The only thing is that, this year at least, my indignation would be misplaced because I have already read a Christmas book! I know....I am surprised too!






Flora is a bit of a disaster. She can’t keep a job, and she falls in love too easily with men who then turn out not to appreciate her uniqueness.





One thing about Flora is that she loves Christmas. Maybe I should have says LOVES instead of loves! When she is fired from her dream job in a Christmas shop, breaks up with her boyfriend and is told that she needs to find somewhere else to live, it is clear something needs to change. Her best friend Lyvvie comes up with the idea that, really, what Flora needs is a job where she is her own boss! Then she can’t get fired. What would be the ideal business for someone who loves every little thing about Christmas? A shop of course. And where would be the best place for this shop? Lapland!! And if it is a shop in a van then she has somewhere to live too. It's the perfect solution.





Before Flora can sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, she finds herself the owner of a van in Lapland, with a Christmas stock supplier lined up and a place at a market! It's not all smooth sailing though. The first van that she looked at was a bomb, but luckily she finds another which is perfect for the job. Well, almost. The van breaks down on the way to the market site. Flora, who is dressed in a Christmas onesie, is assisted by a passing stranger who helps her get back on the road. It is only when she gets to the market that she finds out that Connor is the manager of the market site, and therefore someone that Flora needs to stay on the good side of.








It's a steep learning curve in van life and business for Flora. There are rules and safety regulations that have to be adhered to, new friends to be made, as well as rival's for Connor's attention.





Connor is the festive antithesis of Flora. He's a bit of a drifter, moving from one place to the next whenever the mood strikes. As much as Flora loves Christmas, Connor does not. He doesn't like the commercialism and consumerism, the waste, the plastic. Any of it. Can Flora convince him that Christmas isn't all bad?





I have read several books by Rebecca Raisin now, including other van life books, which are connected in that they are about van life, but there is otherwise very little connection. I love the way that she writes about food, books, about place and, yes, about Christmas. I also loved the way that Raisin is happy to poke fun at the story. For example, Lyvvie is chasing her own dream in the US, but she never misses an opportunity to encourage Flora to live her best Hallmark movie life, which is a lot of fun. The gorgeous hero, the big misunderstanding, the grand gestures - all the tropes are here.





I loved the Lapland setting. I can't imagine I will ever end up in Lapland, but I would love to see the Northern Lights one day. And there was a scene involving a sleigh ride through the snow that bought back memories of my trip to Austria back in the early 1990's when I got to do the same thing. If I remember correctly it was an excursion when we visited Innsbruck. I will say that if I ever do make it to Stockholm, I do want to stay in the hotel that was described in the book, which is a hotel set up inside of a jumbo jet. I told my husband that this is where we would stay and he is up for it!





On a scale of Flora to Connor, I am on the Connor end of the loving Christmas scale, but I think that I am slowly but surely sliding more towards Flora's end. Last year I watched more Christmas movies than I ever had before, and now I have started reading Christmas novels in September and I have a couple more to read too! Maybe in 5 years time I too will be obsessed with Christmas.

Yay!! Fabulous Christmas book!! Laugh out loud, filled with warm hugs, Christmas smells and hot chocolate!!
Flora thinks she has her life sorted, with a boyfriend, living with her best friend and a job in a Christmas shop, or does she? Everything starts to unravel when she is dumped by the boyfriend, loses her job and her bestie is off to Los Angeles for a year. She has to rethink her life and what she's doing, to embrace life with her own business in a travelling van.
I loved this book!!!! It is full of energy and enthusiasm for life. Made me smile and feel happy!! Has to be in my top 3 favorite Christmas books this year!!! Includes all my loved Christmas treats sounds and smells!! A proper Christmas classic!
Hugely and highly recommended.
Thank you NetGalley for the early read!