A sweet book that helps you get into the spirit of Christmas! I usually read Christmas themed books from December 1. If you like to read Christmas books to get into the spirit, too, this is a great one, all about the spirit of Christmas, love, friendship and discovering yourself.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Twelve Days to Save Christmas is a lovely book filled with characters who show us the real meaning of Christmas.

Poppy is such a likeable character, and her personal growth throughout the book is a journey that the reader will be glad to be taking. There is humour, romance, friendship, and, friends who became family.

This is an enjoyable read and definitely worth curling up on a wintery evening with to get you into the Christmas spirit.

What a beautiful book! This is my third book from Elizabeth Neep I have read so far and they just keep getting better and better! I could relate so much to Poppy’s journey and how her boyfriend felt like her family until he unexpectedly just decides to break up with her so close to her favorite holiday Christmas! I loved how Poppy joined the volunteer center with expectations of getting her boyfriend back only to discover herself and unexpected romance along the way! Her novels make you laugh, cry, and feel like the coziest warmest hug! This was definitely a book that Sophie Kinsella would be proud of but Elizabeth is a star in her own right! I Love Bookouture titles and I am incredibly grateful for the approval and the chance to share my review. I sincerely hope it will be the first of many to come! Already eagerly awaiting Elizabeth’s next book! Thank you Bookouture & Elizabeth! Wonderful job!!!

QOTD: What’s your favorite holiday movie?
My A: The Grinch (Kim Carey version)! I’m OBSESSED and will watch it any time of the year!
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This feel good story of a woman finding herself and finding love along the way is the perfect book to read before Christmas! Poppy love Christmas, Poppy Loves George, but George no longer loves Poppy. Poppy decides that maybe George needs to realize she doesn’t need him to be happy. What follows is 12 days of Poppy learning what it means to love yourself and truly be happy. Add in a sweet romance, a splash of self-forgiveness, and a fun community of side characters and you get a solid book!

'Twelve Days to Save Christmas' by Elizabeth Neep is a very good holiday read that has the spirit of Christmas and also a deeper thought conveyed through the story. It much deeper than a simple Christmas story, its a story of self appraisal and growth and self love.

Poppy loves Christmas and has a lot of plans to make Christmas memorable as she does every year. A month before Christmas her live in boyfriend dumps her citing reasons that she has become clingy and that he wants to get away from her. Depression, sadness and introspection makes her meet new friends in unlikely places and in an effort to save here relationships she gets into activities that she feels a part of. She volunteers at a Church where she meets Theo and Avery.
The story takes us through Poppy's journey to self acceptance and understanding what true love is. She is a very lovable character with all her quirks and flaws. She is one person I just fell in love with. The end of the story feels so right with no hard feelings towards anybody else.

If you love to read stories that are heartwarming and at the same time introspective and thought provoking then you must pick this book up.

I thank Bookouture and Netgalley for approving my request to review and the opinions expressed are all mine.

I absolutely adored this book and everything about it. There were times in this book that I just wanted to tell Poppy that George was clearly not worth it and that anyone that leaves you the second things get hard isn’t worth it. Poppy and George are the perfect couple until Poppy lost her job and George felt she was around too much. Insert Poppy making all the attempts to show George that she is still the girl that he fell in love with.

Poppy is the kindest, sweetest and honestly, naïve girl in the beginning. We see her grow and throw herself into everything she sets her mind to. She makes a game plan to get George back, she volunteers at Church street on Church street and social media work. She has a hard background that has made this whole thing harder but she’s determined to not let that keep her from creating the new family she’s already built.

George is the most self centered person in this entire book. He didn’t deserve the love that Poppy gives. I have nothing else to say without spoiling the book but I disliked George with everything in me.

Theo: I LOVED THEO. Theo is a volunteer at Church street. He’s also a selfless character in the story. He is a little awkward and is such a real character.

This is a book I could definitely see being made into a rom com style Christmas movie. It’s definitely not HEAVY on the romance and is a very PG book throughout the majority of the book. The majority of the story is as the blurb states, Poppy is determined to get George back. Whether or not it works and what role does Theo play? You’ll have to read it to find out. Overall this is a strong 4/5 for me. I definitely recommend you get your copy!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of Twelve Days to Save Christmas by Elizabeth Neep. I originally planned on reading this a bit closer to Christmas, but I keep hearing about how great it is, so I went for it! This book was such a sweet read, I absolutely loved it. I may reread it closer to the holidays!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. Funny, warm and heartwarming, it held my interest and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and would read others by this author.

Poppy loves Christmas Eve and all the lead up to it. George is her five year boyfriends and wants to break up and she is blind sided- they share the apt- she also finds out he didn't tell anyone about it. Since she is too needy to him she is told to find other things, so she starts getting out more by a joining a choir, finds a new volunteer gig and job, and new friends. George I hated from the start and well his friends also and it just keeps getting worse. Theo and the community center are new joys for Poppy. I love her new friends!

I was glad how it ended and happy she started to work through her past and trauma.


3.5 stars

This festive story follows the main character of Poppy, who is a massive fan of Christmas. As Poppy’s excitement grows for Christmas, the very last thing she is expecting is her boyfriend George to end their 5 year relationship. Poppy doesn’t believe that this is what George really wants, and knowing that with only 12 days to make him see sense, Poppy comes up with a plan to get George back by showing him that she isn’t the needy person he believes she is.

Whilst carrying out her plan, Poppy is surprised to discover many things about herself, and finds herself volunteering at the Church Street Community Centre. The story follows Poppy’s journey to reignite the love between her and George, but along the way, we watch Poppy go on journey of self-discovery. Does she really want to be with George after all?

Twelve Days to Save Christmas is a beautifully written story full of love, laughs and romance, with a clear message about about loving the person you are and believing in yourself. A perfect story for this festive time of year.

The Blurb :
Poppy loves Christmas and always goes all out to make this magical time of the year extra special for her boyfriend George. But George is strangely not in the Yuletide spirit this year. As Poppy wrestles him into her Christmas jumper built for two for a holiday snapshot, she finds out why.
He’s leaving her. With only twelve days to spend together until Christmas.
Poppy is heartbroken. George is the love of her life, and what would Christmas be without kisses under the mistletoe, his mum’s delicious homemade gingerbread or their super-competitive games of Pictionary?
She’s determined to win George back. So, anxious to prove to him she can be spontaneous, she signs up as a Christmas volunteer at the local community centre. What she doesn’t know is that there’s a festive surprise coming her way…
As Poppy throws herself into her new role – mulling vats of hot cider and hanging fairy lights off everything within reach – she discovers an inner strength she never knew she had. And there’s also Theo. Her new boss. Grumpy and opinionated, he’s everything she doesn’t want.
But as the snow starts to fall, she begins to notice other things about him – like his twinkling green eyes, how he makes her laugh, and how much he cares about the people he’s trying to help.

My Thoughts :
Firstly I love the Festive feel of the front cover of this book, I knew it had to be read and I wasnt disappointed when I read the Blurb.
We meet Poppy, head over heels in love with her boyfriend George of 5 years, she gets the shock of her life when he tells her he wants to break up with her just before Christmas. Poppy is devastated that he thinks she is too needy and now has 12 days before George moves out to win him back and save their relationship by getting on with things and showing George she can stand on her own two feet and doesnt need him all the time.
As Poppy grows and takes in her life, we see her getting involved with the local community centre and getting out there with her friends and trying new things.
Elizabeth Neep draws the reader in from the very start, the story flows perfectly and brings the characters into their own.
Its a heart warming tale full of love, friends and finding oneself. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Twelve days to Save Christmas is a fun, upbeat romance read.

Poppy is a girl in love, totally devoted to her long term boyfriend George who is part of an up and coming boy band. I immediately warmed to Poppy she exudes fun and happiness and is fully supportive of George, buying him coffees, meeting him for lunch and attending all his gigs. When George breaks up with her saying she is too needy, Poppy sees this as a challenge; she has twelve days to make George remember just how much he loves her.

As Poppy distances herself from George to prove to him she is not needy she starts to make new friends and try new ventures like volunteering at a church based community centre and joining a choir.

Poppy feels that her whole life is George. All her friends were his friends, his family is her only family. She is nobody without George.

"I don't know who I am without him." - Poppy (Twelve Days to Save Christmas)

Anyone who has been dumped by the love of their life will certainly relate to Poppy and be cheering her on as she starts to discover and accept who she really is. The split with George forcing her to confront her past and start to make decisions and do things to please herself.

I enjoyed the way Elizabeth Neep included a nod to the Twelve Days of Christmas song throughout the story; in the song sung by the choir, in the chapter headings and in all the cute things Poppy did for George.

Twelve Days to Save Christmas is a heart-warming tale of finding your true self, finding friends in the most unlikeliest places and the real meaning of family.

This story screams big screen! It was very visual and I could see it all being played out as I read. If you love feel good stories that make you smile you will love Twelve Days to Save Christmas. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

Oh Poppy, Poppy, Poppy! Bless her Christmassy little heart but wow did I want to shake her like a snowglobe and shout HE’S NOT WORTH IT!!!

Stuck in a Christmas jumper for two, on her own after being dumped by George for being needy, Poppy decides to do something about it and not only get a life but win him back in the process.

I loved the countdown chapter headings and how they fit in with both Christmas and Poppy’s new adventures. But what I enjoyed the most was Poppy’s self discovery and her evolving from being a clingy Alice Cooper mess to an independent woman.

George I detested from the start and there were so many red flags that I wanted to stick him in an arena with a few bulls. But with new found friends and a community centre full of heart this year Poppy will discover what Christmas is really about.

This is not an ordinary romcom, sure it has its funny moments but at its heart it’s a story about a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her and then realising he’s not all that and she can do better. Girl you had me at Christmas jumper!

I love a slower-paced Brit-Lit romance centered on the holidays. TWELVE DAYS TO SAVE CHRISTMAS has all the feels and is a sweet and wonderfully complex holiday romance.

Poppy and George have been together for 5 years and Poppy has centered her entire world around their relationship. But when George wants to take "a break", right before Christmas, Poppy decides to win him back in time for the holidays. Poppy is quirky and likable and the true strength of this book is seeing her change and open herself up as she tries to find her way back to her boyfriend.

Poppy soon finds herself volunteering at a community center and participating in new activities with new friends. The writing is so great that we see Poppy begin to grow and change very slowly, but the story never seems to drag.

The last bit of this book is mildly frustrating, but only because the reader loves Poppy so much and knows what she needs! This book is very low-steam, but so sweetly satisfying and wonderfully complex that it's well worth the read, even if you prefer a steamier romance.

TWELVE DAYS TO SAVE CHRISTMAS is filled with complex relationships, lots of character development, and so much holiday cheer. It's about friendship, found family, and true vulnerability. I read the final page with a happy sigh. This would make an excellent Book Club read for the holidays.

Adorable and heartbreaking Christmas story that inspires to do better.

Through this holiday story, we follow Poppy, who loves two things in the world more than anything else - Christmas and George. While Christmas is approaching, George has decided to move forward without her by breaking up right before the holiday season starts. Poppy has twelve days to win his heart back. She comes up with a plan on how to convince the love of her life that she is not as "needy" as he thinks. While fulfilling the scheme, she discovers a lot about herself and the community around her.

This is an adorable coming-of-age story of a person that has been hurt and left disappointed over and over again. While this hopeful story ends positively, it is actually very sorrowful and made me swallow lumps in my neck for all the length of the story.😥 Reading about their unhealthy relationship made me very queasy, while one red flag popped up after another. I wanted to grab Poppy by her shoulders and shake some sense into her. I think the author did a great job of letting main character come to terms with herself.

While I would categorize this story as Romance, it did not take a central stage in it. It was more about learning to accept yourself, acknowledging the past, and understanding that our experiences make us who we are. There were some very annoying exaggerations, especially towards her so-called friends. However, the author made me feel way more than I expected from this story, so I vouch for this to be worth reading!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Poppy and George have been in a relationship for five years. Losing her job and the way she wants her life to go, George says she’s needy. and end the relationship. But, he’s not leaving until Christmas is over., a whole month later.

So, Poppy now has a plan, to find a job and something to live for and clear the “needy” label and make George change his mind.

So she starts to volunteer at the local community centre, where she learns more about herself and what she wants to get out of her life.

Enjoyable story with funny incidents too.

The way the author showed why George and Poppy worked as a couple, but explained how doubt crept in, whether they are meant to be.

The way the past of Poppy’s life was told and her wanting to connect with those at the community centre, was another side to the story.

This book doesn’t start like your typical Christmas feel good book. Poppy is dumped by her long term boyfriend and despite living in the same flat, she has only 12 days to win him back.

There were parts of the book where I wanted to shake some sense into Poppy and other parts that made me want to comfort her. The writer does a brilliant job of making all of the characters, not just the main ones, have a unique personality and you truly do like parts of everyone’s character - they bring the book to life.

I really enjoyed this book and the journey it took me on. I would recommend to anyone after a Christmassy, feel good read. Would be interesting to see this as a film adaptation!

*Thanks to Bookouture / Net Galley for this ARC*

Poppy's entire identity for the past five years has revolved around being one-half of Poppy and George. Just one month before Christmas, her favorite holiday, George throws a grenade into her life by breaking up with her. Now Poppy's on a mission to show him that they're still perfect for each other. In trying to prove to him that she's the one, Poppy realizes that maybe her life with George wasn't as wonderful as she thought.

I enjoy Elizabeth Neep's writing, it has a really great flow, and her characters always seem real. I could feel Poppy's desperation and despair in the beginning and the subtle switch to when she starts questioning everything. I love that ultimately it's more about finding herself, coming to terms with her past, and learning to stand on her own. The secondary characters were amazing and added so much to the story. It's heartbreaking but hopeful at the same time and I really wasn't ready for it to end. This is a great read, it's not all warm and fuzzy but definitely leaves you feeling that way.

Poppy is dumped by her long term boyfriend George just before Christmas, claiming that she has become "to needy" amongst other things. She decides to fight to win him back, and almost by accident joins a choir and starts volunteering at a community centre.
Reading the book reminded me of a song that people of a certain age may remember, "Where do you go to my lovely" by Peter Sarstead about a girl who had moved on from very humble beginnings. Poppy obviously had a troubled childhood, which is gradually revealed as the story develops. She can relate to the people who visit the centre, which helps her start to become more independent. She also has a growing relationship with Theo, who runs the centre, which leads her to think where her future actually lies. It was good to see her develop as a person in her own right, and the new friendships that she makes. Overall not a light read, but very satisfying all the same.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Poppy is all set to jet off to the Cotswolds for Christmas with her boyfriend of five years and their friends when said boyfriend drops a bombshell. He's breaking up with her. Poppy, who has devoted her life to George for the past 5 years, is devastated. She doesn't know who she is without being one-half of George and Poppy.

In turns, I wanted to hug and shake Poppy. At first, I wasn't sure if George had cold feet as Poppy was dreaming that he would propose this Christmas or perhaps it was a bit of tough love. Poppy had lost her job and her attempts at freelancing weren't exactly taking off. George said that she had become clingy and needy. And she was popping up at his office for lunch and always remembered their second Monday coffee and she was front and center at all of his band's gigs. But maybe her love language wasn't the same as George's. But as the story progresses, I started thinking Poppy needed to get a life, that George wasn't worth her attention, and as more of her story is revealed I wanted to yell, "You don't need a man to define who you are!"

Seriously, the book made me glad that I'm not in my twenties, early thirties anymore.

Poppy, though, is such an endearing character. I was so glad she had Marie - I probably most identified with Marie and I can tell we shared similar feelings about George and Poppy. This book has an A-list of characters. They are all so fun and unique. They felt like real people, even her plasticy, Insta-influencer friends. I'm sure you have met a few of these characters in your life.

The twelve days of Christmas theme was cute without being too gimmicky. It is not twelve straight days until Christmas, either. Rather, it is twelve days that George and Poppy have together between the day he breaks up with her and when they leave for their Christmas trip. Also, I don't think it counts the 3 days a week he goes to the office. I was slightly confused by the timeline which is why I bring this up. But regardless the cute part of the twelve days are the things Poppy does (or just seems to happen) during those twelve days - like seeing a 12 person choir where she meets Marie, the 9 track mix tape that Poppy had made for George, and the 6 man band she enlists to help save Christmas for the community center. They are subtle and add a bit of unexpectancy to the story.

Speaking of the community center - I loved it! It makes me want to find a place like it and volunteer. While I don't think that was the point of Neep including it in her story, it would be a great unintended consequence if it got more people volunteering in their communities.

For the most part, I loved this Christmas book. I did think Poppy's need to fix things with George because she had no life apart from him dragged on a bit too long for a Christmas story, it probably was realistic. I recommend you add this book to your Christmas reading list.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Wednesday at 6:30 USEDT - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/10/twelve-days-to-save-christmas-by.html