this was cute and light and fluffy. I read this for Christmas in July and it was pretty good. it wasn't my favorite but if you need something easy going this one is for you.

It is a fun Christmas read with the beach twist and a classic second chance romance trope. It is heartwarming and a fun adventure.

Maybe its me but I didn't like either of the characters. They didn't have chemistry and I found both annoying. I did like the Christmas setting in New Zealand.

I suppose if you live in the UK, you can't escape much further than to New Zealand. I loved touring this fabulous country with Sara and as a result it's now on my bucket list!
This is most definitely a second-chance romance, as Sara has to decide whether Fin's offer to work with him on the other side of the world is just work, or whether their love can be rekindled. It's a slow burner and involves a great deal of soul searching, as well as Sara having to come to terms with Fin's abandonment of her, and Fin having to admit that he had made the biggest mistake of his life and he mightn't be able to rectify it.
This isn't a festive story- although (surprisingly considering it's the summer down under) there is some snow involved - so if you don't particularly want to read a Christmas book outside of the festive season, then you can happily dive into this one safe in the knowledge that, like Sara, you will be escaping Christmas.

This one started out pretty good, in a nice literary fiction kind of way, but by 10% I got bored. A lot of talking and descriptions, but not much action. Also, 10% already and not into described plot points yet. It seems it may be getting close, but I'm too uninterested to keep going. Willing to concede it may just not be for me.

At this year, I enjoy loading up with easy to read Christmas novels.

In this, ex-husband and wife duo Sara and Fin head off to New Zealand, with Sara agreeing to assist with the photographs for his travel blog.

I found Sara to be really annoying - whingy and angry at Fin when she agreed to go out to assist him did not make her at all endearing. In fact, I completely understood why he had run off, but was perplexed as to why he would have asked her along to assist .

In any such book, I think you need to like the characters. The story is a light-weight easy read, but I didn’t really care if they got a HEA, which is the whole point of such a romance/women’s fiction book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good Christmas 🎄 Novel. Love the cover. Recommend

Lovely feel good book to read. It was a joy to read. Lovely characters. Great plot. The book was charming. Very well written. I’d definitely recommend this book

This has been a lovely story from start to finish, plenty of drama and emotion within it's pages.

I found it to be relatively well written with some interesting likable characters. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Fin and Sara as individuals as well as seeing them interact with each other and understanding them and wondering if they'd be strong enough/willing to get back together, if their marriage could be saved rather than staying separated.

I’ve never been to New Zealand before, but whilst reading this story, I certainly felt like I was there, experiencing the location, the beautiful sights, although I have to say that I’d have definitely have missed the comfort of a nice hotel or B&B lol. Would choose a hotel over a camper van any day lol.

Anyway if you haven’t discovered Kellie Hailes books yet, you should definitely give one of them ago. Her stories are always entertaining.

I loved traveling around New Zealand with Sara and Fin - the scenery was stunning and I felt like I was really there. Although I usually enjoy my Christmas stories filled with hot chocolate, cold weather, and jumpers - this was definitely still a heartwarming tale that gave me all those Christmas feels. Well written, entertaining, and an author that I would be happy to read again.

Sara's life has been in a rut since her divorce. Lately her job as a photographer has just been taking pictures of happy couples and families and then she heads home to her empty flat. She has always loved Christmas with her family but this year she just wants to run away. Her ex-husband Fin contacts her with a wild idea. He wants her to head to New Zealand with him for a joint work trip. He is a celebrated travel blogger. and wants her to come along on this trip as his photographer. He loves Sara but he can't give her the steady family life that she wants with his job. This trip is a way to try to win her back. They have a great time exploring the stunning sights and thrills of New Zealand while also discovering more about each other. I highly recommend this book.

A great escape taking me all the way to New Zealand following Sara's travels. A great romantic read, my kind of book.

Photographer Sara needs a change in her life and when her estranged husband invites her to take photos for his blog in New Zealand she accepts. I did love the setting of this book. I did not love the characters in this story and I’m iffy on second chance romances especially since he left the way he did. Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting and well written book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I will be adding this author to my reading list. I will. be recommending this author to my friends and family going forward.

The Great Christmas Escape is a perfect read for the holidays, containing the perfect recipe for a book, lots of laughter, romance and holiday cheer!

I received this novel and it is an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Loved the chemistry between Sara and Fin and the idea of giving them a second chance at love! Fun story and enjoyed the idea of traveling.

Sara needs a break from all the happy romantics at home, so when her almost ex-husband Fin contacts her to be his photographer as he travels around New Zealand she decides to go. Little did she expect to be in a van and roughing it. Fin still loves her, but can't seem to reach the level of security she expects from an adult. Can the two find a middle ground? Both need to give a bit. Fun story and enjoyed the idea of traveling. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love books that. Involve travel and throw the Christmas theme in and it is like a marriage made in heaven.

An ex-wife is thrown together with her husband as they join together to travel New Zealand writing and producing an article together, he writing, her photographing the journey, She imagined luxury hotels as they travelled across New Zealand, imagine her horror when she finds they will be travelling in a camper van and it means living in close quarters with her ex-husband.

This was a delightful book and loved the story it told. All through the book I was hoping that they would get back together but there were many events that affected this happening, both positively and negatively. Certainly a great book for both the travel elements and the story it told. My first book by this author but it certainly won’t be my last as overall I loved this book and would strongly recommend it. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and net galley fir providing me with an advance copy of this book for a fair and honest review.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

The Great Christmas Escape
by Kellie Hailes
Pub Date 18 Oct 2021 | Archive Date 06 Jan 2022
Orion Dash
Romance | Women's Fiction

5 Stars
A well written romance novel ideal to escape the rat race and just delve into reading a story of a couple growing closer together. A great emotional way to reconnect with a old love who may still love each other. The couple travelling around New Zealand finding that they are reconnecting with each other. This story certainly shows another way couples to reconnect and strengthen their struggling relationship before making the next step called separation or divorce. The book had funny laugh out loud moments to which I called out what they should do or shouldn’t do and then was interesting to see what they actually did. Ideal book for those who love to read romance.

#TheGreatChristmasEscape #NetGalley
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Orion Dash via NetGalley for my honest review of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the book.