On The First Day Of Christmas was a book I was hoping to enjoy and have a few hours of relaxing holiday reading.
The storyline was how one decision made in a slit second can change a person’s life.
Liv had her life told in the story with it being the perspective of what would happen if each of the decision were the one, she made.
For the switching between each one had me confused at times and unable to follow what was happening.
I want to thank NetGalley, Faith Hogan and Head of Zeus for the copy of On the First Day of Christmas. This is my personal review

Well, I think the fact that I finished this book in one day says it all, I couldn't put it down! It was a real page turner, with two 'what if' storylines running together, as people have said like the film 'Sliding Doors'.

Liv is a nurse who is about to go home for Christmas, but after a close call with a motorcycle where a stranger next to her saves her by throwing himself in front of her, things split into the two stories. One where Liv stays with Finn in the hospital and in Dublin, and the other where she sees Finn settled in the hospital but then goes back to her family for Christmas in Ballycove (the scene of other Faith Hogan books).

There are various dramas going on throughout the book. Liv lost her twin sister, Rachel, to cancer a few years ago, but is still best friends with Rachel's best friend, Pete, and they are very close. Liv also has a boyfriend, Eddie, that she feels may be about to propose. So she's sort of looking forward to the proposal, but also isn't sure why she has a niggling feeling about it.

You do have to concentrate a bit as it flips between both stories, but in completely different segments. I did get slightly confused towards the end where both stories finally intersected, but I figured it out! I really didn't know what was going to happen until right at the end, and admittedly I did shed a few tears. I can't ruin the story and say what happened, but it's sad and happy... and I still didn't really expect it! You will definitely have to read the book to find out what happened... another 5-star read for me by Faith Hogan.

A great story with the 2 dimensions to it keeping you hooked and fighting for Liv and the right outsome. Heartbreaking at points but so beautiful.

It took me a little bit to get used to the way this was written, it's a sliding doors type read which is a little confusing at first but you soon get used to it, I really enjoyed this book, it got be into the festive spirit and it was beautifully written, I loved the unique story telling by the end and it was very uplifting and I was so invested in the characters. Highly recommend.

The most innovative,imaginative and thought provoking book I've read in a long time. It makes one question faith,spirituality and fate. Our lives spin on a moment's decision. .one second either way, one choice ,and we get a totally different outcome. It examines the cords that inextricably bind these loving twins; lifelong friendship and love and lifts the veil in this world to give us a peep into the next. The perfect Christmas read .

Ever wonder what would have happened if you had done something different?
Liv leaves work ready for her Christmas break with her long time boyfriend.
She is then involved in an accident and which ever way she turns it will have a life changing consequence for her.

A 'Sliding Doors' love story. This isn't the usual Christmassy novel, it's a time-slip tale with two possible outcomes in different fonts. A&E Nurse Liv has a long-term but rather frustrating relationship with lackadaisical Eddie (and his interfering mother). In one version, she spends Christmas day with them. In another version, she is on her way to work at Christmas when she is involved in an accident where the victim is handsome and charismatic Finn O'Connell, who ends up as a patient in her hospital. Liv is a sympathetic character and you really want life to work out well for her. Takes a while to get used to the dual scenarios, but a good festive read. Faith Hogan's books are always worth reading.

I really enjoyed this. A lovely beautiful easy read. Written as two parallel storylines running side by side which are easy to decipher from each other due to being written in different fonts.
I liked reading both versions of Liv and getting to know her. All the characters are well written and add enjoyment to the story. You are easily drawn into all the characters lives in both scenarios. I couldn’t put it down.
It’s a emotional heartwarming story at Christmas time. Definitely recommend.
Thanks to NetGallery, Faith Hogan and Head of Zeus /Aria for a arc in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGallery #OntheFirstDayofChristmas

This was a really different and very interesting read a book with a sliding doors theme so Liv who is main character is an A&E Nurse who has a life in Dublin and a life in a country town with her family and her boyfriend Eddie
Her two lives revolve around an accident that happens on Christmas Eve when a man pushes her out of the way and he ends up run over and in her hospital ward
Her whole life comes under the microscope her twins life Rachel before she died and how she would have wanted Liv to have enjoyed her life her best friend Pete who loved Rachel
It is a beautiful book to read and comes together wonderfully at the end left me with tears in my eyes

I have read 3 other books by Faith Hogan and enjoyed them. This book was not a favorite. Written in dual renderings of two ways the life of the main character, Liv, could be happening was confusing. Although I caught on eventually, I did not care for the back and forth and would have liked a different ending. I do thank Netgalley and the publisher, The Head of Zeus, for the ARC. The comments and my review are my opinion. 3.5 stars

Faith Hogan is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. Her books are always so well written with really heartwarming and enjoyable stories that keep me engaged.
I loved the two paths we watch our main character Liv take after she is involved in an accident on Christmas Eve. It was a brilliant sliding doors story that explores how different decisions can impact the direction of our lives. I went through a range of emotions when reading this book and could not put it down. A thoroughly enjoyable, unique story that is quietly thought provoking and memorable!

All things Ballycove are becoming my guilty secret. If you asked if I read these books I’d say no! I like crime, but I loved this and I couldn’t put it down, nor other books set here by the author.
This is a clever read. It’s a sliding doors scenario about what happens after an accident when Liv leaves work on Christmas Eve. Told in alternating chapters, in one Liv goes home for Christmas to Ballycove in the other she stays in Dublin. In both her life is at a crossroads though she’s not really aware just how much. The different scenarios are cleverly marked by different fonts but I must admit I was glad I knew it was a sliding doors type of read from the off so I didn’t get confused.
It’s a lovely read with believable characters who I became very invested in and the perfect juxtaposition to my crime reads. I’m already looking forward to the next book so I can catch up with the going’s on in Ballycove

When Liv Latimer says goodbye to her fellow nurses and finishes work for the holidays, she's looking forward to a Christmas to remember with her boyfriend Eddie.

But as she leaves the hospital, tragedy strikes and Liv is faced with a choice. Will she ignore her instincts and go home as planned? Or will she stay, and potentially change the course of her life as she knows it?

Whatever choice she makes, Liv is about to discover that fate finds a way...

Just lovely, everything a Christmas book should be! 🎄🎄🎄

I’m not entirely sure I loved this book. It had a feel of Sliding Doors with the narrative being Liv living two different lives. Because her two lives ran towards the same goal, each new paragraph seemed the same dialogue with a little twist. To this end I felt I was reading the same chapter over again albeit with a small change. The last couple of paragraphs I found were confusing and again repetitive.

All in all, it was an ok book, a good way to spend a couple of hours

Liv Latimer, a nurse, has just finished her last shift before Christmas, when she is involved in an accident. She has a decision to make - should she carry on home to her parents or stay and help the stranger who got injured because of her. In a Sliding Doors kind of moment, she lives through the consequences of both decisions.

I found it confusing to start with, but after a few chapters got into the swing of this book. I was frustrated at times with Liv, who felt quite naive. However, it was a very interesting way of telling two stories, and haven’t we all wondered what if, about a decision we’ve made. I couldn’t work out how it was all going to come together at the end, but it was a really nice way to pull the strands of Livs story together.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. 3 1/2⭐️

First off, I feel I need to say that this isn't a typical Christmas book; yes it's set over Christmas and there's mention of Christmas dinner, but Christmas isn't really a big part of the story. This isn't a criticism, I just don't want people to pick this up expecting a Christmas vibe.

The book started off strong and I enjoyed the first three quarters of it. It is a lovely 'Sliding Doors' story, exploring how different decisions can take us off in different directions.

Unfortunately however I wasn't fussed on the direction the book took towards the end and it did spoil things for me. It felt rushed and a bit far fetched, not consistent with the chapters before, and almost like someone else had written it.

Up until things changed however, it was a well written, thought provoking, easy read and Liv's story made me think that perhaps we don't need to agonise so much over decisions; perhaps we end up where we're meant to anyway

The perfect novel for the festive season! Such a treat to read, wrapped in a blanket! I loved the story and characters, it truly warmed me!

This book warmed my heart ❤
At first wasn't sure what was going on confused me with the duo timelines.
But once you figure that out it's easy to read and get drawn into all the characters.
What I thought was going to happen didn't, but ended in such a heartfelt way that I don't think this book could have ended any better.

Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

What a beautiful book!

Reminiscent of the poem The Road Not Taken, this book is told in two viewpoints representing a different path Liv could have taken. After being saved in a random street accident, Liv could decide to carry on with her holiday plans to visit her family, or stay near the person who saved her life, who was currently a patient in the same hospital where she works; the path she chooses determines how her life moves on. The two paths are published in different fonts to make them stand out from each other, although the first change was a little disconcerting, I quickly figured it out.

I enjoyed the books references to Ballycove, a location that the author has written about in prior books. Readers of those books will also recognize some names of Ballycove's residents. The description of the location, Liv's family, the sheep they raise and the quiet seaside life sounds perfect.

I appreciated Liv's growth throughout the book, in both paths. She finally comes to realizations about her life and makes good decisions. Even though the book happens around Christmas time I didn't feel this was really a Christmas book, despite the title.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

I am a big fan of Faith Hogan’s work, I have loved everyone I have read and was incredibly excited to read her latest, which also happens to be a Christmas book, and I am incredibly pleased to say that as always Faith has not disappointed this reader I am in awe of her intelligent and incredibly clever writing.

This is slightly different to what we have come to expect from the author, it’s pretty ingenious really. The story is two different parallel stories which run side by side, it does take a while to get used to how it’s written especially as the two parallel stories aren’t labelled or given separate chapters, but once I got used to jumping from one life into another I soon picked up the pattern and I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I think it would have been a little easier if the two ‘lives’ were either labelled or each had a separate chapter.

The two stories (or should that be; story?) are all about one woman; Liv, who on Christmas Eve saves a man’s life; Finn who is injured in a motorbike accident and this is where the story takes a very unique turn. Instead of going along the usual route of her going home, and getting up the next day for another long shift at the hospital her life is torn in two. Literally, in an unnerving chain of events, Liv is split in two. Not literally torn apart! But, we now witness as for some unknown reason is living two parallel lives; one where she goes about her day as she does every single day leaves work forgets about the man she saved and plods along in the usual routine. In the other life she stays to watch over the man, there is something about him that a part of her is drawn towards him, is that why her life has been split in two? This is all about the choices we make and have to make in life, Liv has to decide which route she is going to take.

I must give a wee warning, if you are reaching for this book in the hopes of it being a cheerful festive romance, then you may be a little disappointed as this is so much more than that. It’s got far more meat on the bone to be classed as light-hearted or a stereotypical whimsical Christmas story. This has raw emotion, a cleverly entwined story which will make the reader go through a whole mill of emotions, it’s thought-provoking, it’s surprising and tender but most of all it’s beautifully written.

I do think parts could be a little clearer as some readers may find the overall concept a little confusing especially, but I loved it. It’s such a unique and quite sentimental story of life uncertainties and I hope people do give this one a go!