This is my fourth book by Faith Hogan and every one of them was a four-star read for me. This book was such a joy, think of it as a yuletide Sliding Doors in Ireland and I so loved that premise. There are two parallel storylines and Faith Hogan managed to keep them running side by side very smoothly. They were easy to decipher from each other because they were written in different fonts and the author used dinkus between each change.

I so enjoyed reading both versions of Liv and getting to know her. Seeing what happens during the two different roads she takes made for such an interesting read. I was really happy to see her come into her own in both versions, even if she takes different ways to get to the same conclusion. There are many surprises in this one but what I took from reading it is the fact that life is what you make it no matter the road you’re on.

Don’t be fooled by the title and lovely cover, this is not a light-hearted Christmas read but it is an intelligently written, thought-provoking book, with well-thought-out characters and a beautiful if a bit fantastical ending.

A beautiful story where Faith has written two outcomes alongside each other- excellent. I really enjoyed the way she told the story, wanting to read it in one sitting! It tells of Liv who’s twin has died leaving a big hole in her heart and their friend Pete. Looking forward to reading more novels by Faith.

On the frist day of Christmas

#HeadofZeus #NetGalley #bookstagram #bookreview#goodreads #NetGalleyArc #OntheFirstDayofChristmas

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I found some of the descriptive writing a bit long winded in this book.Liv is a nurse and she lost her identical twin a number of years ago to cancer. Christmas Eve and Liv has just finished a late shift at the hospital, a stranger saves her from being hit by a motorcycle and he ends up in intensive care.

The flip between the parell stories is confusing at times as I didn't know which side I was reading.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Head of Zeus for this ARC book.

This was an interesting concept for a novel - sort of like a Sliding Doors type of scenario. I liked the characters and the dual storyline was beautifully woven together to an emotional ending.

I enjoyed seeing Liv growing as a person throughout and i was rooting for her happing ending all throughout the book.

The settings sound idyllic and, with the wonderful character set, it made for a delightfully festive story.

Sliding doors theme. Parallel universes, one person, one decision changes Christmas for Liv.
Liv is a nurse and she lost her identical twin a number of years ago to cancer. Christmas Eve and Liv has just finished a late shift at the hospital, a stranger saves her from being hit by a motorcycle and he ends up in intensive care. In one life, Liv sees him safely into the hospital and then goes home from Dublin to Ballycove to spend Christmas with her family and waste of space boyfriend! In the other life she feels compelled to check that this guy who has saved her life is ok, so she picks up extra shifts at the hospital and visits him when she can.
Each chapter starts with the Liv who went back for her family Christmas, and then moves to the Liv who stayed in Dublin - a change in font shows the different parallel life.
Liv uncovers plots and schemes slightly differently in each life, but ends with similar conclusions. The book ends with the two worlds colliding in a dramatic way.
Really easy and engaging read, I loved it.
Why only four stars - I loved the ending but it felt a bit tangled and a number of story strands felt unfinished. But would highly recommend.

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.
Although an easy read with some well formed characters this story really didn’t work for me. I found the “sliding doors” element confusing and as the book went on I had to keep reminding myself which background was relevant.
I thought the end was disappointing and felt it was somehow rushed. The best Christmas thing about the book is the cover, certainly not a feel good Christmas read!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Head of Zeus for this ARC book

Very cleverly written, I have to admit that I was very confused at first but then realised it was a 'sliding doors' story, so essentially 2 different stories based on a decision the lead character made at a point in time. But the way the author brought together the two stories at the end was truly magical.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

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

As Liv finishes her shift at the hospital she’s looking forward to going home for the holidays.

But, she’s finding that she has to decide what to do all the time, decisions need to be made. What are these decisions and what will happen when she makes them?

The story was a bit confusing at times, with it told in two different ways. The author has done a fabulous job in writing the book and keeping to both storylines as she wrote the book, not something I managed that well.

A great 4 /5 star book. I did find it a bit confusing in places hence the 4/5 star rating. as the story gives 2 timeframes which after a while grows on you but you do need to focus. Liv is a nurse in Ireland who in one story doesn’t get home for Christmas because of an accident but in the other story does. In both the relationship with her boyfriend Eddie and best friend Pete plays out until the end when one plot is focussed on. The end I struggled with for a few pages as it was different and not what I was expecting. Thanks to Faith and her publishers. I would highly recommend this book. Thanks also to NetGalley.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was an easy read which explored parallel timelines well, and I enjoyed the Irish setting.

Inventive concept and a lovely story.

Liv is going home from work after a long shift at her Dublin hospital. She is pushed out of the way of an oncoming motorcycle by Finn who is severely injured. After getting him back to the hospital for treatment, things get a little bizarre. Liv's story divides into 2 stories - one where she continues with her plans and returns home for the Christmas holidays in Ballycove, and another where she stays in Dublin to work and keep tabs on Finn's progress. The stories run parallel to each other and in the beginning, it was a bit confusing. It probably would have been better if there was some way to subtly indicate that the story's direction had switched (like a different font or italics...I can think of several ways to do it without interrupting the flow.). The other characters - her twin sister Rachel (who died of cancer a few years before); her best friend, Pete, and even current live-in boyfriend Eddie - are well written and add to the enjoyment of the tale. For me, the ending was sweet, but I think it did not go far enough to suit me. I think I expected more...more explanation of the diverging tales, but the author basically leaves it up to the reader. This time it comes off as a little lazy. When you've invested the time to read, you should get more than a little woo-woo and the expected HEA. I enjoyed this one, but found myself slightly let down by the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for this ARC.


Favorite quote:

She wanted to pull down a shutter on this moment and keep them here and safe forever, but...There's no stopping the progress of some things. Rachel's cancer diagnosis: its uncontainable march to the inevitable terrible end, was as unstoppable to her as the Northern Lights playing out over their heads.

I enjoyed this. It took a little bit of patience to get into the rhythm of the book. I initially made some lazy comparisons with Sliding Doors and I think that's inevitable in some ways.
I enjoyed the interactions between the main characters and in both versions of the timeline, I wasn't entirely sure who the right character was for the main character to be with. More time and interactions with those characters would have been interesting. The resolution was unexpected and I reflected upon it for a while before posting this review. I can't think of a more satisfying resolution so ultimately it worked.
An enjoyable and straightforward Christmas romance with a character finding strength within herself to be herself.

Pe4fect Christmas read. An unusual story where each chapter has parallel stories until the 2 merge near the end.

This Christmas story is a little confusing at first but all comes together and makes sense when I realised that it is two versions of one tale. I did not find it a happy heart-warming festive read that I am used to reading, so for me it did not fill me with Christmas spirit. It will not however put me off reading this author books in the future.
Set in Dublin, an Accident & Emergency nurse Liz, still in the throes of grief after the death of her twin sister, experiences a near death event herself as she leaves the hospital after her shift. This event changes her life as this story continues in two different ways. It reminded me of the film Sliding Doors and required me to give my full concentration.
My thanks to Net Galley and Head of Zeus for the ARC of On The First Day of Christmas.

Liv Latimer has just finished work as a nurse for the Christmas holidays when she is almost mowed down by a motorbike. The man who pushes her to safety, Finn, is badly hurt and Liv has a choice to make. Does she carry on with her planned Christmas and go to her parents to meet up with her boyfriend, Eddie, or does she stay and ensure that Finn is alright.
The story takes you through the next few days of Liv's life depending on which option she takes. Can Liv find the happiness she craves or does fate have something else in store for her.
It's funny, compelling and at times deeply moving.

This book follows Liv and her life after a near death experience. The book follows 2 possible ways her life could have gone after, whilst I love the idea of the book the way it was set out was very confusing. The 2 parallel life’s randomly switch and it isn’t made clear when they do as it isn’t labelled, this did hinder my enjoyment of the book.

A Christmas book should always give you a warm fuzzy feeling particularly one with a hopeful title like ‘On the First Day of Christmas’. However this very much does not, and although I could accept the sad themes at the start of the book as kind of setting the scene, the ending was very bleak and not in keeping with the rest of the book.

The differing storylines was confusing at times because there was no clear definition between them, so I have no idea what was real and what wasn’t. Maybe this was the authors intention but either way the book wasn’t for me.

I really enjoyed this book particularly the dual storyline one where Liv stayed behind and one where she went home for Christmas. It gecame a little far fetched towards the end but always good to have a little magic at Christmas!

On the First Day of Christmas by Faith Hogan🎄

Nurse Liv is looking forward to finishing up her busy A&E job for a much needed Christmas break🎅🏼 an accident stops her in her tracks and forces her to reassess where it is she wants to be…

This book started strongly for me and I enjoyed the parallel storytelling where we could see how Liv’s different choices would lead to different outcomes for her. I enjoyed the festive farm vibes in Liv’s hometown and would have loved more of this🎄

The writing seriously deteriorated in the last third of the book, and the ending was total chaos and not in keeping with the rest of the book at all.

I would have given this 3 stars for festive vibes, however the ending was so dissatisfying, this was a ⭐️⭐️ read for me.

#onthefirstdayofchristmas #christmasread #festive #bookstagram #irishbookstagram

I will post this review to my Instagram closer to Christmas.

A good seasonal read which is not my usual genre but I thorougly enjoyed it as a way of a change. All the characters were interesting and it was well written which kept me interested in the storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus (Aria) for this ARC.