I was a little bit unsure about this one at the start, because it does begin quite abruptly. Luckily, both main characters grew on me and I really enjoyed reading their story.

Ed and Kate have been together for years. Every Christmas, they drive up from London to spend the holidays with their families. Except this year, they break up on the way home and have to pretend to still be together because they don't want to announce their breakup during their precious Christmas family time.

The story is told in two timelines, a present one and then plenty of flashbacks to the earlier days of Ed and Kate's relationship. I love how the flashbacks give a fuller picture of how both of them have evolved throughout the decade they've been together, and all the bumps their relationship has encountered along the way.

This felt like a proper grown-up romance. Not a lot of unnecessary drama, not a lot of wilful miscommunication, just two people who have drifted apart despite still loving each other. Perhaps a slightly atypical Christmas romance, but a good one nonetheless!

I wouldn’t say that this book was THAT Christmassy but there were a few nods to those Christmas traditions that we all love such as the Christmas Eve Baileys and the Christmas songs playlist.

We meet Ed and Kate who have been together for over a decade and are on their way home for Christmas to celebrate with their families. An argument on the drive home leads to them deciding that they need a break from each to find out what it is that they really want and we follow them as they try to navigate Christmas, and the months that follow.

During the argument I was very much team Kate as I really didn’t like the way Ed spoke to her and particularly the way he brought up her weight. But as the chapters flit to their past, I did see that actually Kate must have been quite difficult to live with at times, and that Ed had probably always put more into their relationship than she had. Not because she was doing it on purpose but because that’s just the way she was built and she didn’t know any other way. Her parents weren’t an example of true love and she’s a divorce lawyer, so it’s no wonder that she was frightened of being in love and what it might or might not bring.

I really enjoyed this story, I enjoyed being on Kate and Ed’s journey and I loved how emotional it was. I definitely think it’s true that you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone and this book showcased that perfectly!

4 stars because Ed annoyed me in the argument and I felt that their split was slightly dragged out and they needed their heads banging together!!! But I did really, really enjoy it 😊

Ed and Kate are childhood sweethearts who have fallen into their own seperate lives. They have forgotten to put their relationship first.

Everything comes to a head on their drive home for Christmas and they decide they need to seperate.

The end is sweet and the love Kate has for her Grandma is so cute it made me cry.

I struggled with the middle of this book but the end made up for it.

Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley for a copy of this book✨

I found this couple SO annoying at the start of the book - all the little sly digs at each other about appearance etc were too much for me. Throughout the book I kind of just wanted to bang their heads together.
Ed's mum I also didn't like - constantly forcing her wants on them both.
Overall a nice sweet ending, even if it was predictable.

A bit long winded at times - but I liked the overall story and premise. Just didn’t want it to las5 so long.

I loved this Christmas book it was so cosy and warm good feeling. Loved the characters the story. The writing is beautiful written. Loved every paged.

Three Christmases. Two broken hearts. One hell of a journey. For ten years Kate and Ed have been driving home for the holidays. Full of Christmas spirit, but this year is different as a massive argument on the way leads to a break up. They decide to brave their families together one last time. But with three Christmases to celebrate a lot can happen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joanna Bolouri for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was based upon what seemed to be two very normal characters, showing a quite possibly true story. Even though this book is based at Christmas time with Christmas at its heart it definitely isn’t your usual Christmas story. Gubba, Kates grandma was a great character with her wise words and knowledge, I loved her. I loved that idea of fake dating as they were pretending to be together for their families and see how they pretended that everything was normal. Even though the main storyline isn’t happy it was still funny and lighthearted, the message that love can be rebuilt is so important in this one. It touches on some really adult life stuff and still makes it an interesting read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Publishers for a copy of “ Driving Home For Christmas “ for an honest review.
I was really drawn in by the storyline for this book and kept it to read closer to Christmas .Unfortunately , although it was an enjoyable read, there was very little festive joy to the tale.
An ok book ,but I’d hoped it would have more of a Christmassy feel to it and , for me, that was sadly missing

What a great read! I managed to read this in one day as it’s quite a short book and was pretty addictive! I really enjoy romances in crisis and this one explored that so well.

Kate and Ed are no longer sure if they both want the same things and following an argument when driving home for Christmas, they decide to take a break. The dual POV in this one was perfect as we saw both of their thoughts and feelings about this situation. I really liked how the plot unfolded and definitely recommend this book!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus books for this E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I dnf'd this book at 20%. Oh my goodness these people are so bitter. I thought this would be a cute christmas rekindling story but nope from what I read it's just a bitter couple who hate one another for being themselves. I have never seen two people less suited for each other in the book. I didn't like either character and honestly just thought they need to get a divorce and part ways because they are incompatible and horrible to one another.

I was so hooked on this book that I read it in a day. I really enjoyed the multiple POV’s from Kate or Ed’s point of view, telling their stories from current day and the past. It was lovely reading about how they met and their relationship over time. I also loved their families particularly Gubba who was a hoot! This was a very cute story, with a good mix of sadness and comedy but filled with love.

A Christamassy read with a twist. Our main characters break up at the beginning of the book and so we follow them throughout the festive season and beyond, willing them to get back together, but not sure they will.

A quick and enjoyable read which is set in the present, drops back into the past and has a whole entourage of family and freinds to add to the drama.

This could have been a lovely story if the main two,people had stopped arguing and being very grumpy around each other. This frustrated me as they just couldn’t seem to even talk to one another without falling out. This spoiled things for me which was a shame as it would have been enjoyable more. My thanks to me and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Not for me unfortunately. I started it but wasn't enjoying it so moved onto something else instead and didn't return to it

Kate and Ed are driving home from London for Christmas - it is make or break time for their relationship. I liked how it was told from both points of view.

I think I was a little bit disappointed with this book because I absolutely loved All I Want For Christmas and this just didn't compare. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it. There were a few laugh out loud moments and Ed was an absolute sweetheart. There were great supporting characters too. I did find it difficult to warm to Kate though. I found her a bit selfish at times. The book is a quick read with Joanna's wit and warmth, it's just not the most memorable one that I've read.

Kate and Ed have been together since they were in school and now in their thirties have come to a cross roads in their relationship. The relationship reaches its breaking point on the ride home from London to the north and they split but have to spend the Christmas holidays pretending everything is fine. As time goes on they need to figure out if they are willing to give up all their history or if they can work it out.
I liked this book but it wasn’t super memorable. I’m not sure I’ve read a romance where the couple was broken up for most of the book and I’m not sure how I felt about it. I liked the two main characters for the most part and I was rooting for them. The plot flowed well and kept me interested. I’m not sure it was my favourite book I’ve read recently and I don’t think it’s one I’ll remember that well but it was readable and quick.

This was perfect for the festive season! So Christmassy, beautifully written, it was honestly just perfect, the epitome of a Christmas book!

This author is new to me so I wasn’t sure what to expect when starting this book. However, what I found was a great book which is well written with a storyline populated by fully-formed, mainly believable characters to whom I warmed and felt invested in their outcome. The story held my attention from start to finish and kept me reading beyond the time I should have stopped.
As someone who has had to endure long car journeys to the in-laws for Christmas and the stress this journey, and the days ahead, can cause I was already invested from page one!
I really enjoyed this book, following the ups & downs of the relationship between the two main characters. This storyline differs from the usual in this genre as the two main characters were already in a relationship at the start of the book rather than the usual strangers getting to know each other. This story follows the fall-out of unhappiness and an argument on the car journey home for Christmas, a split, and ultimately finding each other and re-igniting the flame between the two main characters. This kept my interest throughout & I found myself egging them on to reunite.
A really enjoyable festive read, perfect for winter & Christmas-time.

Christmas is upon us and Kate, a lawyer who wants to change the world, but is stuck working on high profile divorce cases, embarks on a visit home with her partner Ed, a musician who now teaches at a local secondary school.

At the start of the road trip while encountering the inevitable holiday traffic, a row ensues, and instead of singing along to their usual cheesy festive tunes their journey is as frosty as the outside temperature and their relationship melts away before their very eyes.

Being Christmas, both Kate and Ed decide to put on a brave face and make the heart-breaking decision to go their separate ways after the holiday season but both agree not to tell their respective families and spoil Christmas for everyone.

I absolutely adored this book – you can’t help loving Ed, he really has a heart of gold and would do anything for Kate, who seemed a bit harsh at times.

Settle down with the Christmas tree lights on, a glass of either mulled wine, or a steaming cup of hot chocolate by your side, and immerse yourself in this gorgeous festive feast of a book.