This is an immensely enjoyable read. Starting with a journey home, this book is the story of Kate and Ed who love each other but have lost their way. It is both very funny and very moving . I loved everything about it, from the rural Castleton setting to the descriptions of the inhuman people Kate worked with.

Kate and Ed have been together for what seems like forever but now driving home for christmas they need to learn about each other and must get through the holiday season by pretending to still be a couple whilst trying to work out if this is what they want or whether they should go their seperate ways.
The story is funny in parts but also emotional and I found the bits I enjoyed the most were when their family was involved and the genuine care and support shown.

An enjoyable read as we learn how Kate and Ed explore how they feel about each other having been together for many years. Kate is a workaholic 24/7 and Ed is a musician and teacher. I enjoyed how they interacted with each other’s families and loved Kate’s grandma Gubba and Kate’s brother Tom.

Although I enjoyed the book I did find some parts a bit dull, especially how it kept going back in time and I glossed over them. Not my ideal read.

Gosh this was such a good book. Not your usual festive read as it deals with so many real life dramas and problems and does it well. I think it’s one of those stories that will take you through every emotion. I think I cried and laughed and felt anger all in one book lol.

Highly recommend for this upcoming festive season.

Driving Home for Christmas by Joanna Bolouri

A successful divorce lawyer, on call 24/7. A former rock star turned music teacher. Together for ten years, can their relationship survive driving home for Christmas?

Despite the wholly predictable plot, I still enjoyed this book, it was full of Christmas music, family conversations, and the spirit of Christmas.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this in return for my honest opinion.

A most enjoyable read. My first experience of Joanna Bolouri but looking forward to reading more of her work in the future. Especially enjoyable as the year draws to a close.

What a great book. It was a captivating festive read not cliched in any way at all. The characters were funny, Gubba was a legend. This was a really great read, funny, sweet, sad and very festive.
I liked Kate and Ed and all of their families and friends.
Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Driving Home for Christmas had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion it's a perfect mix of colourful characters, hilarious banter and a "will they won't they" plotline of two people that have been in a relationship for a long time and come to the decision to split up, right as they're driving to their home town for Christmas.
The books partly based in one of my favourite places in Derbyshire, Castleton & Hope Valley, and I loved the familiar references of the local attractions & area.
The story swaps between Kate and Ed's narrative aswell as occasional flashback chapters to the start of their relationship, which I really liked as I felt I got to know both of them equally well.
I can totally see this as a Christmas film like White Christmas or Love Actually, it was entertaining, full of heart & hope.

I gobbled this book in one sitting - as always with this author it's funny and heartfelt - moments to make you laugh out loud are never far away! Would highly recommend for a couple of hours away from real life.

Kate and Ed ten long year relationship but this year something have changed.

'I just want to go home' asks Kate at one point if she learnt anything from her line of work is that 'a marriage is a out dated institution,  which people come out of kicking and Screaming' and she doesn't want this for herself and Ed. 
Ed thinks he's the same person he was fifteen years ago I'm meant to evolved as an person.

They head back to their home village of Castletown that is their traditional Christmas trip, which is somewhere up north. This is were the story let me down there  was no setting the seen or feel of the area which might have made us understand these characters greater.

There are some great characters, Gubba is sweet, kind and wise and we meet two of the closest friends Graham, Lauren and both sets of parents. So there is some good characterisations.

What ensures is a holiday for them pretending to still be a couple and then the big question can these people who want very different things make their way back together? However I do feel this book could be set any time of year not only at Christmas.

Many thanks  to NetGalley and  publishe as I recieved a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This book has exactly what you need when you get to the end of the year and can no longer tackle that huge fantasy novel! I really enjoyed getting to know Kate and Ed and it wasn’t what I thought would happen when they started to drive home! A few good Christmas book! Perfect

I love this authors books so was looking forward to reading this one. This was such a beautiful and poignant read and so much more than just a Christmas book. It was a Story about appreciating what you have got and of romance and friendships and the importance of family and of recognising what you have in front of you that is important.

This book made me cry at times and laugh at others and makes you realise how much communication is important between friends and family.

Looking forward to this authors next book.

Such a beautiful book! A love story of a different kind. Not only in relation to Ed and Kate, but generally a story about family and the love in a family.

Kate is a successful lawyer and handles some celebrity divorces. This requires her to work a lot and sometimes all the time. She is very ambitious and determined.

Ed, on the other hand, is a music teacher who doesn't make much of himself or his success. He has settled in and is happy with his life as it is.

For Kate, Ed is not ambitious enough and she thinks he can get more out of himself. For Ed, Kate is too ambitious and puts her career before her personal life.

This can only lead to an argument when they are both on their way to their families to celebrate Christmas. In the car, they agree to take a break from their relationship, but don't want to tell the families yet and still play along with the holidays.

It is nice to see how different the families are and how they all harmonise with each other in their own way. It quickly becomes clear why Kate and Ed have such different ideas about life. Both have experienced a different kind of love from their family. Ed from a happy family, Kate with divorced parents. Their childhoods were fundamentally different, which determined the milestone for their further careers.

Despite the break they both take, you realise how much they love each other. But they just can't come to a common denominator. They miss each other, they think about each other, they love each other, but they just want different things.

The book is written in such a warm and touching way that I was close to tears at some points. There is so much love in the characters, but no one brings it out properly. It tears at your heart how Kate and Ed try to get over it, but both fall apart.

A really beautiful, sensitive book. Even though as a reader you often think to yourself "why don't you just call and talk about your doubts?!?" that would have made the book much easier. But that's not the point, because even if they are not a couple there has to be some drama.


Already postet on my goodreads account

This is my first time reading a Joanna Bolouri, and but I knew as soon as I started reading that I'd made the right choice.

A lot of the romances I read are based on new people meeting and the start of a relationship, so it was really refreshing to read about Kate and Ed and all the history they had together. I grew up near Castleton and used to go carolling in those caves, so it all felt pretty familiar to me too!

This was a gentle, engaging and really relatable festive story. I love the song and I loved the book! Would absolutely recommend this festive, sparkling romance.

This was a sweet story and possible more real than most! With Kate and Ed have been in a rut in their relationship have an enormous fight en route to parents houses just before Christmas. Loved the yesteryear passages and back to now. Look forward to more from this author.

Driving Home for Christmas by Joanna Bolouri🎄

Kate and Ed are driving home for Christmas together, a long running tradition in their ten year relationship, when they realise that maybe things aren’t quite working between them😭

Cue a very awkward festive season, with Kate and Ed juggling both sets of families and their own feelings💔

We are introduced to some loveable characters along the way, including Kate’s legend of a grandmother Gubba, and Ed’s lovely friend Graham!

My only complaint is that there wasn’t a lot of actual Christmas content, and probably less than a third of the book was set during the Christmas season, so this didn’t really give me festive vibes. I enjoyed it as a whole though, and the ending was lovely💕


*i will post this review to my Instagram ahead of the publication date in nov*

I'm driving home for christmas, I can't wait to see their faces. Driving home for Christmas yeah. I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, romantic and enjoyable.

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. Perfect seasonal book to get you in the mood for the festive season.

This is a beautiful book and it is so amazing, the story is so lovely and very enjoyable to read. i loved everything about this book and i would recommend to anyone who loves reading to give this book a go. it is a lovely book and i will read other books from this author.

This was an enjoyable read. The characters were well written and I enjoyed the storyline. It would be good to find out what happens to them later on aswell.