This was a very sweet Groundhog Day-esque Christmas romance. It was about finding out what truly matters in life trying to right the wrongs in your life.

I like how in living the same day over and over, Gwen got a glimpse at what other people’s lives were like, and how she might’ve been wrong to assume certain things. The pop culture and Taylor Swift references were icing on the cake.

Lindsey rings in the holiday season with sheer hilarity! The Christmas Wish gives Groundhog Day a run for its money with a Christmas Day that just won’t end!

Gwen is having the worst run of luck! Heading home for the holidays with her cousin Manny, she wants to leave the disaster that is her job, relationship, and living situation behind in London – away from the prying eyes of parents and unsolicited scrutiny of her sister. Returning to her small hometown village, Gwen is determined to keep the peace (while maintaining her sanity) and steer the conversation away from anything that may trigger the typical family meltdown. All is well until her sister and the gang arrive. One disaster after the next, Gwen ends her day with relief that it’s finally over and can be forgotten – until she wakes up to Christmas Day…again! Stuck in a time loop, Gwen can’t figure out why she is trapped, doomed to relive one of her worst days over and over again. Through trial and hilarious error, Gwen, with the help of her gorgeous childhood crush Dev, learns through each repeated day that life isn’t always as it seems and the truth isn’t hard to find if you are willing to open your eyes and see what’s right in front of you.

What I liked about this book: Lindsey is the master of witty banter and sarcastic remarks! I was laughing straight out the gate with this one and it never stopped. What I really enjoyed was the twist resolution! I just knew what was going to end the loop and was shocked when she woke up on Christmas Day again! I also enjoyed Gwen’s reaction to each day – Lindsey literally wrote the same day countless times but each one was so different, such an adventure, so intuitive, and slivers of personal growth that you don’t realize how they are stacking on top of each other until Gwen does.

What I loved about this book: I loved how deeply the story dove into the supporting characters. It wasn’t just about Gwen’s story, journey, and growth – you were given a peek behind everyone’s curtain, what all of her family was going through that you would have never known if the loop didn’t happen. It is a reminder that we really don’t know what is going on in someone’s life and what they tell us and how they are feeling may be worlds apart. While every situation may not warrant a look under the covers, it is a nice reminder to not take everything at surface level – if we are capable of hiding our own emotions, situations, feelings, why doubt others are doing it as well. Check-in with the people in your life, really check-in and you may be surprised what you didn’t know.

From heartwarming moments to hysterical situations (and one steamy meetup), the Christmas Wish will quickly become one of your holiday romance favorites.

thank you for the e-arc of this book!

2.5-3ish stars!

this book was a fine christmas book. it revolves around the groundhog day trope, and while it does have a romance i would say it definitely is more of a family drama/women’s fiction, which it should have been advertised as. this was also a bummer because the love interest was likeable and i wish we saw more of him.

there are a lot of deeper elements within the family dynamic, which i liked. i liked the evolution of the characters as well.

however, there were so many things going on, it felt a bit lost sometimes. i had a little trouble getting through this book as i felt it was at times very slow especially the middle bit. there were a few funny moments, but some of the humor was a bit crude and off-putting.

overall, this was a fine christmas romance especially if you like time-loop plots! unfortunately, it won’t be a holiday favorite for me though.

cws: grief, cheating, toxic relationships, anxiety

This was cute and festive! it felt more like a self froth story than a true romance but either way I enjoyed it. not the biggest fan of the groundhog day story line but it was done well.

Not a bad story, but this one was just okay for me.

I felt like a fish out of water reading it at times due in part to dropping into the story without any real lead in and in part to many missed cultural references. I could have looked them all up but I’d have spent more time doing that than reading.

I also didn’t really care for or relate to Gwen, a supposedly clever corporate lawyer who does not come across that way at all.

Lastly, I was led to believe that this was a holiday romcom, but this marketing is a bit misleading. It has romance, yes, and it had a lot of humorous lines and situations, but the focus of the story wasn’t romance so much as it was about family dynamics and understanding that people aren’t always as together as they seem. Still, I think she illustrated this very well and I loved the time-loop device as well.

Do you enjoy seasonal mood reads? I admit that as soon as the calendar flips to certain seasons, I’m all about them! Bring on all the fun holiday reads! Do you have a favorite? Leave it in the comments for me!!

This book doesn't really feel like a Christmas romance—it's more about a lifelong people-pleaser and her relationships with her loved ones, her career, her ex, and her childhood crush—but it's definitely a heartwarming Groundhog Day-esque read for the holiday season.

Very cute! I have read quite a few holiday Groundhog Day stories but still loved this one because of the the approach to each day and solving someone’s wish!

I loved this!! I love a good British Christmas book, I don't know why but I crave them. This one is SO GOOD. I am obsessed with this book I'm thinking I'm going to have to read it again because I can't get the Characters out of my head ND I need more.
just reviewed The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk. #TheChristmasWish #NetGalley
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Quick and Dirty⁣
-hometown romance⁣
-childhood crush⁣
-self-discovery⁣
-complex family dynamics⁣
⁣
Synopsis⁣
The past few months have been the worst of Gwen Baker's life. Not only did relationship end abruptly, she's probably about to lose her job, the same job she sacrificed the past 10 years of her life to get and keep! Needless to say, she's not in the merriest of moods. But Christmas comes regardless of whether we're ready or not, and this year Christmas keeps coming for Gwen. Yep! She's somehow gotten stuck in a time loop, destined to relive the same disastrous Christmas day over and over until she figures out how to get out of this nightmare. ⁣
⁣
Musings⁣
This book is SO good! I cannot tell you the number of times I laughed aloud at Kelk's writing. Sharp, sarcastic British humor is my jam, and this book served it up in a supersize jar. Seriously though, this book is everything I wanted in a holiday book and more! I loved that the romance, while a key part of the book, was not the main focus. The time loop and her journey to find her way back to herself and her family was SO perfect for holiday reading. It's like every Christmas comedy you ever loved made a baby with a Hallmark movie. It's heartfelt and heartwarming while also hysterically funny. I am forever a Kelk convert and now need to read all her backlist!

Ever wish you could do your day over again and fix what’s gone wrong? Well Gwen Baker didn’t exactly do that but nevertheless she relives her Christmas Day over and over again. Join her as she goes through each day trying to end the loop and getting herself, and her family, on the right track.

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much reading a book! Lindsey Kelk’s humor is perfect and made this book one that’s hard to put down!

The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summary: Gwen Baker finds herself stuck in a Groundhog Day loop on Christmas Day with her family. Gwen is having a rough go at life as she’s on leave from her respected position with a infamous law firm and recently broke off her engagement to the man she thought was the one until he wasn’t. Gwen goes back home to spend the holidays with her parents, cousin, grandmother and sister's insufferable family (her brother-in-law is the worst). Gwen had no clue how to tell her parents about the tough spot she’s in and to make matters worse, her dreamy childhood crush who lives next door is a successful physician and seems to be engaged. Gwen has an eventful Christmas only to have to repeat it the very next day for what seems like the foreseeable future. Gwen must make sense of her life to find the way out of the loop.

My thoughts: This is a hilarious romantic comedy that is brilliantly written and is LOADED with Taylor Swift references!!! The beginning of the book is a bit slow but once the scene is set, backstory revealed and characters introduced - the book takes off! Each day of her loop is exciting, different and helps give Gwen the clarity she needs. Honestly I really enjoyed the book and the focus that Kelk places on the importance of her self fulfillment and ensuring she’s chasing her dreams and not the dreams of others. The romance portion is the ferry on top of a great plot and excellent characters! I recommend this book wholeheartedly if you are looking for a festive, funny and incredible read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins for this advanced readers copy! This book was released this past Tuesday, so happy pub week to Lindsey Kelk and the team that brought this book to reality!

Do you like a story set in England on Christmas, which is chalked full of current popular culture references, a time loop that the main character needs to figure out how to escape from and a dysfunctional family with layers of hidden issues? If yes, this is the book for you!

A 32-year-old Gwen is struggling across the board. Her long-term boyfriend just broke up with her and made her instantly move out of their house. On top of that she’s having issues at her job and doesn’t want to tell her family about it. So over Christmas at her family’s home, the lack of honest communication across the board makes everyone closed off and truths of how everyone really feels and how they are doing in their life is masked. It takes her reliving Christmas Day again and again because of some time glitch to look beyond the surface of her family and into herself to see why she’s stuck, in all ways.

Sadly, for me, those tropes are not something I enjoy. That aside, the book if fun and heartfelt and full of discovery internally and with those around Gwen. The characters are interesting as is their dynamic as a family. If this breakdown sounds up your alley, I recommend a read. Enjoy!

The Christmas Wish is the perfect combination of Christmas with your family meets Groundhog Day the movie. If you enjoyed Christina Lauren’s In a Holidaze, you will definitely like this book. Gwen has traveled from London to her childhood countryside village for her family’s annual Christmas celebration. Like most families, Gwen’s is not exempt from the eccentric relatives, sibling that is difficult to get along with, mother that’s overworked and father that’s just a bit out of touch. But the holiday celebration doesn’t exactly start off the way Gwen hopes for and it’s revealed that she might not have a job to go back to after Christmas. So when Gwen wakes up the next morning to relive Christmas Day all over again, she has the opportunity to reset and figure out how to get out of this maddening cycle.
This book was such a fun read! After awhile I really started to feel for poor Gwen who just can’t get herself out of this cycle. She thinks it must be related to uncovering a six-pence wish from each of her family members, so each time she has to relive Christmas Day all over again, Gwen tries to spend quality time with one of them. This book could have been a bit repetitive but I never felt that way as Gwen learns more about herself and her wants as well as she really gets to know her family. In a way, this cycle helps her to realize what and whom she loves (and doesn’t), and what is important in life. There are a few little love stories for side characters—MANNY!!!—and Gwen’s is so sweet. The romance aspect is secondary to Gwen’s story, but we get snippets of it along the way. So if you’re looking for something a bit Christmas countryside and magical with humor thrown in, I’d highly suggest The Christmas Wish. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

this has been my favorite Christmas read so far! I am in love with our main character Gwen in this one. And I can never have too many Taylor Swift references in a book! We follow Gwen on Christmas Day as she relives the same day over and over. Usually I am not a fan of Christmas time loops. I sometimes feel like they are done quite a bit. But not with this one! I was nervous at first on where the romance was gonna go during the book but I thought it turned out really cute and nicely done.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc :)

3.67/5 🎄

Most holiday books are decidedly meh and middling at 3 stars barely, this was much more fun than that. But I must be clear - this was billed to me as a romance and it is not what I’d call a romance at all. It is a holiday novel with a little romantic element to it, but that was by far not at all what the book was centered on. This book is centered on family, not knowing what people are going through, helping others, and finding yourself. Not about romantic love so much as self love. And I really enjoyed it! (Once I figured out it was not a romance and I fixed my expectations) Gwen is an overworked law firm lawyer who has recently been dumped and is home for Christmas. A day that is decidedly terrible. She wakes up the next day… to find it is Christmas again. This book is Groundhogs Day but the Christmas version.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Christmas Wish was my first holiday read of the season, and it was a good one. I had seen prior to starting that this book was less romance and more family/personal growth focused, and I think being prepared for that made it more enjoyable for me. The romance was sprinkled in for most of the repeated Christmas days rather than the main purpose and it worked for me. Gwen felt like a bit of a kindred spirit to me, and I could easily put myself into her position and understand her feelings. Plus, my brain is also a pretty consistent stream of random pop culture anecdotes, especially related to Taylor Swift, as was Gwen’s, so, yeah, we could be friends. Gwen went on quite the journey over her Christmas Groundhog Days. I was invested in her attempts to figure out the key to moving on, and I liked seeing her form deeper connections with her family that she carried into the next repeat day and built on.

My only issue with time loop storylines is that they can begin to feel repetitive if they go on for too long and I was ready for Gwen to find her purpose and resolution. That said, it did feel like a fully realized conclusion by the time she got there.

All in all, this was a fun holiday read with humor and heart. It was a good way to start the season. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360/HarperCollins for the eARC.

This book was absolutely delightful and a very fun holiday read. I could picture the whole thing, playing out in my mind. The characterization was great, the characters are very likeable. The pop culture references where great and made the characters more relatable. The love story is with Dev is very sweet, and I cheered for them since his character was released. I love how this was not a stereotypical holiday romance and had much more depth, about family relationships, career, and listening to yourself.

Thank you so much @HarperCollins & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 15 November 2022)

SYNOPSIS | Gwen is newly single, suspended from work & stuck in a time loop of repeating Christmas Day with her eccentric family until she figures out how to break the "spell" & return to life as she knows it.

WHAT I LIKED:
- there is something about Lindsey's writing that just sucks me in & has me chuckling
- its 80% family drama & 20% romance
- the emphasis on understanding family feuds, misunderstandings & how to resolve them
- overall a perfectly Christmassy read reminding us all to be present, enjoy the little moments & go after what we want in life

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- the time travel aspect of this story didn't start until 30% mark so it felt like there was a lot of set up
- a Groundhog repeating day concept can obviously get pretty repetitive

3.5/5

Im not sure if I've just seen too many hallmark movies with this plot line but for me it has gotten to be overdone. But I also have a hallmark movie obsession so I think this is more of a me problem then the book.

Highlights for me was this book was that Gwen was wonderfully written and I found her funny and relatable. There were times that I found myself laughing out loud to some of the lines/actions of the main character. I enjoyed getting to know her family and reading about the trouble/shenanigans that they got up to. Gwen was openminded though out the book, yes she had some frustration but who wouldn't with dealing with the fact that you are dealing with the same day over and over again. I do thinking this book wasn't really a rom-com per say it was for of a fam-com.

I did find the book to be repetitive at time, which might be why I think this plot line is best suited in movie form but all in all it was a fun and entertaining read. It does start off slow so be warned that you need to get through the first part of the book but then it definitely picks up!

Thank you Netgalley and Lindsey Kelk for gifting me an advanced copy of The Christmas Wish in return for my honest review.

This book was cute and easy to read. Reminded me of a mix between Groundhog Day and a Christmas Hallmark movie. I enjoyed the main character as well as her family and friends. The main character becomes closer to her family members, gets to help out her family and friends and gets closure with an ex. There is also a bit of romance.
I would read this author again.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59947625-the-christmas-wish?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=airakF71KV&rank=1