After reading and absolutely loving All I Want For Christmas I was very excited to read Driving Home for Christmas. This did not disappoint, I devoured this!

Kate and Ed, the perfect match but they are in a rut. They break up but have to stay together for Christmas to save ruining the special day for everyone but will they get back together?

I loved it and special mention for Gubba, Kates gran, shes amazing!

I picked up Driving Home for Christmas on NetGalley because I wanted to read something to get in the holiday mood. But also something not too saccharin sweet. What caught my eye was the cover and the blurb sounded promising too. Not your typical, meet-cute rom-com. If I have to compare it to a movie, then I’d say Four Christmases, although it’s a very broad comparison. The starter situation is similar – a couple is going back to their hometown to spend Christmas with their families while working through their own issues. I didn’t love this book as I hoped, but it definitely was a nice palate cleanser and a different kind of holiday read from what you usually get at this time of the year.

Kate and Ed are in their late twenties, living in London, with different dreams and personalities but they seem to complement each other. They’ve been together for 15 years since their teens so they know each other pretty well. Good or bad. And I definitely liked to read a romance novel with an already well-established couple. Including snippets from their past worked quite well to show us that they are well-established indeed, although there should have been more, especially set around Christmas. Even though Driving Home for Christmas is mostly set around that particular holiday, it gets featured very little. I mean, apart from a couple of family feast scenes and mentioning of present swapping, it really didn’t bring through the christmassy feel for me. Then again, that might have been a deliberate choice.

The book starts with Kate and Ed having a fight on their way home, which eventually leads to a tough decision and to both of them having no holiday cheer at all. Understandably so. Although they try to hide it from their families, under the surface they are both trying to process their feelings and figure out their own lives. Neither Kate nor Ed did anything for me as characters – if anything they were slightly annoying, especially Kate. Although I could sympathize with her about not wanting to have kids or a marriage when everyone else was trying to pressure her on those points. I, however, did love some of the side characters, namely Gubba, Kate’s grandmother. A sassy old lady who has a mouth on her and some sharp eyes when it comes to her family. She definitely was the highlight of the book whenever she appeared. And usually, those were the only somewhat funny moments too. Driving Home for Christmas isn’t a comedy as much as a portrayal of a relationship on the rocks and how two people who love each other can overcome their own frustrations and problems.

I liked that the book isn’t set over a couple of days but a couple of months, not trying to solve the couple’s life crisis in a short amount of time, but showing that it might take a long time to figure out the root of the problems and then working on fixing them. It won’t happen from one day to the next. That said, it also felt like the book only scratched the surface and didn’t dare go deeper. Failing at making me connect with the story on an emotional level. It’s a well-written book and it’s super easy to read, so if you are looking for something light, not an overly cheery holiday read, then Driving Home for Christmas is a good choice to spend your afternoon with.

I really enjoyed this one! This book centers around Ed and Kate, as a couple, and all the struggles you get with being in a longterm relationship. You could really relate to their problems and everything felt very realistic. Despite all the fights and arguments between them, I still thought the book had a humorous and a cozy feeling. I was rooting for them throughout the story.
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I just have to mention Gubba, Kate's grandma! She was adorable and hilarious. A very unique character of her own. I loved reading about her.
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I also liked that the story had flashback chapters from earlier years, both through Ed's and Kate's perspectives.
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Filled with witty banter, genuine humor and many heartfelt moments I really enjoyed this one.

I thought this book was a good read if you want a light Christmas book. I liked the premise but I didn't really get much chemistry from the two main characters. I think their relationship needed more flushing out, I didn't really understand the random scenes of them growing up together.

This Christmas story is for grown-ups, if I can say so myself. It's not like other Christmas books aren't meant for adults, this one's just different.
The story beggins with a couple, who comes to conclusion that they need to break up after 10 years of great relationship. They just have to stay together for Christmas, so it wouldn't ruin everything and pretend to still be in love (which they still are).
It perfectly shows how not always there's drama and a big fall out. Sometimes it's the little things that pull you away from the other person and makes you realize, that you don't have the same end goal. And it's not like you don't love your partner anymore - you do with all of your heart, but what if love is not enough?

I usually don't like reading past and present in books, but this time it didn't evsn bug me. Emotional, funny and festive.😊🎄

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.

On their 10th annual Christmas trip home Kate and Ed have an argument and decide they should split up. Not wanting to upset their families they decide to continue on their trip anyway. With three Christmasses to celebrate and so much expectation on their future its not the most wonderful time of the year. Will they manage to sort their differences or is it too late?

Alternating between the past and present this was a fun Christmassy read. Gubba Kates grandmother was by far the most hilarious character in this book. I liked how it showed how over the course of time people can drift apart and need time to find themselves again.

A very good engaging heartwarming christmassy read. Loved it!

A twist on the usual Christmas romance this was really well written and had great characters. Loved the ending. Highly recommended.

This book had a very good start, I flew through the first half and really enjoyed it. Was it predictable, absolutely but I enjoyed that. The last 25% I started to lose attention slightly but overall an enjoyable read and was written well to keep me wanting to read more.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kate and Eds story, of them rediscovering who they are and what they want from life.

Featuring Christmas where they have just agreed to break up but can't bring themselves to tell either family, they spend a few days trying to pretend everything is OK.

With various degrees of success. We get to meet both families and I especially loved Kates.

There is a lot of bickering between our "couple" which I found quite amusing as was never completely sure what direction the story might take.

I also enjoyed the flashback chapters to the early stages of their relationship, and seeing just how that moulded them.

This was a lovely quick and easy read, which certainly had me smiling as I read it.

Thank you to Quercus and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily

I think I maybe expected more from this book than I should have.

I think I expected this to be centred around Christmas, but in reality it’s just a really small part of the story. In fact, this is a story about how miserable two people are when they make the decision to separate following an argument.

I really didn’t like Kate and Ed, they didn’t have many redeemable qualities. I appreciated the message of finding yourself again following a relationship breakdown, but they both spent the book pining after each other: Ed because he didn’t want to split up, and Kate because moving out was inconvenient for her.

This didn’t give me the festive vibes I hoped for, and honestly, I think the book should have been titled something else.

A warm, funny, heartfelt Christmas read - I really enjoyed Kate and Ed’s story, they were likeable characters and the story had some very touching moments.

4.5 Stars for Driving Home for Christmas
This is the first book I have read by this author but it certainly won’t be the last because Ed and Kate’s journey that was raking them h9ne for Christmas was magical and if you are looking for a book to put you in the mood for the upcoming holiday season look no further than this great read.
Ed and Kate have know each other for years and every Christmas they share the drive home to Derbyshire for Christmas but this year the journey started off on a bad foot because Kate got held up at work and that left Ed in a freezing cold car…..
What follows is an emotional yet entertaining read as this couple decide they need a break but they can’t ruin their families Christmas so they need to pretend nothing is wrong.i laughed and I smiled, I swooned and I sighed as I joined the families for Christmas. So can this couple survive the holiday season …one click to find out.
This was a magical read with wonderful characters and I will certainly be checking out other works from the very talented Joanna Bolouri.
I renea copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for this eARC.

Driving Home for Christmas is not a genre of story I usually read - something that is purely romantic, slice of life, with very little actual plot - but I decided to give it a go because I have been wanting to venture outside of my comfort zone of fantasy; and also because it's nearly Christmas, and I really needed a bit of that xmas spirit.

Unfortunately, it sort of reminded me, instead, of why exactly I don't tend to read stories like this. I simply find them unfulfilling. Despite being the age of the characters, I couldn't relate to them at all with where they were in life, and I found them both difficult to like at various points of the book. I could also see both their sides of the story, but I did feel as though the blame was too often put on the female character (Kate), when her partner Ed wasn't as supportive as he could have been.

The book follows a young couple who have been together since they were in school, who decide to split up right as they are travelling back to their parental homes for Christmas. As such, there is a lot of awkwardness and uncomfortableness and revisiting the past and trying to figure out 'how did we end up here?'

It wasn't badly written at all, and I can see why lovers of romance would enjoy this. For me, as an avid fantasy/thriller/horror/sci fi/adventure reader, it just didn't hold my attention and I found it a bit of a drag to get through as a result of there being no meat to any plot therein.

I have to admit the first chapter had me wanted to put this book firmly in the Did Not Finish. But I'm so glad I decided to keep on going because this book, my first Joanna one, has firmly become part of my 2022 Christmas books to recommend.

The book tells the story of childhood best friends turned couple Kate and Ed who break up in book two after a argument as they drive home for Christmas. I have laughed and routed for these two obviously destined to be couples to get back together. Along the way we are given glimpses of their teenage and university days as well.

I recommend you get a warn blanket, and plenty to drink and eat as you read this unputdownable Christmas book. I'll be looking for more Joanna books for sure.

What a Christmas cracker this book was. Loved the concept of going back in time within the book getting to know the characters from who they were and how they started out.
Ed and Kate are a couple who are drifting, Kate and her demanding high powered job and Ed who is just trading water with his. The book spans a year from one Christ to the next, but in between you get to see how they got to where they are.
Fantastic storyline and well written my first book from this author but I look forward to reading more.
A definite curl up with a cuppa and lose yourself book.

This was a super cute Christmas book all about maturing and figuring out what 2 people really want out of their lives and how they can do it together.

I loved the themes and the characters, it all tied together so wonderfully and the ending was super cute!

Found this to be a really sweet Christmas read and I was really rooting for Ed and Kate. I loved how detailed the book was and how every family member had their own story.

Imagine having to spend Christmas with your family and pretend everything is good when you love is falling around you. With flashbacks that relive Ed and Kates romance you relive all the good times they had and the times where the little things are taken for granted. With the different pov coming across you see both sides of the story where things come to a conclusion. A light hearted quick read, it’s a slow burn and I wanted to grab hold and give Kate a good shake.
Not much Christmas in the story apart from the few days over the Christmas period where they are pretending which goes on over several chapters.

A sweet, festive, and entertaining Christmas rom-com. I enjoyed it, rooted for the characters, and think it's an excellent book for a grey winter afternoon.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine