This book was beautifully written, and reminds me of the Ghost of Christmas's Past. I absolutely adored it! Such a wholesome and fulfilling story. Thank you NetGalley, Rachel Greenlaw, and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC.

I just love a good Christmas book with a touch of magic! The body swapping, Groundhog Day description instantly drew me to this book but it was Eva's all-consuming grief that kept me locked in place. I felt like I could really understand her and all of the decisions she made that lead her to this One Christmas Morning. This was definitely not the most cheerful Christmas story I've ever read, but it felt raw and real and ended on a hopeful note.

Eva has pushed away her friends and her husband and become obsessed with her work. She needs to make some changes quickly or risk losing it all. In a Christmas party in Cornwall, Eva is visited by the ghost of her Gran who tries to help her. It is a mix of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Freaky Friday.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for my copy of One Christmas Morning by Rachel Greenlaw in exchange for an honest review. It published October 17, 2023.
Wow! Never did I expect to stay up into the wee hours of the night, or end up in a reading slump from a Christmas book! I could not put this book down. I was so sad it was over, because it was written so well! That being said, this book depressed the heck out of me! I am rarely moved by books, so I consider that a huge accomplishment.
This book deals with really hard things, such as infertility and miscarriage, and the grief is written about very honestly and sincerely. It will break your heart, but in the end it will have you appreciating your life so much more.

This was an emotionally heavy holiday twist on the Christmas Carol story that sees work-obsessed Eva forced to attend a house party with her husband only to learn her friend is newly pregnant - news that is just too hard for her to handle in light of her own recent loss.

Risking her marriage, Eva decides to leave early only to get to be visited by the ghost of her grandmother who warns Eva that if she doesn't slow down and face her problems head on she will lose everyone she loves most.

The next day Eva wakes on Christmas morning only to discover that she's in the body of her overworked assistant and then the day after that she repeats the cycle, waking on Christmas morning again in the body of various friends. Stuck in a weird time-loop, it takes a tragedy to help her break free and finally face her fears head on.

Not a lighthearted holiday read, this is perfect for fans of authors like Emily Stone and was good on audio although it did take a me a bit to get into this one. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: miscarriage

Thank you NetGalley and Rachel Greenlaw for the ARC of One Christmas Morning.

This book is about dreams, hard work, loss, friendship, family, and losing sight of what is most important. The main character Eva went through two traumatic losses right around the same time. In order to cope with the losses, she buried herself in work. Unfortunately, in doing so she neglected the relationships around her that mattered most.

She is getting ready to open a store right after the Christmas holidays. Her husband is trying to save their marriage and asked for her to come along to a Christmas getaway with their friends. Eva is not happy and just wants to get ready for the launch of her shop.

Due to her sour behavior, she is forced to relive the day in several of the female characters at the getaway. Eva learns of their struggles, love and what they do to attempt to have a work/life balance.

This is not a lighthearted fun Christmas read. But, I did enjoy it. I love a little magical realism.

It was a good reminder to stay present and not get too wrapped up in work. Relationships are important and grieving is important.

Emma is trying to expand her business. She has pushed everyone away including her best friends, her husband and her assistant. Her friend Holli has invited them to a weekend long Christmas party at Penhallow. Emma agrees to go only because she feels pressured to by James, her husband. The first night there she tries to quietly escape back to London. During the drive, she see someone on the road and swerves to miss them. She gets out to see who it is and to make sure she didn't hit them. The person is her grandma who passed away three years prior.

Her grandma was there to show Emma the error of her ways. She tells Emma that she will see the day from the prospective of different people. Emma relives Christmas day but each time she is someone new. Diane (her assistant), Natalie (Holli's sister), Holli, and Sarah (an employee at Penhallow). He day as Holli I feel is the most eye opening one for Emma. She is forced to see that her grandma's death followed by the miscarriage cause her to focus on her work and ignore the people in her life.

I enjoyed this One Christmas Morning which is a Groudhog's Day meets a Christmas Carol. I am glad I got an ARC from NetGalley.

One Christmas Morning by Rachel Greenlaw

Modern Day Christmas Carole

Eva is stressed. She is about to launch a new brick and mortar store and there is no time for anything including her husband and Christmas. Eva hates the holidays especially after the death of her beloved grandmother and miscarriage 3 years ago on Christmas. Since then she has buried herself in her business at the expense of her own happiness. Her marriage is falling apart and her closest friends feel neglected. Can Eva realize her mistakes before she loses it all. Maybe - with the help of the ghost of her grandmother - Eva can see her life through the point of view of those around her…

I really enjoyed this book. Definitely a modern twist on Dicken’s “A Christmas Carole”. Perfect for the holiday season especially for those that might work a bit too much.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

3.5 stars

I can understand why the author wrote in all of the body-swapping that she did, but it felt like one too many. I was to the point where I was hoping we could just move forward with the story. I also was not expecting this book to be as sad as it was. You can tell from the mystery at the beginning that the main character went through something really tough, but to then have to relive it was just so heartbreaking to read. I’m glad Eva got her happy ending but I wouldn’t read this again.

Was this book good? Yeah. But it’s not something I’d just recommend because it would be hard for a lot of people to read and not light and fluffy for Christmas like I was hoping it would end up being.

Let me say up front... I think people assume this is a holiday romcom. It is not. It is more emotional self-discovery, grappling with grief.... w/ a holiday backdrop. As most others have noted, it's a little Groundhog Day mixed with A Christmas Carol.

I am not usually a fan of the Groundhog day vibe as the story can really feel repetitive. This was able to navigate that problem well for me.

I am, however, a sucker for a hard to love main character, and walking with them while they navigate grief, love, and just LIFE. That's what this book is, and I think it's worth a read... just know it's not a light feel good holiday romp.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Greenlaw, Avon and Harper Voyager for my advance copy.

Just before Christmas, Eva is launching her new business in London. She’s stressed and overworked, but even with a mile-long to-do list, she packs her bags to go with her husband, James, to Penhallow, a lodge in Cornwall. They’ll be meeting close friends, Hallie and Kian, and Hallie’s sister, Natalie.

Eva and James had planned to drive to Penhallow together, but at the last minute Eva tells James she wants to finish some details for the store. She asks her assistant, Diana, to drive her to Penhallow instead. For Eva, the opportunity means more time to work on the store’s launch.

In reality, Eva would avoid going back to Penhallow. She often went there with her grandmother in her childhood. Gran raised Eva, and ever since her death and a miscarriage three years earlier Eva can’t cope with the memories.

On Christmas Eve she sneaks out of Penhallow in the middle of the night, only to nearly run over Gran on the road. The woman who Eva idolized explains she’s come back from the dead to help Eva who, Gran says, has lost all sense of balance. Her priorities are all over the place, and she needs to relearn what’s important.

The next morning when she wakes up, Eva is no longer herself. She’s trapped in Diana’s body and for the first time understands what Diana’s life has become since she started working for Eva. That night she goes to bed and wakes up on Christmas morning again, this time in the body of Natalie, Hallie’s sister. Then again as Hallie.

The Christmas morning repeats continue, and Eva’s experiences take her from the uncomfortable to the downright horrifying as she understands how everyone sees her. If she wants to get back to her own self and make amends, she’ll have to be brave enough to admit what grief has done to her.

Author Rachel Greenlaw loosely follows a structure similar to the holiday classic A Christmas Carol in a book that often drifts from its main purpose. The middle third of the novel drags; Eva’s constant consideration of her grief while in the bodies of the other people slows down the plot in several places. Given the genre, the book winds its way to a predictable ending with a few small surprises.

3.5 stars.

"One Christmas Morning" by Rachel Greenlaw is a second chance book, but not the kind you might be thinking of. It combines an utterly depressing repeat body-snatching Christmas day "Groundhog Day" time loop with a "A Christmas Carol"-type lesson-learning to create one heck of a dismal but well-written tangential holiday read. It's part commentary on grief, part commentary on being present and living each moment like it's your last, to not get swept up in work and spreadsheets and minutiae over people and relationships and experiences. It takes a good 25% for this story to get going, and it's still a slow burn once it does. I do feel like I have read this exact book before, but it is still a decent enough read. I had some trouble connecting with the main character, Eva, because she is so unlikable and complicated and difficult to root for. She's one of those types of characters you wish you could take by the shoulders and shake, or literally slap some sense into. Eva is taken through Christmas day over and over in the bodies of the other people in her party, her best friend, her best friend's sister, her assistant, etc, in an attempt to see herself and those she loves in a different light, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. This book can be relentlessly heavy and emotional, and just when you think things are done being bleak, the hits just keep coming. It's not for the faint of heart and is barely Christmassy, but its heart is in the right place, trying to get readers to remember to tell the people you love that you love them while you still have the chance to do it. Still, I expected a bit more from this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel Greenlaw, Avon and Harper Voyager for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for my review.

Not your normal happy-go-lucky Christmas story. This one was a time-loop story that had the main character, Eva, reliving Christmas morning over and over through the perspective of her close friends and loved ones. Eye-opening and without humor, It is not a feel-good Christmas story until the last quarter of the book. Somewhat of a slow-paced tedious book for me, but I did like the premise enough to want to finish it. Just not what I expected in a Christmas novel. Three and a half stars.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗵𝗼𝗴 𝗗𝗮𝘆 + 𝗔 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹 + 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘆 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆

DO NOT pick up this book if you're in the mood for a light and sweet Christmas book as it appears to be by the cover. I "go in blind" most of the time and this one was definitely not what I was expecting. It ended up being quite emotionally heavy, especially in the last few chapters. It's less about Christmas and more about self-reflection and redemption. But all that said, I still really enjoyed it. As someone who also buried myself in work and pushed away loved ones during a period of grief, I really related to main character Eva in that way. Since Christmas isn't really a huge theme of the book, it can be read any time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for allowing me access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars for "One Christmas Morning", which had an interesting premise & seems a lot like "A Christmas Carol" meets "Groundhog Day" with a touch of "Freaky Friday" thrown in, but didn't seem to execute on any of them very well. Eva, the MC, who's stuck in Christmas time-loops, was an interesting character, but this story is very plot driven, and I would have preferred to spend more time learning about her & the other characters. I thought the writing was decent & I do appreciate that this is a debut & I would read the author again. My thanks to the Publisher & NetGalley for the complimentary DRC, opinions my own

This was a fun groundhog’s day meets The Christmas Carol story that dove into all the emotions and feelings. Very moving delightful story.

With the feel of a cross between A Christmas Carol and Groundhog Day, this Christmas story follows Eva in the days up to and including Christmas. On the cusp of opening a new store, with deadlines, supply problems, and more looming, Eva grudgingly meets her husband and friends at a mansion in the country which has had special meaning to her.
A workaholic, Eva's drive is threatening her marriage, friendships, and her work. Something has to give, or she will be alone.
The spirit of her grandmother tries to persuade her to let go of the grief and change her ways, or her life will be forever altered. She goes through the next few days through the eyes of people in her life and sees their lives and what she's become. It isn't good.  
A few unexpected lessons, which may not be reversible, is eye-opening. Eva must make some decisions quickly to salvage the relationships she's neglected.
Eva learns some unforgettable life lessons on her journey overcoming grief, life, family, and friendship.
TW: for infertility and miscarriages
Received an ARC from Netgalley

Eva’s life has not been the same since a tragic event that happened three years ago. Eva and James met in college and have a close friendship with Hallie and Kian, but things have been strained by Eva burying herself in building a new business to avoid her painful memories. Eva is not happy that she needs to leave town for four days for Christmas to appease them right before her new store is scheduled to open. The story starts off a little slow and becomes much more interesting when Eva experiences a different version of Groundhog Day. Instead of the day repeating over and over, she experiences the day a bunch of times in the body of other people. The lessons learned along the way make the book worth reading.

This is definitely a crying book so have those tissues ready. This one had my heart. I just loved it. I wanted to hug all the people. This was a mix of Groundhogs Day and A Christmas Carol. Two of my favorite things! I was rooting for Eva. I wanted things to change for her. I yelled at the book a few times! I love this cover too. Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Eva has been pushing everyone close to her away, has hated Christmas since an event ripped her world apart, and has been invited to a weekend Christmas party where it took place. She didn't want to go, but in the end she did.
She gets an unexpected visitor while she is there, one who is trying to guide her into seeing the way she is and what she could be losing. Sometimes when this happens people will embrace it and others will fight it. It is a Christmas story with hope and promise, and you will have to read the book to find out if Eva will choose to keep on going the way she has been or if she will see what she has become and choose to change. This is her wake-up call, and she only has one chance.
I received an ARC from Avon through NetGalley.