Hmm... There are a few things I liked about this book. I loved the setting, the Chalet, the Christmas market, the emphasis on community, supporting local business, looking out for one another... Realising that material comforts aren't all that matters, wanting to focus on what's really important, all those things are themes I appreciate in a book. I also love that Naomi was adopted. But there were also a few things I didn't love...

Firstly, the amount of times Naomi referred to her parents as her adoptive parents. I mean, it's important to her story, yes, and it obviously needs mentioning, but they are her parents. She's never met her birth parents. This is quite a thing for her, however, not enough to make an effort to find them. Mostly, adoptive parents are just parents. They are not birth parents, but they are parents. Also, the amount of children who are "given up" by their birth parents is miniscule. It does happen, yes, but it is extremely rare and in most cases, it's the involvement of authorities that leads to children going into care. Why Naomi, knowing absolutely nothing about her birth parents, believes they have just given her up because they didn't want to, I don't know.

Secondly, I hate if someone seems nice and then, because it is needed for the development of the story line, is suddenly written into a horrible character. It seems totally disingenuous. I wish instead of turning him into an awful person, they had just decided they were better off as friends or something. It makes no sense that a shy and kind person is a superficial womaniser with a trust fund...

Apart from that, I enjoyed the story, particularly Hans!

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable. The plot is one that is engaging and I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

Such a lovely book. I really enjoyed this from Start to finish. I loved the characters Mia naomi and Gabrielle. I really wanted a happy ending for them all. Such an enjoyable book.

Naomi Winters is going through a bitter divorce and spends the holidays with her best friend Mia at her chateau in Switzerland. There, she reunites with Mia's brother Gabriel, with whom she shares a mysterious past. Amidst hilarious skiing adventures and visits to the Christmas Market, Naomi confronts her insecurities stemming from her adoption and materialistic upbringing. Through helping Mia with the community Christmas gala, Naomi discovers what truly matters in life and finds the courage to pursue her own happiness. This heartwarming story explores themes of love, friendship, self-discovery, and the magic of the holiday season against the backdrop of a picturesque Swiss town.

A lovely book set in Switzerland with lovely Christmassy feel. Friendship, romance, divorce and emerging into a new life amongst friends. A real feel good read.

What a lovely story. Naomi isn’t in the Christmas spirit after last year, right on Christmas, her husband asked her for a divorce. Her old friend from uni, Mia, invites her to stay at her family chateau for Christmas. Naomi accepts as she knows she needs a change.
When she arrives she doesn’t expect to see Mia’s brother Gabriel there as well. There’s a past between Gabriel & Naomi that even Mia doesn’t know.
As she tries to sort her life out and help her friend out at the chateau the one person she can’t forget is Gabriel. Will Naomi be able to move on with her life and will Gabriel be a part of it?

Christmas at the Chateau by Annabel French was just pure escapism from life, read in one sitting I could not put this book down. I loved it. A fab story, we meet Naomi who is invited to spend some time in Switzerland by her friend Zoe and then discovers that Zoe’s brother Gabrielle, who Naomi had a ‘thing’ for years ago is also living there. Some twists and turns in the family business saga and wonderful descriptions of the Alps and the Christmas market. This was a great storyline and I enjoyed every minute of it.

A sweet Christmas read that I finished in about a day. I really enjoyed the read. I'm looking forward to more books by this author.

What a darling book - I was invested in Naomi's story I didn't want it to end. Perfect reading for twixmas - I loved it.

The book Christmas at the Chateau was an enjoyable read. I would recommend any book written by Annabel French. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

A good five years ago, I first read T.A. William's 'Dreaming of Christmas". It was, undoubtedly, the story that set me on the path of *loving* Christmas novels as much as I do now, and it also featured people getting reacquainted somewhere far out in the mountains after circumstances have made them less that thrilled for the festive season.
Now, that's largely where the comparison between these two books ends, but for the feeling that Christmas at the Chateau gave me. That gut feeling of "Oh yes, I'm going to like this" - and then to be proven right? That was 100% the case for this book as well. Whether it be the escapism, the drama (but not too much), the characters that were so easy to fall in love with ... And of course: the writing of Katie Ginger, whose style, regardless of her pen name, I never fail to appreciate.
All in all, this book was exactly what I needed for a cosy afternoon in - best enjoyed with a hot beverage and a warm blanket!

This is a perfect, feel-good, cosy up with the fire and Christmas tree lit behind you kind of book. Perfect Christmas read, simple and easy!

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Naomi is rather anti-Christmas especially as her husband filed for divorce at the last one. So with a job she dislikes and no where to go she finds herself in Switzerland at her best friend Mia's Chateau in the Alps. Christmas is all around and Naomi is going to have to relearn to love the festive time. She is also going to have to relearn all about Mia's brother Gabriel who finds himself there too when they parted some years ago, neither has admitted to the other what actually happened between them. Will this be the first Christmas Naomi actually enjoys?

A book chocked full of festivities and a big dollop of snow if your Christmas is a grey one this year. A lovely Christmas read.

I hadn’t intentionally saved this as my last Christmas book, but I’m glad that I did. The setting, the story and the characters left me with a warm feeling of festive joy and happy anticipation for the forthcoming celebrations.
Naomi is understandably feeling bitter and low as she has been hit with the end of her marriage and the realisation that her job gives her zero satisfaction. Couple that with the fact that she has been so invested in work and marriage that everything else in her life has been put on the backburner, she has very little enthusiasm for the Christmas celebrations.
Thankfully, Naomi’s best friend, Mia, is like a fairy godmother and presents her with an escape route from her unsatisfying life. A chance to visit the Swiss Alps and enjoy the magic of an Alpine Christmas. Determined to enjoy her visit she finds that she has to avoid contact with Mia’s brother, Gabriel, and ignore her memories from fifteen years earlier.
There was nothing that I didn’t love about this book. The characters were beautifully imagined and fully developed. The setting was easy to imagine, with descriptions that had me picturing a lovely Alpine, snow-covered village, and an enchanting Chateau decorated for Christmas. Filled with relatable characters and a huge helping of romance, this was a gorgeous note to end my reading on. I can thoroughly recommend it to you as I can still feel the warmth even now that I am reviewing it.
Just gorgeous!

In the summer I read the first Annabelle French book and loved it and now along comes Christmas at the Chateau and I’m hooked.
A fabulous story of Naomi who has been invited to stay in Switzerland by her uni friend Mia to recover from her recent divorce.
Naomi is shocked when she arrives to find Mias brother Gabrielle living there. Unknown to Mia they have shared a night together many years before.
Annabelle describes Switzerland exactly as it looks and fills each page with delicious smells and stunning Christmas Markets.
I truly can’t wait for the next book. Well done Annabelle you’ve cracked it.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of a truly magical love filled book.

It is that time of year when I try to read as many light-hearted Christmas novels, and this was one.

In this novel, Naomi Winters, the main character, is persuaded to spend the Christmas period with her best friend in a Chateau in the Swiss Alps. Naomi has nothing to lose - her husband has filed for divorce, she spends all of her time on her job, which she no longer likes, she hates Christmas.

This was an entertaining read. I could empathise with Naomi and Mia, her bestie - the fact that work can sometimes become all-consuming and takes over your life. The men in the novel are, unsurprisingly, less rounded, more juvenile, but not so much that is was to the detriment of the story.

This was a sweet, light-weight, candy-floss novel and is worth a read at Christmas.

Christmas at the Chateau by Annabel French

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Avon and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Life has gone a little bit downhill for Naomi Winters… Ever since her ex-husband Ollie filed for a divorce last Christmas, Naomi is a self-confessed scrooge. She hates her job, has exactly zero hobbies, and on top of that she’s all alone this holiday season. Spurred on by her best-friend Mia – who has invited her to spend Christmas at her snow-kissed Chateau in the Swiss Alps – she decides it’s time for change. But, when she arrives, she’s shocked to see Mia’s big brother Gabriel. It’s been fifteen years since they last saw each other, forcing her to face memories she’d rather forget. As Naomi grapples with getting her life back on track, she throws herself into various festive activities, and she can’t seem to escape Gabriel this time… Will he manage to thaw her icy heart, or is she on a downward slope to disappointment?

My Opinion

This is the second book in the Chateau series but can easily be read as a standalone. This had such a magical feeling about it as I read about the decorations around the chateau I was feeling more and more festive. Naomi has been invited to spend Christmas in the Swiss Alps with her friend, Mia, so this book has all of the winter feels. As you turn the pages, it was nice to see how Naomi grew as a character.

Rating 4/5

The 2nd novel in the Chateau series. I quite enjoyed this, however I do not think it was as good as the first. Naomi, recently divorced - her ex had told her the previous Christmas - was invited to Switzerland for Christmas by her friend from Uni who she has not seen for a long time. She is running here families business, the Chateau has been revamped. Her friends brother appears, who Naomi has not seen since uni. Throughout, we are drip fed bit by bit what happened. Naomi meets a ski instructor and goes on a date. Lovely descriptions of the markets, snow and surroundings you can think you are there. Can recommend this.

Well the plot of this is of course entirely predictable - but that's what we want in a Christmas romcom! I thought Naomi was quite an appealing heroine, and the adoption back story was an interesting dimension as well. The settings were the main attraction here and they didn't disappoint - lots of snowy walks, Alpine villages and community spirit. A nice festive read.

Really charming story, gorgeous setting, very well written, flowed well, great characters that i could really connect too, and it was a lovely read. Made me want to book a holiday immediately.