Loved this! As always,Colgan delivers charm. This is festive, heartwarming, with great characters and some depth. Great holiday read! Will definitely be recommending for holiday reads!

I was so excited to revisit the characters from McCreedie's Bookshop! Carmen and Oke are back along with Carmen's family and a new cast of characters. Carmen and Oke's relationship is evolving and Carmen is faced with trying to keep the bookstore afloat. She is also on the hunt for new living accommodations and ends up in an unlikely place. I love how Jenny Colgan can create characters I love to come back to time and time again. This is no exception!

This is a sequel to The Christmas Bookshop, even though they aren't listed that way. And, as always, I would recommend reading the books in order. Not only because this one will make more sense, but also because the first one is equally as entertaining!

Carmen is still working at McCredie's Bookshop and still living in her sister's basement. In traditional Jenny Colgan style, Carmen's life isn't so simple, but it is fun to read about! Carmen struggles harder than Mr. McCredie to keep the store open and profitable, while the villain of our story is trying to buy it to turn it into a tacky souvenir shop. Par for the course, Carmen's love life is a toss up, and relations with her sister are strained. But with adorable characters, an irresistible setting, and Ms. Colgan's signature quirky writing style, this is an enjoyable escape regardless of the season!

❄🎀All the holiday feels in a wintry Edinburgh🌨

Author Jenny Colgan and the holiday title drew me to select this novel and I was not disappointed by this cozy little gem. Trouble in the romance department for bookseller Carmen is an important element, but the story's also about a community of small retailers in Edinburgh's Old Town who are fighting to maintain their shops' traditional character. The warmth of the people in it and the way they supported each other made for a very enjoyable read.

Colgan's writing is direct, easy and descriptive enough to nicely set the scene but not overdone. The plot is good and I liked the play of Carmen's uneasy relationship with her successful lawyer sister against Carmen's fight to turn the bookshop more profitable and avoid the shop's sale to a crass developer. I had hoped for more romance and Carmen's Brazilian beau Oke was absent from much of the book, but I really enjoyed the characters, the descriptions of wintry, pre-Christmas Edinburgh and the idea that maybe, in this instance, tradition will win out over crass commercialism.

Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

First of all, I think you really need to read the first book in this series. I didn’t read it first and really couldn’t connect with the romance between Carmen and Oke. Pretty sure I’d feel differently if I’d read the previous book. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. I feel like I’ve made a visit to Scotland at Christmas!

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I didn’t realize this was a sequel to a book I read last year until I started reading it, just recognized the author as one I have enjoyed in the past. This book is EVERYTHING I love about Jenny Colgan books. It is set in Edinburgh, my favorite city. The characters are flawed and funny and real. It is set at Christmas, and the magic of the season doesn’t drive the plot but does augment it.

There is a one-handed ginger f***boi, a deeply conflicted Quaker, a stubborn old man obsessed with summering in the Antarctic, and all the charm of all of Edinburgh—New Town, Old Town, Grassmarket, Victoria Street, the Wharf, etc. I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this one when it comes out—currently slated for October 10.

Carmen and Oke’s relationship has fallen apart and he’s headed home to Brazil to study a tree. Like, a really old, interesting one. Carmen is once again tasked with saving old Mr. McCredie’s bookshop as store after store on Victoria street are being taken over by a cad of a businessman selling a “bunch of tartan toot” that is all manufactured in China. Can Carmen save the store from its latest foe? While newly homeless because her sister kicked her out of her free lodgings? And while watching the magic of the Christmas season unfurl around her while sad-single in one of the most romantic cities?

Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan is a heartwarming holiday tale set in the cozy streets of Old Town Edinburgh. The story revolves around Carmen Hogan, the manager of McCredie's bookstore, and her journey to save the struggling bookshop.
Amidst an unexpected American film production invading her beloved Victorian street, Carmen faces personal challenges, including a strained relationship with Oke and a crowded living situation with a new baby and manny named Rudi. When a buyout threat looms, Carmen seizes the opportunity to have a Christmas movie filmed at McCredie's, using the funds to preserve its historical charm and stand up to a pushy millionaire.
The book beautifully captures the magic of Christmas in a close-knit community, with heartwarming relationships and festive gatherings. Carmen's determination to keep the bookstore afloat is inspiring, and the story showcases the power of love, resilience, and community support.
Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop is a delightful holiday read that reminds us of the joy, hope, and renewal that the season brings. It's a heartwarming story that will warm your heart and leave you with a smile.

This book is the sequel to The Christmas Bookshop, which I enjoyed (Hallmark-y but perfect cozy reading during the holidays). Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop picks up a bit after the ending of the first book and features the same setting and characters. There are two main storylines: the romantic relationship between Carmen and Oke, and a local millionaire trying to take over all the independent little shops. Weirdly, neither one is super strong.

Without spoiling anything, I will say that I think the romance part of the book would have more impact if it were read immediately after reading the first book. The situation that Carmen and Oke are in in this title is jarring right off the bat, and without having read the first book recently I don't know if readers will feel any connection to them or their relationship (I didn't). The second storyline is interesting and probably realistic but not enough to carry the book. A rare disappointment from Colgan.

The story was okay. I found Carmen to be very whiny. It was a little drawn out. I liked the premise of the book. The author was great at description so I felt as though I was there. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Bookshop owner, Carmen, has let a film crew use her quant little bookshop in the countryside to help financially supplement the cost, however, after a breakup, she's just not feeling the Christmas spirit. While living with her sister and their family, she begins to date a man she's not super sure about, but wants to see where things go.

Usually Jenny Colgan does a great job of putting me in the mid summer Christmas spirit with her books, but this one fell very flat for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and felt like the story started half way through where it should have. Then I felt like the author was more worried about keeping the story "woke" then actually just providing a fun, well written book. This one was just not for me.

I always enjoy a Jenny Colgan book but this one didn't grab me like usual and I did not finish. Thank you NetGalley for the advance e-copy.

Actual rating 2.5, rounded up for the pretty cover.

I haven't read the first book in this series, so I'm not sure how much I've missed but it didn't seem too hard to figure out the players. The main problem is that none of them were really likeable and I often found myself wondering how much of the story was left - not a good sign. The story was a bit all over the place and at times hard to follow. Seemed like a fun premise but this wasn't it for me.

My thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager, the author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I recieved this book from Netgalley I didn't know it was part of a series and of course I had to run to th Library for book one first..
This was a perfect book if you want to get into a jolly spirit. Hot chocolate in hand 88 degrees outside.
Delightful, entertaining and all set in a bookshop.
I havent read alot of this author but I will be checking out her backlist titles

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love how Jenny Colgan takes a setting and makes it comes alive for her readers. It's really where she shines as an author. I found myself absolutely wanting to live at the Christmas Bookshop or at least take another trip to Edinburgh. I really enjoyed the sister relationship between Carmen and Sophia, which was a natural continuation from Book 1 as well as the adorable relationship between Carmen and her nieces and nephews. Between this book and the first, I enjoyed so much the love story which is ironic but I felt the separation and Carmen's reaction to it throughout the year, made me believe that he is the one for her. I didn't necessarily feel that in book 1, but the absence made their story more compelling. A delightful Christmas read....Colgan is on my must read list of authors!
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Avon and Harper Voyager, for the ARC.

I requested this book because the synopsis sounded good. The book was okay I found it easy to put down but always went back. Carmen works for Mr. McCredie’s Bookshop. She loves books and wants to find ways to save the failing bookstore. Carmen is a 31-year-old single woman living in her rich sister's basement. She found and lost the love of her life and she is just kind of floundering. Wishing for her love to return to her and struggling with the bookshop. I can't say I would suggest this to my friends it was lacking all but a love story gone awry. Thank you NetGalley and publishers Avon and Harper Voyager.

Four stars. Jenny is one of may all time favorite authors. She never fails. Wonderful characters and plot. Will be recommending and reading anything in the future from this author. Thank you for the title.

This is a post to only NetGalley. I will not be posting to any other websites.

I read to 60% and am giving up. To me, this book is not as described in the summary. I expected a story surrounding a bookshop and a movie being filmed there. This plot is about a 30 something, immature female, drifter, lost in her life and has no direction. She is waiting for something or someone to come save her.

The other main character is also lost, and not standing up for himself. I believe he is also around the same age, and surely by this point in his life should have decided how he wants to live, but sadly no, he is also drifting, letting others make his important decisions in life.

The film being made at the bookshop is mentioned briefly at the being of the book and not again at this 60% point that I have stopped reading. I really wanted to like this story. I love the book cover and thought the summary sounded wonderful, but this was just not for me.

Carmen continues to struggle to keep McCredie's bookshop afloat and cope with her beau Oke moving back to South America. I always enjoy the continuing stories of Colgan's characters but Carmen was quite unlikeable at times. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing in a character if there is a redemption arc but I'm not quite sure she's learned her lesson. Maybe next time!
3.5 stars

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager publishers and to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the sequel to The Christmas Bookshop.

This novel had a slow start then began to pick up. In this story, Carmen is trying to protect her boss, Mr. McCreadie from a wealthy nouveau who wants to buy out the bookshop. Carmen has seen what happens to other shops that the nouveau bought out.

Carmen is in love with a graduate student, Oke, who does not seem to return her feelings of love. Carmen has been living with Sofia and her family because it is too expensive to live in Edinburgh. She moves out after she discovers empty bedrooms above the bookshop. She can move into a room above the bookshop and pay rent to her boss. She is thinking of different ways to save the bookshop. Carmen's sister Sofia is about to return to her law career after her maternity leave. Sofia and her husband hire a manny, Rudi, who is wonderful with everyone, including children.

This story is about the spirit of Christmas.

I loved the setting and the characters. This was a fun holiday read. I wasn't aware that it was a sequel when I read it but plan to read the first book, The Christmas Bookshop.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eGalley of this title.