The more I read this story the more I could appreciate its clever concept, letters that connect us to our innermost thoughts and feelings. Combining complex characters with twisty roads of decision, I was completely enthralled and felt a deep connection particularly to Maddie as a mum and a carer. I particularly liked that all of the characters are far from perfect, they each display difficult traits that hold them back from happiness and you see these evolve over time to be acknowledged and challenged. All in all a beautiful look at the true meaning of family.

In "The Christmas Love Letters" by Sue Moorcroft, readers are treated to a heartwarming tale filled with believable characters, a well-paced narrative, and an emotional depth that's easy to connect with. The story revolves around Maddy, who is dealing with the mysterious disappearance of her husband, leading her and her daughter to live with her aunt Ruthie. The sudden appearance of Raff, searching for an old friend of his father, sets in motion a series of events that delve into the past, unveiling a treasure trove of love letters. Ruthie and Maddy find themselves caught up in the secrets and surprises hidden within these letters.

What truly stands out in this narrative is the emotional journey of Ruthie, which is bound to bring tears to your eyes. The story's twists and turns keep you engrossed from the very first page to the final chapter. Moorcroft's storytelling is not only engaging but also brings out the complexities of love, family, and the past's impact on the present.

If you're looking for a highly recommended read that combines a gripping plot with relatable characters and a touch of romance, "The Christmas Love Letters" is a wonderful choice for your reading list. Sue Moorcroft's storytelling prowess shines through in this heartwarming holiday tale.

Sue Moorcroft has delivered another gorgeous, cosy winter tale. Set in her usual trade mark picturesque small village with wonderful characters and towns folk, this one comes alive with Christmas spirt mixed in with a dash of mystery and intrigue. A fabulous Christmas read.

This was my first Sue Moorcroft novel. It was a cozy Christmas read but I wish there would have been more emphasis on the letters. So, I was a little disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Almost seven years ago Maddy’s husband Adey walked out after a row and disappeared without a trace. Since then, Maddy has lived with her elderly Great Aunt Ruthie and her young daughter Lyla in the coastal village of Nelson's Bar.
Maddy is happy with her life until gorgeous Raff appears on her doorstep one day, asking to speak to Ruthie. Raff has some love letters written almost 50 years ago from Ruthie to his adoptive father.
As past secrets come to the fore Maddy and Raff find themselves getting closer, but then the more recent past rears its head.
Will the past come between them or can Maddy and Raff have the future they deserve.
This is a wonderful story of secrets, family and love. The characters are strong and relatable, it made me want to laugh and cry at times.
Perfect to cosy up with on a cold Autumn day.

Absolutely brilliant. A great read that I couldn’t put down. Meeting Maddie and Ruthie and the way their story was told dragged you in. 2 love stories, one told through letters from the past and the other the result of letters being found and reunited. If you want a love story with a couple of twists then this is the one for you. Recommend this one.

I really struggled with this one and I'm not really sure why. I usually love sues books but this one didn't flow as effortlessly as others for me. Maybe it was the head space I was in. But I just didn't gel with it.

Maddy's husband Adey disappeared one snowy night before Christmas. Six years later, she is living in a quiet Norfolk village, bringing up the daughter Adey never knew about and caring for her Great Qunt Ruthie. When stranger Raff turns up on their doorstep, the revelations he makes will make huge changes to their lives. Then Maddy starts receiving odd texts that appear to be from missing Adey - can she cope with all of the changes and upheaval happening in her life?

Another lovely book from Sue Moorcroft, with engaging characters, along with misunderstood unpleasant ones! A slow burn love story, with plenty of smiles contained within.

This was a real feel-good festive treat from Sue Moorcroft.

Set on the Norfolk coast, Maddy has lived in Nelson's Bar her whole life.
One night, after an argument her letdown of a husband, Adey, storms out, disappearing without a trace, leaving his whereabouts and welfare a mystery.

Her life in chaos, Maddy is left to pick up the pieces.
She muddles through over the years, moving in with her Great Aunt Ruthie, her financial saviour. Maddy also takes on the role of carer, due to Ruthie's deteriorating eyesight.

One day, a stranger knocks on their door out of the blue, upending their lives...
Raff has questions about the past, but with them he also has the biggest surprise for Ruthie.

Then, Maddy begins to get unsettling text messages that bring up memories from the past that she had hoped she would never have to face

I loved getting to know the characters and definitely felt the story grew greater in depth the further I read.
I was longing for them all to have a happy-ever-after.

The Christmas Love Letters will be released on 26th October.

(#AD-#PRProduct: Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a #gifted eARC in exchange for my review.
Review also posted to GoodReads and Instagram. Will be added to Amazon when eligible)

Thank you NetGalley and AVON/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. for the opportunity to read "The Christmas Love Letters" in exchange for my honest review.

This heartwarming Christmas story starts 20 December 1977 when someone named Nigel is writing a love letter to Ruthie and on Christmas Eve Ruthie is writing back.

In the present day Maddy Cracey lives with her great-aunt Ruthie Willson who is 80 in Nelson's Bar, Norfolk along with her 6 year old daughter Lyla. Maddy's husband Adey walked out of the house 7 years ago when their house flooded and they had no insurance. He has not been seen or heard from since. He just vanished into the snowy night. Maddy was left to face debts and disaster on her own. They had been together since senior school but only one of them was a grown-up. Ruthie has limited vision so Maddy is her official carer.

Rafferty Edmonds appears and tells Ruthie that his adoptive parents Nigel and Sindy couldn't have children so they adopted him and later a little girl named Ffion. A long held love and secrets begin to unravel as Maddy learns that her great-aunt had a daughter and that daughter is Ffion. She also learns that Ruthie is now also a grandmother to a 16 year old Chloe. There is much back-and-forth as to whether Ffion and Chloe want to meet Ruthie and quite a few tears.

Another storyline is a series of texts that Maddy receives from "Adey". She is finally happy and now these cryptic messages start coming. Weeks away from being able to declare him legally dead is Adey alive, is he going to want half of the house that she worked so hard to save, is he going to want to be part of his daughter's life - a daughter Maddy didn't have a chance to tell him about when he walked out the door.

The author based this story on real love letters that someone showed her. It makes the story even more meaningful. These love letters are what tie together the two storylines in this book - Ruthie, Nigel and their daughter Ffion; as well as, Raff and Maddy. The biggest takeaway from this story is that it doesn't matter if you are related to someone by blood, what matters is the family that you build for yourself.

What an amazing feelgood festive treat this book was. Couldn't put it down. Such a heart warming story with such likeable and relatable characters. Loved that i could just escape reading it, made me want more! . Thank you netgalley for the chance to read it! Highly recommend

This is such a beautiful book! So easy to read and once you pick it up you won’t want to put it down. The characters and the location are just perfect! Such a stunning love story! Loved this so much!

Another feel good festive treat from Sue Moorcroft, heart warming and emotive with great characters. Easy read, curl up and enjoy. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

I’d never heard of Sue moorcroft before but I can tell you now I won’t be forgetting this author and I’ll be recommending her to friends.
Maddy the main character in this book has not had it easy, her husband disappeared one night after an argument leaving her with a flooded cottage, debt and pregnant although adey did not know she was pregnant.
The characters are well written and I found myself eager to get back to reading the book.
I would say the title is a little misleading as there is no Christmas letters till the end but it’s definitely made me feel festive with the book being set in the November and December.

Where on earth do I begin with this one? I absolutely loved it from start to finish. It's both heartwarming & heartbreaking, full of love, loss, friendships, family ties & new beginnings. Some fabulous, likeable & strong characters with a realness about them. Wonderfully written & I heartily recommend it.

This is a real feel-good Christmassy read set in the run up to the festive season. It has all of the essentials for a good read - romance, family relationships and intrigue especially for the 'love letters' that were written over 40 years ago!

I’ve not heard of this author before so wasn’t sure what to expect.

When Maddy’s husband went missing seven years ago, she got on with life, raising their daughter and caring for her aunt Ruthie. Shortly before Christmas, a man visits claiming that he has proof his father and Ruthie had an affair, and that his father and mother adopted the child born of that union.

Add to the mix some mysterious text messages that may just be from her missing husband, and Maddy’s life just got a lot more complicated.

A lightweight, easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest opinions.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC of The Christmas Love Letters by Sue Moorcroft. This was a cute, festive read. There is heartbreak and loss, but also love. One of the characters, Maddy, lives in Nelson’s Bar in Norfolk. Living with her is her daughter Layla and Great Aunt Ruthie. Her husband, Adey, had disappeared six years ago during one snowy night. No one knows where Adey is or if he is alive. One day, a random stranger, Raff, turns up at their door with love letters for Ruthie that contain some secrets about their family. Raff and Maddy get to know each other and become close. Maddy then receives several text messages. Turns out the person behind them was her husband who disappeared six years ago.... I would recommend if you like romance and festive, christmas reads! Cannot wait to read Sue's next book! 🎄❤️🎄❤️

Sue Moorcroft is the absolute queen of fabulous Christmas stories and this one is utterly perfect! It has everything you want in a seasonal tale and I found it emotional, moving and totally satisfying. Really didn’t want it to end!
Maddy Cracey lives in a tiny village on the Norfolk coast and her life should be idyllic, but seven years ago her husband walked out on her after a massive row and never returned, disappearing without a trace. She’s lived in limbo ever since, raising the daughter he didn’t know was on the way, and caring for her elderly great-aunt Ruthie. When handsome stranger Raff’s visit reveals deep secrets from Ruthie’s past, Maddy’s life is turned upside down, but will it be for good or bad? I very much enjoyed finding out!

I adore Sue Moorcroft's books, but I'm about to say something quite controversial - this book didn't do it for me.

Firstly, I couldn't decide if it was a Christmas book or just a book set at Christmas. I have the same debate with movies. For instance, A Muppet's Christmas Carol is a Christmas film, as the story doesn't work at any other time. But with Love Actually, if you remove Christmas from it and place it at another time, it generally would still make sense. That isn't a reason why I didn't particularly like the book, I just thought it was interesting to note.

I did like the book, I did enjoy it, it was fun. But it felt drawn out and a bit flat. I so wanted to love it because I love her, but this is the first book of hers that I had to force myself to finish. Don't shoot me!

The format was a bit odd. I assumed that it was going to have more to do with these love letters, but they're barely in it, leading me to think why they were made into such a prominent topic via the title and the blurb. I also wanted to know more about the love affair that stemmed these letters and was meant to be a main theme of the book, but they just seemed to be there for push forward the other storylines.

There are a few different storylines going through it: the affair, the love letters, the missing husband, the new loves etc. This is normally okay because there's usually one that is the main one and the others circle around it. But this seemed to be fighting itself as to what plot I should be focussing on, which meant that instead of enjoying all of them, I found them quite challenging, as I would get involved in one of them, and then another would swoop in and pull me out of it.

What I will say, is it gets better as it goes along. From about 60% there was more substance and it became a much more interesting book to read.

I can't say it is a bad book, because it's not, in fact I'm sure Sue is incapable of writing a bad book, and I have read other reviews giving it 4-5 stars, so it's clearly a personal thing. But it wasn't my favourite of hers and it felt difficult to get through it. Whilst Sue Moorcroft is usually a go-to recommendation, I wouldn't rave about this one. But it hasn't tainted my opinion on her writing as a whole and I thoroughly look forward to any future books.