The Perfect Christmas Village is all about community spirit and help when it’s needed.

Blythe is an estate agent and sells a house to Sam, but she forgets to tell an all important thing about the house and village. The village competes to be the most festive village every year, but Sam hates Christmas.

It’s a fun christmassy read that will make you smile.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

The Perfect Christmas Village was a pretty sweet read that had a heartwarming small town with a wonderfully tight-knit community. The ‘townies’ were definitely the best characters and are what made this read enjoyable for me. Sadly, that’s where my enjoyment ends.

Unfortunately, the festive feeling just wasn’t there for me. I think because this book began at the start of the year, meaning it covered more holidays than just Christmas, by time we got to Christmas I was underwhelmed. You spend over 70% of the book building up to December and that’s around the time I’d expect our main characters to get together and we’re creeping closer to Christmas. But no. Christmas happens in just one short chapter and it was very sweet though.

I understood the need for the book to begin earlier as there needed to be time for certain stories to play out, but I did find the beginning a little difficult to get through. I was confused as to why a book called The Perfect Christmas Village was spending so much time outside of the festive season. It makes sense now, but when you begin the book and it’s currently April (or whenever it started) you do have some questions.

Even after finishing the book, I’m not sold on the romance between Blythe and Sam. Too much time was spent having little spats and not enough time was spent with them actually getting to know each other. After one event Sam invites her back for coffee and out of nowhere he’s asking her to sleep with him. It’s obvious this is where the book was going, but the change in mood was drastic.

I was way more invested in Vicky and Owen, even if I didn’t like her character that much. This being the fact that she constantly objectifies Sam and Owen. There’s finding them attractive and then there’s constantly making crude comments. I felt like this brought the tone down and stopped this from being a clean romance. Which is fine, I’m not prudish but it was so out of place.

I love that Vicky and Owen had their first kiss at 17 after a Captain America film - literally what happened with my boyfriend and me, we’ve been together for over 7 and a half years now.

This wasn’t a bad read in the slightest, I had a pretty good time reading it, but the fact that it didn’t deliver on the festivities or romance is a big deal for me.

Sam who hates Christmas moves to Holly Cross, the most Christmasy village ever. sweet story and setting, I enjoyed it very much.

I was looking forward to this as I have enjoyed Bella's books before, I love a count down for anything so this seemed right up my street, the only down side for me was I didn't like Blythe, she just didn't come across as very nice and when she lied or did something not very nice she could always justify it to herself and I didn't like the way she treat poor Sam, I wasn't going to finish but was intrigued by a side story.

Its an ok read just a bit disappointing.

This is a perfectly judged will they won’t they romance that we all love with a clever Christmas setting. Blythe is an estate agent and keen to get her numbers up at the end of the month she talks a buyer into a cottage she knows he will love. There are complications, of course, the buyer is Sam who hates Christmas and he’s moving into a village called Holly Cross, which is more Christmassy than the North Pole. It’s community spirit writ large and there’s no escaping the juggernaut of tinsel and lights that’s approaching. Blythe will have to do her best to make right the wrong she has done him and maybe make him like Christmas just a little bit. How hard can it be?
There are many amusing moments in this book and just writing about it makes me want to jump back into its pages. It's a fun read but manages to have a serious side too. There are opportunities for many different emotions but the heart this novel sings out optimism and belief in the goodness of people. I can’t resist a Christmas romance and I’m continually astounded that writers can come up with another variation on the theme. If there’s a job reading Christmas novels and drinking hot chocolate every month of the year I’m up for it, bring on the bells.

The Perfect Village Christmas is a really sweet holiday romance filled with all the ingredients to make an excellent winter read. The small Warwickshire town provides the setting vying for the title of best Christmas village bringing the community together. Blythe is at the heart of village life and provides the link to lots of connections within the book. Through her competitive nature she ends up selling a house in the village to Sam, who hates Christmas. This leads to a fair bit of confrontation. Sam’s reluctance to get involved did feel a little over dramatic. I’m not sure I would have still been interested if I were Blythe, Bella Osbourne always delivers a guaranteed page turner with all the feelings.

Bella Osborne never fails to give her readers a great book, the only thing that spoils it for me is that they are usually split into little novellas, so I tend to avoid them. Thankfully though, this is a whole book, from start to end of the story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Peppered with fully-formed & believable characters in a wonderful setting this book is full of humour along with friendship & romance. It held my interest from beginning to end & had me giggling at times.
Perfect winter read.

This is mainly Blythe & Sam's story, but Blythe's best friend Vicky also has her story told. I was really touched by moments in Vicky's story, but as nothing is mentioned about her in the blurb I will not give any spoilers here. I think I might have enjoyed the story even more if the main focus had been Vicky's story!

Blythe sells a house to Sam (a city boy) neglecting to tell him that their small town goes all out at Christmas and it is expected that he will participate. Some months later it becomes clear that Sam really hates everything about Christmas and refuses to play any part in any of the activities and it becomes Blythe's mission to some how get him involved and perhaps even change his mind about Christmas.

I loved all the Christmas festivities and the community feeling we get. It's such a warm hug that makes me wish I could live somewhere like Holly Cross.

The village of Holly Cross go all out for Christmas. Desperate to win the local competition for Best Christmas Village, ringleader Leonora won’t allow anyone to opt out. Local girl, Blythe’s mission is to get newcomer, Sam, to embrace the festivities and decorate his cottage but Sam can be very stubborn, especially when it comes to avoiding Christmas.

This is a feel good, smaltzy story about community and togetherness. There’s the inevitable “will they, won’t they” romance which is predictable from the second chapter, but if you’re after a book to get you in the mood for the festive season, this will do the trick.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A book on great community spirit, all the Christmas feels and friendship.

Well this was funny Blythe was shameless in wanting to meet her sales targets and poor Sam got caught up in that….Selling a house to a man who hates Christmas in the most Christmassy village! But how funny they were together. I loved their easy banter. They really made me laugh out loud. Blythe did not give up with him and it was hilarious to read.

I loved how there were several stories in here and each one tender and sweet. It was such an easy lovely read. I am so glad I read it.

What a beautiful cover.

Favourite scene’s had to be out of The Grinch or house viewing for Mr Gardener 😂 hilarious!

Well this book has definitely made me excited for the upcoming festive season, the food and drink that goes with it too.

Favourite things about Christmas;

•Mulled wine, red wine and cheese
•Festive books
•Christmas movies
•Festive candles
•The magic of it all
•Family/friends time
•Res lipstick season
•Mince pies
•Eating chocolate

A sweet and romantic Christmas read. I loved the two main characters and Blythe's mum and stepdad. However some of the characters were really hard to love. Overall a decent Christmassy read

Blythe is an estate agent in the village of Holly Cross and one of the best, she is one sale away from the Agent of the Month. She needs to maintain this standing and she gets that sale from Sam.

Sam is from the city and has specific ideas from what he wants and needs from a property. Blythe thinks she can deliver and win the competition, trouble is the house isn’t technically for sale. Plus she forgets to mention that the village of Holly Cross, is rather famous for being the most Christmassy village. A title which relies on everyone to participate, including Sam who is not that keen on Christmas.

What could go wrong?

Well the former owner of the property has left a cat that requires looking after and Blythe is quite used to that. Sam is not so keen.

Then there is the Christmas lights, the community coming together, Blythe plays a major part in that. Sam is not so keen.

And so the battle of getting Sam to like Christmas begins and Blythe is determined.

This book is full of festive cheer and community spirit to warm the coldest of hearts. The secondary characters are just as important and interesting and it projects the love of the community which I feel this book is all about. The romance is perhaps a by product of this. Not afraid to deal with secrets and lies it uses Christmas as a time to bring everyone together and celebrate.

What more do you want from a book, than simple escapism, joy and a bit of Christmas cheer? It ticked all those boxes for me and shows that sometimes you can have a perfect Christmas.

what an easy book to read you get into the story from start and become one of the locals enjoying there days and activities up to christmas along with all the mishaps but it all turns out too be a merry christmas after all

I’ll be very honest, this is the book that has made me want to do what some people do with Netflix- just sit down and fanatically make my way through all of Bella Osborne’s books! But I digress (slows to get thoughts together).

This is the story of Blythe, who is in a bit of a competitive bind- she needs to quickly sell a house so that she can prove herself in her job. Straight away I gelled with Blythe and found I was willing her on. On meeting Sam she makes the decision to push a sale that really shouldn’t have happened. As a result, Sam is now a sitting, Christmas hating, duck, in a place where he is expected to be the centrepiece in the country’s most Christmassy village.

I loved how Sam stuck to his ‘no Christmas’ narrative, and how the locals and Blythe were so perplexed and tried so hard to change it! The setting was fab, sparkly, vibrant and picture perfect, the chemistry was great, the situations and the comedy- I mean I actually laughed out loud a number of times (my holy grail), and there was some heartwarming loveliness with the old owner of the house. I’ll admit the storyline with Vicky wasn’t for me but it definitely do anything to dampen a book that I’ll remember and nod about for some time. All in all I will systematically be making my way through this author’s books!

Thanks so much to the publishers for the book in return for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this book!

The authors writing style is amazing!

I look forward to reading more from them!

I was invited to review The Perfect Christmas village, thanks for the copy provided.
.
Although this is a very straight forward story, with flawed an interesting characters, it has surprising and heartwarming moments. We get a very well rounded female mc, but I could not say the same about our male mc; even if I understood his motivation for the conflict, I felt it was a bit underdeveloped (or maybe I was justed to know more). The same thing with Blythe relationship with her father, there was a lot to explore and we're just left with a shallow approach to it. The side characters were interesting and added a lot of dynamism. As a whole, it was a fun and entertaining read, but I would have like a bit more depth.
.

A lovely Christmas story, you can’t go wrong with a Bella Osborne read to make you feel festive.

This book felt different to a typical Christmas story because it takes place over several months. With summer temperatures, it is difficult to imagine prepping for Christmas decorations, but the residents of Holly Cross think differently. Christmas has put the little village of Holly Cross on the map and the local community take decorating the village incredibly seriously. And it’s expected that any new-comers will jump on board too.

Except that Sam has other ideas. Moving to the area, he is the Grinch personified. It doesn’t matter what Blythe seems to do, Sam resolutely refuses to get involved with the HCCC (that’s Holly Cross Christmas Committee to you and me). The conflict between Blythe and Sam is entertaining; each equally frustrated by the other’s stubbornness to appreciate their love or hate of Christmas is justified. I loved watching these characters battle it out and the cheekiness of the miserable cat, Turpin, added fun to this festive read.

Undoubtedly, this book is all about community. Although the HCCC is quite intense about their Christmas decorations, the fervour they approach this time of year is reflected in the love they have for each other in the community. This is reflected in Blythe’s attempts to integrate Sam into the village, even though her efforts sometimes don’t hit the mark. There is no negativity, nothing malicious in the area and this is what helps to make it such a great Christmas read.

I liked how there were several sub-plots to the story. I was intrigued to read about the mystery behind Murray’s house, the relationship with Blythe and her father, and more about Blythe’s best friend Vicky. Vicky, a very lovable character for her straight-talking. She is struggling to keep her head above water with saving money, being a single mum to Eden and keeping her multiple jobs successful. Vicky was an interesting character and illustrates how not everyone has a perfect life in this warming story.

A great Christmas read full of decorations galore! The final switch on for Holly Cross sounded amazing and reminded me of the wonderful scenes you see in December. A novel filled with community-spirit and Blythe’s best laid plans that don’t always go her way…

With thanks to Aria and Aries and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want, no I need to go and stay in Holly Cross! It sounds practically perfect in every way...the most Christmassy village EVER - wheres my invite?

I've absolutely adored every one of Osborne's books I've read and they've all been worthy of so much more than five stars.

Blythe certainly had a job on her hands converting Christmas hater Sam didn't she? How can you not like Christmas?

I loved all of the characters, with most of them soon feeling like old friends, who I would absolutely love to read more about tbh. Please tell me this isn't our only visit to Holly Cross?

Full of festive frivolity, romance and encapsulating everything Christmas, The Perfect Christmas Village is guaranteed to get you ready for the most wonderful time of the year...is it to early to put the tree up?

Estate agent Blythe lives in Holly Cross, and is just one sale away from being Agent of the Month, so when Sam comes to town looking for the perfect house in the perfect location she him his dream house which he promptly buys. The thing is, Sam hates Christmas and what Blythe hasn’t told him is that in December, Holly Cross transforms into the most festive village in the whole of the country!

This was a really fun, easy read and definitely one that should be enjoyed during the festive period, with the tree lights twinkling, a glass of mulled wine or a warming hot chocolate and so Carols playing in the background! This will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart!

The Perfect Christmas Village is a very cute, cozy, Christmasy romance story. I thought it hit all the right notes for a holiday read. It absolutely had the makings of a Hallmark movie. Blythe and Sam are both lovable and stubborn characters. Their clashing personalities and banter make the story along with all of the other adorable and funny characters that are sprinkled in. I really enjoyed and recommend this fun holiday read.