Christmas meets Sliding Doors meets fabulous author, terrific characters and a the 00s!

Simply superb....

... but hard to review for fear of giving away spoilers.

It's the first book I've read by this author and I was lured in by Christmas in the title. And it's a good thing I was as I couldn't get enough of it.

We follow Beas life as we see the outcome of the big airport decision occur in clearly headed and alternating chapters. And it's surprisingly easy to follow with each year getting two chapters one from the go timeline and from the stay timeline.

I believe there is an important message about fate, and that things happen for a reason and a whole lot more within these pages.

There is are some deep subjects dealt with sensitively and empathetically from the author.

In short it's certainly a book to add to your TBR, and one to savour.

Thank you to Boldwood and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thank you for approving me to read this book. I enjoyed reading Last Christmas for the most part - I find sliding doors narratives so compulsive to read and so fascinating so I loved seeing how Bea met certain people at different times depending on which life we were following. I did find the novel quite hard to follow - it was often not clear which life we were in and also some scenes are repeated in both lives which added to the muddledness of the story. I also found that whilst this is set over Christmas in different years, it doesn't really feel like a festive novel. This is a book that can be read all year round. On the whole though I did enjoy this book for the most part - I loved Bea and her group of friends. I would read more from this author in the future.

A lovely festive read which should be read by a roaring log fire. With snow falling outside. But, I read this on a unseasonably warm October day with brilliant sunshine outside. I conjured up winter images in my mind and lost myself in this book. I do enjoy Clare's books so it's no hardship. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

ARC Review:

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Bea is on the precipice of a life changing decision in December of 2002. Standing in front of the departure board at Heathrow airport she must decide whether to stay in London or go to New York City. What many would see as an inconsequential choice proves to be of vital importance, directly impacting the trajectory of her life.

Last Christmas by Clare Swatman is essentially a holiday spin on the classic, Sliding Doors. It explores the themes of fate and destiny.

I loved how Swatman formatted the book. Each chapter takes place in December. We start in the year of 2002 and end in 2010. Each year is given a chapter for both staying and going. This allows the readers to watch as each scenario plays out.

This was a beautiful story! It exceeded my expectations and as a result, I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for their next holiday read.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Clare Swatman for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for 'Last Christmas' after being intrigued by its description. However, once I began reading, it failed to meet my expectations. The narrative seemed confusing and somewhat repetitive at times. Ultimately, it just didn't resonate with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

I’m giving myself a pat on the back for finishing this book, as I was tempted to abandon it several times. It wasn’t too difficult at first to follow Bea’s waffling about going off to New York or staying with her current partner. But the waffling between two very different lives started to grate after a while. One of her main reasons for leaving was the sexual harassment at the hands of her boss, which she did not seem to be able to tell anyone about. In the end, I was just confused as to which life she was actually living.

This book is set over two alternate timelines - one where Bea gets on the plane to New York and the other where she doesn't, and instead goes home to everything she was running away from. Each chapter is set at Christmas and moves through the years, one section is about her life if she'd left and the other of she'd stayed.

In both timelines she is with Dom but also with AJ. She cheats on both at different times and breaks up with them both at least once and then gets pregnant by the one she isn't with while she's with the one she's with in that timeline.

Bea isn't really a good person constantly swapping back and forth between AJ and Dom. She doesn't treat either of them particularly well. It doesn't help that her mum and sister keep telling her she made a mistake leaving Dom, even though she's never really loved him like she does AJ. They won't leave it alone though and keep trying to push her together with Dom.

She can't seem to make a decision and stick to it either. She's constantly flitting back and forth between London and New York and runs away everytime something goes wrong or isn't how she thought things would turn out.

In the end though, the result is the same. She's married to AJ, has a kid whether it's his or Dom's and is pregnant with AJ's kid. They've moved to New York and Dom has come with his new gf Tiffany along with her mum, after her dad passed away.

I got lost on numerous occasions and couldn't remember which timeline I was in as there was so many crossovers, not just with scenes playing out, but dialogue as well and I don't need to read the exact same dialogue multiple times. I think it either needed to be written differently or left out entirely the second time.

I didn't like any of the characters, apart from Bea's best friends Mia and Michael. They were the only ones who tried to encourage her to do what was right for her and not everyone else. They knew she loved AJ but was settling for Dom and they tried to make her see that, but Bea wouldn't listen.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

The premise of this book sounded interesting - it was like the Sliding Door movie....where everyone wonders what their life would be like if they made different decisions. It was a good book - however as I got through each chapter, I kept on getting more confused - what am I reading? Which storyline am I on now? So unfortunately I DNF at 56% because I just couldn't keep it all straight and didn't pique my interest. It would definitely be better as a movie.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Think Sliding Doors and then this is the adventure that Last Christmas will take you on.

This story takes us back to the early 00s and I have to say I was in a very similar position as Bea, back in 2004 - at an airport, ready to start a new life in Ireland. Should I go or should I stay? Should I go back to the relationship that went sour after 6 years, to the man that said he would change or should I take the chance on a new country and an Irishman that I had recently met. I took the big step, went to Ireland and 20 years later we’re still together, married with two daughters and a miniature schnauzer lol.

Anyway this is the big decision that Bea has to take and what follows are alternative chapters of what happens if she stayed in London (with the long term boyfriend) and if she went to New York (and meet an Irishman!). The story then goes full circle that takes us through the years via the alternate timelines and boy does Bea go on an emotional rollercoaster with the two men in her life. With a touch of fate, Bea ends up with who she’s really meant to be with, despite having to make difficult decisions.

I must mention that this isn’t a cosy, festive rom-com. There are some very sensitive situations that occur throughout and my lip wobbled quite a bit. However, this was such a unique, emotionally messy, complex story, I really enjoyed it! Although having the e-arc, I actually listened to the audio and I thought the narrator did a great job, especially the emotional parts.

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Bea is running away from her problems, well really just a man. She’s going New York. The book is a tangle of two men and a woman, who will she choose. It’s a cute Christmas read that makes you smile, it has sadness in it, but the book is generally happy. Enjoyed reading it. A cozy 4 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Will Bea choose Dom or A.J. Written across different timeliness, this is an interesting read but sometimes felt a bit repetitive when the same information was shared again. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

In this complicated and fascinating romance novel, readers follow Bea Preston along two different paths: one where she goes home to England and her boyfriend Dom for Christmas and one where she stays in New York City for the holiday. While her life in London is exhausting, New York is her dream and a huge risk, and Bea isn’t sure if following her dream is worth leaving everyone else behind. Swatman’s novel and its throughlines of fate, friendship, and love are powerful holiday messages for fans of similar dual-timeline what-if and romance novels. Not your traditional holiday romance read, Beatrice is a fascinatingly complex protagonist with her own flaws, and seeing her two different lives from her perspective really makes her relatable and complex. Her relationships with Dom, her parents, her siblings, and her friends also shine in this novel and make Bea a more complex protagonist. Bringing retrospection and what-if’s to the romance genre, Swatman’s story is complicated, compelling, and deeply relatable. With its fascinating plotline and beautiful prose and dialogue, Swatman’s latest book is an interesting, emotional holiday read that fans of the cozy but heartbreaking romance genre are not going to be able to put down this holiday season.

I received an ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun Christmas book. I enjoyed it!

This was my first time reading from this author. I’ve been in a slight reading slump and needed something quick and light to get me through. I loved the back and forth between the FMC and her two love interests. It slightly reminded me of Serendipity. I kind of was left wanting more from Bea. She seemed lost and that her takeaway should’ve been to be by herself during this transitional period of her life.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

A perfect read to cosy up with on the cooler days. Imagine your life being what if. Imagine if your life had turned out a different way through one change of mind .
The book explores a number of topics and it’s told through dual time periods.

Easy to read first book from this author. Will admit I did find it a little confusing switching from each timeline, but once I got over that I thoroughly enjoyed it

Last Christmas, by Clare Swatman, is a very different take on the dual timeline telling of a tale. Bea Preston has reached her wits ends. It is three days before Christmas in 2002 and she has had events at work that have set her in a turmoil. Her partner of five years has cycled through depressive episodes over and over, and her dreams just keep getting further out of reach. So it is on this evening that Bea finds herself at Heathrow Airport and at the crossroads of her life.

Bea has dreamed of living and working in New York City, imagining herself working on a major magazine and following a lifestyle like Sex and the City or Friends. So as Bea deliberates where her future will take her as Christmas 2002 is only days away, the reader begins to witness the journey through a well told story that follows Bea’s life each Christmas from 2002 until 2010, flipping through her life had she gone to New York or stayed in London, literally showing the reader the events of the possible road not taken.

This novel deals with some difficult topics such as the events of 9/11, depression, dementia, and chasing your dreams as well as the role fate plays in our lives. This story is one of the most original books I have read. It is character driven and heartfelt in its telling. I did very much enjoy this book and I do recommend it!

Ahhh, I so enjoyed this book, an absolute belter as a Christmas read. Sliding doors with several twists for sure. Loved the main characters and how their stories developed.
Cosy up and enjoy - I did!!

Last Christmas is the story of 'what ifs' with multiple story lines playing out at the same time. Each decision has different outcomes which are explored, whilst I really liked the idea of this type of story, i did find it difficult at times to follow.

I liked the character of Bea and liked exploring her different realities based on the decisions she did or didnt make, even if it was confusing.