Unfortunately, this book wasn’t for me. I was excited to get a story about three friends who get away from their stressful family lives to have some cozy holiday time together, unfortunately what I got was second hand stress and anger. The plot just didn’t work for me, I didn’t like how they took upon the stress of running the Bed and Breakfast, and the family that stayed there was insufferable! I also hated Joel, and honestly their kids aggravated me too. The only highlight for me, unfortunately, was their friendship and how much they all cared about the people in their lives. Thank you Netgalley, Fiona Gibson, and the publishers for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

ARC Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There is no other way to say it, Shelley is burnt out! Tired of everyone, especially her husband, relying on her to make the Christmas season happen, she decides to escape to Scotland just days before the holiday. Joined by Lena and Pearl, two of her oldest friends, Shelley immediately feels a sense of relief. Will taking time away from her family allow both sides to appreciate each other more, or will it highlight irreconcilable cracks in their family?

Novels centering around the holidays have gotten a reputation for being wholesome, idealistic, and even corny. However, Gibson pens a relatable story rooted in common hardships. This book focuses on family dynamics including infidelity, loss, and how combining two sets of traditions and customs into one day often causes contention between couples.

I loved that this book is female lead and features strong, independent women! As a result, I would highly recommend Tis the (damn) Season to every woman!

Special thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Fiona Gibson in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.
This was a great read for holiday time. It follows a group of three friends in their 40s who are burnt out on having to manage Christmas for their families. They decide to take a quick holiday the week before Christmas and leave their families to take on some of the responsibility while they're gone.
The story moves between lots of viewpoints, but it kept things fresh and moving along quickly.
It felt a little heavy-handed with a men are stupid/incompetent/scoundrels, but that's sort of the vibe you're expecting with a book like this. Overall, it was a lot of fun and well-written.

If you're a mom tired of the coordination and under-appreciation during the holiday season this one could give you a sense of commradere and laughter! Thank you to NetGalley, Fiona and Boldwood Books for the eARC!!!

What to Expect:
⭐ Different Perspective Storyline
⭐ British Holiday Season
⭐ Friendship over the years
⭐ A journey of self-discovery
⭐ Festive escape to a BnB then get snowed in!

My Thoughts:
I adored this story and loved that the women at the heart of it all are more mature (30s + 40s). This story shows not just the stress at the holidays of surviving the coordination, planning and shopping but also the season itself. Each main character, all best friends for years (Shelly, Lena and Pearl) are all at a place of feeling taken for granted or lacking contentment in their lives. Something that many women can feel at the holidays, especially if you are the family coordinator, decide to take off. Man can I respect their decision to just head out of town. Honestly I loved that they got snowed in and are able to take the time to find themselves in the midst of the unplanned length of their trip.

I enjoyed the depth of the main characters, the storylines that brought them to skip out on the holiday prep and that brings them closer together as friends. The depth of the characters, their emotions and their growth is really a testament to Fionas writing. You develop deep connection with them and want the best for them all. At the same time you grow to love the secondary characters. The guests staying at the BNB, the relationships developed through their stay and in a big way a sense of family and community that is developed. It's really one of the reasons many people choose to stay in BNBs.

All in all its a quick cozy read for the holiday season!

Synopsis:
Old friends Shelley, Lena and Pearl have reached their limit with the festive preparation that has always fallen to them, and five days before Christmas, they’ve booked a mini break… without their families. Up until Christmas Eve, they’ll be sipping prosecco in the Highlands while their kids wrap bacon around 100 chipolatas and their partners brave the supermarkets.

It’s exactly what they need… until they’re snowed in. Facing the prospect of Christmas 500 miles from home, each woman is forced to confront her real reasons for needing to escape: the fiancé with the obnoxious family; the son’s new girlfriend who is taking over their home; the family who take their mother for granted all year round…

Will the friends make it home before Christmas day? And if they do, can they really go back to their old lives?

I loved this book as its not your typical lovey dovey xmas story but instead a laugh out loud yet still heartwarming story. Fed up with being taken for granted Shelley and her two best friends decide to take an impromptu trip to the Scottish Highlands a few days before Christmas, they stay in an idyllic little B&B and when meeting the owner and hearing about his online love they persuade him to fly to London leaving the running of the B&B in their capable hands. Brilliant lovable characters and lots of little side stories run through this book and I enjoyed every minute of it.

a fun festive read!
i love it when you can just lose yourself in the story and feel like the characters are your friends and you are just catching up with their lives!

Enjoyable holiday read-three friends book a last minute holiday to Scotland right before Christmas. Some of it felt relatable which added to my enjoyment-moms feeling like they do too much and are keeping everything together!

This book was a festive Christmas book. It had a good but predictable plot. I do wish there was more Christmas but I enjoyed that the characters were around my age.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

A lovely light-hearted look at friends, families, festive hassle and just wanting to get away from it all.
A sprinkle of romance too made the story of Shelley, Pearl and Lena's escape from the run up to Christmas a bit special too. It had lovely funny moments, some sad and some that most women could just relate to empathise with.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for a digital ARC of this book. Fiona Gibson has written another warm, funny and very relatable novel. Middle age best friends Shelley, Pearl and Lena are each finding life beginning to be a bit overwhelming. Add the stress of preparing for Christmas and they are in desperate need of a mini break. They head up to the wilds of the Scottish Highlands planning to spend a few days just relaxing but life and Mother Nature have other plans. Not only do they end up running the guest cottage but are snowed in and will miss Christmas at home. This is well written with equal time spent developing each of the main character’s stories. Shelley, Pearl and Lena all come to better understand themselves and what they truly want out of life. Fiona Gibson’s writing is very descriptive and the reader feels very much a part of the story both in the physical setting as well as empathizing and truly caring about each character. Fans of Judy Leigh and Maddie Please will enjoy this novel. Highly recommend this to readers looking for a holiday read with substance and heart!

Full of festive fun and laughter. I really enjoyed reading this cosy funny story on the run up to Christmas.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. Although the plot was good, this book unfortunately wasn't particularly engaging for me. I found the characters either unlikeable or under developed, making me struggle to get into it, although Gibson did some gripping chapter endings which left me keen to know what happened yet.

This was a really nice Christmas story.
The 3 main characters were being taken advantage of, so I'm glad they got to go away right before Christmas! They were able to find themselves, and their loved ones were able to appreciate them more.
Well, all except one.
I liked all the main characters, and I'm glad they all realized and got what they deserved.
I loved the cozy cottage vibes.
I also loved the Scottish highland vibes!
I would definitely recommend this!

This book is quite different from what I normally read. So I honestly didn’t have high expectations for it, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised! What I enjoyed most were the multiple POVs! It made the story feel way more real and interesting. The setting in the Scottish highlands, and being snowed in at the B&B sounded quite cozy. The story then did wrap up nicely and I liked how every character got what they deserved in the end. It’s not your typical Christmas book, but it’s really enjoyable.

A funny, festive read, especially aimed at tired mums! I loved how easy this was to read and follow.
Much more fun than a standard festive romance!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. What a fun and festive Christmas read!. Shelley and her friends try to escape the demands of the holiday season by taking a getaway. The holidays and family can often be stressful and full of drama and this book brought that to life, but making it funny and relatable to read. When the girls take their getaway, they are able to support one another, build relationships, and question what is really important during the holiday season.

This was a cute,. quick story perfect for wives/moms who have been feeling underappreciated or who need to find themselves a bit.

Some of the characters were so awful (they were supposed to be, though maybe so much that it was a little annoying) and the ending wrapped up really quickly but overall I enjoyed.

This is a great holiday book, not fluffy and with no plot like other holiday novels, that are romances. I really enjoyed getting to know this group of friends and learning about their life and tribulations. This is a great holiday read and I very much enjoyed reading it.

Lena, Pearl and Shelley have had enough. It’s time to escape the frantic festive season and what better way than to take a spontaneous trip to the Scottish Highlands to get away from it all? After all, surely family can cope for just a few days before the lead up to Christmas?!

Yet, their absence just proves how much of a lynchpin they are at home. Pearl was enjoying leaving her small flat behind, especially as it feels as if it is being dominated by her son’s girlfriend. I was surprised that Gibson didn’t really focus on this element of the plot as I was really keen to see how Brandon and Abi would react now that Pearl has left. Lena was equally looking forward to the sudden holiday because it gives her a chance to escape her over-bearing in-laws, particularly as she has to suddenly host Christmas Day! Yet, when she sees that her partner is spending time with his ex-wife again, Lena can’t help but think she has made a mistake – either with coming away or with her pending marriage to Tommy. Finally, I totally agreed that Shelley needed to leave her husband to his own devices: Joel is a man-child who does little to help around the house, justifying his salary as giving him a free pass to do anything he likes. I was glad to see him struggle.

However, the holiday away soon becomes a bus man’s holiday. The three women agree to run the B&B whilst the owner, Michael, heads to London. As you would expect, things don’t go entirely to plan with trying to keep up the level of service that Michael has promised, and when heavy snow falls just before their departure date, plans are skewered even further.

I normally really enjoy Gibson reads and find them laugh-out-loud entertaining. However, while the first third was like that, I thought the story began to fall flat and was a bit predictable. It didn’t feel particularly fresh and energetic like previous Gibson books.

Furthermore, I didn’t get the sense of escapism that I look for in a festive read. I felt angry on behalf of the ladies for how much they are being taken advantage of – not really something you want to feel at Christmas time. In addition, the state of Shelley’s marriage was especially saddening and I wanted her to see how much she is taken advantage of by her husband. I don’t think her ending was the happy ever after I was hoping for. Finally, a couple of the guests at the B&B was particularly detestable and I wished Theo would have received some discipline – he really wound me up!

As far as Christmas reads go, this one wasn’t my most favourite this year. It didn’t give me the heart-warming feels that I was looking for, instead feeling frustrated for the characters and a bit empty by the predictable plot. In my opinion, there are definitely better Christmas reads out there and I think this was one of Gibson’s less enjoyable stories. It was a bit entertaining to start with, but I could have done with more sweetness and sugar canes.

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

This was funny at times but, also a little sad as the fact that the relationship between wife, husband and children were not very caring at considerate even at Christmas. This made me a little uncomfortable at times which is a shame as I was looking forward to reading it. I disliked Joel a lot and really didn't like his attitude at all. I usually enjoy Fiona's books but, not this time. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.