The Christmas Swap

So this is like the film The Holiday but on drugs.

We have the fabulous locations of Melbourne Australia, Beckenridge, Colorado and a small village in Oxfordshire England.

We have three women - one who has always dreamed of a white Christmas, one who has always wanted a traditional family Christmas, and one who likes Christmas but hates the cold and wants to break out of a rut. All three have been best friends since they met age 11 on holiday and despite living at opposites ends of the world, they have kept in touch and have holidayed together plenty.

Then there are three incredibly sexy men, the snowboarder, the film star and the winemaker.

As you may have guessed from the title, all three women swap Christmases, and stay with the family or friends, of each friend, allowing them all to have the Christmas of their dreams.

The action alternates between the three women, the differing locations and I loved seeing how each of them spent the fesitve period and few days afterwards.

You can expect amongst other things from this book, snow, Winter Wonderland, a Christmas fair, embarrassing relatives, horse riding, wine, winter sports, being papped, and a great deal of laughs and happiness, and instant chemistry.

Now I'm not going to tell you who goes where, or what of those things happens where, but suffice to say I loved all three story lines, even if I could have done with drawing a diagram of who is who and where they went and normally live - as my head just couldn't retain it all at the same time!!

Although our three leading ladies are all lovely, it was the men in this story that caught my eye, and I can honestly say I'd happily have all three of them as book boyfriends at the same time!!

I loved the location details, and just well everything about this book. I think it would make an even better film than The Holiday too, and would be a lot easier to keep things straight if you are watching! So please big film companies, or Hallmark, put this on the big screen!

Easily my favourite book from one of my favourite travel romance authors!

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Three friends who met in holiday whist at a kids club, swap homes and family/friends for Christmas.

This book is an absolute treat, not one but three Christmas romances. The story is told from the three different women's point of view and the fun adventures they get up to during the Christmas period.

Very funny, very sweet and perfect reading when your snugged up and drinking hot chocolate (with rum)

Lots of will they, won't they moments to make you feel excited and warm. Loved this book, I do hope there is a follow on book

Reading this book put me right the perfect holiday mood, even though it's only September! Clearly inspired by the wonderful movie The Holiday, in this story, three women swap homes for Christmas. Chloe, Jules, and Lucy, lifelong friends from different continents after meeting on vacation as children, decide to spend Christmas in each other's respective places--a holiday with friends in Australia, the quaint family cottage in England, and a mountain mansion in Colorado. Each lady is ready for a change of pace and end up opening their hearts to the men they meet on their journey!

Now look. I understand that the premise isn't original--it's the The Holiday. And nothing about this realistic--what are the chances that three women ALL meet their soulmates on vacation in completely different countries. And instalove? Not a fan. But I still loved this book! It was just so incredibly charming, with characters just simply impossible to hate, and three stellar stories packed into one novel. Three for the price of one! I also loved getting to explore three different locations. You get to see a warm-weather Christmas in Australia without sacrificing us American's idea of a white Christmas. This book was just so adorable it was impossible NOT to like it, even with all its implausibilities. A perfect cozy Christmas read.

I absolutely adored this book - seriously it was so unbelievably good. I did contemplate if reading a book with Christmas in the title was a bit random in September but I am so glad I pushed that thought to the side and read it whilst enjoying the late summer sunshine.

Chloe, Jules and Lucy are best friends in their early thirties. They first became firm friends aged 11 whilst on holiday with their respective parents and that friendship has grown over the years despite them living in different continents. Chloe lives in Australia with her best friend and workmate Ash, Lucy lives in a flat in London and Jules lives in Colorado. When Chloe announces in one of their face time calls that her parents are going on a cruise for Christmas, the girls hit on the idea of a Christmas Swap. Jules goes to Australia, Chloe to Lucy’s parents in wet England and Lucy to Jules’ parents log cabin in the snowy depths of Colorado. It’s a Christmas they certainly won’t forget!!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I loved reading the book! This was such a fun Christmas story and the three different international plot lines was a fun twist on the typical Christmas romance. I highly recommend this book wanting a cute and fun holiday read!

Thanks to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, & NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

What a cute happy Christmassy book to put you in the holiday mood - who cares if Christmas is several months away! Three best friends decide to "swap Christmas" and spend the holidays with each other families, who all live in totally different locations - one in sunny Australia, one in cold snowy England and one in Colorado. Is this totally unrealistic? Yep. Is it totally charming? Yes! Lighthearted and engaging, this will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit. All three stories were enjoyable and I look forward to reading more from this author! Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and One for Chapter for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets the Holiday. Three women meet when they are eleven years old while on holiday in Hawaii and form the May Ladies Club. They then separate to their respective homes, but remain friends who talk all the time and meet-up to travel around the world together. This novel takes place in each of their parts of the globe in separate stories that are also brought together by their communication and friendship.

Our story takes place twenty-two years later when the girls have all grown up and are now working different careers and living their own lives while still maintaining their friendship they formed all those years ago. Jules is a programmer who is in a rut from Boulder, Colorado. Lucy is from London, England has been in her position for eleven years and is having trouble with her new manager, and Chloe is a PR representative from Melbourne, Australia. As Christmas is approaching, they start discussing their respective plans. Lucy dreams of a white Christmas, Chloe wants a small town Christmas, and Jules wants a warmer Christmas. As Chloe’s family is going on a cruise for Christmas, they get inspired by The Holiday and decide to swap locations for Christmas.

Lucy travels to Breckenridge, Colorado to spend Christmas with Jules’ family at their cabin; Chloe goes to Penham (Oxfordshire), England to Lucy’s parents’ house; and Jules goes to Melbourne, Australia to stay at Chloe’s house with her roommate Ash and their friend-Christmas.

As no romance novel would be complete with love interests, we meet our three men in each of the women’s holiday destinations. When Jules arrives at Ash and Chloe’s apartment in Melbourne, she meets Matt, a winemaker. Lucy is picked up from the airport in Colorado by Jules’ brother, Will and they bond on their drive to the cabin. Finally, Chloe meets Archer Tate (an international film star) while helping out with the Christmas Fair.

I loved that each of the three couples were individual. Each couple handled their relationship different and they complemented the characters. Lucy is more reserved and it was reflected in her relationship. There is enough background for each character, even the side characters, such as the friends or family members that you get to learn a lot about what’s going on at each place while still maintaining focus on the main stories.

My only issue was the use of phrases/word choices that were supposed to be regional, but didn’t add up to me. “All that and a bag of chips” and “gobbledygook” were the ones that I can remember off the top of my head. They were written as being something foreign to Jules, the American, but as an American I can attest that these are extremely common to me so it was hard to get behind that Jules has never heard them at least once in her life. It wasn’t a huge deal for me, but there were a lot that each of them said that just didn’t seem to add up as being an American, Australian, or British type speaking pattern. Sometimes Chloe would say something that I’ve never heard any of my Australian friends say, but I’ve only heard my American friends. (This happened with everyone) It could just be my experience that just didn’t match the author’s, but it seemed the author kept their cultural mannerisms one way and then they would change to another. It didn’t take away from the novel, but it just was a double-take type moment when I read a line and was like, “Wait – that’s not something any British person I know would say.”

Each destination is described well enough that you feel like you’re traveling to each place as you move between the characters. It made me want to go travel to each of these places and spend Christmas (I’ve checked small town England off the list– sadly no movie stars to meet, but now I have Colorado and Australia to go.) I love that these locations aren’t ones that you read about in novels, especially Colorado in general or Australia for a Christmas novel.

The friendship between the characters is what stands out in this novel. No matter what was going in each of their lives, they always made time for each other. I love that even if they are exhausted, they will still stay up and talk to each other and they each take turns talking about their lives so it’s not too one-sided. One thing I kept trying to figure out though (and I know it’s fictional so it’s not super realistic), was how on Earth did they get the money to travel that often!? A New York vacation especially would’ve been super expensive (especially flying in from Australia). None of their positions are millionaire type jobs so it was hard to believe that they could afford their decent home lives plus afford the multiple trips around the world together (plus excursions – horseback riding in Mexico, etc.)

Overall, this novel was amazing and light-hearted. It was three Hallmark holiday movies combined to make a single story. I loved how the author attempted to weave their individual stories together to connect the women through their phone calls or just generally when they were thinking of each other. It really helped to try and make three separate stories into one cohesive novel. The writing style was easy to understand and I would read multiple novels by this author without a second thought. Without question, this was a heart-warming novel that just gives you all the holiday feels (even if it’s September). Highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants a story that just makes you walk away with a smile on your face and love in your heart!

**Thanks for Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel! All opinions expressed are my own.**

I only discovered Sandy Barker’s books last year and she’s quickly become one of my favourite authors. The Christmas Swap follows three friends, Jules lives in Colorado, Chloe in Melbourne and Lucy in London. They met in Maui as children and formed a lifelong friendship regularly meeting up for holidays even though they live continents apart. Over twenty years later, the decide to swap Christmases. Chloe wants a perfect English Christmas so is heading to a sleep Oxford village to spend it with Lucy’s parents, Lucy wants a guaranteed white Christmas so is off to Colorado and Jules, chasing some sun is on her way to Australia.

These trips allow the girls to take stock and discover more about themselves. It’s a book of friendship, sisterhood with the addition of plenty of romance as the girls each find they are having their own perfect Christmas. This book is a heartwarming and fun read and very worthy of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and the author for the chance to review.

This was just the sweet read that I needed. Three friends swap themselves into their families lives over Christmas. Each woman has something come up along the way.....especially when it comes to meeting a man!! If you like the movie, The Holiday, you will definitely love this book. At times it is hard to keep up with three different characters, their life and new love interests. But, this book reads easily and you never have to wonder which character is which. I would highly recommend this book, even if you don't read it during Christmas time!!

I was thrilled when I received an approval for The Christmas Swap because it sounded like a fun break from reality filled with not one, not two, but THREE holiday romances!

I couldn't put this book down. I loved reading about Chloe, Jules, and Lucy's Christmas adventures in Colorado, Australia, and England. These girls sounded just like my friends and I loved that I could relate to each of them in some way. Their characters were so well developed and each chapter had a different tone. Major kudos to Sandy Barker for writing this story from three perspectives. It could have been overwhelming and confusing for so many plotlines, but this one is perfectly done!

This was the exact book I need to read. It let me escape reality and indulge in Christmas a little early. I would love to see a sequel to see where The May Ladies end up!

A Christmas feel-good romance about three best friends that decide to do a house swap fir the holiday season. The storyline flowed seamlessly and the love stories sparkled!