The perfect story!

Synopsis

On a grey, London day, Esme’s world crumbles around her when she loses her glitzy job on a top TV programme, her gorgeous, city-slicker boyfriend and her stunning apartment, all in one fell swoop just before Christmas.

Esme is forced suddenly to move back to her sleepy hometown of Sandchester, and despite the snow blanketing the roof and the fairy lights that twinkle in her rustic little cottage, everything is looking bleak. That is until she reconnects with an old crush and finds herself unexpectedly getting swept away.

But Joe, handsome and charming as he is, is not all he seems. Esme soon realises that he has a tragic past which he just might not be able to overcome…

Surrounded by her loving, if harebrained, family and with the support of her hilarious friends, Esme is determined to have a go at forging her own path, even if it all comes to nothing. But one question still lingers in her mind: will she find someone to kiss under the mistletoe this Christmas?

My review

When in a book one of my favourite things is a big part of the story, I’m surely already hooked from the beginning in the story!

Let that favourite thing be food (sorry body, for all that I put in you!) and you add it with a great story and Christmas, well, then you turned me into a fan!

Esme is having the worst of times… she got fired from her job after the host of the show she works on stole her recipe. Then after coming home, expecting a proposal, she gets dumped AND almost kicked out of the house…

So she sees no other option of leaving London and living closer to her family. But she’s having a hard time…

Having no income and doubting herself, she thinks herself of a failure.

And then she meets Joe, her real estate agent. They knew each other from school, so they find it easy to get along together, having small chats and thinking of the past.

But Joe is still recovering from his divorce. And he has a peculiar way, going from one night stand to one night stand.

What really attracted me in the story, beside the food 😃, was the realisme of it. Everybody has to face a hard time once their life. And it isn’t always easy peasy…

Sometimes it’s a struggle and you have to lean on your family and friends.

This story isn’t afraid of showing every aspect of it. Even when Esme is considering going back to her ex, you can see where she is coming from.

And how Joe is coping with his sorrow, it’s his way of grieving, so also there you can somehow understand is.

What also was nice to read, was the several point of views. Once you are learning more about Esme. The next chapter you’re trying to figure out how you can help Joe. Then you’re reading about the ‘bad guys’ who you’re hoping that karma can be a real b*tch. It was fun to experience everbody’s emotions, good or bad.

For me, this wasn’t a true Christmas story, but more a story about picking up the pieces of your shattered life, dare to dream and always believe in yourself.

It’s ok to fail once in a while, as long as you learn from it and become stronger afterwards.