One festive night, three decades, one family

Synopsis

Three women, three decades, three Christmas Eve moments that change their lives forever.

On Christmas Eve, 1968, Cathy McLean receives a surprise visit from the lost love of her life and is forced to chosebetween the one that got away and the one that stayed.

On Christmas Eve, 1993, Cathy’s daughter Helena is overjoyed to hear that her boyfriend is about to propose, until a devastating encounter threatens to bring her heartbreak instead of diamonds.

On Christmas Eve 2023, an shocking discovery rocks Eve Quinn’s world. The only gift Eve wants this year is the truth. But will it take a Christmas miracle to unravel generations of secrets?

Unwrap this festive tale of complicated families, impossible choices, and an unforgettable love that lasts three lifetimes.

My review

Christmas Eve is a wonderful holiday for everyone.
Yet in 1968, Cathy McLean is left flabbergasted from a surprise visit from the love of her life. Because no matter how they felt, he left and Cathy hasn’t heard from him in more than a year. And she has moved on…
But now she has to choose… to go back to the man she once loved, or stay with the man she loves now?
Same day, different year, as in 1993, Cathy’s daughter Helena is over the moon hearing that her boyfriend is going to propose. But on the prelude of an amazing night, Helena discovers that her boyfriend may still not have changed his spots. And that his intentions aren’t all that well…
So what should Helena do, especially as Christmas Eve may change her future forever?
Same day, different year, as in 2023, Helena’s daughter Eve discovers that what she thought was the truth, in fact wasn’t… But how can Eve find out what truly happened in the past and find that missing piece of the puzzle?  

Oh my God, Shari Low just did it again! I know with each book she writes, that I will dive straight into it, will find it impossible to put it away and I just keep on reading even when I should be sleeping! 

Having read several books from this amazing author, I know that there is *A LOT* happening in a short timespan and that you should keep your focus otherwise you will miss a lot! Yet I juts loved how she did her usual thing, but yet managed to do it differently! It was just great to see the same common thread, Christmas Eve, and how each character lived this festive moment so differently with decades between them. 

With the three decades between all the characters, it’s easy to see the evolution of the characters. we can see Cathy thirty years later, Helena twenty years later and see how Eve is picking up all the pieces of a complicated puzzle. 

Cathy is perhaps the most gullible person. And I am not meaning this in a bad way. she got her heart broken and moved on, is a very responsible young woman. But did she truly expect things would just be that easy when her past reappears?
She is responsible not only towards looking after her sister, but also responsible in the choices she made and is still making. She doesn’t regret those choices, and knows that she did the right thing.  

And seeing how after thirty years she still stands by those choices, made my respect grow for her. But it was also sweet somehow to see how she still is wondering what would have happened if things went differently. 

For me, Helena was the most difficult character to like. As we see her in 1993 and in 2023, and we know what happened to her in 1993 with her boyfriend, I found it hard to understand how in 2023 she ends up by being divorced. And her being rather cold and distant didn’t make her score any cookie points. 

But slowly I got to understand Helena better. We see her struggling with the choice she has to make. And even on what was supposed to be a wonderful evening, I could comprehend what she did and why she did it. 

Eve was the character I liked the most. She was the most down – to – earth. She is shocked by a revelation and wants to discover the truth. But she also knows that she needs time to digest the information herself and needs to pick the right moment to confront her family. 

Beside the shocking news, she also has to make a personal choice herself. And while it would have been easy to take the easy way out, once again she decides to take her time to think things over. Whatever Eve does, she doesn’t do it on a whim. She wants to make the right choice not only for her, but also for those around her. 

I absolutely loved reading this book, as it shows that we all have a turning point in our lives. and how one choice, one decision will affect not only the course of your life but also the lives of those around you and even the next generations. 

But what I loved the most in this book was, no matter how all the main characters were from each other, even if they were family, the fact that they are and always will be family unites them.
Perhaps in the end, the loose nods were tied too easily, but that somehow was also in sync with the rest of the story, because in the end, you’ll never know how things will turn out for real. Sometimes all it needs is one moment in your life to make all the pieces of the puzzle fall perfectly into place. 

This was another amazing, marvellous, astonishing book from a very talented author. Each book makes me fall more and more in love with her and her amazing talent!