At Christmas, anything could happen!

Synopsis

The festive season is fast approaching and the Little Duck Pond Café menu has been given a mouth-watering sprinkling of December magic. Jaz is hoping for the perfect festive season with little daughter Emma. But her feelings for next-door neighbour, Milo, are getting in the way. With his old love back on the scene, is she really prepared to risk her heart and make it the best Christmas ever?

My review

After her divorce, Jaz is afraid of ending up heartbroken again, even if she cannot deny the attraction she has for her amazing neighbour Milo. And yet, even if things seemed to progress in a positive way, Jaz is struggling with finding the perfect balance in being a single parent and finding the courage to let love back in her life.
But no matter the inner struggles she has, Jaz will always be there for her friends from The Little Duck Pond Café, and is ready to be a helping hand when one of her friends is organizing a Winter Wonderland, for the less fortunate around them and us. And one way or another, it’s going to be a memorable Christmas for everyone! 

Ooow what a delightful story Rosie Green wrote once again! It just has everything I wanted and needed to read! It has friendship, romance, the many different aspects of parenthood, but there is also room for a not so light and warm bits, making this story maybe even more real, as life for sure isn’t all about rainbows and unicorns… 

I have to say, Jaz was at many moments a frustrating character. And I don’t mean that I didn’t like her, because let’s be honest, is there anyone in Sunnybrook that isn’t a lovely character?
But Jaz was frustrating, as she has found something (or rather someone…) wonderful, but she is allowing her fear to let that amazing thing/person (yes yes, it’s Milo, I know it, you know it…) slip through her fingers. 

But while it was frustrating, I could also understand her. She thought in the past she had everything already, to only end up heartbroken. And I got her reasoning, that if she had to go through that once again, she wouldn’t know if that would be truly possible.
And of course she has her little girl to think about! There is nothing Jaz does without thinking about adorable Emma. 

Emma, who for sure deserves her special mention in this review, because she is just wonderful, sweet, genuine and just too cute for words!
I liked to see how she adjusted to the new home situation, and how she and Mabel have become best of friends, and are just more than just neighbourly children. 

Milo is obviously an amazing, caring man, even if at moments he can be rather clueless. He doesn’t see the obvious when it’s standing right in front of him. But that only adds to his charm, as he shows that he is an amazing father, a great friend, a person who respects someone else’s wishes, even if he doesn’t comprehend it always. 

But in this book, there is so much more than just the romance (or the non – romance?) between Jaz and Milo. Because we see of course our old friends back, and we see how they are doing. Also in this case, it’s not all perfect, but once again, when is that actually in real life?
Yet despite some setbacks, our beloved friends never lose what makes them so loveable. Even when perhaps initially prejudiced, there is a case of admitting mistakes and desire to make wrongdoing right again, and help the people on need. 

And one of those in need is Freddy. Freddy for sure stole my heart and broke it too with his story. he shows us that even in families, dreams aren’t always accepted, and that sometimes parents have their own wishes for their children, forgetting that everyone has the right to follow their own passions.
Freddy shows us pain, and even stubbornness. But he also shows us warmth, kindness and determination. While I myself was perhaps initially wary of him, he showed me wrong, and I hoped to see things resolved for him too! 

In this story we see the real sense and meaning of a community, as people gather all together not only for Christmas, but for each other. it doesn’t matter if you just joined the community or are a long lasting member, once Sunnybrook embraced you in, you are a fully member, and you will always have people ready to help out. 

Rosie Green shows us once again what a talented author she is. Because she shows us real people, with all their beautiful bits, but also with their fears. But she shows us also how a community work together as one, with a kind and warm heart.
Each time I dive right into the story, eager to read it all at once, only feeling a bit of regret as time has passed too quickly and the end came way too fast!