When all you want for Christmas is…

Synopsis

For Lou Chalmers, Books and Coffee in Pelican Crossing isn’t just a bookshop and café, it’s the realisation of a dream. But with her sixty-fifth birthday approaching, she’s beginning to feel the weight of time and harbours regrets over her estranged relationship with her sister. Facing yet another lonely Christmas, she wonders if it’s time to try and reconnect.

When retired widower Blair Stevens leaves Tasmania to join his daughter in Pelican Crossing, he questions if he’s made the right decision. But as he delves into the town’s history and starts writing the novel he’s always wanted to, he becomes engrossed in his new life.

When an event at Lou’s bookshop brings the two together, they strike up an unlikely friendship. As Blair helps Lou search for her long-lost sister, their connection deepens in a way neither of them anticipated. But as fate pushes them towards each other, will their friendship blossom into something more?

A heartwarming story of two strangers who find unexpected companionship in this small town on the Queensland coast.

My review

Lou Chalmers is the proud owner of Books and Coffee in Pelican Crossing. It has always been her dream to own a bookshop, and seeing how well her business is doing, warms her heart. But being sixty – five makes her realizes that there are some things that need to be sorted out and forgiven, like the estrangement she has with her sister Fleur. And with Christmas looming around the corner, she feels the loneliness more than ever. However, despite all her efforts, Lou cannot find her sister Fleur. Until she meets Blair Stevens, who recently moved from Tasmania to Pelican Crossing, to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren. Having just arrived, Blair wonders if he made the right choice by moving, but finds himself drawn by not only the town’s history, but also by Lou. And as he knows how to help her with her search, because he is writing a novel about his own ancestry, the two start to form a friendship. But could they also start to feel something more, something they didn’t expect to feel (again)?

Even if the average age of the main characters in this series is well above my own age, the amazing author that Maggie is, always manages to make me not only like them, but also make their stories to recognizable and relatable to me.

So of course I had to read this next instalment, not only because I like all the characters, past and present ones, but also because Pelican Crossing is just such a warm, welcoming, accepting place!

Lou made me somehow see myself in forty years (just 25, but let’s keep that a secret, won’t we 😊). Now, our lives couldn’t be more different, but yet there were some resemblances. Lou has achieved her dream of having a bookshop, and is rather content with her life. I am very very far off achieving my dream (if I already knew what my real dream is of course). And I can say that the contact with my family, my parents and brother, is very good.

But as Lou is on her own, after the betrayal of her sister Lou found very difficult to forgive, she finds herself lonely at moments. And that made me realize, being single for a while, with not having my own family, how not only fast time passes by, but also how fragile and precious life can be.

Lou is of course surrounded by friends that truly love and care about her. but seeing everyone having found love ‘again), and her still being on her own, that truly resonated with me, I could understand Lou and her feelings and emotions.

I liked it how Lou knows that the time has come to move on from the past, that holding on that grudge won’t do anyone any good. Better late than never, right?

And of course, help to find Fleur comes in the wonderful form of Blair.

Blair loved his wife dearly, and ever since losing her, he is a bit at loss. And with the desire being closer to his daughters, he has decided to make the move from Tasmania to Pelican Crossing. And I liked reading that, how committed as a father and grandfather he is. He truly loves his family and would literally do anything for his loved ones.

Seeing Blair in the grandpa – role especially, was so heartwarming, so sweet! He shows exactly what grandparenting is about: loving the children dearly, but also spoiling them 😊.

However, what I loved the most about this story, was the pace where everything was happening. Because from the moment Lou and Blair meet, there immediately something there between them. However, the friendship that they start, was just so great to read!

They may be different, have had different kind of lives, yet they are in a way kindred spirits. And even when there is nothing more to their bond (yet?), they just love spending time together, even if there are just some passing, quick moments.

And that felt like the strength of the book, how slowly, genuinely, naturally things evolve, at the right pace, giving both characters to understand, accept their feelings.

Now, with that title, it is clear that the topic of family is also an important one. Seeing how Lou wants to make amends, shows the growth she has made during the years. But also we see the grief, the pain when she realizes that time has passed to quickly. However, there is also her acceptance, when she connects with new people in her life.

In this book we see the power of connecting with people, how important family, friendship and love in general just is. We can be content with our lives, but with that extra something, how great life can be…

Maggie Christensen not only delivered a wonderful story, but also exceeded my expectations for it!