The Christmas Wish is a fun read that I can see myself rereading each holiday season. Told from the POV of lawyer Gwen Baker, this book is filled with snarky observations and pop culture references and made me laugh out loud several times.

Gwen is having an awful season- her boyfriend dumped her, she had to move out of their home, and she is on a leave from work after an unfortunate incident involving a stapler. She heads home for Christmas with the family and gets stuck reliving Christmas Day over and over, trying to figure out what she can change to move forward to the next day. She tries to help make her family’s wishes come true along the way and finds herself surprised by what she learns about each family member.

Gwen is hysterical as she decides to let the consequences be damned; she figures the next day will start fresh and no one will remember anything, so why not be daring and do things she normally wouldn’t? The situations she finds herself in are at times laugh out loud funny and at other times very touching. Her family members are fantastic secondary characters that are all fully fleshed out with their own hopes and motivations. The boy next door adds a touch of teenage crush and romance to the story, and their chemistry is divine. I found myself feeling very touched by the end of the story and the message in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the ARC of this holiday read in exchange for my honest opinion!

My first read from this particular author, and I absolutely loved it. The story follows a 30 something Gwen Baker going home for Christmas, and getting stuck in a time loop. It was incredibly funny, clever, heartwarming and a all around fun book to read. I read it in less than 24 hours, I just could not put it down. After finishing the book it just felt like a hug. I loved the pop culture references and as an American I loved learning a bit more about Christmas traditions across the pond. I also loved that it’s not another all white straight characters. I’ll definitely read more from this author and recommend to my friends.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐲 𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐤 ⁂

𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎- 𝟷𝟷/𝟷𝟻/𝟸𝟸

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐- ✰✰✰✰✰

🎄❄️🎄❄️🎄❄️🎄❄️🎄❄️🎄❄️🎄

This book definitely was not what I expected. But I enjoyed it from start to finish! The perfect book to start off my Christmas reads.

I felt myself relating a lot to Gwen our main character. She’s going through a breakup & is let go from her job. Now she has to endure Christmas with her family who are quite the bunch.

During this story, Gwen ends up repeating the same Christmas morning over & over. She decides to help everyone else, but herself..

To see her finally go after what he wants & needs was amazing. I rooted for her from the start! And in the end, she got what she deserved!

I loved that this book flashed to a year later so I could see where she ended up.

This book also has a handsome neighbor from when they were teens to now 😉

𝑆𝑜 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒．．．
❄️ happy endings
❄️ Christmas
❄️ love
❄️ family growth

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢！

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC!

I wanted to like this book. It takes place at Christmas, it’s got a love interest and a main character with a broken heart. Add a groundhog day premise and it should have been fun and funny. Unfortunately it was not.
The main character, was un relatable and insufferably pining over her ex and. Her family drama was too much, so much so that I began to disconnect from the story even more.
The love interest was interesting and nice and handsome but I felt we didn’t see enough interaction between them. I wanted more and by the end the book I felt exhausted and not in the mood for Christmas.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was a disappointed that this book is advertised as a romantic comedy. The love interest is seldom seen- he had 4 scenes. I felt that the Groundhog Day-esque plot device was not executed well. I really enjoyed when the main character focused on a different character each day to figure out why she was stuck in the time-loop, but when she broke the cycle, she didn't really do anything about what she learned about her family members.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper360, Harper Collins for providing me with the ARC.

Gwen Baker gets stuck in a time loop on Christmas Day. She loves Christmas over and over again at her parents house trying to figure out how to make it to Boxing Day.

This book started out really cute and funny, but somewhere around halfway, I was over it. There are way too many pop culture references and long rants about nothing. I feel like every latest trend was just thrown in the book at random. There was no real depth to any of the characters. Even the side love story didn’t give me any warm fuzzy feelings and I thought the relationship had a lot of potential at the beginning. I didn’t feel the Christmas spirt from this book after the first Christmas Day.

The moral of the story was good, but it was very predictable and overdone. Maybe there is someone out there who is unhappy with their life and career who needs to hear this message though.

Side complaints:

The chapters are extremely long.

This is a very YA even though it’s not categorized as such.

The synopsis did not mention it was based on England, which is fine, but there were way too many cultural references for it not to be mentioned. I was not prepared to spend the first half of the book researching.

This book started off super cute and funny to me but about halfway in, the long chapters and descriptions of every thing made me less interested to keep reading.

4.5 stars

This is my 5th newly released Christmas romcom this year and I really enjoyed this one. I was really unsure at first because I don’t tend to enjoy time warp scenarios, but the Christmas Wish was much more than that.

What I loved: 


- The Holiday Groundhog Day take! This made it really fun for me
- This is a romantic comedy, but it also reads like romantic dramedy. There’s a ton of family drama (which I personally loved and found relatable)
- I found Gwen to be so relatable, especially at the beginning of the book! The character development was so fleshed out and enjoyable.
- There were a ton of laugh out loud moments and amazing banter.

All in all, The Christmas Wish is a warm and cozy read. I really enjoyed it!

This was my first book by Lindsey Kelk, and I am definitely interested in reading more of her books. This one had me laughing out loud at certain parts, and I loved all of the characters. Gwen was likeable, and I think she was realistic. Manny, her cousin, was her perfect partner-in-crime, and it made me want a cousin like that! Dev was absolutely dreamy!

I will say that I feel like I have read other books similar to this one, so the concept was not as original to me and did drag at times. I will say that the ending gave me plenty of warm, fuzzy feelings. It was a perfect way to start the Christmas season for me!

A charming, delightful, heartfelt read that will put you in the holiday spirit. I'll admit that I wasn't thrilled about the Groundhog Day aspect of the book, but it's perfectly suited to the story! I loved the characters and their development as Gwen continues to revisit Christmas day. This one left me with a big smile on my face and Christmas cheer in my heart! LOVED it!

It's the most wonderful time of the year with an equally wonderful book.

Gwen gets the lovely chance to relive Christmas over and over again with her family. Joy to the world. Her only happiness during this loop of the happiest time of the year comes from her childhood friend, Dev.

I really enjoyed this. Gwen's family is a little dysfunctional to say the least, and it was realistic to read it. I lived for the drama and the relatability. The Groundhog's Day approach, while used a lot, is entirely new to me. I don't even think I've seen the movie; therefore, I was fascinated.

Some of the dialogue sounded a little off, like the flow at times, but everything else flowed well. There wasn't as much romance as I liked. The story was overall really enjoyable. This book definitely had some interesting British comedy and a lot of drama, OH-no-this-character-did-not-just-say-that moments along with I-need-popcorn moments, funny banter, and heartwarming scenes.

Lindsey's writing comes off fresh and relatable and hella unique. I will definitely read more by her!

Really great Christmas read!

The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk is a cute holiday book where the protagonist is stuck in a Groundhog Day-esque repetition of Christmas.

While the book kept me entertained, I felt like it wasn’t anything new. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters.

⭐️⭐️ ✨/5

Thank you @HarperCollins360 and @netgalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

This one comes out 11/14/22!

Gwen's boyfriend has broken up with her; she has been suspended from her job and she does not get along with her sister. This is how she arrives home for Christmas. This book is the Groundhog Day of Christmas. Gwen keeps repeating Christmas Day until she can figure out her life and make peace with each person in it. Every Christmas day is different and focuses on a different person in her life. She learns a lot about herself during this process.

This is an enjoyable Christmas book with many laughable moments. Lindsey Kelk's books always puts a smile on my face. If you like rom coms, you will like Lindsey's books. I have read several and have enjoyed every one. If you are looking for a Christmas book give this one a try.

Thank you to #netgalley, #HarperCollins, and #LindseyKelk for a copy of this book.

I absolutely adored this book! It was cute, romantic, and compelling and I can’t wait to reread around the holidays!

I loved this Christmas story! Gwen was extremely relatable. I absolutely loved her. I loved how her interactions with her family members on Christmas. Even Cerys. There wasn't very much romance but I was so enthralled with the family drama that I barely noticed. This is a heart-warming Yuletide story that is light and entertaining. You'll love this book!

This book was way too sweet-bordering on saccharine. Nothing about it was believable and even though it was filled with Christmas touches, nothing could redeem it.

Gwen Baker, a lawyer, has recently been dumped by her long-term boyfriend and has been placed on leave at work due to an incident involving a stapler. Her cousin, Manny, convinces her that all she needs is a nice family Christmas to get her life back on track, if she can stand all the family drama. The only good thing about this trip for Gwen is reuniting with her former crush, Dev. But, when she wakes up the day after Christmas to discover she is repeating the same day over and over again, how will she get back to her everyday life?

Lindsey Kelk perfectly intertwines hilarious moments with serious topics such as family dynamics, failed relationships, and one's worth outside of their career. There are also a lot of pop culture references, which made this book relatable. I especially loved the references to Taylor Swift! And you can't beat a Christmas rom-com filled with festive cheer. However, the story started off a little slow and I wish that it didn't take so long to get to the repeating Christmas Day story line.

Overall, this is a heartwarming holiday rom-com that is bound to put you in the festive mood. Thank you Lindsey Kelk, NetGalley, and HarperCollins for a digital ARC for review.

Adorable and hilarious romcom! This book also had a dose of reality and real life moments. Perfect ending but 10 days may have been just a bit too long. Quick and easy read!

As far as a Rom Com, this book missed he mark to me. This book was 98% family drama and 2% romance. There were for sure some laugh out loud funny parts, however the rest seemed a bit slow. It took almost half the book to get to the Groundhog Day aspect. There was too much family drama and far too much pining for her ex boyfriend. I loved Gwen and Dev when they had parts together, they were just too few and far between.

I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book! I was intrigued because I've read this stuck-in-a-holiday-time-loop before and I wanted to see how another author would handle it. I thought this was going to be a cute, light-hearted Christmas romance but there was way more depth and introspection than I anticipated.

Gwen is a hot mess at the beginning. We've all been there and can identify with that. The interpersonal family relationships are complex, contentious, and nerve-wracking - much like a real family. Gwen's Nan made me miss my grandma. I saw a lot of me and my sister in Gwen and Cerys. It's easy to fall into the drama and storyline as if the Bakers are your own family.

The Christmas time loop was beautifully done. You find yourself really cheering Gwen on so she can escape the loop. There are heartbreaking moments, hilarious moments, and really sweet ones, too. Also, you'll be smacked in the face with some serious self-reflection if you identify too much with any of these characters. I was not prepared for that but it leaves you with a lot of hope.

This is not a fluffy bite of Christmas-themed mental sorbet. This is an intricate, deeply moving and insightful peek into a loving, flawed, realistic family. It will leave you feeling like all the doors are open, like all the options are truly options.

I'm happily recommending this to all my friends!