Lily Graham sprinkles a little bit of magic into everything she writes and that's what makes her books so lovely. That is my word for her books - lovely. I just find myself sinking into a wonderful story everytime I start one of her stories.
'Christmas at Hope Cottage' literally starts with a bang when Emma Halloway finds herself on the losing side of an encounter between a car and a bicycle. As a result, her senses are all muddled and she finds herself returning home to recuperate in her grandmother, Evie's house - a place that has been in the family for many, many years. A place where magic happens in the kitchen as the women of the family create recipes that meet the needs of people of the village - from finding a new love to growing a sound crop.
The only problem is that Emma never wanted to come back as she had thought she had escaped the family 'business' - something she believed had prevented her from finding happiness with her one true love, Jack Allen. But maybe it was time to put feuds down and rekindle relationships. Can Emma and Jack defeat the longtime grudge his family holds towards Emma's family? Maybe there is someone else that could bring Emma more joy than she could ever imagine.
This story is delicious is so many ways - it is not just a romance but rather a story of friendship and family. It is about superstitions and strong beliefs. There is a cast of amazing characters from Evie and her two sisters to Sandro, the lodger in her grandmother's cottage, who is rather a looker. Everyone is so well shaped that you feel you could walk down the street and know exactly who you have bumped into - you want to have conversations with them to get to know them even more. Emma is such a prickly character that you want to see how the road ahead will unfold for her and you constantly want to help her find her way back to her roots - Lily Graham reveals so clearly how Emma's journey brought her to this point in time. What's great as well as the little moments of humour that pop up here and there - from the breakup on a post-it-note to the recipe that maybe was made with a little too much desire.
A fabulous book that warms you from the inside out - don't forget if you enjoy this story to seek out Lily Graham's other books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review. Delighted!

I absolutely loved this book. It reminded me of early Cecelia Ahern and Sarah Addison Allen, plus a touch of Practical Magic, but at the same time it was its own unique story.

This story of family, love, secrets, community, and long-held grudges was woven through with the most wonderful elements of magic. Emma’s recovery from her accident, along with her personal growth was a beautiful thing to watch. Her emotions came through so clearly - her confusion, her frustration, her resistance to everything to do with magic (and her resistance to swoony Sandro) - all of it. The side characters, especially Emma’s grandmother Evie and her aunts (and Pennywort!) added so much to the story. I also loved the bits of food history woven throughout and thought they were fascinating.

Overall a fun, funny, romantic read with great characters that left me with a huge smile on my face.

A lovely Xmas read for all fans of a happy chick lit read.
This tells the story of Emma, a likeable but unlucky girl who loses her boyfriend and then has an accident causing her senses to be all over the place. Evie, her lovely eccentric grandmother takes her back to Hope cottage to get better. Here we meet Jack, her ex boyfriend and sandro a lodger at the cottage. Will Jack and emma be able to make things work again? read on to find out!!!
Lovely read for the festive period!

This book was definitely magic, and definitely not what I was expecting it to be. That is awesome, because I love being surprised, and this was a very pleasant surprise. 

Emma is different. I don't really know how to explain but she lacks the sameness that a lot of romantic protagonists have and it's not a bad thing. She is stubborn, and vulnerable and perhaps a little fractured but without being too overly melodramatic. Something about her just hit all the right notes for me. 

Sandro is lovely. He is smooth as butter and he seems to know it too. He is charming but not without flaws and isn't overly macho. 

Her aunt's are interesting, each with their own individual personality, but all of them on Emma's side in a way that made me cheer them on, even though I sometimes didn't agree with some of their manner of showing it. 

The plot of this novel was so delicately put together, and I was enraptured with the way Lily Graham writes about these characters and settings. It is vivid, and warm, and at times not without bitterness. The fantasy side of the plot was not heavy handed, and was an enjoyable thread linking the plot together. 

This is not really a holiday novel, not in the sense that most holiday books are, oversaturated with Christmas, in fact I would say this could be read throughout the year and I wouldn't be surprised to find myself picking it up again. This is a book worth reading, and re-reading again.

*Sorry my computer sent this without my review*

Let's try again. I think there is something magical about this book. I love the little town setting and it makes everything feel warm and fuzzy. This is the perfect read for Christmas time. I believe it is one that can be read during the season over and over again.

The cooking aspect was really neat.

I loved the writing style.

Sat and read this over the christmas period. It was light hearted and fun and i really enjoyed it.

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I really had no issues with this book other than there really was hardly any action in the book and hardly any Christmas in the book until the very (very-VERY) end. I liked the magic in the recipes and the family elements! Emma was mostly okay and Sandro was pretty hunky (though he was a pretty big chicken for not really ever pursuing Emma). Jack was the perfect first-love-in-a-small-town. Basically the book had the perfect set up, I just needed it to move a little quicker!

A lightght, fun Christmas read for those moments when you just want to snuggle up and enjoy a sweet book.

A romantic, magical feel good story. I loved this book.

Well written with a lovely easy reading style. The characters were fantastic and I really enjoyed the ending. A story of family, romance, sadness, laughter and love. A heartwarming tale with a Christmas theme. A story of new beginnings. I was immediately drawn into the story and was sad to finish it. I loved Emma's grandma and two eccentric aunts.

Highly recommended. I look forward to reading more books from Lily Graham.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet holiday story that is so much more than a chick-lit romance! It centers around Emma who is heading home for the holidays and has one bad thing happen to her after another. She's part of an eccentric, and somewhat magical, family. One she's not always happy to be a part of. This book is a journey of self-discovery, of acceptance, of love. A family saga, as we also get to learn about Emma's family's past, which affect her life in present. If you want a quirky Christmas read, this might be just what you are looking for!

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Lily Graham, and Bookouture for an ARC to read and honestly review**

Beautiful cover on the book. Nice magical festive read. Wasnt disappointed in it at all. There was a lot of warmth in the book and it drew me in. Would highly recommend this one

This is far more than a good feel book, this is a never give up believing because dreams can come true sort of book. Loved it. Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher

This book took me completely by surprise. The sweet cover that screams Christmas actually made me think I was going to read another, very standard, Christmas story full of romance. And although Christmas and Romance are of course present, Christmas at Hope Cottage turns out to be so much more. It's an enchanting tale filled to the brim with strong, wonderful women!

Christmas at Hope Cottage is a family saga, but brought to the reader in a very light, funny and enjoyable manner. Not dense at all! It is a story filled with powerful, eccentric women, full of humor, mouthwatering recipes, love and romance. But most of all it is about learning who you truly are and what makes you happy..

This book is full of humor and I can't even count the times I was actually laughing out loud while reading. Even in the very beginning when Emma is hit by the post-van and gets dumped by her boyfriend there is still some humor in that. Lily Graham succeeds in bringing this somewhat tragic situation in a light and humor way without making it into a slapstick situation.

I also loved how Lily played with the character of Emma. Emma's senses are a bit of the hook and they don't work properly. And you feel that as a reader. Emma is a little "bland" during this period. But the story progresses and slowly Emma regains her senses again. You see Emma developing as a character while she regains her taste, smell,.... She becomes more colorful and more passionate. Colors, flavors, etc are all wonderfully described and you actually feel like you are there with Emma. Taking it all in for the first time.

And of course Christmas at Hope Cottage is about magic. Subtle magic. Folklore, legends, superstition, but it feels like a modern fairy-tale.

Christmas at Hope Cottage turned out to be something completely different from what I was expecting. But is was so much better! I absolutely loved it! This is a hidden gem full of wisdom about family and friendship. An absollty stunning story that I would recommend to everybody. Even if you don't like christmassy stories!

Christmas at Hope Cottage is a wonderful holiday book. It reminds me so much of Practical Magic with all the great strong female characters. I really enjoyed this one and recommend.

This is a sweet and moving holiday romance with a lot of different things that made me like it. The main character is smart and funny and I loved the way her thoughts were revealed throughout the story. I was particularly happy with this book because it wasn't just another boring romance, but rather a novel about friendship, family and learning to believe in miracles again when all seems lost.

This is a well-written book that will make you laugh, shed a few tears and keep turning the pages, eager to know what is going to happen next. If you haven't read this author yet, but you love romance, I suggest you try out one of her books right way. I love the way she creates characters that seem at odds with one another, but then works her magic and makes them perfect for one another.

Overall, I found this to be a delightful story that left me thinking about the characters and the place they lived long after finishing the final page. Recommended to all who want a feel-good story to keep them warm this winter.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Where do I start with my review of this beautiful story? Well, I have to mention the absolutely stunning cover which was what first attracted me to this book, but it isn't just it's cosy imagery that will lure you into this story and never let you go, but also the warm and compelling characters and a setting where I really wanted to live.

Emma Halloway is thirty years old working as a freelance food writer when she gets dumped by her boring but reliable boyfriend via a post-it note and then proceeds to get run over by a delivery van resulting in injuries that force her to return home to Hope Cottage in the Yorkshire Dales. Now Emma loves the cottage and her beloved Grandmother and eccentric Aunts, but it is the very magic that they believe in that Emma has tried to escape the past few years, and also the man who broke her heart and made her run away in the first place. But while some things haven't changed in the village, there is plenty that have, and who knows what special enchantments the Halloways have for Emma ...

Warm, endearing, magical, and special, CHRISTMAS AT HOPE COTTAGE by Lily Graham is basically Christmas wrapped up perfectly in one adorable package. The characters are quirky, fascinating, and extremely loveable, and there is plenty of confusion and enchanting recipes to keep you gripped from start to finish. There is nothing that I didn't love about this story and if you want a Christmas romance that will make you fall into the festive spirit, hook, line, and sinker, then look no further than CHRISTMAS AT HOPE COTTAGE. It would make a perfect Hallmark movie so hopefully, I will see it on my screen someday too!

A magical Christmas romance that is funny as well as heart warming. Such a cute story, with great characters.

Christmas time is magical and I love romance novels set at this time of year.
A beautiful and heartwarming story that makes you want to curl up and enjoy it and it made me feel loads more christmassy.

The story is about Emma and her family who have lived at Hope Cottage for generations. This book covers peoples prejudices and fears of what they do not understand but in a good way. I would say that it left me with a festive feeling when I finished the book and would highly recommend it to anyone who was looking for a festive read