This is a sweet story of Lexi, Cal and little George. Fans of the rom com or chick lit will enjoy it. A good read.

2.5

The premise of the book had me hooked immediately and I was looking forward to a festive and cosy setting. Unfortunately the book couldn't live up to my expectations.

The little Christmas shop was hardly metioned in the story. There was a bit about in the beginning but then nothing anymore which had me really disappointed and could have built a strong festive setting. The setting was nice but had no festive or cosy atmosphere at all. Only to the end Christmas was mentioned and it got a little bit festive.

I found the storyline pretty boring and there was hardly anything happening. There were pretty long descriptions about the dates of Lexi and Cal as well as the past of Lexi. The characters weren't mine either, Lexi was pretty annoying and all the others characters were way too perfect without any flaws.

Although the story was very dragging, I got quickly through it which is a plus, otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished the book.

The story centres around Lexi, a tomboy who has grown up surrounded by boys. She'd been her parents last hope for a girl and when she arrived she wasn't a girly girl after all. Instead she'd made her career in repairing vehicles, notably as an F1 mechanic. When life makes her take a decision choosing between family and career, she risks her career to be there for her family and loses her job as a result.

Lexi's family own a seasonal business and at Christmas it's one of the most popular shops around. When her family hear the news of her job loss, she's thrown straight into helping fulfil orders and helping customers. One customer happens to make a huge impact upon her life. Cal Martin wanders into the store with his adorable five year old son and turns what she thinks she knows upside down.

This was definitely an easy to read and enjoyable holiday read. It felt realistic and had a lovely cosy feel to the novel. The author creates really vivid images in your mind of the world she's created, which is probably why I enjoyed reading it so much! The dog in story is hilarious and probably my favourite character along with George.

The main reason for me not giving this book five stars is because at times I found Lexi irritating. There are only so many times you can try to push somebody away before they are going to go away and she clearly didn't get the memo. It was as if she was expecting the world to do everything for her and fit the pieces together. Life and fate don't work like that. Despite that, it was easy to read and enjoyable.

I've not read this author before but enjoyed this christmas read. A nice easy book to curl up in the sofa to read. Thank you for letting me read and review this book, I will look out for this author again.

DNF / on hold at 20%. It makes me sad to quit a book where there’s realistically nothing wrong with it, I’m just not in the mood for it. I don’t have motivation to pick it up and it’s dragging my reading life down a little bit. The MC was interesting enough and I kind of like the love interest (and his cute son) but I’m just not into this for me right now. Maybe next year, I mean it!

I really loved the cover and the description however, I found this story to be long winded and boring and I had a hard time getting through it.

Review: A lovely Christmas read full of hope and love. This story is full of Christmas spirit and I enjoyed it.

I feel like today's book recommendation comes at just the right time. In this current winter wonderland snowy bliss that we find ourselves in, what could be more perfect than curling up in your favourite Pyjama's with a giant mug of tea or coffee and a festive, romantic, feel good read on your lap?

I am a huge fan of Maxine Morrey and a few months ago devoured her previous read "The Christmas Holiday." So, I very much couldn't wait to get stuck into this one. "The Best Little Christmas Shop" did not disappoint. I smiled and felt exceptionally warm and fuzzy with this delightful story.

I love a small village, where everyone knows each other and where people are friendly and close. The vibe of it all simply makes me happy. I like the idea that people come together and look out for each other and do things as a village. To me, it's very idyllic. The Four Season's shop, that our leading lady, Lexi, and her family own and run, is perfection. If you couldn't tell from the cute name, the shop adjusts to suit the seasons and contains all sorts of goodies. Of course, with the book being based in the Winter and Winter being the season of Christmas, the shop is full to the brim of wreaths, candy, rocking horses, fairy lights and more. It's a rather lovely and romantic backdrop for Lexi to meet a handsome village newcomer.

Enter Cal Martin. I absolutely adored Cal. There wasn't a thing about him I didn't like. I loved the interactions he had with Lexi and how he could be sweet, yet playful and mischievous, and then with her family and how considerate and thoughtful he was. Cal is a single parent and does everything for his son and it was incredibly endearing seeing their relationship through the pages and how cute and fun it was. Cal's kind and caring nature poured through the pages and he just came across as a wonderful man. He also scored major point for the fact that he fixed up cars.

Now, I haven't skipped over Lexi. Lexi was a blast. I thoroughly enjoyed her upbeat, sarcastic, sometimes negative, stubborn, confident, goofy, sweet and thoughtful nature. I thought it was extremely awesome that she worked in Formula One and loved cars and I wished I knew half as much about them as she did...my Dad would be so proud. There were moments when she had me laughing out loud, like when she speaks out loud but thinks it's in her head, and then there were moments she had me sighing along with her, as I felt myself falling for Cal and his butter wouldn't melt comments and grins. I liked her tomboy ways and how she grew up part of a big family, the only girl and baby to a bunch of brothers, all of whom play gorgeous roles in this story too. They made me think of my brother in how they all looked out for Lexi and how she could talk to them and go to them for advice, while also giving her a hard time and messing with her...in a loving way, of course. Furthermore, I felt for Lexi when she was trying to make a big decision in her life, to leave her family again and head back on the road or possibly stay. It's not an easy choice to make but I was happy with her final decision. Lexi was a very cool, independent, kick ass leading lady, though at times I did get a little frustrated with her for running away and being fearful when it came to her feelings for Cal. Love isn't always easy or straight forward but in some moments I felt like she had ran out of excuses and was using the same one, and as though she was a best friend, I felt like a wanted to sit her down and have a good chat and tell her to go for it.

If you're looking for a light-hearted, cozy, romantic, winter fairy-tale read, then look no further that this wonderful book. It will warm you up on these cozy nights and without a doubt put a smile on your face.

I'm always leery of books that say "feel good read" (even if it is one) because too often, that seems to sell it short.
Such is the case here - yes, it is absolutely a feel good read, but there is a lot of depth to the characters along with good tension. I felt invested in Lexi's story (and frustrated with her decision making at times). The plot moved quickly and was engaging, and while this is a fun holiday tale, the story is pretty timeless. I'll be re-reading this come summertime in Texas when I'm longing for an escape from the heat.

The romance in this story centres around Lexi and Cal in such an on off way I'm surprised Cal stayed around. Lexi is working in the family shop having returned home from a failed job. Her family is the one everyone dreams about, all supportive and loving. Set Around Christmas always makes a romantic story feel even better and this one doesn't disappoint. With a nice,, although expected, conclusion it left me feeling warm and Christmassy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.

What a wonderful Christmas read. It will make you feel warm inside, fall in love with the characters and be swept away with the romance and the magic of Christmas.

Lexi moves home following the break-up of her engagement to a famous F1 driver (and ending her dream job of chief engineer for a F1 racing team) to help her family run their Christmas shop business.

One day Cal and his cute 5 year old son walk into the shop while Lexi is there and what more can I say – the magic begins.

Thoroughly recommend reading this if you get a chance (but make sure it’s Christmas time when you do).

The Best Little Christmas Shop was one of my favourite holiday books of 2017. Sweet, heartwarming, and funny, this book’s focus on family and love tugged at my heartstrings and left me with a big smile on my face. I loved Lexi and her family, and I’m still swooning over Cal, even a few weeks after reading the book! Plus George was just adorable, and I loved the family's dog too! I did feel the book hit a slight hiccup around the halfway mark, though. It became really repetitive and started to drag, and it employed one of my absolute least favourite romance tropes: the woman deciding a man is better off without her for a specific reason and pulling away because of it, despite the fact they both clearly have feelings for each other. It got to a point where I was skimming quite a bit and was about to set the book aside, but luckily it picked up again and I ended up thoroughly enjoying the rest of the story.

Despite the lag in the middle, The Best Little Christmas Shop was a wonderfully sweet, funny, and charming story.

A great feelgood Christmas story which I finished in only 2 days. Recommended

Fabulously festive Christmas story of love, friendship, indecision and new beginnings I loved this book. It left me with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Well written, the author has a lovely style of writing which is easy to read. I enjoyed the cosy close knit community in which the book is set. The characters are warm and I liked all of them.

A delightfully charming read, ideal for a cosy afternoon on the sofa. Highly recommended.

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

Lovely cover on this book. Couldn't wait to read it. Glad to say i was not disappointed at all. It was the prefect read for the festive period. Gets you right in the mood. Lovely characters, good plot and the story just flowed well

This book is a fairly recent purchase for me. After reading The Christmas Holiday by Maxine Morrey, I just knew I had to read more by her. I’ve got another review for another book by her coming up as well, I’m officially a fan. I love her writing style, and this book is a huge hit for me.

I instantly took a liking to Kate. She was witty, sarcastic, strong minded, stubborn and just a great character. If she was real, I’d want her as my friend. I loved that we only got to see glimpses of her past until she has an argument with Michael. Michael.. Well, he was a great character. A bit rude and arrogant to begin with but we see him transform in to this caring, loving, handsome (even more so) man. I think he is a character that I could have read about all day. Janey was a welcome addition of a motherly figure, she cared so much for Kate and I loved the way that she seemed to be the protective figure in her life.

The writing style was quick and easy to read. Before I knew it, I was half way through the book and a couple of hours further into the day. (Sorry, not sorry, to my child I nearly forgot to feed) So yeah, we’ve established I’m a fan. One minute it was smiles, laughs and giggles, the next it was a sniffle and a quick, wipe the eye moment. There was one line that got me, it was a really simple line coming from Michael to Kate:

“Oh, Katie, there’s so much I want you to say.”

That line, coming from a man, is a very rare thing in a book. And it got me. Just spectacular.

So, I expect nothing less than a 5/5 for this book coming from. Look out for my review for The Best Little Christmas Shop (If it’s not already up!!!)

I was very lucky to have won a competition on Twitter with the HQ Stories Digital Team where I basically won a 'surprise' book for their #SurpriseDateWithABook competition. It wasn't until I received the email that I found out what book I had won.
It was all very exciting I must say, especially as it opened me up to a book which I may not have found on my own.



Now if you follow me on GoodReads, then you would have seen that I have boldly said that this is my current favourite festive book of the year so far. It picked me up and carried me along, oh and I really want to know if this shop is a real place because it sounds like heaven.

The book follows Lexi, who is a strong independent woman who due to some unfortunate situations has found herself back home with her family as she has recently lost her job. It may sound like a typical book plot but I honestly found it more than that. The way it captured me as a reader I could 100% understand Lexi's thinking and even though, if I was to say it outloud, it was predictable, but then it wasn't. I hope that makes sense. Basically I am saying I didn't find it predictable.  I didn't eye roll once and that's why this is my current favourite book.
I was addicted. Like addicted, read it in a day addicted. I haven't read in the morning before work in a very long time and it was nice to be captivated by a book like this. It captured Christmas spirit for me and thats why I enjoyed it.


Lexi's family sounded amazing and there was not one character I didn't like, which is also rare for me. Normally (and yes this is my assumption) books such as this have a character which make me eye roll a lot.

I was drawn into this book, the characters, the festivities and the community as a whole and I would definitely recommend it as a book to read this Christmas.

So if you are looking for a book to read this Christmas look no more.

This is a super cute story.

I loved the setting of the little village. There were a lot of comparisons to London since Cal was originally from there. But it was such a cozy little town, the perfect setting for a Christmas story.

This story has many of the stereotypical aspects of a Christmas romance. A stranger comes to the town and falls in love with one of their beloved residents. But there were some twists. One was that Lexi used to work with Formula One racers as a mechanic. She isn’t a stereotypical damsel in distress so she stands out in the story.

There also always seems to be a child that brings the couple together. Cal’s son George was that child in this story, and he was so adorable! He fit that role perfectly.

I really enjoyed this story. I recommend it for a cozy Christmas read!

You'll instantly fall in love with the cute couple Cal and Lexi. If you love the magical Christmas feeling you get when reading Christmas books you'll love, The Best Little Christmas Shop book. It's full of snow,glitter and glam,fairy lights and delicious treats. Lexi works in her family's cosy Christmas gift shop. It's a magical place inside filled to the rafters with Christmas goodness, the kind that just makes you want to buy everything inside this magical shop to duplicate it in your own house. Gingerbread men to rocking horses from wreaths to sweets of all kinds and Father Christmas decorations. After a failed relationship with a billionaire race car driver, Lexi has guarded her heart fiercely from any hint of a new relationship. That may change though when new to turn Cal and his adorable son, George shows up at the shop to buy Christmas gifts. What really melted my heart was the little boy's bear called, Bear. Lexi offers to sew him up while George and his father shop. Who in this day and age would do that ? That was just the sweetest thing! Lexi's frozen heart starts to thaw to the thought of relationships as she spends more time with the sweetheart of a little boy George and his ruggedly handsome,heart stopping father, Cal.
This is such an endearing book full of good times and family. You're going to need to add this one to your Christmas book wish list. It's just that good!
Pub Date 03 Nov 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good Christmas romance. It's full of Christmas cheer and the importance of having family around you whenever you can.