The fabulous Samantha Tonge is back with an enchanting, captivating and utterly delightful Yuletide tale that tugs at the heartstrings, touches the soul and holds readers spellbound from beginning to end: The Christmas Calendar Girls. Written with plenty of wit, sensitivity and heart, The Christmas Calendar Girls is an outstanding tale that has got winner written all over it.

After the death of her husband, Fern had built walls around herself, vowed to keep her heart firmly under lock and key and threw herself into doing whatever she possibly could for the good of the community of Chesterwood. Big-hearted Fern is well aware of all the good which the local food bank does for the community, so she is utterly flabbergasted when she learns that it is under threat of closure. Determined to save it, Fern, alongside her best friends, hatches a plan that will ensure the food bank’s future: a living advent calendar and she calls upon the community to help her see this plan to its fruition. Fern is delighted when her friends and neighbours rally round to help her in her quest to save the food bank, however, when local man Kit offers his help, Fern cannot help but find those barriers which she has built around her heart slowly crumbling as she finds herself drawn to him.

The more time Kit and Fern spend together, the closer they become. Yet, Kit knows that he simply cannot afford to get too close to Fern. Secrets and shadows from his past are holding him hostage and his fears have long put paid to any hopes he might have had of building a life with somebody – even if they are a kindred spirit like Fern. Kit is not the only Chesterwood resident to have secrets. Domestic goddess Cara used to pride herself on giving any lifestyle guru a run for their money, but lately she is off her game and behaving very oddly whereas Davinia cannot help but wonder what is causing her perfect children to act up and misbehave. They are causing all manner of trouble at school and Davinia’s son Jasper is getting increasingly worried and unhappy. Can the three Christmas Calendar girls find their path to happiness this Yuletide season?

Will the girls’ efforts to save the food bank be successful? Or will all their hard work be in vain? Will Fern and Kit find a way to be together? And can Cara and Davinia manage to overcome all the obstacles standing in their way and have a Christmas they will never forget?

Samantha Tonge’s The Christmas Calendar Girls is an exceptional tale of healing, community, forgiveness and courage that redefines the word unputdownable. I was so drawn in by this fantastic book that I cried off a social engagement because I simply could not stop reading and I was desperate to find out what was going to happen next.

An enjoyable and engrossing read full of characters it is impossible not to care about and humour, warmth and heart aplenty, The Christmas Calendar Girls is an absolutely phenomenal read from a writer who keeps on getting better and better: Samantha Tonge.

The Christmas Calendar Girls is an entertaining Christmas romance. I enjoyed the plot, characters and the setting. The author is new to me and I definitely will read more of her books. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

The Christmas Calendar Girls is wonderfully uplifting and is the ultimate festive read; as the year draw's to a close we often take a look back of our lives, it's a time of reflection and our thoughts widen to those less fortunate. This is a story about family and the strength of friendship bringing a community together to help those in need.
Fern with her young daughter Lily moved to Chesterwood for a fresh starting following the tragic death of her husband. It's now been a few years since her husband's untimely death but the sadness is easing with the help of the friends she has made in Cara and Davina.

When the friends hear of the struggle of the local food bank keeping up with the growing demand for food packages and with the daily expenses of running the bank they come up with a plan to raise much needed funds to keep this required resource going. With the festive season approaching the girls decide to incorporate the joy of the season and bring to life a Christmas Advent Calendar.
With just over a month till Christmas Fern, Cara and Davina have much to organise for this epic festive fundraising extravaganza. We follow the girls with their efforts to bring their plan to fruition whilst juggling family life with all it's ups and downs. The combining of the strengths within the friendship group and community are a force to be reckoned with. There's also the prospect of new romance on the horizon but the couple in question have so many emotional hurdles to overcome before they can let their heart accept love again.

The Christmas Calendar Girls is such a warm-hearted, uplifting story with a wonderful ethos that's quite inspirational.

A lovely seasonal read about community, coming together and a lovely Romance with great characters, nice read with lots of heart

Christmas is just the right time of year to read something warm and fuzzy about friendship, forgiveness and thinking of others less fortunate. Young widowed mum Fern fights to save the local food bank and supports her close friends through their own family problems. While bringing the local community together as they take part in a fun 'living advent calendar' project, her friendship with a lovely but troubled man is slowly turning into something more. If she can just find out why he is holding back, could he be the one to thaw her frozen heart? A lovely seasonal read.

This was not one of my favorite books. It moved very slow and I didn't understand the character development. I liked the plot idea. I also really loved the ability of the author to weave in the plight of the homeless and what it really means. She did a great job getting across the feelings when you are about ready to lose your place of business. I did like all of that and she did a good job expressing that piece of the book.

This is a heartwarming story about a community coming together at Christmas to help each other and others. It has a plethora of believable, great characters with three friends and their families at the heart of this story.

Fern moved to Chesterwood after the untimely death of her beloved husband, hoping to help her and their young daughter, to make a fresh start. Fern is a journalist and has met many people in the area through her job and others whilst taking her daughter to school. She did an article about the homeless in the area and the food bank which helps them and others who are in dire straits. She is shocked to discover it is going to close unless additional funding can be found and so comes up with the idea of organising a living advent calendar to help raise money for this worthwhile cause. With the help of two other mothers who are her best friends, these three Calendar girls strive to raise the much needed funding. Whilst she's involved in all this, Fern also has opportunities for romance but not everything goes to plan as she isn't the only one who needs to let go of the past and look forward to the future....

This is a fabulous story about a community working together for a common goal. It involves people getting to know each other, having fun, facing problems together and making a difference. There are other threads running through the story concerning fresh starts, how people may become homeless, why people use food banks, the impact of jealousy, how people hide their anxieties and the problems associated with overcoming addiction. These are all skilfully interwoven into a fantastic festive read which even has a lovely romance, too! I really enjoyed reading this and have absolutely no hesitation in highly recommending this book. I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it and not wanting to put it down until I'd finished it.

Inspiring.

Can I leave this review as just this one, word? No. At least I've made this just in time for the Publication Day!

Not for Samantha Tonge a light, fluffy Christmas novel. This is a book with a message and it's a message for all ages and one that we nowadays, especially presently, should learn to take notice of. Christmas should be about how we can help others and not so much how much we can spend on each other.

Fern and Kit are both damaged in different ways and this is centrally their journey. Fern's friends particularly Carla and Devina are pivotal in the story and both, of course have issues of their own to deal with. I'm not going to tell you more about the story, there are plenty of other reviewers who'll happily do that for you.

Ms Tonge is one of the most honest, hard-working author's I've come across and if you've never read one of her novels before, then you're in for a treat. If you're a fan, like me, then your Christmas's have come early!

My thanks to Aria UK and Netgalley for the Preview copy.

A beautiful fun romance but more a wonderful town of people. You will fall in love with the town of chesterwood. The people, a true heartfelt story.

It took me a little while to get into this book. With around eighteen character names introduced in the first two chapters, I wondered if I might need a spreadsheet to track them all!
Luckily, the story of bereaved single mum, Fern and her ambitious plan to create a real-life 'advent calendar' at people's homes began to weave its magic.
I loved her close friends, Cara and Davina, each with their own trials and tribulations. And a little piece (OK, a rather large chunk) of my heart was lost to gentle giant, the enigmatic Kit. The unfolding of his life was an integral part of the tale. 'A teacher once said to me that having every advantage could be a disadvantage.' This is certainly the case with Kit, and a lesson for us all.
The book is laced with lovely festive imagery, and the overriding message that friendship, community and kindness go a long way. 'Poison was easier to remove whereas an excess of goodness left its mark – the memories and that warm, fuzzy glow.'
I don't normally get the Christmas 'feels' till late in November, but this one definitely put me in the mood. So much so, I unearthed a box of mince pies from the cupboard. Shame they were dated March 2019! All in all, an entertaining and heartwarming read.

Fern and her three best friends have always been active in the town, and are saddened to hear of the rent increases which would make the community food bank have to close. With so many volunteering to help, and knowing the good work they do, Fern is determined to raise enough money to keep the foodbank open, and enlisting the help of her two best friends Cara and Davina they come up with a plan. In their small estate (and with the help of the Christmas Faire at the school their children attend) they will raise the money – and ask residents to host a window tableau in the vein of an Advent Calendar – where donations will be solicited.

Oh this was fun – from the community spirit and ideas to the friendships displayed, along with Fern’s healing from her husband’s death from cancer and her budding romance with former homeless man, now temporary school caretaker Kit. With Cara having her own ‘issues’ in her formerly well-ordered life, all after the arrival of her mother-in-law who needed support after breaking her ankle, and Davina’s formerly closer than close twins now at odds over strange things – the story is laden with attractions, drama, spirit and imagery that show both the enormity of a community-wide project during the holiday season,

I love Tonge’s writing and her characters, and she manages to make everyone feel very “plausible’ as well as providing ideas that are unique and innovative, with ideas that can easily (with lots of work and attention) be translated into real life. A story that is proof that giving is better than receiving – and need crosses spaces and time, not to mention economic situations and education – the story is one of my holiday favorites for the heart and optimism it displays.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-axo/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Lovely festive read. It was a heart warming romance. It was a wonderful book to read. It was well written and flowed well.

Lovely and heartwarming Christmas story about friendship. There are serious themes tackled within the book but they are handled with compassion and sensitivity.

What a great read to get you in the mood for the festive season. Fern having lost her husband to cancer is making a fresh start with her daughter. She might just find love again with the handsome caretaker! Her new best friends Cara and Davina are always there for her and together they set out to help save the food bank which is under threat. This book will warm your heart.

I loved this book. It caught the magic of Christmas and brought the community together. What a wonderful way to raise money to save something so important to many many people and many new friendships along the way.

I loved the cover. The purple tinge to it made it so attractive that I was immediately drawn to it and I had to read the story. Wouldn't you do the same?

The Christmas themed book are weaving their magic on me. In this, in order to save the food bank, 3 best friends Fern, Carla, and Devina came up with a new plan of a live Christmas advent Calendar for 25 days. The entire community of Chesterwood worked together and contributed to the event.

My second book by Samantha Tonge drew me in slowly with the 3 women. Their friendship pulled me in and I loved the way they supported each other.

New to town, Kit added to the mystery when he kissed Fern, and backed away. He was a good, kind man and I was burned with curiosity to know his reasons. Some of his furtive actions made me very suspicious of him.

Characters were aplenty, each had their own problems and crisis. The author's pen made them deal with it in strength, helping each other. Social issues were written sensitively.

I needed a book to divert my mind and this book clicked with me. Enjoyed it completely.

A fabulous festive story with feeling and grit.

What an inventive idea a living advent calendar is, and seeing how it all came together and the ideas that each day had for their turn were incredibly imaginative.

There is a lot of depth within this story, all three of the main characters are struggling with various things in their lives. Fern, Davina and Cara are great friends, and I enjoyed seeing how their stories would develop.

What really hooked me as the storyline that felt a bit like it came out of a Christmas film - where the friends are asking to community to rally around and save a much needed amenity, in a race against time to raise the funds, from the nasty scrooge like landlord.

It's an eye opening story in that it takes in just how important a local foodbank is, gives plenty of examples of people whose circumstances mean they need to use it, as well as a character who is starting to turn their life around, and is someone I was really drawn to.

There is plenty of Christmas Cheer, and its such an enjoyable story. All the children are great, and there are some incredibly touching moments.

I really loved this book, and it is so great to see Samantha Tonge go back to writing a more light hearted book, but still taking in some of the more serious topics that were dealt with in her darker books.

I'm trying to not give too much away, but safe to say I would definitely recommend reading The Christmas Calendar Girls. And I promise unlike The Calendar Girls film / musical there are no naked calendars... this is completely different!!

Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

A festive book that has lots of charm and warmth When Fern meets Kit he's at a really low point in his life a d she decides to try and help him and others like him by raising money to try and keep the local food bank from closure She comes up with a really novel idea and with the help of her close friends organisers a living calender A story of love and heartache at times but beautifully written and with friendship at it's heart this makes for a heartwarming read

This is a tricky one! I absolutely loved the message at the heart of this novel - it truly reminds you that Christmas is a time for giving, for helping others and supporting your local community. It shows you how important female friendships are, and how vital it is to have people in your corner to support you throughout everything life may throw at you. I also loved how the story went against the stereotype of homeless people being drug addicts and alcoholics, and instead showed there are many reasons why people may struggle and need the support of a service like a food bank.

But despite loving the heart of the novel, I just didn't enjoy it. The romance was just completely flat and forced, thrown in at the start for something to bulk up the storyline even though it was just dull to read about. The subplots with the other mums also didn't really grab me either. And the ending was completely predictable, which I don't mind in a Christmas book, but given the rest of the book was completely lacklustre, I was hoping for a surprise improvement at the end. I was disappointed.

Also, I found there were some issues with the quality of the writing. Particularly at the start, sentences were muddled and paragraphs jumped from one topic to another without making much sense - random bits of information dropped in with no relevance at all to what else was happening. Sadly, the dialogue was also quite poorly written - at times it was overly formal, and sounded very unnatural, especially when some of the children spoke, as it wasn't even remotely age appropriate.

Overall, quite a disappointment. The plot summary sounded good, but the writing was just poor. I feel like the idea at the heart of the novel could have been used to greater effect by a stronger writer, who wouldn't have made the tone so stiff and would have cut out most of the unnecessary bulking up of the plot.

Fern and friends set about making an advent calendar with a difference.
Widow Fern is getting close to her friend Kit, but he thinks he doesn't deserve a chance with her. Can she convince him he is worth it?

A great festive read.