The Christmas Countdown is an interesting story about lost love and lost identity. This story has some quirky and interesting characters. You'll see how a gal finds herself and a guy also faces his self doubts. Together they help each other.

A heartwarming Christmas book.
This book was well written and had a good storyline
The pace of the book was perfect and it was a page turner.
A great book

A unique Christmas story based around a countdown calendar. I really liked the storyline and the uniqueness that the calendar adds to it.

Despite the nice setting I didn't really enjoy this book. I felt like I was going to scream if Katy Perry was mentioned one more time.

Holly was, and remained, a pushover throughout the book. Also what the heck at that ending? Talk about jumping directly into the fire.

No part of this story made any sense to me. The book was called The Christmas Countdown but did not focus on every item from the advent calendar that Holly was given. Quite a few of them were just mentioned in passing.

Holly's relationship with her family and sister was just a big wtf from me.

I didn't find this cute, cosy, or romantic. Just not for me.

What an amazingly written festive novel. One of my favourites so far I think! I've always enjoyed the style of Donna Ashcroft's writing and this one was no different - in fact, it was better! It hooked me from the first page and I couldn't wait to see where the story went. As well as the story, the cover caught my eye and made me want to read it straight away. I love the Christmassy colours, the mince pies, Christmas Cake and the snow in the background. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy just looking at it!

What I enjoyed about this was seeing the story from both main characters point of view. I enjoyed reading Holly's view on things and Finn's take on the events too. At first I was a bit unsure on Holly, just because of the comments she kept making to Finn despite the fact that she hardly knew him. But I warmed to her once I learned more about her story and her life and what she had been through... It made me understand her more. As well as Holly, I liked Finn's cheeky character. Although at some parts in the novel I did have a few tears! I felt for Finn far more than Holly in the end!

The location of this novel as well sounded delightful and all the Christmas events that take place made me feel so festive! I also loved the idea of the Christmas advent calendar with the daily tasks that Holly has to do. It's unique and I loved finding out what her next task was! As well as the main characters, we also get a few sideline stories about other secondary characters, such as Beth and Tom and Holly's Aunt Clara. I found these really interesting and it made it refreshing to read about a different sort of storyline for a little while!

Overall, Donna Ashcroft's latest book is a perfect feel-good festive novel which will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. It has great characters and will teach you a thing or two about love and loss. Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this novel to read via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

Holy Devine works at the family design company in Guildford but when she discovers her twin sister Lucinda kissing her boyfriend at the works Christmas party she leaves and takes refuge with her Aunt Clara on Sunflower Island.
Holly has spent the last few years living in Lucinda’s shadow and decides that staying with Clara will give her the space to try to find out who she really is and what she wants to do next.
Aunt Clara and her WI friends design holly an advent calendar with a different challenge every day designed to help Holly find herself again. Strangely many of the challenges seem to involve handsome local landlord Finn Jackson, a man who has a reputation as a ladies man but who Holly suspects is hiding his own past hurt.
Can the advent calendar get Holly back on track and is Finn Jackson the right man to help her?
Perfect to relax with on a cold winter day!

I loved the fact Holly had an advent calendar created by aunt Clara and her friends. Only that way Holly could find her own way and not be in bed twins shadow anymore.

A nice easy festive read, Holly’s partner had cheated on her with her twin sister so she decided to run away to her aunts to lick her wounds and recover! Her aunt and her friends decide to make her an advent calendar with a different task to do each day in the hope of aiding her recovery! Along the advent journey holly has to do lots of things that take her out of her comfort zone and bring her into frequent contact with Finn another lost damaged soul!
Typically a happy ever after is achieved after much soul searching and brutal honesty! Lovely mix of very different characters ideal for any one who likes a festive romance with plenty of gin thrown in for good measure!
Thank you net galley for this early read.

This book is the embodiment of Christmas cosiness in a book! I absolutely loved everything about this book, the main character, the setting, the love interest - it was all so festively wonderful! Donna Ashcroft knows how to write a damn good story!

I have read each and every book that this author has written and I am glad that I read this one too :)

Finn and Holly are two people who have so much going for them, only they don't seem to realise it. They both have things to work through from their pasts, and in Holly's case, she has her aunt Clara and the ladies from the WI to help her to get some of her lost self-esteem back. They have devised a series of quests for Holly to complete and they are a mixture of fun and a bit scary!

I just LOVED Clara and her friends - everyone should have a bunch of ladies in their lives like this. I also enjoyed the side story of Beth and little Ava, that was very well handled too.

This is a modern love story, with all its twists and turns. Neither of the main characters are perfect but they try hard to live their best lives. The story is romantic without being soppy, it really is the perfect book when you want to cheer someone on for achieving things they didn't think they could and of course, the power of love overcomes all things.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

This is definitely one of my favourite reads for the year! I found it hard to put down and when I did manage to put it down, my mind kept wandering back to the characters, wondering how their story would end. I don't think this is just a 'book' rather, it's like a magical journey through space and time which portrays a wide array of characters and stories, all tied together to form one big happy family. This story makes me wish to find a family like this someday, a family who is accepting, loving and caring as the characters care about each other. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for some magic in their lives.

This was a sweet read - and very Christmassy! Both Holly and Finn are a little bit lost - and with a little help from some friends - they find their way to each other and back to themselves. I think both of them found, like so many people do, that it is easy to get lost in the day-to-day and avoid things that are hard by getting too busy with the mundane. Dealing with the tough stuff is - tough - and you sometimes have to be brave. Holly was definitely open to change more than Finn was - and it showed in how the book wrapped up. But both of them had to move past in order to move forward.

I really enjoyed everything about this book - except for a piece of the ending. <spoiler> I absolutely hate it when, in resolving the final conflict that keeps the main characters apart, that both parties don't apologize to each other when both of them are at fault. Here - Finn was definitely not in the right. He should have been honest with Holly, but at the same time, he was right that she was also not dealing with her sister in the same way he wasn't dealing with his personal loss. Her sister really made that entire reconciliation very easy peasy for her - and all her avoidance of the issue had helped her sister. But running away and not talking to Finn was really not ok. She should have told him she wasn't ready to talk yet - or at least heard him out. It seems her MO to any situation is to run - and that is something she should have apologized for and tried to work on.</spoiler>

If you need a happy, cozy read for the holidays this is a great place to start!

I received an ARC of this book for free in exchange for an honest review - and this review contains all my own opinions!

This was my first time reading a book by this author. Very enjoyable read with two relatable lead characters. I appreciated the author letting us get into Finn’s head and not just telling Holly’s side of the story. A good balance of two characters who were lost finding themselves again and finding each other in the process as well.

All in all a heart warming Christmassy love story.

If you love Christmas and romance novels then this book ticks a lot of boxes. It’s a heartwarming tale with themes of friendship, love, grief and finding yourself. I loved the character of Holly and how she developed as the book went on.
It’s a well written novel and the characters and plot are explored really well.

A delight of a book. Friendship, romance and the constant wondering about what the next day’s surprise will bring. A real feel good story of the days leading up to Christmas.

Fantastic book, my first by this author and i couldn't put down. I hope this will become a series. Quick enjoyable read.

I have absolutely loved this book, I couldn’t put it down. Donna Ashcroft engaged me from the very start.
This book is so good, I finished it in just two hours. Definitely deserves a five star rating. I love the writing style used in this book! Should be a must read for everyone.

I really enjoyed this book. After discovering her sister kissing her boyfriend, Holly retreats to her aunt Clara’s house. Clara and her friends come up with an advent calendar of tasks to help cheer her up. Over the course of the book, Holly works out what she wants from life.

Although it covers topics of recovering from grief and loss, it handles it well, without becoming too serious. I enjoyed the romance with Finn, as well as the cast of other characters. This was a fun and easy read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh how I loved this book. Spent my whole afternoon reading it and once I finished it, I was filled with joy.

The story follows holly who flees her life to stay with her aunt Clara. Still reeling from witnessing her twin sister and her boyfriend together, she comes to her aunts to get away from it all. Her aunt...who is an amazing character creates an advent calendar to encourage Holly to find herself and get back her confidence. Through these challenges, she meets Flynn, a man who hides a world of pain behind a ‘no care, flirty facade. My heart broke for them both and at times I got frustrated with them, that’s what the author wants you feel. You get so involved with these characters that you are desperate for them to face their demons and live life.

Honestly this was such a good book. Would recommend it to everyone

There are a few surprises tucked amongst the pages, but for the most part this is a feel-good, cozy Christmas read. Both main characters are broken, and both main characters are seeking something new but too afraid to really make that leap. It takes a quirky group of older ladies to provide the push they both needed to move in that new direction...together. There are some traumatic moments, but overall a warm and fuzzy story.