There’s nothing better than a family secret and this book does not disappoint...it’s family secrets galore!
Although I’m a massive fan, I didn’t think I’d find a Bella Osborne book I loved as much as Coming Home To Ottercombe Bay but this one definitely came close. 
At a time when we can’t see our friends and family for Christmas this book left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling as if I had been prt of the family.

This book made me laugh out loud a lot, being based around the week of Christmas to New Year it suited me perfectly to read now. Rather than my usual Christmas build up, oozing with Christmas spirit,  this had cute Christmas touches but was focused on the family. I love family drama books and I love Christmas too, so to me it was a perfect combination- reminding me of watching the Soaps at Christmas with my mum many moons ago. 

The story was mainly told from Lottie's perspective but Osborne seamlessly flitted to others in their times of peril, offering a little more insight into their thoughts and emotions. I therefore genuinely engaged with every single character; their dynamics, each twist and turn and the contanst possibility of secret revelations keep me reading, desperate to see how their stories ended.

Lottie is faced with the task of hosting the annual family Christmas all by herself. As the clan gathers with high expectations can she hold it all together or will it be an epic fail? 

This book does what it says on the tin, it brings you into the heart of a family Christmas. So many “Christmas” books have one chapter where it happened to be that holiday time. But no, Bella Osbourne delivers the goods and Santa would be very proud. 

This is the only Christmas themed book I managed to read due to work commitments and I am just so lucky that I chose it. I loved every moment with the family. I even laughed out very loud which is something I don’t tend to do whilst reading.

I really enjoyed the pets they where are a huge part of the story too. Duchess the cat was my favourite and I think she was rather posh.

The book made me feel so many emotions ranging from happiness to melancholy memories. It ticks every box a reader could possibly want. You leave the book a better person. It makes you reflect on your own family and the ghosts of Christmas’s gone by.

I am really hoping that we will have more books from this cast of characters as I don’t want to leave them. 

This book is for anyone who loves feel-good fiction with heart. 

Five enormous stars!

I didn't like the premise of the grandmother dying at the beginning of the book.  Just too much during this harsh times.  Thank you to Netgalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
I’ll be honest, this book didn’t surprise me in any way, it was exactly what I thought I would be getting. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, we’ve all been disappointed by books that we were expecting to be something else, right?
This was ultimately a second chance romance set against the backdrop of a dysfunctional family, full of secrets, lies and hidden heartaches, 
It was an enjoyable read and I found the author’s tone warm and amusing, although predictable in parts. If you want a cozy family oriented romance to read over Christmas though, I think this is well worth your time. 3.5 stars

One Family Christmas by Bella Osborne

A big family, a whole lot of secrets, and a Christmas to remember.

A good planned out plot.  Very friendly characters, most of them..  This book was filled with with fun, drama, and lots of Christmas chaos.  I enjoyed this book and felt like I was right there ion Lottie’s house.

Lottie is ready to celebrate her first Christmas after an family loss, meaning she now has to do everything, with many capers.


This is a lovely festive book, I purposely chose to read it now so I would be in a festive mood and I enjoyed it. Some of the innuendos and jokes were a bit cheesey and cringey and I felt like the story dragged on a bit by trying to fit too much in. However, it is a lovely easy read, with some funny moments. It was the first book I had read by this author and I would definitely read something else by them.

3.5 stars 
 
One Family Christmas was my first book by Bella Osborne. There were so many things I enjoyed about this book - the characters, the setting, the festive feeling, the hilarious pet antics. I related to Lottie a lot - I was very close to my Grama, I enjoy family traditions, and I loved the fact she was a Star Wars fan. What kept me from loving this book was that it was way too long and there was too much happening, especially considering the fact the story took place over the span of a few days. I feel like it would have been better told solely from Lottie’s perspective. The multiple points of view didn’t add anything, and I ended up skimming quite a bit because it was dragging and the different POVs felt unnecessary. I also wish there had been a bit more romance.
 
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fellow Christmas book lovers, and I’d be curious to pick up another book by Bella Osborne in the future.

A lovely Christmas story that brings together a whole family. With the ups and downs and humour of a Christmas get together, Bella Osborne creatively draws the reader into the family life of the Collins family. Trying to uphold her Nana's Christmas wish, Lottie brings together her family with all their troubles and woes. Whilst dealing with the problems of making it a Christmas to remember, Lottie is upended by the return of her ex-boyfriend.

An unputdownable read it makes you appreciate family and all their strange ways. Without families and friends like those in the book - who would have a Christmas to remember?

what a most enjoyable book from start to finish a typical family christmas ups and downs all the way with a few surprise thrown in but everthing turns out to be a merry family christmas after all

This is the first novel by Bella Osbourne that I have had the pleasure of reading and what a festive treat it was.

After the sudden death of her Nana just weeks before Christmas, Lottie embarks on hosting one last big family Christmas before the family home is sold in the new year. As with any family, this isn’t as easy as it sounds. With everyone appearing to be holding a secret (or two) and a returning ex-boyfriend, Lottie is learning first hand how difficult it is to host Christmas.

I really enjoyed this story and in 2020 I loved escaping into the world of Henbourne Manor. Lottie is a fabulous main character with the perfect blend of humour and kindness. I particularly enjoyed the kitchen disasters and her less than perfect hostess skills. A special mention must go to the Duchess and Dave they were definitely part of the chaos! 

At the centre of this book is the importance of family and how secrets are often much better told. A fun, festive read with a lot of witty dialogue and believable characters. 

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

A lovely feel good Christmas read. 
After the passing of her Nan Lottie decides to bring her family together for one last big family Christmas just the way her Nan always done it, sure what could go wrong?

Throw in a frozen turkey, a few family arguments, a pork star, family secrets, the return of Joe the love of Lotties life and a dog called Dave this Christmas will be one that will be remembered for quite some time.

Thank you to Netgally and Avon books for this ARC for an honest review.

“Seize every opportunity that comes within reach. They are often fleeting, so go with your gut.”

That was the post script written on Lottie’s Christmas card from her grandmother that she received after her grandmother passed. This book was an emotional yet enjoyable book for me to read as we follow Lottie grieving the loss of her grandmother, who was “her person” whom she lived with and cared for her above all else, unexpectedly and near the holidays. Her grandmother had loved hosting a large family Christmas so Lottie decides to take it upon herself to host the entire family herself at the large estate. She sees it as the last opportunity because the home will be sold soon and the assets will be split among family members and without her grandmother, who was the glue in the family, she knows that there will not be any large family holidays anymore.

Lottie tries to prepare several days worth of feasts in the same way her grandmother would while dealing with lots of ups and downs with all of her family members (intentionally leaving this vague so I don’t give away too much of the story). Also throw in the fact that her former best friend turned boyfriend turned ex-boyfriend has moved back into the same English village and now they seem to be unable to stop crossing paths.

I lost my own grandmother 14 years ago today. It has been difficult that whole time, but even more so as I get closer and closer to the point where I will have been with her for as long as I have been without her. Just like Lottie in the story, my grandmother had left a Christmas gift for me under the tree before she passed (the necklace shown here). On this particular anniversary as I look back I am sad that she never got to meet my husband who is the love of my life, or my brilliant, hilarious, and talented stepdaughters who she would have completely adored… especially their quick wit. She lit up every room and had a special knack for making everyone feel important and seen.

Despite the tearful moments for me during this read, I really enjoyed the story, the various characters, the messages throughout, and how all of the stories played in together.

Thank you @netgalley and @avonbooks

A thoroughly enjoyable read for Christmas. 
Things are full of change, and not necessarily in a good way, for Lottie. Recently bereaved of her beloved Grandmother, Lottie is desperate to have just one last family Christmas in the house that holds so many happy memories for her. 
Not held back by the fact she can’t cook and is having to do everything by herself  Lottie had her sights set on a magical family Christmas. Unfortunately not all goes to plan, with the return of childhood friend and the person who broke her heart when at university, a possible pregnancy or two, a shock from the past for all the family, a scruffy dog, a Duchess cat and a porn star Lottie is facing an uphill struggle to provide the Christmas she had hoped for. 
Lots of fun, calamities & Christmas traditions make this book a joy to read over the Christmas period. Full of interesting characters & storylines that hold your interest throughout the book, this is a must have for your Christmas reading.

I went into this book with high hopes, as I found the premise to be really intriguing, but it turned out to be quite disappointing. It follows a girl who decides to host one last family Christmas in the manor house she grew up in before it is sold, but of course chaos ensues. I really like the idea of this, but it was just too much for me. Something went wrong every ten seconds and every time it was very overdramatic, making it annoying rather than funny. Like seriously, how many things can go on fire over the course of a few days?! There was also a second chance romance storyline, which was nice but very much overshadowed by all of the drama. Toned down slightly, this could have been a really fun, heartwarming Christmas story about the importance of family and giving love a second chance. Instead, it was juvenile and too over the top with some really annoying characters.

Lottie is determined to have one last Christmas with her family before the old manor house which has been in the family for years is sold. It's a time of heartbreak for Lottie for not only is she getting used to life without her beloved Nana Rose, but then an ex-boyfriend resurfaces which brings back lots of painful memories that Lottie has kept hidden. To say this the family is dysfunctional is an understatement, and as they begin to arrive in time for Christmas Eve old tensions soon threaten to bubble over.

One Family Christmas is a laugh out loud funny festive story that has so much going on it's a wonder anything ever gets accomplished but the family leave everything to Lottie who is determined to make sure that everyone has a wonderful Christmas time even if it exhausts her in the process. Everyone has something going on it their lives, from Lottie's mum and her toyboy boyfriend, to her brother's girlfriend who is desperately trying to make sense of this crazy family who she is meeting for the first time, add Lottie's ex-boyfriend into the mix, a daft dog called Dave who is besotted with Duchess the snooty cat, and you have all the right ingredients for a delightfully fun and festive Christmas read.

I read One Family Christmas on a dark and dreary afternoon when this talented author's special brand of Christmas magic was just what I needed to make me smile.

I really enjoyed this holiday novel.

All Lottie wants is one last  big christmas gathering of all her relatives after her beloved grandmother’s death.
The other family members are less than thrilled to be forced to be under the same roof but agree grudgingly.
Whether it’s handling her mother and her new (much younger) boyfriend, her aunt and uncle’s crumbling marriage, meeting her brother’s girlfriend for the first time (and realising it’s the young woman she sold a pregnancy test to) or the stray dog trying to catch the grumpy family cat, Lottie is sure she can handle anything the holday will throw at her ... until, that is, her ex-boyfriend walks back into her life after leaving her heartbroken years ago.

This rom-com-esque novel reminded me of the crazy christmas movies, where everything that CAN go wrong, DOES go wrong. It’s fast paced and you have multiple POVs that make it that much more interesting to follow the different characters. Some of the dramatic bits are a bit much at times, but all in all I loved the story and the characters, especially Lottie was very lovable. 

I would highly recommend this to anyone who is happy to have a little christmas drama on the page instead of in their own lives ;)
I also listened to the audiobook and can recommend that as well. Great narrator!

I really enjoyed this! I loved that it wasn’t solely focused around a love story (let’s be honest, that gets boring after a while) and involved huge family dramas as well. Each couple had their own story to tell and everyone interlinked; it just made a nice change from other books.

Such a perfect Christmas read, this one comes highly recommended by me!

As you all know, I tend to enjoy a chick lit kind of a book to break up the usual thrillers and true crime books I usually go for.  This one was perfect for that - although it was a chick lit read, I still felt it had some really good substance to it.

The majority of the story takes place over just a few days and chronicles  all that happens within this family, following the recent death of the family matriarch, Nana.  Lottie is a likeable main character ad the story is mainly told from her perspective.

I loved the fact that this book was a really realistic view of what most of our Christmases will look like.  Family coming together, having to see relatives we don't particularly like, secrets, food shortages, booze shortages (eek!), difficult relationships, crazy pets and more!  Any one looking for an easy Christmas read that still has a decent storyline to it will love this!

This was my fifth book by Bella Osborne (out of the seven she wrote so far), and while I hugely enjoyed all the other ones I found this rather disappointing. Maybe because my expectations were a bit higher than with other authors. But the story really wasn't that special.

It features stereotypical characters in an unoriginal plot, interspersed with some slapstick-like interactions. At least I liked the main character Lottie, and also wanted to find out if Zach would finally succeed with his surprise for Emily. This kept me going until the end.  

Knowing how well Osborne can write, always showing individuality when it comes to her characters and their stories, I do hope this was just a slip and in her next book she is back in top form.