This book was extremely cute! Sandy Barker is hilarious, and I cannot get enough of her stories! While following these women down their three different Christmas paths, I couldn't pick which one I liked the best! Or which one I most wanted to be. From the U.S. to the UK to Australia, these women were full of adventure. Along with a few steamy romances. Even though it's a Christmas book, this book will having you laughing out loud no matter what time of year it is!

Thank you NetGalley and One More Chapter for a complimentary copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Christmas Swap
By: Sandy Barker

REVIEW ☆☆☆☆

What would be your perfect Christmas Swap destination? Personally, I would like a white Christmas. In this story three women swap their homes for the Christmas holiday. Australia, Colorado and Oxfordshire are the destinations, and these places are obviously very different. But, that is the point of the story. Change. Getting unstuck from the rut of your life. Yes, the premise is reminiscent of The Holiday (a movie I love), but the similarities in no way detract from the joy of reading this delightful story. I had a fantastic time with The Christmas Swap, and I bet you will, too!

Favorite Quotes:

Flattery, flattery, flattery— in her experience, the three best ways to earn someone’s trust quickly.

Mr Tate, may I remind you that I am from Australia where we say the F-word on TV and include words like ‘bloody’ and ‘bugger’ in award-winning ad campaigns. Yes, I know that those are the height of profanity here in the UK, but in ’Straya”— she bunged on a broad Aussie accent—“ they are regularly heard on the playground.


My Review:

This was a fun, amusing, and low conflict women’s fiction holiday read, perfect for the days leading up to Christmas, which is exactly when I read it. While three separate romances were blossoming across the globe, the underpinning of the storylines was a long-standing twenty-year friendship between three women from three different continents. Their deep and supportive friendships were established as young girls when they met during family vacations in Hawaii and well maintained into adulthood. The type of friendship everyone yearns to have yet few can successfully sustain.

The author was new to me yet her smooth and relaxed writing style felt immediately comfortable, pleasantly familiar, and easy to follow. Her agile storytelling was engaging and insightful and I enjoyed her characters as much as their storylines. This was a fresh take on a familiar premise and while I was well entertained and enamored with all three couples, I will confess to loving Chloe a bit more for her fierceness.

Think about the movie “The Holiday” but on steroids. Other reviewers have said this was a “hug of a book”, “like a cup of Christmas tea by a cozy fire” and I couldn’t agree more. Readers are taken to Melborne, Australia, Oxfordshire, England and Denver, Colorado when 3 friends that met when their families were on vacation in Maui when the friends were children, swap where they spend their holiday.

Chloe, from Melbourne, is bummed that her parents decided to travel for holiday so she travels to Oxfordshire, England and spends time with Jules’ parents. She also ends up meeting the boy next door that happens to be someone she already knew existed.

Jules who desired a white Christmas decides to travel to Denver, Colorado where she learns a lot about herself and builds self confidence by navigating Lucy’s loud and opinionated family.

Lucy who wants to spend some time in a warm, exotic location sets off to spend Orphan’s Christmas with Chloe’s friends, including a wine maker that changes the path Lucy is headed.

All three girls discover so much about themselves when they were out of their normal element and able to look at what they really want out of life and learn to understand their friends in a deeper way. I fell so in love with these girls and their stories but maybe even more with those beautiful locales. I was able to picture myself in each place by the beautiful writing as Sandy spilled her heart onto the pages for us to enjoy. The Christmas Swap was a delightful story and everything I look for in a Christmas story.

Thank you One More Chapter, Sandy Barker and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was such a fun story, I really liked the travel aspect of the story and how all the girls stepped out of their comfort zones and took a chance to experience a different Christmas. I really enjoyed Lucy as a character and her time in Colorado, actually now that I've said this I really enjoyed Chloe's story as well. There's so much going on and so many great characters I can't recommend this book enough!

Perfect if you love The holiday!

When Chloe, Jules, and Lucy all decide to be the May Ladies and bffs forever at the age of 11, it binds them for life. Twenty two years later, all three girls are in need of a shakeup in their lives and spontaneously decide to swap Christmases. Chloe flies to Oxfordshire England and was expecting to spend Christmas with Lucy’s family, only what pops up on the doorstep was something (or someone?) who might change her world forever. Meanwhile, Jules finds herself in Melbourne Australia where she begins to feel she is at home, not to mention the hot winemaker that has caught her eye. Lucy has been wanting a normal “traditional” Christmas and she finds herself caught up in the chaos of Jules’ family, the biggest surprise being when did Jules’ brother Will get so hot? The girls are all realizing this is a Christmas none of them will forget.

💭 Loved this one! This novel was exactly what I needed. It gave me major Holiday in the Sun vibes in which the girls all meet a dreamboat on vacation. Each character was easily relatable as they learned how to grow up and figure out what they really wanted. Such an entertaining read from start to finish and the author did a great job hitting major topics, without getting toooo deep and keeping things lighthearted.

A sweet story of three friends who find The One during Christmas. I really loved the concept of 'swapping' Christmas. The characters are likeable and well-portrayed. Overall, this was a good Christmas read.

The Christmas Swap is a fun, festive rom-com about three lifelong friends who swap places for the holidays, a la The Holiday! Set in Australia, England, and Colorado, the 'May Ladies' are exposed to their friends' very different holiday traditions, giving them a new perspective and even serving up some romance along the way.

I loved how the writing really painted a festive picture of each location and how, through the swaps, you really got to know each one of the girls. And while each girl got to experience a bit of romance, this story was so much more than that. It was a story about friendship, family (and the family you choose), and how a bit of festive magic can help one learn new things about themselves.

The only downside was that I found that all of the romances moved very quickly. This was likely necessary in order to squeeze three love stories into one book; however, it was a tad unrealistic as a result. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the fast-paced romances and would love to see this one adapted for the screen!

If you're looking for a quick pick-me-up romance this holiday season, I definitely recommend The Christmas Swap...word of warning, though: you may just find yourself wanting to book your own Christmas swap!

I have been on the hunt for a sweet Christmas story all month, and this book gives you three! I loved all three girls, and the author did such a wonderful job describing the settings. The only thing that bothered me is all three stories featured an insta-love type romance, and I wish the stories were a bit different. Overall, though, this is a fantastic light holiday read.

If you are looking for a little Christmas escapism with some romance thrown in, then this is the book for you! If you've seen the film "The Holiday" well this is similar as the ladies within the story admit, only three times the fun.

The best thing about this book for me, particularly at the moment, is that it was set in three locations and I felt like I had a little holiday in all of them. We have Oxford (taking in London), Colorado and Melbourne. I loved that Melbourne had some descriptions of the City landmarks and even looked them up online, which made it all the more real. I also enjoyed reading about the different Christmas traditions, such as the popcorn stringing in America (which I have never really understood).

The story centres around three best friends Chloe, Jules and Lucy who all live in different countries and they agree to swap their Christmases with each other. Of course each of them finds romance in their new location, but it doesn't always run smoothly or to plan.

There's not much more to say other than snuggle down, be whisked away to a different scene and enjoy.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have always dreamed of experiencing a White Christmas. yes, that is on my list and it does not matter that I am not a Christian.

So, back to the story.

The various perspectives giving me a window to kind of examine my own relationships with my myriad of friends. How when we are taking it out on each other, someone may be coming from a place where I may not know what they have experienced. Kind of makes you want to look at situations with much more focus.

The characters – not just the three best friends – are well rounded and even though not one person gets the spotlight for a longer period of time, especially the love interests, as a reader I felt I was getting to know the various aspects of their characters as if I had known them for ages.

The setting of the novel takes the cake though. In reading one book, with one timeline, I get to experience three Chistmases! And, one of them a dream that I want to live in real life as well!

FYI, I actually believed that London (or England in general maybe) will be the place where I may get my White Christmas but apparently that is not so!

Lastly, I loved Ms Barker’s writing style very much and I will be looking up more of her books.

So, if like me, you love reading Christmas stories, you’ll want to pick this one up, cozy with a hot chocolate and enjoy the goodness.

A lovely little book about finding love during the holidays where you least expect it. Three women change lives for the holidays and not only do they discover their perfect match, but they also learn about themselves and their careers. While it reads like a perfect Hallmark movie, it's a nice reminder of what's important and how stepping out of your comfort zone and always lead to personal growth and often something better in your life. So go ahead and push yourself. A perfect book to curl up with by the fire and Christmas tree with a hot mug of spiked cocoa!

This felt like the gift that kept on giving. We don't get just one Christmas romance, but 3! One for Jules, one for Chloe and one for Lucy. And they were very different love stories. Almost like they were trying to give us so much that it was a bit too much for one novel.

This would have been absolutely perfect as a small 3-book series where they could be read as standalones with interconnected characters and each of the May Ladies could get their moment in the sun.

Chloe's was a whirlwind and maybe (really) far-fetched. I'm not so convinced on the depth and I think we needed a longer timespan in their story for it to be really believable.

Lucy's wasn't given the time it deserved. Her story was the most believable and I felt like we weren't given a fair enough resolution compared to what the other May Ladies were given. Again, this could have been easily rectified with either a few more pages or putting the stories as standalones.

Jules' was my favourite story, though, because although it was a romance, it was also a lot about her personal growth and making changes for herself. I would have loved her story as a standalone and gotten an epilogue of like 6 months later to see how she was doing after the results of her Christmas story.

All in all, this was a book that got me excited about their stories but not enough alone time with each of the girls' stories for me to feel fully satisfied.

A sweet feel good book where we learn about how people spend Christmas in American, England and Australia.
My favourite couple was Lucy and Will. They were such realistic characters.
Perfect to put you in the holiday mood.

I read this as part of the One More Chapter blog tour that ran from 8th Dec to 11th Dec and it was a fantastic readalong hosted by the lovely Claire. Thanks also to Netgalley for the review copy in return for my honest review.

When I was asked to get involved in this readalong and blog tour I couldn't resist, this year for one has been filled with lots of negativity and hard times so a fun festive read in Dec was exactly what i was looking for, I loved this book so much and it didn't disappoint. Filled with humour, lots of laughs and just all round Christmas feels it was hard not to feel the happiness that a sprinkle of a good Christmas book can do to you.
I was rooting for the characters throughout and loved all their parts equally, it was a quick read and very hard to put down.
All in all i loved it and would urge anyone to pick it up.

An absolutely gorgeous Christmas romance. This was the perfect escapism for me, especially in a year when travelling for Christmas wasn't possible.

Lucy's timeline was my favourite, and I loved her growth throughout the book.

However, there was a little too much insta love for me. All of the romances were missing the build up, which is my favourite thing to read.

This was a fab book! It reminded me of the film The Holiday which I absolutely love so I was always most likely going to like this. It definitely has some brilliant characters and the plot is solid. Definitely a book for the festive period and it just made me smile while reading.

If you loved the movie The Holiday, then this is the book for you!

This was a fun holiday romance set in England, Colorado and Melbourne.
When 3 friends, who've kept their friendship going since they met in vacation in Hawaii at 11 decide to swap Christmases well they all find love?

Loved the settings, adorable and hunky guys and the friendship.

Such an cute book and it's actually Christmas-y!

I absolutely loved this.

Was like the film the holiday and even better to read but with a more girlie tone to it.

I loved each of the girls and thought they were all fab. They has the best friendship and I loved how they swapped houses. They got to love the other ones life. I loved how they all got their wishes and happy ending.

I’ve told every one to read this as it’s fab.

3,5 Stars

Three girls from America, UK and Australia meet at the age of 11 - and are still BFFs 20 years later. During a Facetime call they realize that each wants what the other has - at least for Christmas. So they decide to 'swap' their Christmasses. Jules flies to Melbourne to celebrate a Christmas in summer with Chloes friends. Chloe meanwhile wants experience a traditional English Christmas and spends it with Lucy's parents. And Lucy dreams of a really white Christmas full of snow - and gets just that in Colorado, where she spents the holidays with Jules' family in a cabin.

I liked the idea of a swap in general, but would personally find it weird to be with a strange family during Christmas - especially if you are on very good terms with your own family and miss them during the festivities. Maybe I would visit my best friend and have at least her there with me. But thankfully there are three very handsome men in each city, who seem to have waited all their life just for our May Ladies.

Normally I would find it all a bit unrealistic, especially with the instant attraction between each couple. But I actually liked reading about the three women and their swapped Christmas. Maybe the "Christmas book" bonus helped there, they are allowed to be a bit cheesy.
I could also easily imagine a sequel.