If ever there was a book that makes you want to book a trip to Norway, it’s Christmas Island. It’s a perfect mix of Yuletide festivities and Island life where Holly finds herself trying to escape her life in London. She’s staying at her brother’s house whilst he’s in Spain, but when he’s delayed she finds herself being welcomed by the Islanders and being introduced to ancient Norwegian traditions. Add into this a large cat and a Viking and you’ve got the perfect recipe for this wonderful novel. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and the author for the chance to review.

Don’t expect a cutesy decorated Island because this is winter in an area off the coast of Norway! Which is cold and colder! Holly is needing a little break,, but she assumed her brother and his family would be there. They are in Spain, but will join her before the Christmas holiday.

Holly meets Tor the local, anti-social man on the island quite by accident. She almost stepped over the cliff and he saved her life. Holly is a Doctor and is grateful that he did so, she is hoping to hear word that she will be given a reprieve for her actions in an altercation with another fellow doctor even though he instigated the verbal abuse.

Both Tor & Holly are there for reasons to do with their mental state and could the Christmas Spirit of the Island help heal them and others?

The Island healed her brother Jack. What does the Christmas Island signify for healing broken spirits?

The author tackles a touching subject matter but in such a way that you don’t even realize that is what the subject matter really is until you delve into deeper thoughts of the emotions of the characters.
It’s all what you make this story do for you.
It can be a lighthearted Christmas read or touch you on a deeper path of emotions.

I would recommend this book to anyone!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

This book was so much fun to read and I really enjoyed it! Now is the time to read this book since it is about Christmas on a remote island. But the characters were so lovely, the plot so believable, and their romance so sweet. This book felt like receiving a warm hug the entire time I read it and I just cannot say enough positive things about it. I LOVED it!

This is a sweet easy read. The island is well described and it’s easy to picture how bleak and remote it is, while being Christmassy and welcoming too. However, there isn’t much plot and the romance just wasn’t enough for me. I’ll be honest I didn’t take to Holly which was a shame. I felt the book was really slow going, with a lot of time spent on describing different foods; it left me feeling very hungry but not much else. There isn’t much happening and I didn’t feel a real chemistry between Holly and Tor. It was a sweet read but I was hoping for slightly more.

A cute and cosy Christmas tale, set on a gorgeous Norwegian island, but the romance failed to deliver.

Ah I was looking for an uplifting Christmas book full of joy, but Christmas Island left me feeling a bit meh... Most of the reviews rate this highly, but I just felt that the romance was lacking.

I did find this an easy, comfortable read, which was low on drama, and the setting was very well described, with it's bleak, dark and rainy island. I could certainly get a feel of what it would be like to live on the sparsely populated, rugged island!
I enjoyed the friendships between the families on the island! There were some strong bonds, and they were all so involved in each other's lives, it was cute!
I loved reading about all the Norwegian customs at Christmas, what they did, what they wore, and mostly, the delicious food they ate! My mouth was watering, reading about the Norwegian desserts and cakes! Thank you so much to Natalie Normann for including some of those recipes at the end of the book, I look forward to trying them!

Ultimately though, Frøy the giant cat was the best character in this book! I loved him, he was adorable! Where can I find myself one?!

Although, Christmas Island was a nice, gentle read, it did disappoint me. It had such potential with the city doctor meets the hairy hermit on a remote island, whilst they were both fighting personal demons...but I found the romance a bit of a let down! It all felt very rushed, and the main characters had very little chemistry. The actual romance couldn't have been any more fade to black if it tried, with a fade to black kiss and the sex scenes off page. I felt like it was written for middle grade readers, and I've certainly read YA books which were more raunchy than this! 🤣🤣Steam level -1

I also felt that the book was very surface level, and I wanted more depth. I wanted the book to delve into why both of the main characters were on the island, but it didn't really, until near the end, and I personally found it a very unsatisfying reveal! I found the ending a bit rushed, and it left me feeling a bit unfulfilled?

It wasn't the worst book I've read, it was well written, and it was obvious that the author had actually experienced Christmas in Norway, with the detailed setting and descriptions. It just didn't give me that happy feeling, and it wasn't very memorable.
If you're looking for a very cosy, PG rated romance, where you can escape to a Norwegian island for Christmas, learning about all the wonderful food and customs, give this one a go!

A delightful seasonal romance. Although this is not my normal genre, I really enjoyed it as it was warm and cosy in these difficult times. It was beautifully written with stunning descriptions of coastal Norway in winter. Having been to Norway in winter, I know Natalie describes it perfectly. I would not advise reading it if you are on a diet as everyone in the book seems to spend their time eating delicious sounding food. There are some recipes at the end of the book after the acknowledgements.

I really loved Natalie Normann’s first English language novel, Summer Island, so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to return to the same Norwegian island for her new novel Christmas Island. This book embraces the whole ‘koselig’ ethos (I’m sure you’ve heard of the Danish ‘hygge’, which has a similar meaning), and once I’d calmed down from Holly’s fraught introduction to the island, I just knew the setting was going to be absolutely perfect.

I have frequently dreamed of going to Norway again, after I was there two years ago, and I had hoped to fly there this November, but sadly the global pandemic meant that I simply had to settle for a Norwegian romance to give me the escapism I so desperately needed, and it really delivered.

From the outset, I loved Holly and her quirkiness, and as the Norwegian love interest, Tor a handsome but troubled Viking was outshone only by his cat Frøy, who was possible the most intelligent cat I’ve ever met in a book! It was lovely to return to the island and the characters who lived there, including Jack, Holly’s big brother, and Ninni, his partner, however this book would definitely work as a standalone (although I highly recommend you check out Summer Island if you have not read it!).

I can’t deny that I am a huge fan of books that, in addition to containing a romance in a stunning location, also have a strong food-related content, and this book really did not disappoint. I loved the sound of the food at the Christmas market and was overjoyed to find some delicious traditional Norwegian recipes at the back of the book, which I think I am going to try out over Christmas. It has also made me even more determined to return to Norway in winter one day when it is safe to do so, if only to try some of the wonderful street food at a market.

This was such a beautifully gentle romance, wrapped in such a wonderfully warm and cosy or ‘koselig’ spirit, that it will brighten even the darkest of Norwegian days. I really want Norwegian romance to be a new sub-genre because I am completely sold on it, and Natalie Normann is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

CHRISTMAS ISLAND has a lot of the elements needed for a cozy holiday romance: a gorgeous setting, an adorable animal sidekick, and lots of detailed descriptions of holiday treats that left me wanting to bake up a storm. On the surface level, the story was entertaining and easy to get through quickly. I kept hoping for more depth in terms of character development and the romance, though, and ended up being disappointed.

Holly and Tor are each looking to get away from their problems by spending Christmas on an unnamed island in Norway. Holly is a doctor on leave from the hospital in London where she works, desperately hoping that some time away visiting her brother and his new family will help clear her head. Tor is the island's hermit who refuses to interact with the islanders and seems to be running from something in his past. They meet shortly before Christmas when Tor's giant, fluffy black cat Frøy nearly scares Holly off a cliff's edge and Tor is there to save her. We learn a little more about Holly and Tor over the course of CHRISTMAS ISLAND but not much beyond biographic information and what their lives off the island look like. Even the big reveals about why each of them is on the island for Christmas seemed a bit one-dimensional and didn't serve much purpose other than to advance the plot. The most well-rounded character in the book is absolutely Frøy who steals every scene he's in.

I also found myself a bit frustrated with how squeaky-clean this book is. The first kiss between the love interests is a fade-to-black kiss?! I have read YA novels that are more sexually explicit than CHRISTMAS ISLAND. This seemed to be an aggressively G-rated story. When the characters eventually do have sex, I didn't even realize it had happened until pages later when one of the love interests gets teased about it by someone else. I am definitely not one who needs heaps of sexual chemistry to find a romance interesting -- in fact I typically find romances that rely entirely on sexual tension fall flat for me -- but this complete lack of any physical chemistry alongside the one-dimensional characters made Holly and Tor's relationship really hard to root for.

As just a regular, cozy Christmas story, CHRISTMAS ISLAND was enjoyable. As a Christmas romance, not so much. If anything I would recommend this just for the lovingly detailed descriptions of Norwegian holiday desserts because they were *chef's kiss*.

Holly’s arrival on the small island is somewhat of an adventure. Norwegian winter days are short so it’s dark very early. When she almost falls of a cliff but is rescued by the peculiar but friendly cat Frøy and his even more peculiar owner Tor it’s the start of a week which is different as what she expected.

She is put on leave from the London hospital she is working at and her brothers house on the island is, at least according to her brother Jack, the place to go to and get back to herself.

She meets locals and is in regular contact with her brother who is visiting his mother in law with his partner Ninni and their little daughter Rosie.

Holly goes fishing, finds out that Tor is not the hermit the island tells he is and discovers something else as well, she likes being on this island, with it’s peace and quiet.

She helps at the market and has lots of fun. But then there is this message from the hospital she was dreading for….she has to return to the hospital.

This is a winter warming story filled with lots of Norwegian traditions. Also a lot of Norwegian foods are explained and as somebody who lived in Norway in her youth I was longing back to the koselig Jul’s I’ve had back there!

Characters = 9 | Atmosphere = 9 | Writing Style = 9 | Plot = 9 | Intrigue = 9 | Logic = 9 | Enjoyment 9 | Score 9.00 = 5 stars

Next year you can send all of my holiday cards to me in Norway because after reading this book I am determined to spend Christmas there on an island eating every kind of cake. I will be a little disappointed if I don’t meet a super charming fluffy black cat but I can make do.

Holly leaves her London to spend the holidays with her brother’s family in Norway. When her brother is delayed in Spain she has a few days to herself on the small island and meets Tor (and his super charming fluffy black cat) who is also visiting the island. He has been a recluse during his stay so far but can’t help wanting to spend time with Holly and introduce her to traditional confections. A lovely cast of supporting characters and a fabulous setting make up for the fact that Holly got on my nerves. I will definitely be seeking out holiday books in other fun locales.

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

3.5 stars
Definitely for those in the mood for a cozy Christmas romance!
We are dropped right in the midst of the story in this novel and meet the love interests right away.
This was definitely a cozy romance. It didn’t have the typical “drama” a lot of romances do, which I appreciated. Just a cutesy love story.
It’s warm, and fuzzy with a slow burn romance.
Very Christmassy. Perfect for this time of year!

*special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a lovely Christmas romance! It has the same kind of cozy, romantic vibe as the movie The Holiday, but the Norway setting adds an extra fun layer of armchair travel. This is the perfect story to curl up with by the fire and I look forward to rereading even closer to Christmas.

What I really loved about this book (apart from Frøy the cat) was the wilderness of the island and how it explores Norwegian Christmas traditions and customs, that really gave it a unique hook to me. Holly and Tor's relationship had all the right amounts of tension and chemistry and they were both likeable characters. I just felt a bit disappointed at the ending, it felt a bit rushed and abrupt to me.

Holly has escaped London over Christmas to stay at her brother's house on an Norwegian island. Her brother is away when she arrives so she's left to find her own way around. She gets lost and ends up on the wrong side of the island. When she is rescued by the local hermit Tor there is a spark.

Such an adorable story. I loved the setting and hearing about Norwegian traditions. I loved the 'feel good' feeling about life on the island and it's characters. Uplifting, funny, sweet and a dash of romance. The perfect story to read with a mug of hot chocolate and a cosy blanket.

Lovely story of finding love and yourself on a Norwegian Island over Christmas. You can have a winter wonderland story with a real emphasis on family and the joy of life.
There is also a lovely emphasis on Norwegian food- do not read when you are hungry!

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
First time reading this Author was an ok read nothing overly exciting.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for letting me read this book.
The setting and wonderful descriptions of the food are what made the book so different. Froy as well, was a fantastic addition to the story. Tor and Holly didn't have as much passion as I expected, but it was still a lovely romance all the same. Well written and easy to read.
3.5 stars

This book is a great follow up to Summer Island, but it is not necessary to read that book first. The author gives us some great characters in Holly and Tor, along with some of the other inhabitants of the island. This lovely romance will whisk you away for a Norwegian Christmas experience!

This was a wonderful, uplifting escapist read which has definitely helped get me into the Christmas spirit. I think that this would be the perfect book to read on the run up to Christmas preferably curled up under a cosy blanket with a hot drink.

Firstly the author does a great job of setting the scene in this book and I loved the vivid descriptions of the beautiful, rugged Island. There is a lot of information about Norway and their Christmas customs included in the story which I found fascinating to learn about. The food in particular is wonderfully described and sounded incredibly yummy, that I wished I could try it too.

The characters are all brilliant creations and I enjoyed following them throughout the book. I absolutely loved funny, quirky Holly and warmed to her quickly. Her budding relationship with Tor, the local hermit, was lovely to read about. They seemed to compliement each other really well and I loved the chemistry between them. I found I had to keep reading to find out what happens to them.

Overall I really enjoyed this heartwarming, festive read from a new author for me. There was something very addictive about the story and I often found myself thinking about the book when I wasn’t reading. The recipes at the back of the book were a nice touch and I can’t wait to try some of them soon.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to One More Chapter for my copy of this book via Netgalley. I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to get into the festive spirit!

Wow a beautiful enchanting read perfect for this time of year! Such an immersive experience due to the gorgeous descriptions of the Norwegian edible delicacies, the fjords, the darkness and coldness! You felt instantly transported there and part of the customary celebrations,with friends and family aplenty!
The amazingly likeable characters all exhibiting kindness,festive cheer and friendship makes this book a real feel good read that you won’t want to end!
Thank you netgalley for this early read.