Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Connie travels to Germany in December to meet Heinrich who she has been talking to online for the last few months. She takes a group of people from the sheltered accommodation that she delivers meals to so they can scatter one of their friends ashes who lived Christmas. She meets Heinrich who owns a bakery and ticks of all the things on her check list to find the perfect man but the one thing he does not tick is love. Can she find love in the Christmas market or will she return home alone.

Another brilliant book from Jo.

First thanks to Netgalley for this ARC. This was just what I needed in this moment. I love Christmas markets and all Christmasy and this book has it all.
And thr slow burning romance. Just lovely.
4 stars for me.

When Connie's husband left her when their son went to University she decided to try online dating.
After one disaster too many Connie has just about given up. What she hadn't counted on was the cunning of one of the residents at the Lavender Hill Retirement Flats where Connie works.
She has been set up on a date with Heinrich. The only problem is that the date it in Germany and she has to take a minibus of elderly residents with her.
When they reach the village where they are staying Connie is enchanted by the little village and it's Christmas Market. She can't wait to meet Heinrich after talking to him online for the past few months she feels confident that he will tick all of the boxes on her list, the list her son Sam insisted she make when she started online dating. She is also worried that in real life he won't be what he said he is.
Connie only wants to love and be loved but will the Christmas magic she feels in the village work it's way into not only her heart but the hearts of the residents of Lavender Hill that are with her.

Connie knows that life and love runs smoothest when you follow your lists. After being burned before she knows that ticking the boxes is all that matters. When Connie and her merry band of pensioners head to Germany to scatter their friends ashes and meet the man sure to tick Connie's boxes they don't plan on getting involved in the warring towns Christmas festivals but under the guise of Christmas memory making they very quickly become part of the town and its adventures. As for Connie Heinrich ticks all the boxes he was meant to but Connie soon discovers that even with the right ingredients you need the alchemy to make it work and maybe she is looking at the wrong boxes to tick.
The story is really cute, the group of pensioner's who Connie has befriended through work all have their own part to play. Connie is likeable and someone I think lots of women will relate to. The German markets are beautifully described and I think the setting is perfect. It was just missing a little spark for me to get me really impressed but it was a good, light romance that will tick the boxes for those who love a Christmas romcom.

Despite not being able to travel to a Christmas Market this year. Jo Thomas transported me straight to Germany with the scent of hot chocolate in the air and a shiver of cold..

Connie is taking minibus full of pensioners with her to Germany for a date and small holiday, on paper Heinrich is perfect for Connie but is he too good to be true? As the days pass the pensioners become almost part of the small community of the old town to help them win the contest which is held every year between the old town and new town..

Such a fun, festive book which practically jingles when you read it

Thank you NetGalley, Jo Thomas and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the book Finding Love at the Christmas Market. This is my personal review.
I love Christmas markets and combining them with Connie going to find love there was a story I just had to read.
The description of the market made me feel as if I were there with them. But there was no warm fuzzy feeling for me as I read this book. It was a good story but it lacked the feeling I wanted from it.

I initially found the main character, Connie, irritating. Having a checklist to see whether a man matches up to her expectations ... It was so clinical. Further along in the book she does have a change of perspective though. I loved the descriptions of Germany, baking gingerbread, and the Christmas market. This is definitely a good book to get you in the festive mood. The older people who accompany Connie to Germany are brilliant - very entertaining. I have to say that I didn't find the romance entirely believable. It was very quick for one thing. It needed to pack more of a punch. More interaction was needed between the two characters. But a nice read all in all. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books which really spreads the joy and love of Christmas... it really takes the time to show what should be important. The idea of spending time with family and friends, and what real Christmas spirit is all about.

I found this to be a delightful little read full of interesting characters who I could really find myself investing in. The pensioners were a lively bunch who brought some real adventure to Connie's life.

There was a delightful twist at the end which I loved, and this book just filled me with Christmas joy.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. I was approved a while ago but i needed it to be cold and later in the year before i got festive.

I have loved jos previous books so was excited to read this.

This ticked all the boxes for a feel good Christmas book and lets face it we all need a bit of magic .

I was transported to the german christmas market with its sights and sounds. Jos desriptive and creative writing sets the scene and makes it come alive.

Fantastic charactars and a array of personalities. A story of finding who you are and what your dream is. Surely its with Henrich who is a great catch….or is it?

A beautiful ,heartwarming and uplifting book. This is bound to have you reaching for a mince pie and hot chocolate.

Perfect for fans of Milly Johnson and Cathy Bramley

Published 29th October

Finding Love at the Christmas Market is possibly one of my favourite Christmas books ever. From the very first page I was hooked.
Connie is heading to Germany with a group of elderly residents of a sheltered home she delivers meals to. They set off to scatter the ashes of Elsie their mutual friend and in doing this they discover what Christmas means to everyone of them.
Connie has another reason for the trip! She is meeting up with Heinrich a man she has met on line. The question is will he tick all her boxes or is love more important.
This book wrapped me up in a Christmas blanket and took me straight to the German Christmas Market to drink Gluhwein and eat Gingerbread. I didn’t want this Christmas magic to end.
If I could give it more than 5 stars I would.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for my early copy.

This is a very surprising novel, in more ways than one.
Jo works in an elderly person's home, where she is the activities co-ordinator, and also drives the ancient mini bus for appointments, and outings. She is also single. Somehow she finds herself on a blind date, with Heinrich a baker in Germany, who seems to fit for someone who she would get along with. She bakes cakes and biscuits, but wants to learn bread-making.
She volunteers to take 12 elderly people, some suffering from Alzheimers, and memory loss, to the German Christmas market, whilst meeting her blind date. The trip isn't without drama, when they nearly miss the departure time for their adventure.
However, when she meets Heinrich, she discovers that he is very rich, and his bread is mass produced, but his snooty mother wants him to get married as soon as possible. Jo is horrified, having met his rival baker, William, who is a rival baker, who promises to teach her the art of mindful bread-making.
There is so much fun, and laughter is this book, and it is a tonic to read. Thank you to the publisher, and Net Galley for the chance to read it.

This book follows the journey of Connie, a single mum, and her elderly friends to Germany to meet with a date.

Connie is hesitant about online dating after a few unforgettable disasters and decides to follow a check-list of potential partner must-haves so as to avoid any mistakes. Baker Henrich ticks all the boxes, but when Connie meets Henrich's rival William, she starts to wonder if ticking boxes is the answer.

This is a heartwarming story with such lovable characters. You can easily lose yourself in Connie’s journey and learn a lot of lessons about life. Sometimes everything that seems perfect might not actually be real and honest.

Life isn’t all about ticking the right boxes, it’s also about the unexpected events that we are unprepared for, which makes the journey more fun and worthwhile.

The description of the Christmas markets, twinkling lights, hot chocolate, the gingerbread and cakes, are all the elements to make it a great festive read.

Thank You to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for this ARC!

Connie is off to Germany to a Christmas Market. She is driving a mini bus full of old age pensioners and is hoping that her online date will live up to her checklist!
The lights and the smells bring back memories to her passengers and soon a good time is being had by all but will Heinrich tick all the boxes or will Connie find true love somewhere else!!

Connie caters for the local care home and she has made friends with this eclectic mix of elderly men and women. So much so that they are just invested in Connie's happiness as they are in their own. Connie is trying to find love and after some rather disastrous mistakes it seems she has forged a burgeoning friendship with Hendrich online and now it is time to meet.

Thanks to Pearl, one of the care home residents it looks like Connie is about to do that and she can see if he ticks all the boxes.

However Connie did not expect to be bringing Pearl and the other residents on a trip to Germany to a Christmas market along with her on her first date. It all seems to be going well until Connie finds herself stuck between two different versions of Christmas, of two Christmas markets, Christmas memories and also Christmas romance.

Is having a list the right way to start a relationship?

As we see Connie and Hendrich on various dates, we also see how Pearl and the gang start embarking on all the things they miss and love about Christmas. It seems that one Christmas market has the answer when the other perhaps doesn't have what everyone is looking for.

I immediately warmed to Connie and her care home residents. It was as if she was giving them an adventure all of their own whilst the one she was planning was not going the way she wanted it to. Hendrich was not the man that I was expecting and was willing Connie to see what I could as the pages went by.

Was I going to get a happy ending?

Ha! That would be telling and why would I want to ruin your own trip to the Christmas Market. If you go, make sure you choose the right one!

I am relatively new to Jo Thomas novels and if this is the quality of the writing and the development of the characters then I am going to spend many a happy day going back and reading all her earlier work.

Jo Thomas does it again with her latest book, Finding Love at the Christmas Market. It follows the story of Connie who delivers meals to an old people’s home where the residents have become her friends. Connie seeks solace in baking and regularly delivers cakes to the home alongside the meals and always stops for a cuppa with them. When Elsie, one of the residents, passes away they decide to head off to Germany in time for the Christmas markets and to scatter her ashes as per her request. The trip brings them all closer together but also could there be a bit of Christmas love magic in the air? Beautifully written with great characters. The sights, sounds and smells are so well described it’s almost as if you are there. I can highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and the author for the chance to review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book. I love Jo Thomas! Jo's books never fail to put a smile on my face.

The book is centred around Connie who, with a son away at university living his best life, has decided that she wants to find someone for herself. After several disasters through online dating (including one who takes all of her money) she arranges, with the help of some pensioners to go to Germany to meet her latest dalliance (Heinrich). As always this doesn't go exactly to plan.
A woman wishing to find love who has a list and isn't afraid to use it, a Christmas market, good friends, a love rival, gingerbread and a Donkey make for a heartwarming and funny story. I wont spoil it for anyone but I cannot recommend this book enough

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Jo Thomas is an author I discovered earlier this year and I instantly fell in love with her writing style and her ability to transport you far and beyond. Finding Love at the Christmas Market was a fantastic, feel-good Christmas book that leaves you feeling all warm and happy inside! This follows the story of Connie, a loveable character who works at a residential home and has been unlucky in love. Together with an assortment of weird and wonderful characters, she sets off to Germany to meet up with Heinrich, who seems to tick all the boxes. She also meets his rival, William - and so Connie is on a mission to choose the right person for her and sort out her love life. The story is full of humour and Christmas spirit! One that I would highly recommend!

‘Finding Love At The Christmas Market’ is the latest book by Jo Thomas.

Residential-home caterer Connie has had one online-dating disaster too many. Hurt in the past and with her son to consider, now she’s feeling hesitant. Then one of Connie’s residents sets her up on a date at a beautiful German Christmas market – with the promise she’ll take a mini-bus full of pensioners with her.Amongst the twinkling lights and smell of warm gingerbread in the old market square, Connie heads off on her date with a check-list of potential partner must-haves. Baker Henrich ticks all the boxes, but when Connie meets Henrich’s rival William, she starts to wonder if ticking boxes is the answer.

Having consumed Jo’s previous book called ‘Escape to the French Farmhouse’ in one sitting, I was delighted to be offered the chance to read her new Christmas book about love, friendship and food.

The story is mostly seen through the narrative of Connie, a single mum who works for a local catering company that delivers food to a care home called Lavender Hill. It’s in this job, that has made friends with the residents of the care home, especially Pearl and has decided to help them with a task of bringing the ashes of their friend called Elsie back to her home country in Germany and be scattered at the Christmas markets. It just so happens that Connie is going to Germany to meet Heinrich, her last hope at online dating. With a minibus full of elderly people who have far from lost their lust for life. They begin a 5 day adventure in Germany, embracing life and new friendships.

I loved this book, it warm, full of heart and is the perfect distraction during a pandemic. I loved Connie, she’s a kind woman, who puts other people’s happiness before her own. When she meets Heinrich, he ticks all the boxes that she’s looking for in a man. Now that her grown up son has Sam has left the nest and got himself a girlfriend, Connie is looking for company but is wary of the deception that is involved with online dating. Even though Connie wants her heart to belong to Heinrich, she finds herself drawn to William, who just so happens to be Heinrich’s enemy. Their family have been at loggerheads for years and come from bakeries in the opposing parts of the town. William is hoping that this year will be the year that his bakery will win the Christmas cake of the year and help bring in some funds to the Old Town and help mend his relationship with his wife and son. I loved William, he’s kind with a huge heart. I loved the interaction between Connie and William, from their awkward first meeting to her helping him with the baking.

This book is the perfect festive book to read. Filled with graphic scenes of the Christmas markets to the heady scents from the Christmas baked goods that seemed to leap from the pages. The story is beautifully written with wonderful characters and really highlights how people can easily be forgotten when they get older and are put into homes and out of the way. It made for sad reading in parts, as the characters reflected on how they were made to feel when family only wanted them for Boxing Day or for expensive gifts.

The humans weren’t the only great characters in this book, there was the inclusion of a sweet and deaf dog called Fritz who was able to put people at ease with his gentle nature. Like Jo’s previous books, this book is heavily food based with traditional German sweets and baked goods and Jo has included the recipes should the reader decide to create their own.

A story of new beginnings and new memories, this festive story is filled with love and heart, ‘Finding Love at the Christmas Market’ is a fun and captivating story that is packed with Christmas cheer and love.

You can buy ‘Finding Love At The Christmas Market’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.

What an incredible book! I absolutely loved everything about this book!!! It had everything covered love and loss - new friendships and new relationships forming and addressing/dealing with grief. All the characters in his book are amazing - kind, thoughtful and hilarious - the kind of characters stick with you! I found I myself sooo invested in the characters and the book and storyline to be very character led! I loved it!

It had every festive feel you could want from a Christmas books and really made you warm and fuzzy inside! The setting of this book, surrounding the German markets, with the snow was absolutely perfect!

I love laughed throughout this book and I’m sure many of us know family members/family friends, who fit right in with the amazing pensioner gang in the book!!

I love the message that was put across in this book? That Christmas and life isn’t about winning, it isn’t about ticking the boxes and all being well and good! It’s about going with the flow, doing and feelings what’s right and letting things happen naturally! We don’t need the material things to make us happy, people and events come and go but the memories last forever! I think it’s important for everyone to remember that the memories and happiness that they bring are important-not materialistic things! It also puts across how single, elderly people with no families may feel affected by Christmas and it’s not that some people are Scrooge’s or miserable but that they don’t enjoy certain events and situations for good reason, however with help from people they love it can change!!

A funny beautiful story, with a purpose and an important message :)

This is by far one of my favourite Christmas books and one I will be sure to read again

Heartwarming story to curl up with, the story follows Connie who has her checklist to find love...can it be that easy, alongside Connie the group of pensioners where she serves meals are travelling to scatter their friends ashes. Moments of laughter and tears and a wonderful Christmas book.