Favorite Quotes:

“Bugglas Booker is awake,” she said with a sniff. “I think he’s a bad baby, Auntie Flora. He is very cross.” “Douglas,” said Flora for the nine hundredth time. “His name is Douglas.”

“Turkey is ’orrible! Is huge dry chicken! Huge dry unhappy chicken!! … Do not eat unhappy animals!! Is unhappy! That is why”— he paused for emphasis—“ so many fights at Christmas.”

“Who is that new chap anyway?” said Mrs. Brodie suspiciously. “I’m just saying. He’s a bit of a ride and no mistake.”

They hadn’t had quite such an entertaining evening since Wullie Stevenson had gotten his false teeth stuck bobbing for apples at Halloween and scared the living death out of all the children by taking them out, apple and all.

“She is being the brattiest brat in the history of terrible brats… Would you like another kid? You’ve already got one, it shouldn’t be too much trouble.” “Most people wait till after eight A.M. on Christmas morning to try to give their children away,” said Flora… “Seriously, you don’t even have to keep her, you can sell her to pirates,” said Eilidh…

“But you make me not want to be a jerk,” he said. “Well, I’m not sure it’s working.”

My Review:

It is still close enough to Christmas with a nip in the air, so I see no reason to stop reading Christmas stories, and this one was good fun and hit all the feels from the lows of grief and humiliation to the highs of a freshly acquired sense of purpose and pride as well as new and deepening love affairs. Plus, I adore Jenny Colgan and I will read her any chance I get, regardless of the season. The cleverly constructed storylines were engaging and relatable and packed with wry levity and amusing observations from a large cast of compellingly quirky and complex characters. I giggled-snorted and gleefully laughed aloud several times during perusal and cannot recall ever enjoying a nativity scene as entertaining as this one.

And as a bonus I have a new addition to my Brit Words and Phrases list with blowsy; which Mr. Google tells me is course, untidy, and sluttish. Score! I have plans for that word, big plans…

This is the first Muir book I've read as opposed to listened to, and I'm glad I had the other audiobooks under my belt because I could hear the Scottish dialect as I was reading, and didn't stumble over any of the names. This was a lovely addition to the story line, and I do hope there will be another book to talk more about the Islanders. There are still so many loose threads! I have a running list of favorite scenes in books, and the scene with Konstantin, when Agot gets her Christmas present is definitely on it!

A festive feel good story! Jenny Colgan completely charmed me with this wintery whimsical tale. this is the fourth book that takes place on this fabulous fictional island of Mure off the Scottish coast. having not read the previous books I was a little concerned at first, but I was not confused or lost at any time during the story. I felt as though Jenny did a marvelous job of catching the reader up with the characters. The story focuses on quite a few characters with the main focus being on Isla and Constantine. Isla is a local girl excited to work at the new fancy hotel. Constantine is a bit of a mystery (The reader is privy to his backstory but no one in town knows his truth). The romance between these two characters was innocent and sweet. truly this entire book was like a big warm hug that I did not want to end. I was seriously ready to pack my bags and head to this small Scottish island, but then I remembered how cold it was. I just found the characters in the story so quirky and lovable. A heartwarming story that gave me the warm fuzzies.

this book in emojis ❄️ 🍞 ☃️ 🫖 🏨 ⛴ 🎄

*** Big thank you to William Morrow for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

This was a wonderfully sweet Christmas story. I loved catching up with all my favorite Mure residents.

I did feel at times there were too many characters to keep track of (some have such similar names: Isla/Iona) and there were a couple of instances of dragging, but overall a very nice Christmas-adjacent story.

I didn't get a big Christmasy feel from this book, unfortunately. It seemed to be just "set" at Christmas, without the feel and sensation of it.

This is not a series where you can jump right in with book 4. You will need to read the previous three books to get a good understanding of the characters and the setting.

Christmas at the Island Hotel is a fun, sweet story, perfectly read on a cold winter day with a large mug of milky tea.

Thank you to Netgalley who provided me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unlike some of my previous reviews, I think I’m going to keep this one short and to the point, if at all possible. This book really was not what I was expecting and it didn’t totally work for me. Did I have the wrong expectations? Was this pitched to the wrong audience? These are the questions I’ve been asking myself upon finishing this book.

This book statistically speaking had a handful of good things on its side: diversity, representation, open minded characters, decent conflict resolution, and a cute dog.

What this book also had was a vast number of characters, and while it is the fourth in a series, I don’t believe you’d need to have read the others to fully understand who is who or what is what. The author did an okay job of recalling characters for new readers like me, and after a few mentions of specific characters I was able to keep track of everyone as we meandered on.

The overarching theme of this story is the grand opening of a new hotel in a small Scottish village, and how that hotel affects everyone living there. We saw some blooming romances (one that I thought was paced quite nicely, and another that felt completely left field), familial and romantic relationships that needed mending, and so many characters who each had their own ‘thing’ that they were dealing with. When I reflect back, it was a nice way to show that even in a small town, everyone has something they are working on personally, or trying to overcome.

Sadly, something or multiple things about this story just didn’t work for me. The chapters were incredibly short, and I’m the type of reader who likes to take a break between chapters. It was a struggle to keep reading after just a page or two when the story abruptly stopped and we started following a different character.

I’m not sure if it was the pace of the chapters or the depth of the story overall, but I didn’t really care what happened to anyone in this novel. It was like I was following these people around for nearly a month and formed no emotional connection to anyone, except maybe the dog? I clearly didn’t enjoy this, and would rather think and talk about something else, so I’m going to end this here.

Escape to an island between Scotland and Norway for this holiday. Load of characters fill the new hotel. Unlikely pairing occur in the kitchen as Isla , the waitress, believes a better life awaits her. Konstantin is also kitchen help, but keeps his identity secret. He is actually a prince, sent by his family to learn the meaning of hard work . Everyone is working hard toward the hotel’s grand opening. Colman’s writing transports you to Mure Island. A large cast of characters and happy endings.

A quick light read for Holiday fiction lovers. Although the author attempts to bring readers up to speed, to fully appreciate this story it would be helpful to have read other books in the series.

Jenny Colgan's Christmas at the Island is a welcoming visit back to island of Mure. It feels like visiting with old friends. Colgan brings in the cast together again in a heartwarming Christmas story that has a festive and fun plot. Readers of the Mure series will greatly enjoy this latest edition and the fact that author, Colgan, leaves it open for future books on Mure.

This is the 4th book set on the island of Mure. I’m Jenny Colgan fan, and in my opinion, this was one of her best books. It brings back characters that past readers are familiar at Christmas time. The plot was great, we have Flora back with her baby and a wealthy guy who was banished from his family and now has to work for a living. During his time on Mure he shows his true colors.
I recommend this book, 4 stars.

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read both Christmas on the Island and Christmas at the Island Hotel this weekend, hoping for quaint and cozy Christmas stories, but honestly I was disappointed by the disjointedness, the lack of real warmth, and the slow-moving plot I found in both books. I have loved Colgan books in the past, and was bummed that these didn't have the magic or heart of previous stories from her.

A delightful and entertaining Christmas story -- just as expected, although it was a little lengthy, but I didn't mind because I enjoyed the characters.

At first there was hesitation because it’s part of a series and I hadn’t read any of the other books. After looking online and getting readers opinions I made the decision to dive in. I loved this story. There are a lot of characters but it wasn’t hard to figure out who was who. Set on a small island between Scotland and Norway the book revolves around the opening of a new hotel called The Rock. The chilly setting lends itself to the air of Christmas. There is humor, love and family ties aplenty. Definitely plan on reading the other books in the Mure collection. #Christmasattheislandhotel #Netgalley

Jenny Colgan had an incredibly unique way to tell a story. She weaves so many characters and stories together, but you somehow never get lost. You are invested in them all. Christmas at the Island Hotel was a heartwarming and beautifully written Christmas novel. It has all of the characters you love from her previous novels, but you don’t need to have read them to start here. It is cozy and well paced and the perfect holiday read.

Christmas at the Island hotel is a multi-perspective book that was interesting to read. We get to see the inner workings of the hotel, with the main focusing being on those who work in the kitchen and the owner of the hotel who is struggling to cope with everything. The owner of the hotel is very torn on what to do and is still grieving the loss of his significant-other, because of this we see some areas of the hotel falling short of what they should be which starts causing problems. Slowly things start to work out and a twist even gets thrown into it.
One of the really interesting areas of this book for me was that a Norwegian prince is basically exiled to work at the hotel by his father and is forced to make it out on his own. seeing him learn everything slowly and how he can adjust and he does change was something a little heartwarming to see happen.

Overall I did enjoy this book. All the characters were pleasant and had interesting backstories. I did get a few of them confused, and it did take me a while to figure out who everybody was because this is the fourth book in a series which I didn't realize until I looked it up to add it to currently reading on my Goodreads.
I did have a few favorites who I enjoyed reading more about than others, but overall once it got about halfway through the book and I was able to figure out quickly who each person was and how they connected I started to enjoy the story more.
The chapters in this book were short which was nice and made it go by even faster because it seemed like each chapter brought on a new issue or a fix for something that had happened. We see so many of the characters grow and learn throughout this one and it was nice to see people change and learn slowly. it was rather realistic when it came to certain struggles some of the characters were facing and it never tried to water down anything too much to make this a fully happy story which was nice to see.
I might pick up the other books in the series in 2021 we will just have to wait and see what happens.

A lovely little read that is part of a series, but stands alone just fine. Colgan is a new author to me and I was totally caught up in this Scottish island story. It's a cozy, but Colgan doesn't shy away from contemporary issues and all in all it is a simply lovely little read and perfect for the season. You won't want to put it down, you will want a cup of hot chocolate, and you'll yearn to be part of this island life. Highly recommended if you want to feel uplifted.

This is book 4 in the Mure series and it reads like a Hallmark Christmas movie. On tiny remote island, Mure the new hotel is working hard to be open for their Christmas guests. Siblings, Flora and Fintan keep butting heads over the right way to do things. In the kitchen Isla and Konstantin are becoming friends despite their differences. Jenny C0lgan is an author I pick up every time I see a new title. I enjoy returning to Mure, a place that is remote that sounds like a great place to live. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I expected a happy Christmas ending, and wasn't disappointed. However, it's the eclectic group of characters that intrigued me the most. Their development throughout the story was entirely believable, leaving me to wish I could visit the Island Hotel and join in the mayhem.

Mure Island is a small community in Northern Scotland. There’s a ferry that usually can get people over to the island, and a small airfield that has periodic flights, when the wind isn’t causing problems. Flora is nominally on maternity leave, but has found herself running the Rock, a new luxury hotel that her brother is about to open. Fintan’s husband recently passed away, and the Rock was his dream, but it is rapidly becoming his nightmare. The new chef can most generously be described as intense, even the staffing agency was reluctant to recommend him. The other new member of the island community, Konstantin, has just come from Norway and appears to have no idea how to survive on his own, even if on his own means a room in the staff quarters of the same hotel he works in.

I did not realize that this book was part of a series until I started writing this review, and I don’t recommend starting the series with this book. There are many side plots that don’t seem to fit in well with the larger story and the secondary characters seem underdeveloped. Knowing that there have been at least three other books that build up to this story makes everything make a little more sense. I’m not as excited about the series as I have been with other Jenny Colgan works, so I probably won’t seek out the other books in the series. People who are willing to start at the beginning and develop a better sense of the characters will probably get much more mileage out of this installment.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

This is the third or fourth review that I start with "I Love Jenny Colgan's books!!!" I am so grateful to have read an advanced copy of "Christmas at the Island Hotel." It put me in the mood for Christmas and winter weather in the best way. This book picks up a year after "Christmas on the Island." Flora and Joel have had baby Douglas and are adjusting to parenthood. Joel, a former foster child, takes to fatherhood like a natural. Flora on the other hand is having a hard time with maternity leave. She just can't not work. So she ends up helping her younger brother, Fintan, with the long-awaited grand opening of the Rock hotel. Fintan is having a difficult time recovering from the death of his partner, Colton, an American developer who converted the Rock from an old mansion. Colton left Fintan the Rock in his will and everything about the place reminds Fintan of his lover. Still he goes through the motions, even heading to the mainland to interview chefs and hire the irascible and very French, Gaspard. Joel, who was Colton's business manager, hires the kitchen boy as a favor for a business colleague. Konstantin is a Scandanavian Prince who was exiled to Mure for bad behavior, along with his giant beast of a dog, Bjark Bjarkensson. He knows nothing about how to function in regular society and has to learn kitchen work, and social skills, from the ground up from a very testy and impatient Gaspard. Fortunately the pastry chef, Isla, on loan from Flora's Seaside Kitchen bakery, takes pity on Konstatin and shows him the basics while trying not to fall for his charm. Mure is peopled by fascinating people living regular lives. The wintery island setting as well as the opulent Rock hotel form an inviting backdrop to a truly excellent read. Fans of Jenny Colgan and JoJo Moyes will love this as will any reader looking for a cozy, heartfelt seasonal story. You could read this without reading the first book, but why?! They are both great and I was thrilled to see life on Mure continue. I am honored to review this book and the opinions are entirely my own!

I hadn't read the Mure books in a little while, but Jenny Colgan did a fantastic job pulling me back into the world and the characters even if I didn't remember every single one of the specifics. I loved continuing along with some of my favorite characters, as well as getting to meet some new ones - this was definitely a feel-good read that was very enjoyable :)