3.5 stars with the potential for a 4-star upgrade when I re-read it. A really enjoyable read!

What a pleasure to read a new author. This is my first Joanna Bolouri book but won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Nick's journey as he transforms from Peter Pan to a real adult. I loved the snarky dialogue and the wonderful characters, and the love story which surprisingly resembled some of my favorite classics more than your usual modern romance book.

Many thanks to my GR friend, Agi, who's review convinced me to request this on NetGalley. Many thanks to NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

Profanity... many, many f-bombs.

A wonderful, heart-warming story. All I Want for Christmas is my first read of Joanna Bolouri and I loved it. I could not help but want everything good for Nick he was a fabulously delivered characters, the other characters were also well delivered holding me engaged throughout and closing the book with a smile on my face. I will be reading more by this author and recommend you give it a read as well

This is nice romantic Christmas story.
The interaction of the characters made me smile and although the ending is predictable it is an easy read.
The only thing I would warn you about is the swearing which is splattered about which may offend some people.

I didn't want this story to end. That is how much I loved All I Want for Christmas!

This is the hilarious, heart-warming, yet brutally funny Christmas book I needed. It will lift your spirits, make you laugh, maybe even make you a bit emotional, but it will pay off.

In short, Nick is 31 and lives in London. He just lost his job and has to work as Santa at the local mall just to make ends meet. Yep, St. Nick, the irony, right? He lives with his best friend, Matt, who he fixes up with a girl that he saw and works at the mall. And just because life knows how to throw you a curveball, Nick unwillingly falls in love with his best friend's girlfriend.

Here's why I loved it so much:

I bookmarked sentences from the very first page, which is a rare thing. The writer made me laugh right off the bat and set such a good tone for the rest of the book. The main character is just the right amount of sarcastic, funny, desperate and kind. All of these traits have been so perfectly balanced. I LOVED the main character. Side characters as well! Everyone had their own story, and I felt like I got to know them all, and connect to them so naturally.

The pacing is just perfect. Not too fast, not too slow, but Goldilocks kind-of-right. I was never bored once, as the writer takes us from different scenes and events all the time. From fancy engagement parties, a beautiful wedding, a birthday spent at the theme parks, and farms. There's so much going on, but everything had its purpose, and the story evolved flowed beautifully.

The humour in this - so many funny, present-day references (but not too many to the point where you feel like the author is trying too hard). No, the author really knew what she was doing. This is truly a laugh out loud book!

''I glance at the corner of the living room where my most recent Amazon purchase sits untouched, mocking me for being stupid enough to waste money on an unused gym membership while simultaneously ordering kettlebells online to work out at home. God, I'm an idiot.'' Seriously, laughed out loud.

I also loved how the main character struggled with fitting in and with the expectations of society. He is 31, but still hasn't found the job of his dreams, doesn't have a wife or kids, or even a girlfriend for that matter, while everyone around him appears to have their life together. Yes, Nick feels what we all feel at some point -inadequate and confused with life. Which is why I loved him.

The romance aspect did not disappoint. You don't have to be a huge romantic to appreciate a good love story. I'll add just one of Nick's thoughts right here: ''I just want to chill out, drink wine and chat shit. She has that effect on me.''

Once again, I didn't want it to end. I wanted to see this as a movie or a TV show. It had all the right feels. It wasn't too sappy or cheesy, and none of those Hallmarky moments, which tend to suffocate me as a reader when overused.

If you want to have a good laugh, and follow Nick's story as he navigates through chaos that life is, please pick up this read. The scales show the perfect balance of humour, romance, friendship, Christmas, which is all one could ask for this Christmas.

Christmas and romance in one book. Yes. I loved it. This was such a jolly read. Sweet romance. Loved this. 3.5 stars.

I am a sucker for a romantic meet and this book has the perfect one...unfortunately it is cast aside as Nick, grumpy part time Santa at a shopping mall, recently dumped by his gold digging girlfriend and in trouble at work sets Sarah up with his best mate Matt to try and make Sarah's sons Christmas wish come true.
There is romance aplenty and a beautiful friendship between Nick and Alfie, the 4 year old son.
feel good vibes on every page!

When I started this book I wasn't sure i would like it.
It is told from a man's viewpoint and that isn't something the books I normally read would do.
However it is a really lovely story. The main character Nick is an unemployed lawyer going through a tough time at the start of the story. He gets a Christmas job in a department store as Santa and meets a little boy who asks him to make his mum happy again.
So Nick introduces her to his best friend Matt. They start a relationship and everything looks good. Until Nick realises he is in love with his best friend's girl.
A really lovely story set over a couple of Christmases.
I really enjoyed this book!

This was a delightful story, just what I needed as another lockdown approaches,. Great characters, a very realistic storyline and a satisfying Christmas Story. loved it!

[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]
It's a fun and light reading, great for people who love a sweet love story but not a cheesy one. I must say I'm a little disappointed that it didn't make me laugh as much as other Joanna books but I had a good time anyway. I love we knew the whole story through Nick's POV, he's lovely and charming. The main characters are great, very likeable and Joanna Bolouri creates a love triangle that keeps you hooked. But although I liked it all, I didn't love it. The story development was too weak for me, It all was slow for me and lacking of action. I didn't get bored because it's well written and easy to read, but it needed some tension that I couldon't find. And it's chick-lit, so no hot scenes here (pity 😂).
Overall it's a sweet and easy reading that leaves you with a smile on you face but with the feeling that it could be so much better. But I'm a Joanna Bolouri fan so everything she writes is a yes for me.
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Estoy siendo muy generosa con la nota básicamente porque esta escritora me gusta y el libro, aunque me ha parecido bastante flojo, es fresco y muy fácil de leer.
No es novela romántica, vaya eso por delante. Seguimos la vida de Nick, un abogado en paro que acaba trabajando de Papá Noel en un centro comercial, donde conoce a un niño encantador y a su más encantadora madre. Podría parecer una comedia de enredo pero se queda en algo simple y planito donde apenas pasan cosas. Los personajes son adorables y el protagonista y su mejor amigo son ideales, me encanta cómo escribe esta mujer los momentos de camaradería. Tiene partes cuquis, partes dulces, partes divertidas... pero todo esto no es el grueso del libro, son momentos. Lo demás es un día a día que avanza la trama más bien poco. Joanna Bolouri se guarda todo para el final pero lo desarrolla poquísimo, de modo brusco y, sinceramente, bastante mñe. Parece que se quiere quitar todo de encima porque se pasa de páginas.
Es una pequeña decepción no haber pasado tan buen rato con este libro como esperaba pero al menos he estado entretenida y me ha durado un suspiro. A ver si el siguiente que escriba me emociona más.

I would just like to thank NetGalley for forwarding me a copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

If you love a Festive rom-com then you will absolutely love this book, it is a must read. I can imagine it being made into a Hallmark Christmas movie, as it was full of heart-warming moments, laughter and romance.
It is set in the present day and features down-to-earth realistic characters and little Alfie just had to be my favourite - he is just adorable!!
When you are reading this book it comes across as a love triangle but is maybe a bit more of a square, if you include Alfie! It also features real-life situations and when I had finished reading it, i had all the happy feelings.
I highly recommend that you add this to your Christmas tbr.....

I really like that the whole book was written from the guy's perspective - it was refreshingly different. This was a great, heartwarming story. It should be made into a movie for the Hallmark channel. Definitely add this book to your holiday reading list!

A bit early for a Christmas read but after this weird year, I needed a feel-good romance to escape reality. It's a typical romcom with a predictable ending but I liked that it was entirely narrated by the male protagonist, that's a nice change from all the usual romance books. The story slowed down and became a bit repetitive towards the end but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless. For those it may bother, there is some swearing throughout the book, I didn't mind it because to me it made it all the more realistic (I don't know anyone who doesn't swear) ;-)

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romcoms, 3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the perfect Christmas read! A really fun, light-hearted read with so many funny moments throughout. Full of likeable characters you can't help but root for! I really enjoyed it all being Nick's perspective, offering a male's point of view in a romance which often doesn't happen. Highly recommend if you like a romance!

A refreshingly different love story. I loved this book and I was hooked from the first page, I just couldn’t put it down. So refreshing to read a love story told from the male point of view. The characters were likeable and well written. I immediately fell in love with Nick and really enjoyed his experiences of being Santa. The humour was spot on and reminded me of the movie Bad Santa without the swearing and sex! It was wonderful to see how Nick’s character developed and his friendship with Sarah and her son Alfie was beautifully portrayed. I was rooting for Nick and Sarah all the way through and felt their heartache and frustration. Well done to the author for such a different, heartwarming Xmas story. I read a lot of romance stories and this one really stood out and will stay with me for a long time. A highly recommended read.

This was a fun Christmas read and a bit different than your typical "Hallmark movie" Christmas story. Set primarily in London, Nick is having a bad year (I mean, is it 2020!?). He finds himself out of work and stuck playing Santa in a local mall. He meets a cute, widowed, single mom Sarah, while on the job, and fixes her up with his best friend, Matt. You'll have to read the book to find out the rest!

I really enjoyed the author's character development and loved following the evolution of Nick and Sarah's friendship. There are many heartwarming moments in this book as well as many hysterical parts, which I typically don't find in a Christmas novel. Loved this read!

Perfect festive feel-good read. So refreshing to have a male narrator, I was hooked all the way through. Thanks NetGalley!

A funny, festive feelgood story,, I loved it from start to finish and wished for more. A real 5 star novel, well written and I recommend it to all.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review.

What an enjoyable read. Refreshingly told from the man's perspective.. Nick is so sorry of a job and money that he takes a temporary job as a store father Christmas. Sarah is the assistant manager of the coffee shop opposite the store. They meet and get on well. Nick decides that his friend Matt would be ideal to make Sarah son's Christmas wish. He asked for his bereaved mum to be happy again. Needless to say Nick falls for Sarah but this is a dilemma as she is dating his best mate. How can he stands by and watch them be together?? Did the course of true love run smoothly??

I haven’t read anything by Joanna Bolouri before, but absolutely raced through this book. It was the perfect Christmas read, and I really enjoyed being inside Nick’s head as he fought to come back from a crappy few months and get his life back on track. Falling for his best friend’s girlfriend brought a delightful tension to this story in the best ‘Will-they, won’t they’ tradition, and in this way it reminded me of One Day in December.

The writing was warm and witty, and although I would’ve liked to be inside Sarah’s head for at least a few chapters, the fact this wasn’t the case didn’t detract from a truly enjoyable read. One of my favourite things about this book was the bromance between Nick and Matt, highlighting the importance of male friendships. There were laugh out loud moments and Alfie was also a great little character.

I would really like to see this made into a film, and think it deserves to be.

With thanks to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

When Nick loses his job as a corporate lawyer, he never thought his next move would be working as Santa in a shopping centre. But needs must…

Here he meets 4 year old Alfie, who’s Christmas wish is to see his mum, Sarah, happy. So Nick arranges a date for Sarah with his best friend Matt. But as Nick gets to know Sarah and Alfie more, he regrets his decision as he finds himself falling for Sarah.

Oh gosh, how I loved this book! It has humour and heart, I loved every word.