Maggie thought she was in control of her life. She has a great job, a successful boyfriend, and her health...that in until one day changes everything. Determined to withstand the onslaught of bad news alone, she returns home to help her sister with her wedding preparations and enjoy Christmas with the family she left behind without much explanation. No one knows the real reason why she hasn’t been back. No one, that is, except the one person who she is most nervous about seeing again.

This was an excellent read. Though my current copy still has a few phases of editing to go through as I got it pre-published, it is already well written, coherent, and engaging. I absolutely love Maggie and her small darling family consisting of her sister, her brother-in-law and niece, Evie. I absolutely love Nathan.

Rubert can fall in a lake...

While this book does deal with some heavier issues, it's done in such a manner that it doesn't read as a heavy book. Credit to the author for making strong characters that can still convey the joy of the season and occasions even though the main character is struggling silently on her own even as others attempt to help her. Maggie is fiercely independent after some harsh life lessons in her younger days. While it can be a problem, and is a problem, I can't help but admire her strength.

I also can't help but admire her desire to change as well as Nathan's desire to prove himself and different man to her. My only thing is this, I kept imagining Maggie older than she was described. I think it would have been nice if she was portrayed a bit older. But that's completely a me thing.

I don't know what to tell you. I really enjoyed this book. It was good. If it comes out in paperback, I'd probably get myself and my library a copy.

There's no higher praise than that, I think.

An Imperfect Christmas is a heartwarming and cozy romance read.

Life is good for Maggie Green. She has a great career, long term relationship and a beautiful apartment in London ... that is, until it isn't. Things start to fall apart when the company she works for makes her redundant, her boyfriend breaks up with her and she recieves a distressing call from her doctor.

With her life in shambles, Maggie decides to return home, a place she hasn't visited in two years. Here we meet the other characters in the book and really dive into Maggie's past. The plot hits heavy on relationships, family, forgiveness and of course, second chances.

If you're looking for a quick, light read with interesting main characters (and one very stubborn one haha) then you'll probably enjoy this. But if you're excited about a Christmas read, you might be disappointed.

Two complaints:
-I would have liked each chapter labelled with the character's name. It got a bit confusing at times.
-The book is extremely light on the Christmas vibes considering the title. I was expecting more.

Thank you to Sapere Books for my copy!

This was my first Tanya Jean Russell book and I liked it. It was an enjoyable read that I accomplished over the period of two days - it's quick and easy.

"An Imperfect Christmas" follows the life of Maggie over the course of several weeks. Maggie's parents died when she was young and her older sister decided to forego attending college so she could raise Maggie by herself. Once Maggie attended college, she basically never came back home. So this was going to be her first visit home at Christmas in several years. As soon as she was leaving London to go home (which she was already nervous about due to the love of her teenage life dumping her - she hadn't seen him since then and she was scared as to what her reaction would be to him now), she received a call from her doctor letting her know that her pap smear was questionable and she needed to make another appointment. Then moments later, her long term boyfriend broke up with her and handed her a letter from their company stating her job had been eliminated. Maggie felt like her life couldn't get much worse - she was returning home (which held lots of bad memories of lost love and broken families), she may have cancer, her boyfriend dumped her and she lost her job.

The rest of the book shows how Maggie gracefully deals with all of these issues and comes to terms with what she truly wants in life. I found this book to be inspiring, sweet, and very relevant to what a lot of people experience in their lives. I recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated above are mine without biases.

I was in the mood for a lighthearted Christmas novel and this did the trick. This novel is reminiscent of the Hallmark movies I love so much at Christmas time.

Maggie, upon getting bad news about her own health, finding out she’s lost her job and her boyfriend dumping her all on the same day has to put her life on pause and return to her small hometown for her sisters wedding.

I loved the reality of this story. No ones life is perfect and Maggie’s definitely isn’t. This was a lovely read with a nice amount of romance set in a beautiful picturesque town.

"Everyone leaves one day, whether that's by choice or the fact that death is unavoidable for us all at some stage. That doesn't mean that we can spend our lives avoiding connections. The pain is the price we pay for love" - Nathan
This is the perfect book to jump into December with. This chick lit that came neatly wrapped as a Christmas present, was unwrapped easily and read in a day with each swipe quicker than the last.
I am grateful to the @ and @ book teams for approving my request for this book and introducing this incredible author to me.
Maggie, recently dumped by her boyfriend and fired from her job, takes a much avoided trip to attend her sister's wedding at the house they grew up in. She couldn't be more happier for the sister who fought tooth and nail to be her guardian after their parents' sudden death. She knows she's been gone too long, but the real reason is the next door neighbour, Nathan who stole her heart a long time ago. Steeling herself behind the wall she's built around her, she squares her shoulders, wears her armour in the guise of formal suits and prepares for the dreaded meeting with Nathan. But was all that really necessary? Has Nathan moved on or is he as stranded as she is?
The author's immaculate writing was easy and the pace was just right. The protagonists' characters are not unique for a romance novel, but they were relatable and lovable. It's written with the spirit of the holidays and the family lingering in the background gives it a wholesome feel.
It's a sweet love story with some bitter history between the characters, lost friendship and regained love. If you're a fan of Cecelia Ahern, Paige Toon and the likes, this book is definitely for you.

I was gifted a copy of this book from @netgalley and Sapere Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This book is currently available. ⭐⭐⭐ (2 1/2 stars)  This was a sweet, quick read. It follows the plot of most other books like this and I could have used a bit more Christmas in a Christmas themed book, but if you're looking for a quick read, this might be one for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was the perfect book to start off my Christmas romance binge! The story was sweet - teenaged sweethearts who grew up and grew apart, now find themselves home for Christmas. I loved the romance. I loved that Maggie found herself while she was home and became truly happy. The story flowed nicely and it was a quick read. Definitely recommend!

A nice, light, cozy Christmas read that was engaging with heartwarming moments to make you smile. An Imperfect Christmas is a story about family, relationships, forgiveness and second chances.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

A quick and festive read, perfect for this busy time of year.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this book, liked the characters and the storyline. A good read

Definitely an adorable Christmas book - this book revolves around Maggie who, after getting dumped and made redundant on the same day goes to her hometown for the first time in 8 years and faces her past. Even though I enjoyed the story, the Nathan story dragged a little although once we learnt more about what happened, the story had a good pace. I really enjoyed the characters - especially his grandmother (we need a sequel with her as the leading lady) and Evie was absolutely adorable. A sweet Christmas read about family and love and trust and doing what makes you happy.

This book was the typical Christmas novel. The ups and downs of a relationship and all of the possible dramas that can get in the way. Unfortunately I didn’t get fully immersed in this book. It was a lovely story, however I felt like I had read it before because it is very much like many other Christmas novels

What a cozy Christmas read. If you want to read a book that is a more complicated version of a Hallmark movie, this is the title for you. I was immersed in this British town and in these characters lives. I could feel the snow and fires while reading this one. It deals with serious topics without feeling too heavy. I really enjoyed reading this one to help get me in the Christmas spirit.

I really liked this story and its characters, I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down!

I love cozy Christmas reads but this book was so slow and boring that I ended up not finishing it (something I rarely do) and therefore cannot give a very detailed review

I’m going to be 100% honest. I kept forgetting what this book was about. It took me a week to read and I had to keep going back a page / few paragraphs to remember where I was up to. Usually I’ll read a book and be desperate to finish it - but I could have left this unfinished. It wasn’t terrible. It was the sort of book you’d buy in Asda on a 2 for £5 deal. Or you’d pick it up as a gift in a hospital for your sick aunt to read.

I think the main problem was that the main character was ridiculously un relatable / slightly dull. She didn’t have a sense of humour - which although is understandable based on the events of the book, humour is something I consider an integral part of a nice Christmas romance story. It was a romcom without the com. Wouldn’t recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

It's this time of the year again to indulge myself in Christmas books and movies. An Imperfect Christmas by Tonya Jean Russell was exactly what you expect from a Christmas story - return to childhood home, reunion with childhood love and a small town set up.
Maggie Green returns home right before the holidays after losing her job, being dumped by her boyfriend and learning about some health issues. She reunites with her ex boyfriend and re-discovers what is really important in life.
This was an overall good Christmas read but it did have a few complaints. I was a little annoyed that it took forever to find out what exactly happened between Maggie and Nathan. Their reunion and romance could have been developed a little bit more and Christmas setting was lacking that warm Christmasy feeling.
If you look for a quick holiday book that will warm up your heart this will do it but don't expect anything extraordinary.
Thank you to Net Galley and Sapere Books for an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest review.

Heartwarming and lovely book.
None of us have a perfect life as much as we may try.
We all have a perfectly imperfect life and this book just emphasizes that.
So many things are going wrong for the main character and she could just give up but no she perseveres and goes on like we all have to.
I loved the romance too, she has a second chance at romance with a boyfriend from years ago. It's pretty obvious they both haven't stopped caring about each other.
Positive and quick read.

Published November 19th 2020 by Sapere Books
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Sapere Books and Tanya Jean Russell for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, today my tree arrives in the mail (thank you, Amazon) and the weather is cold, wet and dreary. All of this calls for a sweet holiday romance to dive into! An Imperfect Christmas is more than a light read, though. Tanya Jean Russell tackles topics like job loss, breakups and cancer as she introduces readers to Maggie and Green. Once madly in love, they haven’t spoken in two years. Now he’s the only one who knows Maggie’s secret and the real reason she has come home. Can they give each other another chance or will they crash and burn before they even get there?
While the general plot of this one held a lot of potential, it felt like maybe there was just too much going on with too little connection. Things that should be dove into are simply skipped over but then things the characters really should move past, are made big issues. All in all, this wasn’t the best book I’ve read, but I have no regrets!

An Imperfect Christmas by Tanya Jean Russell
Publisher: Sapere Books
Genre: Humor | Romance | Women's Fiction
Release Date: November 19, 2020

An Imperfect Christmas by Tanya Jean Russell is a standalone novel about hope, family, love, and the magic of Christmas. This is the first book I have read by the author and I will definitely be looking to read more!

I am a firm believer that books find you when you are ready for them or when you need them most, and this was the book I needed today.

I could relate to the main character, Maggie, in so many ways. She is the kind of women who gets stronger the harder and faster the hits keep coming. She holds her head up when she wants to cry and doesn’t want the help of others. When she faces a major health scare, she tries to keep it hidden from everyone in her life and deal with it on her own. I’ve been there. I’ve always felt I was stronger standing on my own, even though I’m stronger with the support of others.

Maggie’s story is scary because it was so personal for me, but it’s also a reminder of hope. I could see a lot of my health journey in Maggie’s story, including having a wonderful man insisting on staying by my side through the worst of it and into the unknown future.

This book is filled with so many wonderful moments: I laughed, I cried, and I felt joy and hope. This had a beautiful Christmas theme and truly felt like a blessing to read in this season.

I'm so grateful to Tanya Jean Russel, Sapere Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.