I wasn’t sure what to expect when going into this book as it was the last in a long list of twelve to read for this month. Surprisingly, I actually really enjoyed it.

This wasn’t massively festive, other than the talk about the Christmas Eve party and the fact that it is set in December, but I didn’t mind. I love any type of book set in a bookshop and this was no different. The family bookshop sounded so cosy and homely and just the type of place you would want to shop on a cold December day.

There was a real interesting cast of characters in A Bookshop Christmas. Firstly you have Megan who is still trying to navigate her life after the loss of her husband. She goes through a real rollercoaster of emotions during this book and she does become a strong person by the end of it. This book shows a cautious yet realistic side of grief and it definitely gave the plot and characters more depth.

Next you have Xander, who is completely arrogant and hot-headed. But aren’t most romance love interests? I did really like Xander for the most part, but at times I really disliked him. He was way too rash and would switch emotions too quickly for my liking. He would lash out at Megan for things that obviously weren’t her fault, something that isn’t healthy for a potentially blossoming relationship. I don’t want to say too much more on this as spoilers are not my thing, but character development is a huge part of this book.

As with most bookshop books, there is a constant worry of finances. I’m actually yet to read a book of this type that doesn’t include some fear of closing. This obviously isn’t a bad thing as every book needs its plot problem and honestly I quite enjoy those types of stories.

As this is a book about a romance book lover the romance was, as expected, very cute. I don’t read straight up romance novels very often, but whenever I do I absolutely love them.

The romance in A Bookshop Christmas did not disappoint. Although it wasn’t your usual sweep them off their feet and shower them with affection type of romance, I loved it and thought it was very endearing.

I don’t say this often, but this could very well be one of the few festive romances I would consider re-reading. That may not seem like a bold statement, but as someone that predominantly reads fantasy, its a bold statement.

Megan is trying to keep her family bookshop afloat with the help of a visit from a rising author. He however swoops in and changes her entire life. Could he finally help her move on after the death of her husband or is he too caught up in his own history.

Well who doesn't love a bookshop story and its set at christmas so even better. I loved this and the book club sounds amazing though I'd pass on the dancing. I like all the book references and now have some new choices to look up. The story itself is really good. It focuses on grief and how its handled which is a tough subject but handled well. I loved the moment with Joe's parents at the end. The ending itself was beautiful and I liked how Megan discovered herself and what she truly wanted in life. The book shop gang are fabulous and really compliment the story. A fun and heart warming, festive read.

My thoughts 



Narrative and Plot 




A Bookshop Christmas is a book of second chances and moving on, something which people generally think about during the holidays. Memories are tricky and sometimes they attack us right during the happiest moments of the year. This is why holidays are the time when people usually remember and reminisce about those who can't be there with them today.

If you get my drift, this book talks a lot about grief and moving on. If you're not into that kind of a holiday read, I would say stay away. But if you're someone who is still willing to go through it then, this is worth your time. The plot and the entire narrative focuses on the two main characters Megan and Xander. How they both have encountered loss and how they're trying to get out of it. 





Characters and Conflicts  







The book does a serious play on words and is quite self-aware. The characters are too. This makes the reading fun. In a way, for a romance reader, it is almost equivalent to breaking the fourth wall. Megan is an avid reader and Xander is the best selling author. Naturally, one would assume things to go smooth between them. But that is not the case obviously, because they're more than that. The people behind those labels are complex and have much more in common and yet it takes a lot for them to build that trust and friendship. This somehow makes them real and grounds the story from going on a full-scale romantic holiday fantasy.



However, with Xander it would have been much more interesting if we got to see his point of view. All we get is Megan's view and judgement of him. That was kind of a flaw for the story as it made him look inadequate at certain situations even if he redeemed himself in the end.


The conflict of the book was pretty much predictable. However, it was dealt with a certain level of maturity. Also, when you have a Bookshop in the title, it is natural to expect the shop to be something more than just a business. It did for a while, but towards the end, the whole bookshop became an expendable theme, which I wasn't a great fan of. 




Conclusion   



Overall, I enjoyed the book despite it diving deep into getting over grief and the moving on, theme. The bookshop scenes especially the book club and the recommendations the characters gave each other was my favorite part. That is definitely not a surprise but this book does mention a lot of other books which itself can become a reading challenge someday.

“I think the world is divided into people who have held onto their childish excitement about Christmas and people who haven’t.”

What’s not to love when you love books/bookshops and you love Christmas - combine the two! For my annual Christmas reads, I was absolutely delighted with Rachel’s latest offering as it contained all my favourite things in a real feel-good story at this special time of year. I have read and loved her previous book and smiled at the Easter Egg included from that particular read from the famous Tea Shop.

‘My heart lay in the actual words that surrounded me every day. The words on the pages that sat upon the sage green bookshelves all around me. I was passionate about stories, about those stories being told in the best possible way and read by as many people as possible.’

A Bookshop Christmas has everything you would expect for this seasonal read … but then Rachel adds some real depth to it. Christmas in a bookstore doesn’t get much better for me, however, when the love interest is between two people who have experienced recent traumas, it's wonderful to watch them grow and start to live life once again. There are layers that need peeling back as they both are dealing with grief and I think Rachel handled this really well.

‘Running the bookshop had been my way of finding some sort of control in my life after the unthinkable had happened, but I knew now that I had no control over anything, not even over the survival of the bookshop.’

Added to this is the setting in York which was idyllic for this time of year. I also appreciated how Rachel highlighted the struggles of a local independent bookshop. She then brought light to this shade with a cast of fun characters - the Regency Christmas party preparations and eventual celebrations a real added bonus. There are some real fun moments (I was highlighting like crazy) and tea lovers will appreciate Xander’s purist preferences:

“Is that Lapsang?” I asked, pointing at Xander’s teapot. “No sadly, just Earl Grey,” he replied. “But at least it’s not a teabag.” “I really wouldn’t have had you down as a tea snob.” “What did I tell you about pigeonholes.” He smiled lazily. “Besides, it goes right alongside being a book snob.”

Of course this is an overall light and fluffy read but isn’t that what Christmas books are meant to be about on the whole? To escape our rushing reality and slip into the magic of Christmas to be left feeling lighter and happier? Well, that’s what A Bookshop Christmas did for me and now I feel more filled with festive cheer.

“But those happy endings are important,” I insisted. “When a reader picks up a romance novel they know that happy ending exists. They don’t have to worry about what will happen and they can just get totally immersed in how it happens. Sometimes when life deals you a few blows that kind of thing is important.”






This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

I enjoyed this book immensely! I liked the general premise that essentially we have two hurt people who fall for each other, but have to work through their traumas and perceptions. I think this made the book more realistic than if it was a general enemies to lovers trope. And speaking of tropes....the fact that Megan has a predilection for romance books and she openly tells Xander which trope they are experiencing is funny, at least to me.

This was a great way to start off the holiday reading cycle!

Megan lost her husband 3 years ago to leukemia. After her husband’s death she felt guilty if she enjoyed anything. Her friends and mom are trying to break her out of the cycle that is grief.

Her family owns a bookstore and after his death she decided to go back home and run the shop. It’s now Christmas time and she is desperately trying to increase the sales by having authors and other events there. In comes Xander Stone. The next author to be there and a big one at that.

But Xander himself is far from just a star. Megan realises she has a lot more to him than the rude front he puts up. Can they help each other to overcome their difficult pasts?

This got me from the very beginning. I mean who doesn’t want a Christmas in a cozy bookshop?!

Megan has been through a lot and is only now starting to get her life together again. After three years of grief she might finally be ready to get her life back. In comes Xander Stone, a rude and obnoxious important author having a signing at her bookshop.

But Xander is much more than first impressions, he might even be the perfect person for Megan having been through similar situations in the past. Among beautiful, funny and awkward dates, there’s also a lot of trust put on both of them. Loved their slow burning romance with a palpable chemistry! I really enjoyed how awkward and fun they are together and how much they grew their life back. This book has a lot of grief talk and it seems quite realistic to me, it’s not easy to trust again, to give life a shot again but Megan does it and all I hope is she succeeds.

I loved Megan and her love for her bookshop and romance books. I also loved her group of friends that are chaotic and fun, and her super different and weird romance bookclub! They are having a Christmas party and it’s definitely a very unusual one at that. I thought it was a lot of fun and loved seeing them develop ideas and get it to life.

I was also a big fan of Xander. He is a lot more than I first thought and although shy and awkward, he is a lovely person. Although he does have a tendency to explode first and ask for forgiveness later which was definitely a not so good trait, but explained and in a way, understood…

Their relationship is not an easy one but it felt rewarding to read about, and I love them together! This had all the right Christmas feels to it and I loved it from the very first pages!

TW: grief, loss of a loved one

Favorite quote: “But the really hard things in life take time to get over and the really good things require patience to achieve.”

This is a nice cosy Christmas read, even if it is a little predictable
The story focuses on Megan who loves romantic fiction and is trying to recover from heartbreak. She meets the novels it Xander Stone and her life is turned upside down.
I loved that the book deliberately reveals romantic tropes from other books and then plays up to them

It’s only fairly recently that I discovered how flipping fantastic an author Rachel Burton really is. I have by no means read everything that she has written but I hope to get there very soon. I read the synopsis for ‘The Bookshop Christmas’ and it certainly sounded like the fun and light hearted read that I so badly needed. Well it was all that and so much more. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Bookshop Christmas’ but more about that in a bit.
I loved the character of Megan Taylor and I warmed to her from the start. In fact I took to her so well that she began to feel as though she had become a friend of mine and I felt all protective of her. She is a lovely young lass, who has been through the mill a bit. She was married but her husband has sadly passed away. Megan lives with her mother above the family bookshop and unsurprisingly Megan is a huge bookworm. Megan is kind, considerate, supportive and a good friend to all who know her. Megan tries to turn the fortunes of the family bookshop around, which is when she meets the bestselling author Xander Stone, who is a bit of a misery guts at time. Will Megan and Xander hit it off? Will the bookshop survive? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you.
I was drawn into ‘The Bookshop Christmas’ from the very start and I found I just couldn’t put the book down at all. I loved the setting of the story in York, I loved the idea of owning a bookshop and working in one and I loved the characters. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I couldn’t turn the pages of the book quickly enough as I made my way through the story. I found ‘The Bookshop Christmas’ to be a delightful and charming read, which left me feeling as though I had had a hug from a mug in that I felt all warm and fuzzy inside.
‘The Bookshop Christmas’ is superbly written. Rachel certainly knows how to grab your attention and draw you into what proves be a delightful read. Rachel has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading this book felt more like a chat between friends rather than reading an actual book. I hope that makes sense. In Megan, Rachel has created a character who is impossible to dislike and you can’t help but want the best for her. I love the way in which Rachel has based the story in York as that isn’t to far away from where I live and it was nice to read about familiar places. I love the way in which Rachel makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves and at the heart of all the action.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Bookshop Christmas’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Rachel’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Such a fab story. Revolving around a bookshop in York and Megan who has given all her time and dedication to making it a success since the sad loss of her husband.

In comes arrogant but gorgeous Xander - a definite Darcy figure.

Can they both get past their grief and pain and move in together?

Absolutely loved this book, a great Christmas read set around a bookshop. The book dealt with serious issues like grieving and death but it was still a lovely Christmas romance, Highly recommend.

What do you do when you find yourself a widow? Megan asks herself the same question. She ends up moving back home and working at the family bookstore. One snowy day in walks Xander, a writer who is supposed to be signing books. Will sparks fly or will Megan keep living a lonely life?

A really lovely festive read .The first book I've read by this author and I really enjoyed it .I loved the way the book shop was at the heart of the story and loved Megan and Zander's story it was beautiful and so well written I really felt I knew them and really drew me in from the very beginning. A 5⭐read

Rachel Burton effortlessly blends warmth, wit and pathos in a beguiling festive charmer, A Bookshop Christmas.

Megan Taylor has known her fair share of heartache and sorrow. The young widow had retreated from the world after her devastating loss and found solace in the books she sells at her family’s bookshop. Having moved to York, Megan had hoped to make a fresh start for herself away from her old life, but sadly things haven’t worked out like that for her. Still heartbroken from the loss she had suffered, Megan’s life now revolves around books and the family business, but could an unexpected – and infuriating – encounter with author Xander Stone provide her with the new beginning she had been hoping for?

Prize-winning writer Xander doesn’t immediately endear himself to Megan. Not only has he rammed his supermarket trolley into her ankles, but the conceited author doesn’t lose an opportunity to trash Megan’s taste in literature leaving her completely furious and determined to put the haughty wordsmith in his place. For the first time in a very long while, Megan feels truly alive and despite their differences, it is Xander whom she has to thank for her awakening from the self-imposed hibernation she had been trapped in.

However, when the worst happens, Megan is distraught when her newfound happiness is placed in jeopardy yet again. Is Megan about to retreat back into her own world? Or will she find the courage and strength to go after what she truly wants this Christmas?

Books, Christmas and a bucket load of charm, emotion and humour – what more could you possibly want from a book? In A Bookshop Christmas, Rachel Burton dazzles and delights her readers with an enchanting and heart-melting love story that made me giggle and brought many a tear to my eye.

Megan is a terrific heroine and readers will be keeping everything crossed for her and cheering her on and hoping against hope that she gets her happy ending while Xander is a gorgeous hero readers will fall madly in love with.

Rachel Burton’s A Bookshop Christmas is a gorgeous winter warmer I simply couldn’t get enough of.

3.25 stars

A Bookshop Christmas hits all of the traditional beats that one excepts from a women's fiction novel. We have a woman who is dealing with loss, her supportive girl group, and a love interest that also has some healing to do before he can get through with the heroine. Both the bookshop setting and the Christmas spirit provide a bit of fun and I will give Burton credit for having her heroine make decisions about her future that feel way more true to life than other protagonists that I have encountered in this genre, It got a bit too preachy for my taste at points and I don't know if I will really remember it a few months from now, but it is a sweet read if you are looking for another Christmas book to add to your TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

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

I really enjoyed this book. What could be better than a book that takes place in a bookstore and features a book club!

Favorite Quotes:

Healing is never linear… The five stages of grief aren’t linear either – they all seem to exist together in one fiery hell ball of emotion that feels as though it will last forever. People will tell you that time heals but, in my experience, time just takes away the intensity.

Human beings have grown impatient, wanting instant gratification – social media likes and next-day delivery. But the really hard things in life take time to get over and the really good things require patience to achieve.


My Review:


I enjoyed this thoughtfully written yet humorous hybrid of British women’s fiction, romantic comedy, and family drama. The writing was amusingly clever, entertaining, and perceptively and evocatively detailed. The cast of characters was an oddly compelling assortment of annoying and fun with each one given unique and realistically flawed and relatable traits that kept me tittering and occasionally wanting to give a few of them a smack to the head. The storylines and writing style were comfortable, witty, perceptively insightful yet easy to follow, and an excellent kick-off for seasonal reading. I’m certainly feeling much more Christmassy.

Sadly, I didn’t particularly enjoy this. For a book about Christmas, a time that is supposed to be happy and joyful, this book was a bit morbid. I know, I know that’s harsh given what happened in the past for Megan and Xander, but I felt like it was focused on too much. For me, instead of bring a nice, light-hearted read, that I I had hoped would get me into the Christmas spirit, it just got me down. I will give 5e author another go though and I’ve already got some of her books on my Amazon wish list.

A Bookshop Christmas is a nice Christmas-themed romance about Megan and Xander. It took a little bit for me to get into the story but once in I really enjoyed it. The setting is a perfect little village at Christmas and the characters all revolve around a bookstore. I think this is the first one I have read where the bookstore was a take it or leave it scenario, most are save the bookstore or something similar, this is a bookstore is not important type deal. The romance was nice, it starts out with the guy being a jerk and then redeeming himself. All in all, it was a nice holiday romance.

Whenever I fancy reading a good romance/rom com, I can always turn to Rachel Burton to deliver the goods! A Bookshop Christmas is the Christmas book I’ve needed for weeks and it’s been an absolute dream to experience. Everything from the characters and the storyline to each single snippet of dialogue has been perfected, and that ending has left me on such a high!

I always love this author's characters, but there was something extra special about Megan and Xander. Their pasts, their traumas and their losses unexpectedly become the glue that holds them together and combined with all the festive cheer, the balance has been written really nicely. There’s fantastic humour, characters you’ll love and laugh with and a story line that will both break your heart and fix it back together again. Rachel Burton has done EVERYTHING right in this book. It’s the most perfect piece of festive fiction to read before Christmas!

A fun read for those who enjoy a Hallmark Christmas-style category, A Bookshop Christmas gives you a widowed FMC and a somewhat snotty MMC with two main questions, will they get together and stay together and what will happen to the struggling bookshop the FMC has been caring for in the meantime?

Stepping out of my reading category comfort zone with this one, I struggled to remain gripped, even when passing the 50% mark. I wasn't attached enough to either character or their outcome(s) to truly drive myself to keep picking up the book in my spare time; but don't let this deter you if holiday will-they, wont-they romances are your favourite trope.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my introduction to this category via a complimentary ARC.