I was immediately attracted to this cover! I then read and fell in love with the story! Highly recommend!!

What a fabulous festive novel! I flew through this novel as I was just so into it. I enjoyed reading about main character Harriet and her blossoming relationship. A fab read

I loved this Christmas book. It set the right mood for the time coming. I enjoyed reading this light read book. This was my first book by this author but its not going to be the last. Definitely recommend.

What can I say. I liked this book. Must read. Do it. If you do anything else. Read this book today. Great read and enjoyable.

This was a lovely contemporary festive romance. The characters were relatable and most importantly, likeable as well as facing some tough topics which I thought were handled with care and respect

Lovely festive feel good book! The storyline and characters are so relatable! Sit back with a cup of hot chocolate and relax with this beautiful story.

Harriet (also known as Joanna) is a house flipper. When her grandmother passes away unexpectedly in December, she drops everything and travels to her grandfather's tiki bar in the Hamptons where she spent her childhood summers, accompanied by her boyfriend-slash-business partner. Harriet is determined to keep her grandmother's legacy of festivals going, but her business partner only has eyes for the property values. And amidst the seasonal festivities planned by her grandmother Harriet reconnects with the love of her life who shattered her heart once upon a time..

This was a story of second chances. Second chances at love, second chances in life, and second chances at redemption, all set amongst snowflakes and a tiki bar.

On the surface, this book ticked all of the boxes for a quick holiday romance, but it fell a little flat for me. I struggled to remain interested in it, and found there was simply too much crammed in: Funerals, holiday festivities, property deals, romance, estranged families, long distance relationships, breakups, redemption, disability, more festivities, ambitions and yet more festivities. It was clearly set in December 2020/2021., with the odd reference to the pandemic scattered throughout, but nothing that actually indicated they were living that reality.

Good bits: Sensitive topics like loss, PTSD and disability were handled well, as was Mack's unfolding storyline. The romance was exactly what you'd expect from a holiday romance novel.

Not so good bits: I did find some characters, like Iain and Lester to be more akin to caricatures, and the parrot ex machina was a little too convenient, a little too often for my liking. There was no explanation for the rowboat, and the penultimate scene felt rushed and awkward.

I liked the book, but I didn't love it.

~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

Thank you NetGalley, Mandy Baggot and Aria & Aries for the copy of Christmas by The Coast. This is my personal review.
A second chance at love is a perfect setting for a Christmas romance book. Heartbreak brings Harriet to the Hamptons, never imaging her world be turned upside down when she see the man who was for her “the one who got away”. Mack knows in his heart he wants her back in his life.
This book has everything in it you can imagine- broken hearts, love lost, heartbreak, hope, forgiveness, and love. As I was reading, I could feel all the emotions everyone in the story felt.
Grab a copy of this book and escape into the lives of in Harriet’s and everyone in her life.
Mandy Baggot has written a beautiful holiday book you will enjoy.

I was given a free copy of this book to review by NetGalley. I absolutely loved this book and there were various reasons for it.

The main male character's disability is explained in a way that you understand what he's feeling, you root for him throughout the novel but never pity him.

The setting is also lovely and described to great detail, to an extent that you feel like you're there.

I did not read the book during Christmastime but it still gave me those wonderful Christmas vibes which shows what a good book it is.

It was a very nice romance with all the good feels, Christmassy vibes and little twists. I would definitely recommend this book and will reread it!

This seasonal story has a balance of humour and poignancy with cleverly crafted characters, relatable issues and contemporary romance. It shows the importance of family and friends and the tensions that arise. Believably flawed characters face conflicts to find the happiness they seek.

I received a copy of this book from 'Head of Zeus, Aria in return for an honest review.

Honestly, before writing this review I really did not know how I felt about this book. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. I’m very much on the fence.

One part I really did like about this book was the disability representation, Mack is a veteran amputee. It was honestly very refreshing to see this type of representation in a festive romance as you genuinely don’t see it very often. Well either that or I’m just not reading those types of books.

The overall story was nice and I liked how Harriet and Mack already had a connection and basically a relationship before the book is set. I often get tired of the insta-love that comes with festive romances, so seeing a relationship happen between people that already had a romantic past was a nice change.

Apparently, Harriet has two different names and when I say this was confusing, it really was. Harriet’s other name was used without any explanation and as this is a review copy I thought it was just a typo. However, when it happend a few times I had to guess that it was intentional. This didn’t make it any less confusing. The two different names were not clarified until a little while later and I feel like this should have been done from the start.

The major issue with this book for me was that it did not feel festive in the slightest. Now, this could just be me, but I think the beachy setting and how everything came back the summer months that Harriet was usually there killed the Christmas feeling. There were quite a few festive events, however, they didn’t focus on the festivities very much.

When I read these types of books I like to be slapped in the face with Christmas and have none stop Christmassy vibes. So honestly this could be something that only I was disappointed with.

The romance wasn’t awful but it was a bit disappointing. Mack and Harriet seem like a good match but I just didn’t ‘vibe’ with them. I really, really wanted to like them, but I don’t know there was just something missing.
Christmas By The Coast had very interesting side characters that I actually preferred over the main characters. I would have loved to actually meet Harriet’s grandmother as she seemed like such a colourful character, but the whole point of the plot was that she wasn’t there she that wouldn't have made sense. The little glimpses that you do get about her character are wonderful.

I was actually a little annoyed that you never actually get to see Harriet live out her dream with her cute gift shop. After seeing her stuck in her property business with Iain for so long I was hoping to see at least one closing scene where she was finally actually happy.

It may not seem like it from this review, but I did like this book. It definitely isn’t my favourite festive romance of all time, but it isn’t my least favourite either. If you are the type of person that enjoys Christmas but doesn’t want to let go of a slight summer feeling then you will enjoy Christmas By The Coast.

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

I enjoyed this cozy, heartwarming Christmas story. It really put me in a Christmas mood!

Completely loved this book!!! Everything you need in a festive read and more!
Fabulous story, amazing characters and their pets, brilliantly set out and depicted!
Harriet lives in Bournemouth with her best friend Jude, running a property business with her boyfriend Iain. When she gets bad news, she needs to be with her family in the Hamptons, New York state, America.
Christmas in the Hamptons is enticing, and captivating. The story had me gripped from the start.
Massive winner for me from Mandy Baggot, her skill at writing is brilliant, whether it is based in Corfu, America or the UK.
Highly recommended.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Aria for the early read.

Oh I loved this one! You will walk away from this story still thinking about it. The plot is great and you are destined to fall in love with the characters!

This was swoony and especially cute. I've read a lot of beach novels, but not many that take place during Christmas time. This is the perfect book to curl up with during the chillier cool weather. A great reminder that you can find love in unexpected places, it'll warm your heart!

this was such a good book! ! i'm really glad i got to read this one early!! i loved reading about these characters and this author is definitely one i will check out again in the future, for sure!

It took me a while to fully get into the book but from about a third in, I couldn't get enough of it. Which is where I started to get a grip on the characters, the dynamics, and the story started to feel that bit more upbeat.

And where we start learning about the various Christmas traditions at the tiki cafe in Montauk, that Harriet's grandparents run. And I do love hearing about various Christmas themed events and these were particularly fun and festive.

Although Harriet isn't just there to experience Christmas, she is there to comfort her grandpa Joe after her grand passes away suddenly, and while she is there she discovers a blast from the past that has the chance to completely change her life.

Harriet does have a boyfriend Iain but at no point did I really take to him and it's no coincidence that my enjoyment of the book increased as his presence started to wane a bit!

This was a really enjoyable novel, that has a great many threads to it, and a large number of characters who are all really distinctive. I loved Jude, Harriet's fun flatmate, Madame Scarlet, the local mystical woman who senses things, Scooter is adorable, and learning more about Harriet's family rift was also really interesting.

Mack is wonderful, from early heroics to discovering the harrowing circumstances that changed his life for ever while he was serving in Afghanistan, I couldn't get enough of him.

Christmas by the Coast is a great festive romance, that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Aria and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. The characters in this were well-written, and I was invested in the story and its outcome. However, I found the book to be a bit too long, which I think hampered my enjoyment a bit. However, the setting was beautiful, and Baggot created lovely imagery.

Another good book by Mandy Baggot, a Christmas rom-com with something more.
I loved how she wrote a disable characters without any superfluous pietism but making him a well round and realistic characters.
i loved the setting, Montauk, and rooted for the characters. Harriet is a clever and strong woman and liked her romance with Mack.
The atmosphere in this book is festive and the story is about family and relationships.
There's humour but there's also a lot of emotions.
An excellent and engrossing story, heartwarming and poignant at times.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Christmas by the Coast
author: Mandy Baggot
Aria and Aries, Aria

Set in East Hamptons during the Christmas season, Baggot's gratifying holiday story centers around family bonds, healing of wounds, and new beginnings.
When Harriet gets news of the passing of a beloved family member, she leaves her home in the United Kingdom to be with family in the hamlet of Montauk near the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Although grieving, Harriet finds solace and comfort in the rich, longstanding holiday traditions of both the community and family owned Rum Coconut bar and restaurant. Mack, a resident who is actively involved in Montauk, is a veteran whose life was forever changed from the Afghanistan War. The unique plot is one of grief and revisiting painful pasts, with redemptive themes of communication, closeness and connections within this tight, close town.
Baggot's descriptive writing allowed me to feel as if I was with Harriet and Mack, as well as the eccentric locals, as the cold winter on the coast progressed. Her vivid imagery portrayed the special holiday themed events including decorating, competitions, food affairs, and festivals, giving me feelings as warm and toasty as cinnamon hot chocolate after ice skating. Wanting to know more about the setting, I looked up information about landmarks featured such as the Montauk Point Light and Ditch Plains Beach.
Unforgettable characters, a heartfelt story, and a locale steeped in unity and rituals make for a beautifully engaging holiday book. Thank you to Net Galley, Aria and Aries & Aria for the advanced reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#NetGalley #ChristmasByTheCoast