Now, I’m fully aware that this is largely a me-thing. Nonetheless, the amount of insta-love, or even insta-attraction, was a bit much. Even compared to some of other similar stories I’ve already read. That being said, however, it’s exactly that which makes this book feel *kind of exactly* like a Hallmark movie. If that’s your thing – if you’ve spend the past couple of weeks basically stuck to the tv-screen, just to get more of that Christmassy clichéed romance? Then this is basically the perfect book for you.

Combine that with a pretty fluent writing style, characters that managed to be fairly entertaining and of course: the *big question* of: will she get the estate or not? And you’re left with a lovely read to combine with a nice hot cocoa and some Bing Crosby crooning in the background!

Sharmila is an English woman of Indian descent. When her friend Thomas dies and leaves her a magic holiday in a small American town everyone is suspicious as to why. And then there is the matter of the inheritance. All she knows is that Thomas left her a list of Christmas activities to do so a donation would be made to charity. His family know otherwise. If she completes the list she gets the house and voting rights in the family company. So Lucas and Zach head to Pineford to protect the family interests. But when Zach and Sharmila meet, neither is truly sure of what the other is about, but they cannot stay away from each other. Full of Christmas cheer and small town goodwill. Will she be able to complete the wishlist or not?

Wow!, what a fantastic read, the story beautifully told, the pages passed by far too quickly. I was transported to a beautiful sleepy town where dreams come true.

I would recommend this book to all my friends.

5 stars from me 😊

If you love Christmas romcoms then this is definitely the book for you. A Christmas obsessed heroine who gets to experience a traditional small town American Christmas. A hero with a secret. Enemies to lovers. Lots of misunderstandings. Charming Christmas activities. So get yourself some hot cocoa and snuggle up with this charming read.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely little "Hallmark" read.

Rounded up to 3 stars but to be honest it over explain (a lot) and I found myself skipping over pages as a result which I never do!

Generally the characters are likeable, you want them to get together but that's more because you expect it than anything else.

The debut Christmas rom-com from new author Ruby Basu, perfect for fans of Heidi Swain, Jo Thomas and Jaimie Admans.

* * *

She’s here for the perfect Christmas escape…

When Sharmila discovers her late friend, Thomas, has gifted her the holiday of her dreams, she can’t pack her bags fast enough. Arriving in Pineford, it’s everything she’d ever hoped for and more.

But she’s in for another surprise, because Thomas has left her with one last request: if she completes his Christmas wish list of festive activities, her chosen charity will receive a big donation. Or so Sharmila thinks.

…He’s there to reclaim his family’s legacy

Little does she know, she’s set to inherit Thomas’s estate too, much to his nephew Zach’s disbelief. Determined not to see his family’s legacy left to a stranger, he’s come to Pineford to do whatever it takes to stop Sharmila from fulfilling that list.

When Sharmila and Zach meet, neither are prepared for sparks to fly. For Sharmila’s sworn off love, and Zach doesn’t trust her. But with every passing wish they find themselves growing closer. And amongst the twinkling town lights and fallen snow, Sharmila can feel her heart opening up to Zach. But when she learns he’s been keeping a secret from her, can Sharmila forgive him and get the happy-ever-after she’s always wished for this Christmas?

This is a perfect Christmas rom-com read, to borrow from a fellow reviewer, if you love a good Christmas movie, then you will love this book.

Perfect escapism, curl up under a blanket with this book and a beverage of your choice and escape to Pineford.

So glad I read this in November what a great read to kick off the holiday season, Do you love Hallmark movies this reads like one! I love that. The community is so kind and welcoming always there to save the day. There is romance, friendship and romance did I mention that.

A romance novel that I can see Hallmark scooping up any day now. Sharmila is gifted an American Christmas holiday by her late friend, and with that, she heads off to an incredibly picturesque small town covered in snow and twinkle lights.

What she doesn’t know is that this friend has also left her a big chunk of his company and more. But for her to get it she needs to complete a list of activities all revolving around the spirit of Christmas to secure this inheritance. The family is not very happy about it and tries to intervene and of course, they send two hot guys to stop her and of course, Sharmila falls for one of them. Now I don’t want to say this but cliché much?

“You’re not allowed to make fun of a cliché if your comment is a cliché in itself” Ruby Basu, The twelve wishes’ of Christmas

Yes, yes this book is full of cliches and everything you equate with Hallmark but it’s a fun read and has a way of informing those who haven’t lived an American White Christmas with vivid detail of how it could be. Sharmila lives in the UK and is of Indian descent and she has always dreamt of experiencing an American White Christmas. As someone who also has never had the privilege of seeing snow and the sheer outlandishness that is an American Christmas, it was fun to read how it all would seem if I ever had the chance.

Although the book is completely predictable it didn’t take away from the intimate small Christmas moment left throughout the book. From sleigh rides to chopping down a Christmas tree, all written to spark the imagination to dream of what could be.

Unfortunately, the characters fell flat with not much authenticity or any unique characteristics to speak of. And there really aren’t any twists to the store other than the utterly predictable ending.

There were some sweet moments and moments of growth and perhaps dare I say wisdom, which helped the book along.

“you can’t hide the person you are inside” Ruby Basu, The twelve wishes’ of Christmas

All in all a very very sweet Christmas Romance story that is a quick easy read and would stand its own against any Hallmark movie. In fact, Basu gives her thanks to Hallmark for all their movies that inspired her to write this book. So, If you love the quintessential Hallmark love story and Christmas this one should be on the top of your list.

Thank you NetGalley and HQ Stories for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 but I'll round up to 3. For something that is so heavily influenced by Hallmark films I couldn't really get into this book. It took me so much longer than it should have to read it. It was so unbelievably predictable and Zach and Lucas' petty behaviour just annoyed me. The relationship between Thomas and Sharmila was quite heartwarming though. I really wanted to like this more than I did which is a shame because it sounded like something I should have really enjoyed.

This was a lovely heartfelt Christmas read. With the usual happy ending. The characters were great and was good to see them develop. The setting was amazing and helped show all the fun things about Christmas.

Formulaic but one of the better xmas reads. The story has been told before but it passes the time isn't a bad read

This is a wonderful Christmas read.

It is slightly different to other Christmas reads but does have all the hallmarks of Christmas with a wonderful twist in the tale.

The characters are well developed and you just want to be there.

It really does leave you with a feel good feeling.

I certainly agree that The Twelve Wishes of Christmas is ideal to curl up and snuggle at anytime not just at Christmas. A book to keep on the bookshelf just for the times to need to read a heartwarming Christmas story. Sharmilla was given a very special gifted Christmas holiday that she’s always dreamt about. While in Pineford she learns that her dear Thomas had surprised her, that while in Pineford at Christmas time she must complete and perform a list of ten Christmas wishes. Thomas’s two nephews are staying there nearby to ensure that she doesn’t complete the tasks or activities so she won’t inherit anything. Sharmilla likes Lucas but seems to be falling for Zach to which Zach is also falling for her. The Christmas story is full of twists and turns yet witty with laugh aloud moments with negative and positive emotions and memories throughout. The story is also full of secrets, deceit and disgustful moments. At times I was traumatised by the lies, negative events and deceit and other times I felt that I wanted to jump into the story and slap and bang heads together of certain characters for their actions The consequences of the negative actions had turned back onto the cousins as the town helped Sharmilla. Certainly a book to recommend to readers who love reading Christmas stories but to advise readers who are traumatised by the actions of the cousins who lie, trick and deceive that to remember that this is a fictional story not real life or a personal story and if it does bother you please seek help.

#TheTwelveWishesofChristmas #NetGalley
I received a complimentary copy of this book from HQ, HQ Digital via NetGalley for my honest review of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the book.

What a stunning debut by Ruby Basu!

I truly adored this festive and fun read, just in time for Christmas, too. Just the right amount of intrigue, mystery and romance, and it had me guessing until the end. If you enjoy Hallmark Christmas movies, et al, this is for you. Sweet, funny and a truly delicious festive treat. I look forward to reading more from Ruby in the future.

What a wonderful book. I read this on a beach with blazing sunshine in October and even that didn’t take away from the lovely Christmassy feel of this book. It is incredibly cliched and wouldn’t surprise me if it became a straight to TV movie as it has all the makings of one. A very closed off heroine and a “I’ve been hurt in the past” hero. Throw in a beautiful Hindu (heroine) who has never really celebrated Christmas and an old (now deceased) gentleman who forged a very platonic friendship and his will. The will, which the heroine doesn’t know all the clauses and bequests of provides a luxury true “American” Christmas providing Sharmila (the heroine) completes a list of wishes for Christmas. The story is very descriptive and you can just imagine being in the small town in America where it all takes place. Essentially this is a brilliant, feel good Christmas story of hurt, surprise, betrayal and love

This is a nice little Christmas themed novel. Sharmilla unexpectedly becomes the recipient of a bequest from her late friend Thomas.. The bequest does not go down well with Thomas’s family, especially with his nephew Zach. Sharmilla and Zach are attracted to each other, but neither of them trusts the other. Sharmilla has been told that Thomas has left her a list of 12 tasks to do. She thinks that if she gets all 12 ‘wishes’ done, that her favourite charity will receive a donation. She becomes closer to Zach, but suddenly things go wrong. A pleasant holiday book to read. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel.

A lovely book which explores relationships especially between people of different cultures. The characters are easy to empathise with and it’s a lovely heartwarming Christmas romance story.

If you spend the entire month of December watching Hallmark Christmas movies, this is the book for you!
Sharmila is gifted her very own small town American Christmas courtesy of her friend Thomas. She needs to complete 10 Christmas wishes to earn a donation for the charity of her choice. Only she can't tell anyone about the donation. Of course romance and shenanigans ensue and the entire town rallies around our Sharmila.
I enjoyed this book. It really was cute, but I felt like it started to drag the middle and I kind of lost interest.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

With Christmas on its way I was looking forward to reading this book. A bit of Christmas spirit and a bit of fun. And that it was. The story of a friendship between two very unlikely people leads to family, relationship, friendship and even love.

The story of Sharmila and her love of Christmas and Christmas movies and how the death of a friend leads her on a journey of hopes, dreams and Christmas wishes. It tells a great story of peoples reactions to families and how they deal with inheritances and what they think is rightfully theirs. It tells a tale of acceptance and of how a small town becomes dear to someone who never thought these type of friendships would be made in a short period of time.

Of course there is a bit of a love story in there but what I enjoyed was picturing the Christmas celebrations, the fun, the snow, the lights and decorations. It just brings joy thinking about Christmases past. It is a lot of fun but it does tell a story and the characters are well thought out. Even though there are quite a few characters they all fit well within the story.

My only complaint is that it was a bit long and drawn out and at times repetitive so if it had been a bit shorter I would have enjoyed it much more. All in all a fun book to read and enjoy before the rush of Christmas is upon us. I'd would give it 3 1/2 stars.

I have to admit that when it gets to mid-November I get obsessed with watching sappy Christmas TV movies, I just can’t help it so when I heard about this book and that the main character Sharmila is similarly obsessed I knew this would be a book for me! Sharmila’s friend Thomas has died and left her a wonderful holiday booked where she can experience her first American Christmas, just like the ones in the movies. When she gets there she finds out he’s left her a list of fun tasks to complete, all the things you see in the movies! What she doesn’t know is that Thomas has left her his house and shares in his company if she does everything on the list and his family are determined to stop Sharmila in her tracks! I loved this novel, it has all the elements of Christmas films, and it’s done in a knowing way that stops it being too sickly sweet. There is the hate to love romance (which I loved!) and all the festive activities. This is such a lovely Christmas read and one I definitely recommend!