I really enjoyed this closed-door (maybe window cracked slightly?) romance. It really examined a difficult topic: that the holiday season isn't always so merry for everyone. Madison is grieving the loss of her best friend a year after they were supposed to spend Christmas together in London, and being stuck in London is the last place she feels like she should be, but Julian, his black cab, his understanding and respect of her grief and his excess Christmas cheer keep pulling Madison back for me.

It's real, it's Christmassy, it's British, it was wonderful!

I absolutely adore Christmas rom-coms and that is exactly what I expected from this book, but this novel is not your typical romance. Julian and Madeleine meet in London when Maddie is stuck in London due to unforeseen circumstances. And while their romance is definitely swoon-worthy, the even larger theme of the novel emerges: grief. Madeleine has tragically lost her best friend, and feels like no one can understand her pain.

Not only do we learn a ton about London, especially at Christmas time, but we’re given a portrait of complex grief. After the loss of my mom suddenly, I related to so much of Maddie’s experience and heartache. I so appreciated that the book discussed the fact that multiple emotions often exist simultaneously while grieving the loss of someone so close to you.

This book was festive, emotional, heartwarming, comforting, and raw and I cannot recommend it enough!!

This was just an okay read for me. I considered not finishing, but I hate to do that so I continued until the end! I liked the romance of the story fine but found the whole grieving to have played too big a part of the book. Especially when, at the end, an unread email could have helped our main character deal with the guilt she felt over the unexpected death of her best friend....a woman she had never met in person.

I was quickly caught up in The Certainty of Chance and fell in love with not only Julian and Madeleine but London as well since I considered this beautiful city as a third main character that shows off its finery at Christmastime.

Madeleine has gotten delayed by the ash falling from an erupting volcano that has shut down many flights, including hers. She’s stuck in London at the worst possible time, the upcoming anniversary of her friend’s death. There’s nothing to be done, she’ll have to make the best of it and that is where a charming cab driver with a deep love of not only London but Christmas will step into her life.

Julian isn’t a stranger to heartache or loss but his betrayal was from an ex-fiancée’s actions. Yet he’s gathered good friends around himself, an adorable pup named Winnie, and a business that fills him with joy as he shows off his beloved London year-round but especially at Christmas. Neither knew that a delayed flight would change both of their lives or open the way for healing as well.

I enjoyed The Certainty of Chance so much. This couple’s journey to everlasting love is at times painful with memories, and equally joyous with new feelings and possibilities. I loved exploring London with Julian and Madeleine. It’s a city I’ll probably never actually see in person but the descriptions allowed me to feel like I was experiencing Christmas in London firsthand. The writing is smooth and engaging, the characters interesting, and their situation chock-full of emotions. If you love a good romance, and everything around the holiday season then this is a story you’ll want to add to your Christmas reading list.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own – good, bad, or indifferent. I was not financially compensated for this review and no expectation of a positive review was promised.*

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy to review!

This story hit the spot! Jacquelyn Middleton is pure magic at being able to transport you right to a different location. I truly felt like I was in London with the characters of this book. Madeleine is a totally relatable main character who I found myself connecting with from page 1! Julian is my new favorite smoking hot book boyfriend! He has such a great personality, I was in love with him from the very moment he appeared! If you are a romance reader, pick up this book. I promise you will not regret it!

Thanks Netgalley for a arc copy of this book for a honest review..  


Another he book with a pretty cover I knew I was going to enjoy A Certainly of Chances.  It made me it the Christmas spirit I enjoyed the ride it was  an entertained book 4 stars🌟🌟🌟🌟









Happy Reading Lisa 📚

The Certainty of Chance was such a lovely story! I loved every second of this book and it just really made me smile. Not to mention, London at Christmas, what better setting could there be.

Madeleine and Julian were so cute together! I absolutely adored their relationship. Not only were they amazing together, their relationship was also very realistic and I loved that. Though, it can be hard to find that deep of a connection, they didn’t necessarily romanticize life as many romance novels do.

Madeleine was so relatable! I loved her character so much and just reading her dialogue really hit home. Both her and Julian went through so much by themselves and as a couple, but they were always there for each other and I loved it!

This book is a perfect holiday romance and was just so sweet and hit on real topics and problems and was so amazing! I definitely recommend for the holiday season and really anytime!

The Certainty of Chance by Jacquelyn Middleton. Kirkwall Books, 2021.

Grieving Madeleine flies from Boston to meet Shan in London for Christmas, a reunion for the sisters, plus for Maddie, a way to spend the 1st anniversary of a sad loss. When flights are cancelled due to volcanic ash, and Shan’s arrival is delayed, Maddie meets Julian.

The story is about Maddie and Julian, their shared passion for music and pop culture, and Julian’s closest friends and dog Winnie. We love them all. With Julian as a tour guide second to none, many readers will see London as few visitors ever do.

For me, this delightful book where good things happen was a huge stretch out of my knowledge and comfort zone. Despite being from a different generation and having no notion of pop culture, I really enjoyed reading it, and learned many things that I know I will think about again, and want to reread.

The cover of this book is just about perfect in reflecting the story. Now I want to visit London during the Christmas season, with this book as a guide to what to see and do.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Certainty of Chance for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. #TheCertaintyofChance #NetGalley.

A beautiful and christmassy love story in London

This Christmas, Madeleine isn't feeling very festive so she planned a holiday to Paris with her sister to cheer her up. Unfortunately, an Icelandic volcano erupts and disturbs the airlines, leaving her trapped alone in London. Madeleine is totally depressed when she bumps into a cute cabbie-Julian. Will he manage to make her feel better?

I'm not a big fan of romances but this one stole my heart right away! First, it's set in London. I've always loved this city and in the book, the author brings us along on a tour of it with fun facts and amazing descriptions of buildings and neighborhoods. It took my breath away and I loved knowing more about the history of London with Julian. He truly is a gem and I was crushing on him hard from the beginning, just like Madeleine was. I loved her too. She was touching and her personality was relatable and pleasant. I also loved that music was involved. The references and fun facts about bands and songs was also purely magical and I really liked the role it played in the story. The secondary characters were also really amazing and fun! As for the story, I loved it too. It was cute, festive when it needed to me, sweet as candy and absolutely beautiful. The subject of grief in it was very well brought and dealt with and I really liked the way the characters reacted to it and how it brought them closer together. It's not often such a subject is present in a romance and the author managed to add it without making the story feel heavy or sad. It was just a beautiful story about grief and love and Christmas and I adored every page of it!

I would definitely recommend to anyone who want a light, cute and amazing Christmas romance.

"Grief will always be in your heart, just like love."

This book is A TREAT. And it made me miss Christmas so much and all those christmassy vibes, it made me so excited for the upcoming holiday, even though there's still a lot of time left until Christmas. But it's never too early to get excited, right?

If you like very cute romances, lots of Christmas vibes and decorations, descriptions that made you feel like you're visiting the book setting and... CORGIS, then this book is perfect for you.

I absolutely loved every single part of it and I devoured it. I read it in less than one day, I just couldn't put it down. Maddie and Julian's storyis such a beautiful one and I just wanted to know what was going to happen to them.

Maddie, an American tourist that never intended to stay in London, gets stuck in the beautiful city when a volcano errupts and her flight to Paris is delayed. She can't go to Paris with her sister (who is also stuck in another country), she's alone in London and her best friend's death anniversary is coming. But then she meets the cute cab driver, Julian, and he takes her on a London tour, helps her discover the beauty of the city, introduces her to his friends and helps Maddie have a great time, even though the circumstances are not the best for her.

The books is fascinating and it's definitely a page-turner and a quick, cute read. Our main characters are not perfect, they're human and they're flawed, but the author makes them so easy to be loved and appreciated. I found myself falling in love with Julian, feeling like Maddie would be such an amazing friend to have and just wanting to be a part of their little group of friends.

If you want a book perfect for Christmas time, make sure to add this to your list. You're going to love it!

I wanted to really love this book since it is centered around romance, but I had a hard time getting into it. The setting and situation was perfect, but in my opinion, it wasn't an easy read.

I can’t say enough good things about Jacquelyn Middleton. I’ve been reading her books ever since her Lovestruck in London series. This is another gorgeous story about two people who have experienced hardships meeting of course by “the certainty of chance” and how their love story blossoms throughout the novel. Madeline and Julian were gorgeously thought out characters and I loved all the authentic British slang she uses as well as all the beautiful landscapes trickled throughout, plus it’s holida6 themed which makes it even more special. A must read. Love her!

Madeline is stuck in London in the run up to Christmas, the last place she wants to be after what happened this time last year.
Julian in a cab driver, who drives Madeline from the airport to her hotel, and offers his services as a tour guide.

They start spending their free time together, so what will happen when it is time for Madeline to return to her life in the US?

Loved Julian's friends!

A great festive read.

This book is a love letter to London and I am here for that! London is one of my favourite cities and the city was a full on character in this book.

I love all the music references -- you could easily make yourself a playlist for the book.

Julian is my new book boyfriend!!!

There is a content warning for "disenfranchised grief". It is beautifully written and is an #OwnVoices book but I was not in a good place to read about someone else's grief. So please be forewarned if you're dealing with your own grief.

There is also lots of joy and love in this book. I would definitely read another book from this author!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author as well as Kirkwall Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Jacquelyn & Kirkwall Books!

Thank you to Jacquelyn Middleton, NetGalley, and Kirkwall Books for my ARC of “The Certainty of Chance” in exchange for my honest review.

If you want a truly sweet and utterly charming holiday romance, you need to read “The Certainty of Chance.” It’s just so lovely.

For me, the holidays are bittersweet, as they are for both Julian and Madeleine and I appreciated Middleton’s #OwnVoices narrative regarding grief and death. Middleton captures that ache of grief while being surrounded by holiday cheer - that whisper of yuletide joy that sort of floats through you but shrouds the holidays in a melancholic hollowness. It really touched me that Middleton leaned into grief and really explored it through these characters. It gives credence to readers that their grief, however they experience it, is valid. And that joy, laughter, and love can still be found in times when you are grieving.

Julian and Madeleine are such well-rounded and loveable characters, as are Julian’s friends, Micah and Tash. I love how Middleton wove in music, pop culture, but the history and sights of London. As someone moving to England in the next few days (and from Boston, just like Madeleine), it reminded me to be excited about the culture I will get to immerse myself in.

Reading this was like being baked in a boozy Christmas pudding - just ooey, gooey loveliness and plushness that engulfs you and gives you a very much-needed cuddle. But it also allows you to wade through your own grief, giving you permission to acknowledge the sharp or dull edge of sorrow that permeates holiday joy that some of us experience.