A great ‘sliding doors’ book looking at the different choice that nurse Liv could make after she witnesses an accident. I enjoyed the two stories and the different outcomes. I did have to reread the ending as it was quite different and was unusual. Overall I enjoyed the book

This book is certainly a bit different from the normal. Very well written and certainly kept me wanting to read on to find out what happened.

Liv is a nurse at the hospital on her way home after a shift when fate intervenes and Finn saves her life. This is where the book goes into two different scenarios where she stays at the hospital to make sure Finn is ok and the other is she goes home to her family for Christmas.

At the beginning I could follow the story but when the different scenarios being more or less together I got confused. The end was lovely.

Would recommend the book.

I loved everything about this book and devoured it in one sitting. The story drew me in from page 1 and I raced through, desperate to find out the ending. The characters are warm and intriguing and the story is lovely. A fabulous Christmas time story that I’d definitely recommend.

Liv is going home for Christmas but on the way out of the hospital she works at she has a near miss accident which leaves another person seriously hurt. The story then descends into a sliding doors scenario which shows the outcome of the two routes she can take. Does she stay at the hospital or does she go home to her loser boyfriend Eddie? It would be a no brainer for me but love certainly deflects the truth from some people that's for sure. Not a christmassy story at all in my opinion but still a good read.

I absolutely adored Faith Hogan's 'The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club" and "The Gin Sisters' Promise" so was delighted to find a new Christmassy read for the festive season! In On the First Day of Christmas we meet ER nurse Liv, who, after a near-death experience, needs to make a choice, will she go to family and celebrate Christmas with them, her friend Pete and her hopefully-soon-to-be-fiancé Eddie? Or will she stay in the ER to care for the stranger who heroically saved her just hours before? From here, the story is told in two parallel timelines, often taking different turns with similar outcomes. Ultimately, the storylines collide...

So, as per usual, I loved Hogan's story-crafting and writing. There is laughter, there are tears. The beautiful setting of Ballycove is easy to imagine making for an easy immersion in the story. Surprisingly, while the storylines have similar characters, they are easy enough to keep apart and follow along (perhaps due to the use of different fonts). Now, where this one lacks a little for me (as opposed to the earlier works I read), is the characters. I didn't quite connect with them all. Yes, Pete is lovely for sure. Liv is a strong and interesting character in one of the storylines.... in the other I was ready to throw my Kindle around the room in frustration several times. Let's not talk about Eddie altogether.

This is a solid, though not lighthearted, read. Not my favorite by the author, but all in all an interesting story, with enough twists and turns to keep you fully engaged.

This is a Sliding-Doors-esque look at what could happen if one split decision was made differently in our lives.

Liv is a bit of a workaholic, throwing herself into her career as a nurse since losing her twin sister Rachel to cancer at a very young age. She's looking forward to spending Christmas at home with her family in Ballycove, where she's sure her boyfriend Eddie is going to propose. She has seen the ring, after all. She's also making excuses for Eddie before we ever meet him, which isn't a great sign...

Anyway, a man saves her from being hit by a car, and ends up being knocked unconscious. In one timeline, Liv gives up her family Christmas to stay with this poor stranger out of guilt (but also slight relief at not having to do another Christmas without Rachel).

In the other timeline, Liv heads home to Ballycove to have a big family do and possibly get that ring on her finger.

This is where my review notebook really earned its money, because without notes I would not have been able to keep track of this story at all. The whole point, imho, of a story like this, is to show how different life could be based on one decision. But both timelines had similar, if not the same, events at the same time, making it incredibly hard to follow.

Barbara was written brilliantly, because she was truly one of the most horrible characters I've read in a long time and she absolutely did my head in, which was the point.

By 80%, I was entirely confused, didn't have a clue what was happening in either timeline, and then by the time *THE THING* happened, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I'd nearly tell you to read it just for the last 50 pages, because I'll tell you one thing, I definitely didn't see it coming!

A truly bananas book, not the worst one I've ever read but not one I'd recommend as a fun festive read.

I love a good Sliding Doors story and this one has a very familiar, cosy Irish setting. Faith Hogan is skilled in laying out the bones of what could be a complicated story and it's an enjoyable romantic read with lovely festive overtones

This book blew me away with its parallel storylines. I championed Liv to have her happy ending but I couldn’t decide which ending I wanted to be the real one as the book went on. The correct ending was the one that was meant to be as so often happens in life., I’m keen to read more books from this author

Brilliant! I loved the way the story was told from two sides. Great ending too am so glad Liv got her happy ending with her knight in shining armour and was able to put the memory of her twin to rest.

I enjoyed this book and read it in a few days. I liked the two narratives, the characters and the fact I couldn’t guess how things would pan out in the end wondering how the narratives could come together to be her actual future. However, I found the end tricky. It was a different tone to the rest of the book.

I enjoyed this book. Liv is a nurse in Dublin. As she leaves the hospital on Christmas Eve, she is looking forward to spending the festive period in Ballycove with her family and boyfriend. However, she is involved in an accident where a man is knocked down by a motorbike. She is unhurt, but then has to decide whether to return to the hospital and make sure the man is ok, or continue on her way knowing he will be well cared for. The story then continues in a 'sliding doors' format and we see what happens to Liv in both scenarios. I recommend this as a good read. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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This book started out well and had me interested, particularly as it's set at Christmas time, the time I read it. It's hard to review without giving away spoilers but I feel rather let down and disappointed by the last section when it all got a bit silly.

I haven’t read any other of Faith Hogan’s books so I don’t have anything to compare this to. It was enjoyable but I did find parts frustrating and I don’t think it’ll live long in my memory.

The story follows the main character Liv who is a nurse at a hospital in Dublin. She is finishing a late shift on Christmas Eve and on the way out bumps into a handsome stranger who almost immediately saves her from a collision with a motor bike and in doing so seriously injures himself. The story then splits, Sliding Doors style, with Liv’s reaction to this. One Liv stays with the stranger in Dublin rather than go home for her family Christmas and the hope that her boyfriend is going to propose to her. The other Liv decides to go home but things definitely don’t go according to plan with her boyfriend. There is a supporting cast who appear in both strands of the story including the boyfriend, Eddie, her late twin sister Rachel’s best friend Pete, Liv’s parents and other sister Maya, Eddie’s over bearing mother and Pete’s ex Anya amongst others.

The story flips frequently throughout the book and while it’s simple to follow throughout most of it, there were points towards the end where I felt it was pretty confusing. I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say that the two stories do merge again at the end but I don’t feel that the solution the author came up with for this really worked. It didn’t feel like there’d really been enough groundwork throughout the book to make it believable and it felt a bit rushed. I feel like something either like a more truthful accident or seeing how both sides of Liv’s story would’ve played out would’ve led to an ending more truthful to the two stories.

But it did feel Christmassy at times and it was nice to see a story that deals with the difficulties of grief and that gives such a strong nod to all the hard work that nurses do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

A good story, but I found it confusing to follow the two different parallel universe's, especially towards the end, as I was struggling to remember what had happened in which timeline.
I did enjoy the actual storyline, but struggled with the two different scenarios. Initially I thought she had been knocked unconscious and one story was going on in her head

Everyone kept saying “this is something a bit different” – its structure certainly is (and incredibly cleverly done), and the author hasn’t produced a Christmas book before – but this book had absolutely everything I’ve grown to love about the author’s writing. A well told and tremendously engaging story, wonderfully drawn characters, a fine emotional touch, laughter and tears, the palpable warmth that always distinguishes her writing – all that, plus a visit to her beloved Ballycove, and a touch of real magic that brought a tear to my eye and filled my heart with joy.

I desperately don’t want to spoil this book for anyone, but I’m sure others will have spotted the “Sliding Doors” references, and the fact that Liv – a nurse in a busy hospital A&E department – has a difficult choice to make when involved in an incident on her way home, before her planned departure to stay with her parents at Ballycove for Christmas. And she’s hoping that they’ll be celebrating more than just Christmas – she’s found a very special ring in boyfriend Eddie’s workshop (when she’s previously doubted whether their relationship was ever going anywhere), one capturing her special memories of the twin sister she lost to cancer, and she believes he’s planning to ask her to marry him. But then comes that moment when she has to make a choice – to return to the hospital with the man seriously injured while saving her life, or to walk away and continue with her plans.

The book follows both options, the stories then told in parallel – and if that sounds a touch difficult, and you’re perhaps even thinking “not for me”, I’ve never seen it done any better. In the proof copy I read, the parallel stories were distinguished by different typefaces – I don’t know if that was carried forward into the final copy (I hope it was, it worked well), but the stories deviate enough that I doubt anyone would struggle with the shifts from story to story. What’s particularly clever is that, as well as capturing Liv’s different journeys, they feature many of the same characters – her sister’s (and now her) best friend Pete, boyfriend Eddie (and what a waste of space he turns out to be), and in one storyline some of the incidental players (like Eddie’s appalling mother, and Pete’s former girlfriend) move from the background to take more significant roles. There’s a really original use of perspective too – the key outcomes in both stories are often the same, the angle of approach rather different.

At an emotional level, the whole book is extremely engaging – Liv had my heart from the very beginning, even when I found some of her romantic choices distinctly questionable. One of the storylines has more of a focus on home and family, beautifully done as always (I loved her parents as much as I did her), the other on a possible alternative romance and outcome but with considerable obstacles and complications. The supportive friendship – the wonderful Pete – is common to both, as is the lingering grief over the loss of her sister and the impact it’s had on everyone’s lives.

And then there’s the book’s ending, when the two versions of reality collide – and I have to say that I thought its emotional impact and the way it was handled was entirely perfect. There are a lot of tears in this book, but plenty of opportunities to laugh and smile too. I’m sorry to be a tad more cryptic than usual about the twists and turns of both stories, but I really want everyone to immerse themselves as I did and discover them for themselves – but it’s one of those that you read with the heart, and mine was certainly overflowing with love when I reached the final page.

I really did love this one – highly original, a Christmassy read with a real difference, a story beautifully told, entirely compelling, and one I certainly won’t forget in a hurry. And, I think, not necessarily a story you need to read at Christmas – although I’m really delighted I chose to add it to my festive list. Very highly recommended.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

Sch a lovely festive read. Great storytelling with likeable characters and scenery. The ideal festive read.

Our setting is Ireland – both the city of Dublin and a rural farm/village – at Christmas time.

Our heroine is Liv Latimer, a heroine in two senses of the word: as the main protagonist in the novel and as an A&E nurse in a Dublin hospital.

Our story begins as Liv leaves her shift, about to head to her family home for the Christmas holidays. A brief encounter with a stranger at a pedestrian crossing – a stranger who puts himself in harm’s way to protect her from an accident – means Liv has a decision to make: leave the stranger to the care of her colleagues at the hospital to go and have the planned Christmas with her family and boyfriend Eddie, or abandon her plans and stay to offer her support to this handsome stranger.

It is at this point that a ‘Sliding Doors’ moment occurs and the narrative splits between what happens when she stays and what happens when she goes back to her family home. I loved this device and when Liv was further ahead in knowing what’s actually going on in her relationship with Eddie in one of the threads, I was urging her on in the other thread to catch up and get with it.

I have mixed feelings about this book. There’s a lot to love: the two narratives, the characters you love, the characters you hate, the fact I couldn’t guess how things would pan out in the end (two possible love interests, liking them both and being unable to decide who I wanted Liv to end up with), wondering how the narratives could come together to be her actual future. However, I found the end tricky. For me the tone and writing style seemed to be at odds with the rest of the book and I’m afraid it spoilt it for me, which is why I give it 3 stars, rather than four. Still worth reading, and I’m glad I did.

Thanks so much for the advance copy of this gorgeous book. Overall I very much enjoyed and I thought the hospital descriptions were very accurate as someone who has worked in hospitals for a long time. I really enjoyed that aspect and loved the Christmas setting. The cover is one of my favourites I've ever come across! I found the book really emotional and thought the reflection on grieving was beautifully done. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a festive read and fans of Faith Hogans. Thank you so much again, this was a joy to read, I couldn't put it down!

I’ve been a fan of Faith Hogan’s books right from the start. They’re always a really wonderful read, and each one is so unique.

This latest novel is another breath of fresh air in the Christmas book market. It has all the elements of a gorgeous festive novel: atmosphere, drama and romance, but it’s not your typical Christmas story at all.

I won’t say too much for fear of spoiling it, but there are two elements to this story, a kind of what-might-have-been parallel timeline. I did find it a bit confusing at times, but it’s very cleverly done and quite thought provoking.

As a character I liked Liv, but I couldn’t believe how much of a doormat she was for her waste of space boyfriend, Eddie. As the novel progresses however, we see an inner strength appear.

An emotional and engaging read, I really enjoyed this book, my first festive one to read so far this year. Thank you to Aria Fiction for the advance copy.

2.5

Honestly, the ending of this book lets it down. I wasn't a fan. I enjoyed reading the two different versions of Liv, told in a Sliding Doors fashion. Both accounts held my interest and the anger that I felt towards Eddie. It made me want to scream in frustration at times. I'm glad I read it but it's not the most memorable book I've ever read.