I loved the premise of a woman repeating Christmas day to learn from her mistakes. However, this book was very dark and depressing and not at all what I expected from a story set at Christmas. The entire story is told from Eva’s point of view, and I really hated being stuck in this woman’s head. I understand that she has been through a terrible trauma, but that is still no excuse for her terrible behavior. She’s making herself and everyone around her miserable, and I felt miserable having to witness that.

Even though I wish I had never picked this up, I am giving it 2 stars because it is well-written and ends on a somewhat more positive note. But be aware that this story includes fatal accidents, multiple miscarriages, a parent dying of cancer, fights, and marriages and friendships ending. If you like your fiction really dark and angst-filled, you might enjoy this more than I did.

I received a free advanced review copy of the ebook through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

🎄📚 One Christmas Morning is a captivating and magical romance that weaves together love, hope, and a touch of Christmas enchantment. Rachel Greenlaw’s debut novel takes readers on a heartwarming journey that lingers long after the final page. 📚 🎄

Plot Summary: Eva, our protagonist, once believed she had found her soulmate in James. Over ten years, they fell in love, got married, and dreamed of starting a family.

But everything changed one fateful Christmas three years ago, and their relationship has been drifting apart ever since. Eva hopes that a friend’s Christmas party at an old manor house in Cornwall will provide an opportunity to reconnect.

However, she wakes up on Christmas morning in the body of a different guest. As Eva relives Christmas Day from various perspectives, she realizes how far her life has veered off course. Can she break the cycle and save her future with James before it’s too late? 🌟❤️

Why You’ll Love It:
♥️ Poignant and Clever: The novel tugs at your heartstrings, leaving you with a mix of emotions. It’s cleverly crafted, blending romance with a dash of Christmas magic.

🔀 Unique Twist: The haunting twist—Eva experiencing Christmas through the eyes of others—sets this festive love story apart.

✨ Hopeful and Magical: Rachel Greenlaw’s writing casts a spell, filling your heart with hope and warmth.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is not your average fun and festive holiday novel! One Christmas Morning puts a dark spin on the holiday romances novel. The story starts off with Eva, the main character draining all her energy into the passion to open her business. Her drive and focus brings heart break to other parts of her life. Pulled away from her passion for a weekend with friend at a house which holds painful memories, Eva spends the holiday fighting to figure out what truly matters in life, day after day after day. I enjoyed the character build and plot of this story and thought the unquie take on a Christmas novel was fun and enjoyable, though dark. I found myself rooting for Eva throughout the whole story. Hopingv she’d figure out what truly matters to her during the most wonderful time of the year

Eva is a workaholic and she’s shut out her dearest friends after her grandmother dies. Now she’s at a Christmas house party with them all. Her grandma appears to her and tells her she risks losing her friends. The next morning, Eva wakes up in the body of her assistant. She gets to see how she looks to her assistant and her friends as the days go on. I liked how Eva saw herself as others saw her, interesting premise.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this debut, although I feel it could have been a bit shorter for more impact. It's a premise that has been done many times, but it still felt fresh.

This is reminiscent to "A Christmas Carol" Overall the story is interesting, wasn't exactly what I was expecting from this book.

Thank you for the advance reader copy for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I did not connect with the writing or Eva. The writing felt choppy and told and not shown. It felt like we were put into the middle of a sentence vs the beginning. This just didn’t flow for me and unfortunately did not work for me but I’m hopeful it will work much better for other readers. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Cute and fulfilling Loved seeing second chances and healing. A cool take on a classic! Love, loss, acceptance all play a role in this magical tale

One Christmas Morning surprised me so much. The cover is beautiful and the premise is so sweet- I mean, hello, who doesn't love a small business owner opening their shop in time for the holidays and working on keeping their relaitonship alive at the same time? There's an easy richness to the storytelling and an even timbre to the tone that makes it a wonderful read to get swept up in this holiday season. Rachel Greenlaw writes in a way that is both relatable and and raw, so I was honestly so suprised when this took a turn for the fantastical and wound up in a Dickensian "I see dead people" realm instead.

Per usual, I need to familiarize myself more with a book's blurbs prior to reading. Or not, I suppose, since it continues to work out extremely well. This book is sweet and poingnant and perfect for putting you in the "Christmas Carol" mood without having to actual read about Tiny Tim or pop the Muppets into the VCR. 4.5 stars for its combined unique premise and easy bingeability. This would be a great read for anyone trying to cross a few more books off their goodreads goal in time for the end of the year.

Eva, a workaholic, finds herself visited by the ghost of her grandmother and each day wakes up as another one of her friends and family. Eva must work to change her habits so that she doesn't ruin her future.

This was like a mashup of Groundhog's Day + a Christmas Carol. I thought the premise was interesting, although I didn't love the writing!

This novel presents a contemporary version of "A Christmas Carol" with a twist! Imagine reliving Christmas Day in a loop, seeing the day and its events through the eyes of different people. Eva puts all her efforts into opening her new shop, at the expense of all her relationships with friends and to the detriment of her marriage. Her driven attitude enables her to mask her true feelings and thoughts about tragic events of the past. When Eva and her husband James attend a holiday party with friends, she is forced through unusual means to confront her life as it is rapidly falling apart.

This is an intense read that is set at Christmas time, although it could have taken place at any time of the year. I found it unsettling yet compelling, with its lessons for all of us to recall the important things in our lives, and to relinquish past sorrows and cares.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Cute christmas vibes and great characters! I loved the concept. I enjoyed this one so much. 5 stars!

🌲 BOOK / REVIEW 🌲

OH man. I AM UNWELL AFTER FINISHING THIS BOOK! I normally save holiday ARCs to get into the spirit, and while this one takes place around Christmas, it's a VERY emotional and introspective read vs. a cheeky and cute story.

That is what I actually loved about it, though. The holiday's can bring about a lot of emotions, so I appreciated Greenlaw's approach to facing them head-on in this book.

Full transparency - it's sad. Real sad, but so beautifully written. I was really on a rollercoaster of emotions as I read this, but I am so grateful I had the opportunity to read this book.

It's tender, harsh, magical, and heartbreaking all at the same time. While I don't love a normal "groundhogs day" premise, it really worked here because we saw the story through so many different perspectives.

You can't help but be in your feels - one page you love Eva and the next you hate her. She puts the reader through a lot, and her friendships and relationships are really tested through the entirety of the book.

If you're looking for a great second chance romance read, I strongly suggest you grab this one. It was a very quick read, despite the subject matter.

A wonderful debut - I can't wait to read more by this author!

This is a very heavy, painful story that is a blend of Groundhog Day, A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life. What it isn’t is a feel-good Christmas story. Given the extremely difficult year I’ve had, I’ve spent November into December reading as many holiday romances as I can to lift my spirits. So, when I reached Chapter 5 and realized that this was going to be a very emotional, often dark piece of women’s fiction, not a sweet romance, I almost didn’t finish the book. It’s not only that it’s depressing, but the main character Eva is also really frustrating. She is a woman so consumed with grief over a couple of tragic events that happened at Christmas three years prior that she has channeled it all into building her business at the expense of her relationship with both her loving husband and best friend. This is a woman seriously in need of intensive therapy who needs to be in control when it’s obvious she’s anything but.

It’s only when a ghost from her past appears to guide her, by having her inhabit the bodies of several of the book’s characters on a Christmas morning, repeating cycle, that she realizes what she’ll lose if she doesn’t face her demons. To me, the miracle is how much patience her loved ones have in the face of her escalating obsession and anger. I can’t recommend this story to anyone looking for a heartwarming Christmas story and feel an obligation to warn that there are a number of triggers that I won’t divulge as spoilers.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Avon through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Review will be posted on 12/6/23

Eva is obsessed with her work; she is opening a new store and is completely consumed by that. Things with her husband, James, aren't good, and they are en route to Cornwall from London to go to Hallie's holiday party. Eva is trying to make things right with her husband, but she is completely triggered by Hallie's party and the news that Hallie is pregnant. This brings up a lot of unresolved issues in Eva's life as she has suffered a devastating miscarriage and she attempts to return to London at night. While heading there, she is greeted by the ghost of her grandmother who tries to talk some sense into her as her relationships are suffering greatly. When Eva wakes up, she finds herself in a different friend's body and living out their Christmas morning, but also getting inside details as to how her behavior impacts everyone. This is Eva's chance to start over despite her setbacks and trauma and repair the relationships in her life before it's too late. One Christmas Morning by Rachel Greenlaw is a melancholy holiday read, but ultimately by the story's end, it is one filled with hope.

Eva is a difficult character in One Christmas Morning. She has a lot of trauma and issues that she hasn't explored. Since she hasn't faced it head-on, her issues spill over into her personal life, which is why she dives head-first into her work. Greenlaw includes a lot of depressing topics for a holiday novel such as various traumas like the death of a loved one, marriage problems, and miscarriage. It felt a bit heavy for a holiday novel and the story took a while feel warm and fuzzy. By the last portion of the novel things were looking up, but it was a difficult road to get there as the story was mostly sad. However, I will say I love a modern take on A Christmas Carol, so that part of this debut novel, as well as her beloved grandmother being the ghost who warns her, was a nice touch.

What do you get when you mash-up A Christmas Carol with Groundhog Day? Why Rachel Greenlaw's One Christmas Morning, of course! This reflective holiday novel follows one burnt out small business owner as she attempts to juggle both her nascent company and her failing relationships.

Eva is attending a Christmas party, but the last thing on her mind is making merry and being bright with all of her friends. Rather, Eva can't get her mind off of work as she tries to get her business off of the ground. In fact, she is acting like a veritable Scrooge, which is why her recently deceased grandmother visits her at midnight like a Ghost of Christmas Past in an attempt to open Eva's eyes to the destruction she is creating all around her.

If reuniting with her grandmother wasn't surreal enough, she finds herself reliving Christmas Day over and over again as different people in her life. From her assistant to her best friend, Eva inhabits their bodies, seeing herself through their eyes. Just what is it that Eva is supposed to learn about herself through this strange turn of events, and can she save her relationships before it is too late?

The Christmas season often finds many of us looking back over the years, considering our life choices and pondering the people, places, and events that have landed us where we are today. One Christmas Morning is that thought-provoking, ruminative feeling wrapped up in a book. This isn't a holly jolly holiday read, but rather one that glaringly looks down upon a young woman's rather selfish and narrow-minded life decisions made among stress and strife. That being said, you should only pick up this novel if you are in the right sort of mood, and if, on the other hand, you are craving a book of comfort and joy, look elsewhere.

Tone aside, One Christmas Morning is not without other problems. Lacking any agreeable or redeeming characteristics, Eva is quite an unappealing protagonist, and furthermore, the writing style is disconnected, making this a difficult novel with which to engage. I often found myself lacking any real motivation to continue on through Eva's story, which is something that I never want to feel as a reader. Nonetheless, One Christmas Morning, while a solid story, is one that would benefit from a bit of spit and shine to make it stand out from similar novels in the genre.

An intense and thought provoking read. Not a festive story but deep.
Many thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This debut novel from Rachel Greenlaw gave me all the Hallmark movie and A Christmas Carol + Groundhog Day vibes with a splash of Freaky Friday body switching (sort of).

Eva is about to expand her business and open right after Christmas with the hopes of capturing extra sales from the holidays. This expansion has been 3 years in the making and the pressure is on. Her husband, James, asks her to give him 2-3 days of her time at Penhallow, a manor her best friend booked to celebrate Christmas. It's also where she used to spend time with her grandmother over the holidays, but it's a place that holds some of her worst memories, too.

Eva's grandma is able to cross the veil in an attempt to open Eva's eyes to the trajectory her life has assumed -- away from all she once held dear. Forced to relive Christmas day in different bodies, Eva hopes to learn what Gran intends for her to learn and regain her direction in life.

Okay, so I loved the premise of this book. Repeating the day through different characters wasn't dull or boring, in fact, Eva inhabiting other characters' bodies gave such great insight to herself as a character (especially as she developed) and to the different relationships and backgrounds. This story is so heartfelt and I couldn't help but feel Eva's aches at each point in her journey.

Although this book isn't lighthearted, Some of the topics Greenlaw beautifully navigates are miscarriage, failing marriage and friendships, and balancing life responsibilities. One Christmas Morning holds up a magnifying glass to the important aspects of being human and living a fulfilled life. This is definitely a story that will stick with me for years to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a feel good fluffy, Christmas story, this is probably not the book for you. Eva’s story is emotional, kind of depressing for most of the book. You are left in the dark as too why she’s so sad, but the hints throughout the book make it easy to guess, and as someone who has experienced it, it was kind of a tough read. The mood does get better at around the 75% mark, which I’m so glad it did. Still it was a good story, just have tissues nearby when you read this story.