I love the title and the cover. I was excited for this fun and cute holiday romance. Right from the start the characters came off as not connected. I personally couldn't get into the story and I was hoping for more romance right from the beginning. This book just wasn't for me and that's okay. I hope others continue to like it and congratulations to the author for making this a debut book. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to get an advanced copy of this book.

unfortunately this book was not for me.
There are a few things I liked, i liked Holly and her story of starting over after a major break up, I also loved the setting and Xavier. The book is well written.
To me it fell short mainly due to the fact that over the book there are 3 love interests for Holly and two of them are the absolute worst. Also not much romance happens until the second half of the book, which it was okay to me because I thought it was the fmc getting used to her new life except that after that part everything felt rushed.
I wanted to love this book but unfortunately iit did not workout for me. Given it is a debut I will think about reading more from the author, i think it could be worth it.

I enjoyed this debut novel from Walker and liked that it wasn’t a completely Christmas story. Instead, this book takes you away to the snowy slopes of the Swiss Alps, with Christmas just a small feature in the plot. In my mind, this makes it a perfect winter get-away.

Holly has escaped to the Swiss Alps after her relationship ended in disaster. I was a bit bemused by her character because it is implied that she has self-taught knowledge of working in the kitchen, coupled with her experience in a London restaurant. Yet, when Holly is in Switzerland, she is a full-blown sous-chef, a sommelier and apparently highly skilled in cooking. I don’t think the writer successfully conveyed the extent of Holly’s talents because it felt like her journey to the chalet also included her employment skills being improved!

Life at the chalet feels like it is on another planet. Brother and sister, Luca and Genevieve, are wealth personified. It is like “upstairs downstairs” in the chalet as Holly, Xavier and Liz are serving the wealthy clients and being ignored at the same time. The disregard that the wealthy siblings show towards others made me a bit uncomfortable and the extreme “cash flashing” that Luca does did not do much to improve my opinion of him.

Along with Luca, I disliked most male characters in the novel. They all have a creepy “ick” factor about them and I could not trust them in the slightest. I disliked Holly’s ex and could not see how she had ever felt attraction towards him. Luca clearly has hidden intentions and he is an obvious user; I was frustrated by the flattery Holly felt by Luca’s attention. Finally, Xavier is also a bit shifty with his wife being left behind in Paris and Xavier barely acknowledging married life. Sadly, I could not warm to any of these characters, making the story less appealing to me.

Despite this, I enjoyed escaping to the slopes to see Holly’s life as a sous-chef and what she gets up to over the skiing season. There is plenty of food discussed in this book – thankfully you can’t absorb the calories that are described! I think Walker vividly transports readers away to this snowy, indulgent world and I liked seeing Holly’s adventures as she is evidently out of her comfort zone. Yes, it is not the most action-packed, there is not much romance and barely any festivities, but it was still an enjoyable read to see what would happen next in this bizarrely rich world that Holly now inhabits.

Therefore, if you are done with Christmas stories but are not quite ready to depart to warmer climates, this snowy offering from Walker will be a great fit as you experience hot chocolate, face-planting in the snow and the lure of the après ski.

With thanks to Aria Fiction and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute fast Christmas read that will get you into the spirit with this rom com. Holly despise the cold and decides to move to Switzerland an work at a ski resort after having a bad break up as an impulse decision, so what could go wrong when she meets a handsome an named Luca.

Synopsis:
Holly Roberts is known for despising the cold, so no one is more surprised than her when she agrees to pack her bags and move to the Swiss Alps to work as a sous-chef for wealthy twins Genevieve and gorgeous Luca. But what other choice did she have after getting her heart broken?
Verbier is home to millionaires and Holly has never felt more out of place. But with help from new friends, chalet girl Liv and chef Xavier, Holly is introduced to the world of après-ski, fondue, and chair lifts. And of course new romance is in the air, but can it really be as good as it seems? She just wanted to escape her problems but could she get her Happily Ever After?

My Thoughts:
First, a round of applause for the stunning cover. I am sad to admit, I do judge a book by its cover. And this cover sucked me in. I think this a fun seasonal debut novel. It's cute, it's sweet, there is good pacing, and plenty of wintry scenery. A lovely book to curl up with. My only gripe is that I feel the end is a little rushed and abrupt. Walker gives gorgeous descriptions of the food, so be sure to have a snack handy while reading.

3.5 rounded up!

This was a great read to cosy up with on a colder winters night. Holly begins the book in the lead up to her wedding, but when she is left at the altar, she is lost. Her plans for the future have all been ruined and she needs a new start. When she gets offered a job at a chalet in the Swiss alps, it’s the perfect opportunity to get away from it all.

Holly was a likeable character and I really felt for her throughout. The setting of the Swiss alps was so dreamy and it made me crave for a skiing holiday! It was a love letter to good food and good wine and was a really enjoyable read. My only real issue was that I found the ending a little rushed but I liked how it all wrapped up together!

Thanks to Netgalley and Aria for the E-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I tried very hard with this book. But oh my was the MC just ridiculous. She was so hung up on a man who literally left her at the alter, told her she was boring and a loner and hasn't liked her like that for years. And she still wanted him and kept saying I don't know I'm not completely on the market *eyeroll*
Liv and Xavier were the only good things about this book.

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

This was a fun holiday read that gave us heartbreak, falling in love, finding your passion and growing all in one. I liked the story of how life is messy and it goes on regardless. Holly was not my favorite character in the book. She was just so used to George and the idea of a life with him that she let a lot slide like his dislike of cats and his superiority complex. I feel like that let to her being almost in situation-ship with someone she shouldn't be with. IT was so obvious! At the end I applauded her and her leap of faith with someone fairly new to her life. It was funny and I liked how she made the best and learned a lot in this new adventure because in the end it did help her work through being left at the altar.

This was a fun, quick and easy read. I loved the story of this one and found myself rooting for the main character pretty much straight away! I now want to go to a Swiss chalet (even though the cold is my worst nightmare)!! Great read.

This book was so fun, I was flipping through the pages so quickly. Kudos to the author for making the writing flow so seamlessly.

This was a nice winter story, I wouldn’t call it a romance as such. Whilst I enjoyed the book it also didn’t really leave me eager to read or unable to put it down. I’m not sure if this will be edited for the final published version but the don’t use Euros in Switzerland… (also couldn’t as not in EU)

I think this book would be great if you love wine/food as that is a main theme in this story with lots of time gone into descriptions etc if food and wine.

Heartwarming, escapist, cosy book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

I try very hard to only pick books I believe I will like and to finish all the ARCs I select. However, there are some cases where I just can't get into a book and this was one of those cases. I immediately wasn't a big fan of the heroine but I stuck with it because I wanted to get to the part set in the Swiss Chalet. However, even after reading a while past that the action in this book wasn't picking up. Holly has met Luca and they had some awkward run ins but zero romance and not even really attraction. That doesn't work for me one third of the way into a romance book. I wish that this book had started on Holly's wedding day and we had gotten info about George from flashbacks.

I would recommend this book for someone who doesn't mind slow paces books and probably more for a general fiction audience than a romance audience. Most romance readers will expect romance to be the main plot.

A fun read. Holly sets off for Switzerland after losing her boyfriend and her job. Out of comfort zone she soon makes new friends. A great festive read.

I love Switzerland so I knew this book was for me and I wasn't wrong. Everything about this was well worth reading and worth 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC

I really wanted to love Escape to the Swiss Chalet. The synopsis sounded like the perfect holiday romance book, but this book fell flat for me. I disliked Luca from the very beginning. He came off as very entitled and arrogant. It made me want to scream in frustration when Holly started to go on adventures with him. The only characters that saved this book for me was Liz and Xavier. Liz was a comedic relief and Xavier was so thoughtful to his friends. I did enjoy the creations of the extravagant dishes that were created throughout the book. The descriptions of the food being made often left me hungry. So, if you are a foodie, this might be an entertaining book for you.

Escape to the Swiss Chalet is out now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria Publishing for the opportunity to review Escape to the Swiss Chalet. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Holly and George are packing up to leave London, get married, and live in the countryside in a brand new home. They have been engaged for years and now George wants to settle down and start a family. Holly isn’t convinced that’s what she wants quite yet. After being made redundant from her corporate job, she settled in to work in her favorite French restaurant as a sous chef. No, it doesn't pay a lot of money., but she loves it. As her wedding day approaches, she’s so excited but George does a runner and jilts her. She is so depressed and after soon after her boss at the French restaurant tells her of a job working at a Swiss chalet for a wealthy duo. As she hates the cold, she’s not sure but realizes she needs to make a drastic change in her life so she accepts.

When she arrives, she is delighted to meet the chef, Xavier, and chalet girl, Liv. Holly will be working directly with Xavier preparing meals and choosing the perfect wines from the owner’s vast collection.

Owners Luca and Genevieve, twins, arrive the next day and are served an elegant dinner. They have many business people that they will entertain while they are there.

As Holly settles in, Xavier and Liv introduce her to snowboarding and the apres-ski scene.

I really enjoyed the delicious descriptions of the food that Xavier prepared. So yummy and so French! This is a fun book that imparts lots of secrets about food preparation and secrets to learning to ski. The characters are all so genuine. Enjoy!

Copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Escapist rom-com fans unite, there's a new author in town!

If this book is the debut, I can't even imagine how great subsequent books will be. A delight from beginning to end, allow yourself to be swept into the world of Holly Roberts and all of her friends.

Set in a wanderlust-inspiring Swiss village, join Holly as she tries to sort herself out after heartbreak lands her a job working at private chalet. Filled to the brim with beautifully written scenery, characters, and food (THE FOOD), fans of Lindsey Kelk will be in heaven with this book.

I counted down the minutes until lunch at my job so that I could pop open my Kindle to read more, and I simply cannot stop gushing over this great book. Perfect with a cup of coffee and a crisp breeze, you won't want to miss out on this story of self-discovery, love, and finding your people.

I can't wait for the next book from Ms. Walker.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries Publishing for the opportunity to read this book for free and provide my honest review.

This was an amazing debut novel by Carrie Walker. I loved the character development- you knew everyone and felt like you were there with them. Although I have never wanted to learn to ski- this book had me yearning to experience a luxury holiday in amongst the mountains.
Holly is offered a winter season in a luxury lodge as part of the team. She is hoping to learn a lot from the very talented chef- and he is keen to take her under his wing. There are lots of smiles along the way and mouth watering descriptions of the food and drink.
I loved absolutely everything about this book.