Sarah Morgan has a great way of writing stories about family and coming together. Her holiday books have always been enjoyable reads to me and this one was a great start to my festive reading. It featured a little bit of romance but also focused heavily on family, relationships in general and second chances. There were some heavier topics such as emotionally abusive parents and abandonment, but at its core, it was a very hopeful story with plenty of cheerful holiday vibes.

It featured Imogen, a workaholic who had never had a real, stable family. On the verge of a breakdown at work, her boss sends her on a mandatory month long vacation. She ends up renting a cottage from a client to get away from the city, only to find out that the woman she rented from was her Grandmother. Along with that came a whole family. No longer lonely, Imogen was able to enjoy the holidays and celebrate for the first time in her life, complete with a handsome man and an adorable dog. This book read like a Hallmark movie and I loved it!

Main character, Imogen, is a certified workaholic. Nothing can be out of place….all must be perfect to make her happy. She is one tense lady!
With urging from her boss, she decides to take a break over Christmas.
A client asks Imogen if she’d like to come stay for free in a cottage in the Cotswolds.
Is this where Imogen can finally relax and let go of her pent up stress?
Will family drama play a part?
A holiday book that was fun to read.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the second Christmas book I've read by Sarah Morgan. As with the first, I was delighted by the characters and plot. She tells a holiday story that incorporates the importance of family and the value of honesty in any kind of relationship.
Imogene is a renown event planner in London. She is fiercely independent as well as a master of creatively fashioning an imaginary life to fool her workmates into thinking she has a family and life outside of work. Her mother's rejection to actually be a mother to her leaves her insecure, and she applies all her energy into her work to try to prove that she is worthy of respect and acceptance. Sadly she can't seem to cut her ties to her dysfunctional mother and the wish that things could be different.
When life interferes, Imogene is finally unable to perfectly manage all the holiday events she has overloaded on her plate, and she is forced to take time off by her boss. A month off at Christmas would be a treat for most people, but she dreads the time off and the festivity of a holiday she has never enjoyed celebrating alone. The surprises begin when one of her clients invites her to stay at a cottage she usually rents out in the Cotswolds.
This was a meaningfully dramatic, yet fun story that is perfect for a holiday read. The joy that comes from honesty and being accepted as you are fits perfectly with the Christmas spirit. The story is wrapped up beautifully in a delightful winter setting. I highly recommend The Holiday Cottage as a great Christmas read for this year!
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This book was very reminiscent of the movie The Holiday. I loved the winter cottage vibes and am definitely getting in the Christmas spirit.

A heartwarming and feel-good Christmas novel. Work is everything for Imogen, to the exclusion of all else until her life starts to unravel and she is forced to take a break. A Cotswold cottage offers hope for a better future.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for early digital arc of this holiday read! This is a multi POV story again from Morgan but I loved that these three women intertwined more than her characters in past books. Even though it was three people they were all telling the same story.

This holiday tale centers around Imogen and she definitely feels like our main FMC. I loved getting to really see and feel her life prior to the holiday cottage takeover. It made that shift all the more real.

I wouldn’t call this a romance—definitely more family drama/women’s fiction. There is definitely “family drama” and some intense mother/daughter manipulation, so if that is triggering for you, be warned.

But the twists and turns and holiday delights—which of course do include a handsome vet and loveable dog—leave you feeling all the hallmark warmth of Christmas. Definitely recommend!

I absolutely ADORED this book! It had everything that I could ask for in a book. The characters were well developed and I found myself staying up way past my bedtime to sneak a few more chapters in. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this amazing book! I will definitely be sharing it with all of my fellow book lovers!

Im going to start by saying that I am not a huge holiday reader. I normally find they are too much "hallmark" and not enough depth. But I always make an exception for Sarah Morgan because I always find her writing enrapturing. and this one was no different. Loved it.
It's got me wanting to cozy on into my house and start focusing on the best parts of the holiday season...and gratitude tops the list.

4.5 stars from me <3

The cover of this book reminded me of the movie The Holiday, so I was immediately intrigued - add in Christmas and I am really sold. Sarah Morgan is such a fun romance author and her writing style captures the characters in a truly brilliant way. If you want to run through a range of emotions all whilst in the holiday spirit, the story of Imogen will deliver.

This book was quite a bit deeper than I originally thought it would be. It’s a very sweet story, and you will just fall in love with the characters. It did have SOME Christmas charm, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it was a Christmas story. More about the love of family and how lies can tear people apart. It’s well written and keeps you reading.

I’ve never read anything by this author before so this was a great place to start. I love holiday reads and what better than a Christmas one. It was cute and a really cozy story. I’d definitely reread this book during Christmas time.

I really had a hard time getting into this, though I think it was just because I had some pretty heavy stuff going on IRL and the beginning of this book is also kind of sad. I did eventually push through and I am so glad I did. I have enjoyed many of Sarah Morgan's books and this one, I think, was even better than most. There is a bit of a twist in the middle and there are also multiple character POV so if that bothers you, this might not be the one for you. But if you're looking for a very heartwarming holiday romance, grab some cocoa and a cuddly blanket and spend some time at a lovely cottage in Cotswald. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the book to review. All opinions are my own.

A heartfelt, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful holiday romance that sees workaholic Imogen forced to take a month off where she goes to spend a quiet holiday in the English countryside only to discover the woman who offered her the place to stay is actually her grandmother and she discovers a family and a new chance at love and friendship where she least expected. Touching on difficult topics like abandonment, toxic and emotionally abusive relationships and loneliness, this was still a feel-good moving family holiday story that is sure to warm spirits on cold days. Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Debbie Macomber. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Imogen's entire life is centered on work, so when she makes an egregious error and is forced to take a month off to overcome burnout, she doesn't know what to do with herself. Dorothy, a client who has become something of a friend, invites Imogen to her family's holiday cottage for Christmas, but there is something she's keeping from Imogen that will change her life forever.

This story is the perfect mix of emotional reckonings and cozy Christmas trimmings. There is family strife and inner turmoil as well as healing of old wounds and a love connection. The English setting is charming, the characters are believable and compelling, and the audiobook narration is beautifully done. This was my first Sarah Morgan book, but it won't be my last. I've definitely found a new favorite author.

Christmas book about a workaholic who had a bad childhood and a family with issues. You get to see how they work through their issues and spend Christmas together.

Sarah Morgan is quickly becoming one of the authors I look forward to reading their Christmas books. The Holiday Cottage is everything you want in a holiday story and more. Imogen is the main character. She works for an event planning company and has a mother who has never wanted her until she needs her. She has always wanted a true family and dreads the holidays because she doesn’t have one.
Imogen has a huge surprise in store when her boss forces her to take some time off. Her favorite client, a hot veterinarian and an adorable village in the Cotswolds make for a time Imogen will never forget.
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishers and Netgalley for this ARC.

The Holiday Cottage is a very cute and heartwarming book. Our FMC Imogen has a very cruel mother who has said some truly heartbreaking things to her, and she spends a lot of the book trying to build herself back up as she stays at her friend's guest cottage in the Cotswolds. It was giving The Holiday in all the best ways. I loved the little village and all its beauty and quirks, and Imogen's journey was a delightful one to follow. There is also an unexpected twist that occurs that really adds to the story. I recommend this book for a cozy, heartwarming winter read!


Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Sarah Morgan for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this holiday themed relationship story. I love a story about characters finding family and realizing they don’t have to go it alone. At times the book was sad but I really rooted for the characters and cheered for them when they opened themselves up to love. I found the characters to be well developed and the setting was vividly described so that I felt I was experiencing a village Christmas along with the characters. I would love to spend more time with these characters!

I love Sarah Morgan's Christmas books and The Holiday Cottage is no exception! I was immediately engrossed in Imogen's story and couldn't stop reading until I found out what happened to her. There's a bit of family drama and issues from the past that must be dealt with but this made for a lovely holiday story for Imogen, Sarah and Dorothy. I love how it all came together and that there was romance involved as well.

I also listened to the audio version and enjoyed the narrator, Henrietta Meire.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 24 September 2024

Alrighty! This was a super cute read. It’s centered around Imogen, while being told through both her perspective, and the perspective of a couple of other women.

This was a lovely, sweet holiday story about a young woman with a TRULY cruel mother. The things she says to her early on in the book are heartbreaking. Imogen spends much of the story exploring, developing and building herself back up.

At the beginning of this book I thought, “this reminds me of The Holiday!” (The film). And it did indeed, though there were much more of the women in her life surrounding her and building her up, growing with her. I really love Sarah Morgan’s storytelling abilities and she excels at providing lovely, Christmasy vibes. The little village? PERFECTION.

This was a story I really enjoyed and I love being an advanced reader for this author. This is the second book I’ve been gifted and I’m still not sated!! I’m sorely looking forward to Sarah Morgan’s next read. 💕

Thank you to Sarah and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing me with this eARC via NetGalley.