A beautiful and feel good romance novel. Definitely getting me ready for winter days to come!
Well built characters and consistent storyline that really sucks you in

I absolutely loved the wintry and Christmassy theme running throughout this story – from snowy train rides to magical Christmas markets, it was the perfect festive escape. 🎄❄️

The story follows Aubrey, who gets jilted at the altar just before Christmas. Instead of canceling, she goes on her planned honeymoon alone – a luxury snow train journey across Europe, with stops in Paris, Stockholm, and ending in Lapland under the Northern Lights. Onboard, she meets a quirky group of fellow single travelers who call themselves The Unlucky in Love Travel Club and soon finds herself drawn to Jasper, a handsome travel journalist who might just change the way she sees love.

I really enjoyed the characters – not only Aubrey and Jasper, but even the secondary characters, especially Princess, who added so much charm to the story. That said, at times the story felt a little dragging, and I wasn’t a fan of the mystery subplot involving Sabrina, which didn’t quite work for me.

If you’re looking for a cozy, heartwarming, and Christmassy romance full of snowy settings, festive magic, and lovable characters, this is a great pick for the holiday season!

A main character with a serious case of wanderlust? Yes, please! As a fellow lover of travel, this was music to my ears. The whole concept of a Winter Wonderland Express automatically puts you into the holiday spirit.

In what I have come to expect from Rebecca Raisin, it's a story filled with charm and is wholesome enough to recommend to just about anybody. It's a formula for a quick, holiday romance...unexpected drama, chapters devoted to a solution and a fairytale ending. It's predictable, but sweet! While I felt there could have been a little more development in spots (especially between the leading lady and the potential heartthrob) and that some of the dialogue felt forced, I did enjoy it.

Thank you to Boldwood Books for the advanced digital copy via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Now excuse me while I go and research potential holiday train getaways...

After Aubrey is stood up at her wedding she decides to go on honeymoon anyway on the Winter Wonderland Express. The express visits a number of countries and as usual for Rebecca Raisin books you feel you are on the journey and in those countries as the writing is so descriptive. Aubrey meets a number of new people that she can call friends however Jasper makes her heart beat a little faster and their relationships moves from friendship throughout the book. Likeable characters, good storyline and altogether a cosy festive read.

First Rom com I've not been able to put down in a long time. Loved the characters, the interactions, unlucky in love club sounds like a great group to travel with. I hope there is a Summer catch up to come

4.5⭐️

This was such a lovely, enjoyable read!

After being left at the alter on her wedding day, keen traveller Aubrey decides to still board the Winter Wonderland express for her intended honeymoon, alone. She quickly meets a few others who are travelling alone, and as they enjoy the journey across Europe stopping at various cities to explore their Christmas markets and festivities these friendships deepen.

This is my first Rebecca Raisin book and I found her writing style to be very easy to read. The story flowed really nicely and I thoroughly enjoyed how festive both the train journey and the various stops were. Aubrey is a very likeable character, as are her new friends aboard the train. I would have loved to see a little more into her future at the end and will definitely check out more of the author’s work.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

In this fun new holiday romance novel from Rebecca Raisin, readers meet jilted-at-the-alter Aubrey as she embarks on her honeymoon trip on the Winter Wonderland Express on her own. Traveling across Europe and visiting beautiful Christmas markets in Paris, Stockholm, and Lapland, Rebecca doesn’t want anyone’s pity, but she ends up explaining that her fiance died, not dumped her. Finding kinship with the group of single passengers dubbed the Unlucky in Love Travel Club, this trip might be what Aubrey needs to heal her broken heart -- and maybe even find love with travel journalist Jasper. The characters are the stars of this book, and the emotional journey that Aubrey goes on will resonate with readers. The friendships she forms are charming, whimsical, and entertaining, and these other characters are well-written with complex backstories. The beautiful holiday setting is a whimsical and fantastic backdrop for the characters’ relationships and emotional journeys, and the depth of detail is absolutely fantastic. Raisin really brings the emotional elements of the story to life and highlights the complicated healing process for a broken heart, while her emphasis on human relationships adds great depths to her books. Cozy, romantic, and entertaining, readers will love Raisin’s latest romance novel.

What a read this was. Pure magic on the Winter Wonderland Express. We start with a bad experience for Aubrey until she joins the train and then things look up. She meets up with a group of singletons and as we find out about them as individuals, friendships develop and then love. A great story with settings described as stops are made from the train. An excellent read as usual by Rebecca Raisin.

I really enjoyed this story, it is the perfect read to get you feeling all christmassy. I loved the way the plot weaved through whilst still describing the christmas markets in such a way that made me want to jump on a train and have my own winter wonderland experience.

Instead of being on her honeymoon, Aubrey is on the train journey alone. She meets some amazing characters along the way, so it is great to see what happens next for her.

Aubrey is organising wonderful holidays for her customers. Usually she is travelling a lot to check what she can offer her clients but during one stay back home with family and friends she is re connecting with her old sweetheart and when he proposes she decides with nearly forty it is time to start this chapter in live. So it is no wonder that she planned the perfect honeymoon for their wedding mid December. A luxury trip on the Winter Wonderland Express which brings them to several European towns and their Christmas markets before at Christmas Eve they arrive in Lapland to stay in igloos to see the Northern Lights.
When her fiancé left the church only minutes before she arrived on their wedding day without any explanation, is not available for her or returning text messages or calls Aubrey is not willing to give up her dream honeymoon and decides to take this trip on her own.
When she arrives at the platform and is identified as the newlyweds she doesn´t want any pity from all the love birds who are also taking this trip and somehow she ends up telling that her new husband died in an accident on the way to the train. Luckily she is not the only single passenger on the train and soon they give the group the nickname “The Unlucky in Love Travel Club”. Soon the members of this group get to know each other much better and there is this not only very handsome but also very nice travel journalist Jasper who is causing Aubrey to re consider, if she really has enough of man for the next time.


I really enjoyed this book! For me this is a wonderful, funny story with great love vibes and a wonderful Christmas atmosphere!

I like that Aubrey is close to be forty and so far lived as she likes it with all the travelling, seeing the world, exploring new things. I think it is very tough that without any explanation she is really left at the altar but I really like that she is not giving up her dream honeymoon and instead makes the decision to do the trip on her own. I can really understand why she is telling the lie that her husband died considering how the situation is described in the book. And she tries to tell people that he is not actually dead but nobody wants to listen to her. For me most of these situations were funny.
Jasper I liked right from the start. For me a wonderful man and how they interact with each other I really liked.
For me very well written how they get closer.

I really like all the characters of “The Unlucky in Love Travel Club” and how they become such a close and good group. I really enjoyed reading about all of them. Especially Princess I really liked the way she is described, how this lady is lived and is living her live.
Sabrina as the main person taking care of them during the train ride is funny and lovely descriped.

The idea what is offered on this Christmas Express is well worked out and I would like to experience such a train ride as it sound like so much fun in this book.
To have the different towns, information about Christmas markets and typical Christmas things in these countries is wonderfully woven into the story.

So for me a really wonderful book about love, friendship, second chances but also gives me a wonderful Christmas feeling.

What a great romance book for the holiday! I’m reading this in July and literally got in the mood for holiday decorations and treats! I started craving Christmas cookies and egg nog! Reading this book lifted my spirits and gave me hope just like the holidays do every year. I want to book a trip on this train myself now. It’s not fair that it doesn’t really exist. It sounds like so much fun. The best part was how the protagonist made all of these instant friends that had never met her and started supporting her heartbreak from the get-go. I just loved this book and I’m so sad that it’s ended. This is probably one I’ll end up reading again and again whenever I need a lift in spirits. I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, definitely!

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I can’t wait to read this author’s next one!

Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express

By: Rebecca Raisin

Publish Date: August 13, 2025

Publisher: Boldwood Books

General Fiction (Adult)/Romance

#LastStopontheWinterWonderlandExpress#NetGalley

200 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Book Review:

I enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars. I enjoyed the writing style, and it was a quick read. I love the setting of being on a train and stopping at new places each morning for you to explore.

This is about Aubrey and how she copes with being left at the altar. She decides to go on the honeymoon trip even though the wedding didn’t happen because it was a lot of money and it was a new adventure. Aubrey help’s couples go on adventures, and she wanted to do this trip not only for herself but to see if it was worth telling other people about. What she doesn’t plan is to find great friends and a possible love interest. Wait how can she feel this way when she almost got married. Aubrey learns about herself in this book and what she really wants from life. This was a fun read, and I recommend it.

I went between the ebook and audiobook for this book. The narrator was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Such a feel good, romantic escape. Aubrey's fiance ditches her at the alter, and she decides to go on her honeymoon alone. A luxury snowy train ride through Europe stopping at the amazing Christmas markets, with stops in Paris and Stockholm, and finally ending in Lapland to stay in an Igloo under the Northern Lights. She meets a group of other single passengers and ends up developing feelings for Jasper, a handsome journalist. Overall, this was just lovely. It has humor, I loved this cast of entertaining and quirky characters. I love a story about finding happiness again and the travel through Europe sounds like the best thing ever. I want to go on this train ride! 😍 Highly recommend it if you enjoy Christmas romance books!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Rebecca Raisin’s books always feel like a cosy escape, and Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express is no exception. It’s full of charm, warmth, and festive sparkle—and if that train journey really exists, I’d be first in line to book it.

When Aubrey’s fiancé dumps her at the altar, she’s devastated—but determined not to miss out on the honeymoon of a lifetime. She boards the luxury train alone, travelling through Europe’s magical Christmas markets and ending in Lapland under the Northern Lights. To avoid pity from fellow passengers, she blurts out that her husband died rather than left her. Soon she’s swept up by a group of singles calling themselves The Unlucky in Love Travel Club—one of whom is the very attractive Jasper, and before long, sparks begin to fly.

Once I started reading, I was completely swept away. Despite the festive theme, Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express made for a perfect summer escape—full of charm, heart, and snowy sparkle. More please, Rebecca Raisin!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7835181261

https://maddybooksblog.blogspot.com/2025/09/last-stop-on-winter-wonderland-express.html

Rebecca Raisin has done it again – she has crafted a delightful and cozy story, perfect for the upcoming winter season. It's a lovely, charming book that I finished in just one day! Imagine being dumped on your wedding day. You can't fathom it, right? Well, neither could Aubrey, but she experienced it firsthand. After the wedding, you're supposed to embark on the honeymoon – a luxurious snow train winding through Europe's most beautiful Christmas markets, stopping in places like Paris and Stockholm, and ending in Lapland, where you can stay in igloos under the Northern Lights. What was meant to be the most romantic ten days of her life turns into a journey she has to face alone. While boarding the train, still reeling from her situation, she inadvertently tells others that her husband has died. Throughout her travels, she encounters wonderful people, realizing she's not the only single traveler. A group called "The Unlucky in Love Travel Club" forms, bringing together others in similar situations. Is it possible for Aubrey to find love again? This charming story will make you fall in love and dream of embarking on such a luxurious train adventure.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Aubrey is all set to get married (a big wedding she did not want) and start her honeymoon (a luxury train ride through Northern Europe she did want) until she is left at the altar by her fiance, Miles.

She decides to forget the fiance (now dead to her) and to take the honeymoon alone, a Winter Wonderland Express luxury train - hitting spots in Europe leading up to Christmas.

A very fun read, even in the summer! A cast of eccentric characters but still centred around Aubrey, who makes the best out of being stood up on her wedding day. It was a cozy holiday read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, Without giving away too much, I would say it’s a perfect little wintery novel for anyone who loves the genre.

I received an e-arc in exchange for an honest review and I’d like to thank Boldwood Books, Netgalley, and Rebecca Raisin for the opportunity.

One jilted bride and one trip of a lifetime. What could go wrong.

Rebecca has done it again.

This is a brilliant romance.

But it isn't just a tale of love, it is a story filled with loveable characters, and a warmth that covers you like a big hug.

Wonderfully wintery, I felt nothing but happiness the whole time I was reading this.

A true feel-good novel.

Rebecca Raisin is one of my go to authors and when I got the opportunity to read this book I jumped at the chance. Christmas and romance, two of my favourite themes.

Aubrey has been jilted but decides to go on her honeymoon trip anyway, a journey on the Winter Wonderland Express. The train is mainly full of couples but six singletons get together and call themselves The Unlucky in Love Travel Club.

What a bunch they turn out to be. I adored Princess, what an absolute character and as for Jasper, what can I say? The ultimate book boyfriend.

There were many other excellent characters, including Aubreys sister Rox, who provided fun and laughter as well as more thought provoking moments. I hoped that with Aubrey being surrounded by these new found friends and potential love interest it would help her heal.

The descriptions of the places visited and the whole train journey had me wishing I was on it.

A wonderfully written Christmas romance promoting friendship, love and self discovery all wrapped up in an amazing setting.

Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express is pure holiday magic! Rebecca Raisin whisks you away on a snowy, cozy adventure full of romance, twinkle lights and festive cheer.! I loved the warmth and charm, though I’ll admit a few twists felt a bit predictable.. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to curl up under a blanket with hot chocolate and soak in the Christmas spirit. This book is perfect for anyone looking for a feel-good, festive escape that’s heartwarming from start to finish.