The Christmas Express by Isla Gordon

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Christmas Express is an absolutely delightful read! A heartwarming and cozy book that examines the intricacy of friendship, romance, overcoming the past, and embracing the present. The setting was absolutely wonderful, the pacing was excellent, and the multiple points of view make for a fantastic story.

Six former friends are all invited to a wedding and they absolutely do not want a reunion. Bryn, the bride-to-be, books them tickets for the cross-country Christmas train. They are trapped together in a train cabin for four days and Bryn is hoping it will end their feud before the wedding. There is lots of tension though. Cali and Luke were each other’s true love, Joss and Joe are rivals, and Sara is back with the people who always excluded her. Ember, Bryn's ex, is also on the train with the intent of crashing the wedding. Then, a snowstorm stops them and the question becomes whether they will make it to the wedding and will they go together.

Overall, The Christmas Express is a fun, fast-paced read with gorgeous scenery, emotional depth, and a lighthearted nature that makes it the perfect cozy read!

The Christmas Express by Isla Goron is such a fun Christmas romance, but so much more!

The train ride took place across Canada. I loved all the characters. I loved Luke and Cali's story.

I really enjoyed the multiple POV and the setting was so amazing.

Second chance romance is my favorite trope, and done so well.

A festive, fun read that I really enjoyed.

2.5 Stars - rounded up

This book was advertised as a Christmas romance experience. I feel as if both of those could have been further developed in the plot. It didn't feel like a Christmas story or a romance novel, more a friendship rekindling that occurred during Christmas.

This story was told from 5+ different POVs and it just felt like too many different POVs to keep track of, especially when the characters who only got 1 or 2 chapters, felt like they didn't add anything to the story. I did enjoy both the characters of Ember and Cali, who felt like the main characters while all others were side characters.

The story didn't develop, and the ending felt massively underwhelming.

4.5 rounded up.
This is such a good story about the dynamics of adult friendships. It also has a built in beautiful setting and holiday atmosphere to really kick up the joy of reconciliation. Five friends, plus a few extras, make their way to a wedding while traversing the Canadian winter by train. And yes it is that magical. A few threads wrapped up a little quickly and it was a lot of characters to get straight in the beginning. That said, such a worthwhile holiday read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

While I am usually a sucker for a Christmas romance, this one did not do it for me I couldn't keep track of which character was which. Maybe they were just people I couldn't relate to. Thank you to Netgalley for access to the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Christmas Express is a sweet book about friends falling out and finding each other again, with a side of delusional ex. Bryn is the mastermind behind the friend reunion, setting her friends up to take a train to her wedding in Canada after an estrangement amongst them. All of them have resentment to each other, from a brother and sister whose company failed to the ‘new one’ in the group and finally to the romance that wasn’t quite fully realized.

I loved the train setting and Cali and surprisingly Ember (Bryn’s ex who is as sure the wedding was setup to lure her back in as she is that Bryn is the love of her life) were my favorite characters. While the story as a whole is a little contrived at times (the fallout reason just didn’t resonate, for one), I enjoyed the winter magic on the train and the sweet culmination of the train ride.

This book was like a cozy holiday movie on paper! I loved the drama, the romance, and the snowy train ride across Canada. Cali and Luke’s story gave me all the feels, and the group dynamic was messy in the best way. The setting was magical and the perfect backdrop for second chances and some much-needed heart-to-hearts. Totally recommend if you’re in the mood for something festive, fun, and full of feels!

Multiple POV but was actually easy to keep up with.

Would I recommend this book to you? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the ebook. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This is a really cute book. This story is about a group of friends who had a major blow up years ago and find themselves coming together for one of the friends weddings. They are all traveling to the wedding but run into a little surprise. The bride to be has sent them tickets to a five day train excursion so that they will be forced together for those five days while traveling to her venue. They aren't thrilled about this, Also, the bride to be's ex-girlfriend has decided to make the trip to the wedding, uninvited, to find you if they should be together still. She winds up on the train as well. Will they all survive each other?
This is just a cute Christmas story of love and friendship. Sometimes the characters, one in particular, seem a little bit naive and younger than their ages but all in all the story is really fun. The writing is really good and the story is cute. I really liked this book.

This cozy book is full of bringing people together, romance, an anticipated wedding and more! It also happens to be around Christmas time, which I absolutely love! I had a fun time reading this medium paced, heartwarming story. I enjoyed the different characters, the beautiful Canada scenery and the lightheartedness. This book is easy to read, came with a clear thesis, had effective visuals and came with balanced perspectives. This story comes with multiple points of views, written in third person. This story made me feel hopeful, emotional, relaxing and adventurous! Instead of traveling on a plane, they surprisingly take the bus! This came with all the festive vibes, while being in a forced proximity. What could possibly go wrong?

“The Christmas Express” is a fictional book about six estranged friends coming together for a wedding! They all go on an adventure together on a train! Bryn, who is the bride to be, invites them to a winter wedding in Canada! Instead of giving them tickets for a plane ride, she gets everyone non refundable tickets, so everyone can go on the train ride together! It is a four day train ride, with everyone enjoying the beautiful Canada scenery. However, tensions between all of them rise, then they get trapped in a snowstorm. Will everything end up working out for everyone on the train and will Bryn get married to the love her life? Overall, I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars!

This book is a very clean read and does not have any content warnings. I think fans that are looking for a fun, easy to read Christmas themed story, would really enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Isla Gordon and Avon and Harper Voyager | Avon a for this digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book’s new edition is expected to release on September 2, 2025!

This story is a little bit of chaos and a whole lot of forced proximity tension between a group of estranged friends.

Throughout this story I was more than a little curious what the catalyst was that caused the rift to begin with and if Bryn's devious plan was going to cause the reconciliation she'd hoped for or pure chaos right before her wedding. That was a bold gamble on her part!

The story ended up being a pretty fast-paced binge that I enjoyed, I think it's definitely worth checking out!

3.75⭐ (Rounded Up To 4)

Thank you Isla Gordon, Net Galley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

If you're looking for a quick and easy read with Christmas vibes and friendship themes, here you go! There isn't much depth to anything in the story but it's still cute.

It took a bit, but I ended up really enjoying this story. Five years after a falling out, these friends find themselves brought together and on a cross-canada train to the last member of their friend group, Bryn. Trying to force reconciliation, the group is faced with the past as well as the present. Really enjoyable story.

📖 ARC Review 📖

Summary:
Six former friends.
One Christmas train.
Zero escape.

When Bryn invites her old crew to her winter wedding, they expect flights, not four days trapped on a holiday train across snowy Canada.

Tensions rise, past heartbreaks resurface, and a surprise guest threatens to derail everything.

Can they fix what broke before the final stop . . . or will this reunion end in disaster?

My Overall Thoughts:

This book had me hooked from the prologue, thanks to its rich atmosphere and vivid scene setting. I was excited for the ride. That said, the beginning had more than a few bumps. I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay on this train, but I’m so glad I did. Somewhere along the way, I found myself truly caring about the characters and their personal growth. Was it perfect? No. But it made me feel, and it left me with a smile on my face.

If you enjoy slow but steady reads, stories of friendship and reconciliation, holiday romance, and five star festive atmospheres, add this to your TBR! Just know that while it takes a bit to leave the station, the journey is absolutely worth it.

What I Liked:
🚂 The Atmosphere! This author knows how to set the stage. The subtle, consistent details made the setting come alive. I truly felt like I was in Canada, right there on the train. We didn't just get coffee; we got Tim Hortons. Those little touches really added to the immersive experience. I adored the Christmas vibes and all the snowy, cozy moments!
🚂 The Premise! The idea of friends being stuck on a train and forced to confront their unresolved issues? Genius. I absolutely loved this concept and applaud the author for pulling it off. 👏🏻
🚂 The Characters! I didn’t expect to care about them but I did. Sure, I rolled my eyes early on, but somewhere along the way, I felt little spikes of pain when things happened to them. I was blindsided by how invested I became. Will these characters stay with me forever? Probably not. But in the moment, I cared. And that says a lot. Well done. Sneaky, but well done.

What I Didn’t Like:
🚂 Too Realistic. This is nitpicky, but I could have done without the repeated references to Cali’s chin pimple. I get that the author was going for realism, but the mentions of scabs, blemishes, and even her peeing her pants felt like a bit much. Some things are better left unsaid 😅
🚂 The Mystery. The whole “what happened in Spain” subplot dragged on too long. By the time the reveal came, I was honestly over it and the resolution felt underwhelming. My reaction was more “Wait, that’s it?” than “Whoa!”

Thank you to NetGalley, and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this because a Christmas book set on a train yes please. I however didn’t enjoy the writing style at all. I felt the characters were very flat b

This is a delightful book about friendships and rebuilding relationships. It’s a short little story where a Christmas wedding brings everyone back together on the train. Thank you to Avon for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book. My thoughts and opinions are completely my own.

On the first of July I started a Christmas book. I wanted that Christmas in July vibe. I someonewhat got it. While the book is set during Christmas it definitely didn’t really give me that holiday feeling like I was hoping for
This book starts out with us reading the prologue from Bryn. Now Bryn is the bride-to-be. She is the one everyone is traveling to see. They all use to be one big friend group but they had a falling out. They haven’t been together since. She ends up sending them invitations to her wedding in hopes that they all would come. In the end you know how this goes they all end up on a train together…including Bryn’s ex.
While I would say this is a bit more drama then romcom it does have it laced throughout. I ended up liking the story and the characters. Sometimes it was hard for me to keep it straight since there basically POV’s for every single character in the friend group. I liked the little twist in the end. I do like that the train ride wasn’t an express ride and that their was stops so they could get out and do things and we weren’t just stuck on the train the entire time.
I will be checking out the other books by Isla Gordon but becuase I do see that they are also Christmas themed I will be waiting for winter!
3.75 rounded up
Thank you to Avon for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was a delightful short read that got me starting to get excitedfor Christmas. Five years after a friend group goes their separate ways, a beautiful Christmas wedding brings everyone together. Forced to be on a train for four days, can these friends work through their past to have a future? I won’t spoil it, but boy did I enjoy this book. You could really feel the magic of Christmas on the pages. The book also had some interesting connections you might not have seen coming.

I do wish the book was longer, as I felt other characters needed more of a backstory. Overall though, I really enjoyed the book!