I would like to thank Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Helen Rolfe for the E ARC of this book.
We meet Bea and Greta, two friends from Vienna who came to Britian. No matter where they were they would always wrote to each other especially at Christmas. This Christmas is no different to begin with, Bea writes her letter to Greta with the help of Sophie, the care assistant in the home in which she resides.
Sophie loves Christmas, especially helping Bea write her letter to Greta. Unfortunately a few days after they finish the letter Bea passes away and Sophie is devastated. She realises that she hasn’t posted the letter and when she receives a letter from Bea herself telling her to go to Vienna, she does just that and delivers the last letter in person.
We follow Sophie on her journey of discovery in Vienna, the people she meets, the places she sees and experiences Christmas like no other.
I loved this book, the characters were so well written. I loved both hearing about Bea and Greta, I liked that we got snippets of their letters to each other. Sophie was such a caring and lovely lady, you wanted the best for her. I could understand Jennie’s reaction to Sophie after all she had been through. The setting was delightful, Vienna is a beautiful city and seeing it through Sophies eyes was so good. Also the message of joy and hope was really delightful.
I think because I have always loved writing and receiving letters, this book was so for me. Vienna is also a city I would love to experience in the lead up to Christmas, this gave me a sense of the wonder and speciality of this city at this time.

It was such a beautiful and heartwarming story, filled with drama but in a good way.

The friendship between Bea and Greta is so lovely. They had been friends for so long, and even with distant, they make an effort to keep in contact by sending letters from time to time, specially at Christmas.

Sophie and Jennie’s lives had not been easy, with plenty of family struggles, but thanks to Bea and Greta they are able to overcome those hard times and give themselves chance to be happy and feel fulfilled again.

Helen Rolfe’s writing is simply beautiful. You can truly feel the magic of the Christmas scenes, cherished all those special moments and emotions that the season brings.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this book ✨
I will definitely look forward to reading more of Helen Rolfe work.

Oh what an absolutely beautiful story. Bea and Greta have been friends for years and every year exchange Christmas letters. Bea now lives in a residential home in London and care assistant Sophie is the closet thing to family she now has. Greta lives in Vienna with husband Walter after being in the hotel business for their whole working life. Both ladies have been trying for years to get Sophie to visit Vienna and after Bea passes away Sophie finds herself in Vienna to deliver the news to Greta and Walter. What she couldn’t have predicted was how this visit would be so full of surprises or how it would change her life. The way the stories of each character is entwined throughout makes this easy to follow and understand why they act how they do. Heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure this focuses on friendship, family and unbreakable bonds. Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC

A heartwarming story once you pass the evil being that is Amber!!!

Bea and Greta's friendship was amazing. I loved how they wrote to each other year on year. Their Christmas newsletter to each other reminded me of my mum writing to her aunt and cousin each year. People don't tend to write letters anymore so it was nice to read about the two friends in this.

Sophie's job was a tough one for many reasons but I know it's carers like her that bring joy to people like Bea. Care worker aren't well trained or treated and the real gems should be. Unfortunately, people like Amber do exist and I've come across a few over the years. It's so desperately sad and the residents deserved better. It was a nice touch to add Jessica taking over although I was surprised Sophie didn't return.

Jennie and Sophie's story/relationship added a different dynamic to this and was interesting. Loss is hard enough but to experience it then way these have is hard. Their connection was a surprise but added more to the story.

This takes you on quite a journey but it was a lovely story. And it's set at Christmastime!!

Helen Rolfe is one of my favourite Christmas authors, and this book did not disappoint. I loved the relationship between Sophie and Bea, and enjoyed reading about their past histories.
It was a very heart warming story, and I could imagine myself in Vienna. A great book.

Get a glass of mulled wine, curl up in a chair in front of a fire and enjoy! This is a perfect book to distract you from Christmas stress!! I loved it. The story sucks you in from the start, characters and locations perfectly drawn, and enough mystery and Christmas magic to keep you hooked.Helen Rolfe is not an author I had read before but I will be looking out for her books in the future. My thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for access to this ARC.

Such a wholesome and beautiful story to its core.

A tale of how two best friends start writing Christmas letters. Family, romance and true friendship ring true throughout the story.

I loved the characters for their warmth and affection. I loved the Vienna setting. And truly I loved the beautiful story Bea and Greta created. Walter is such a wonderful and mischievous character too!

Definitely did not love Amber!!!

Beautiful Christmas story will perhaps need to re read nearer Christmas too!

It's a story about trust, love, friendship, and forgiveness - of oneself and of others. Two women who form a friendship that lasts decades through writing snail mail letters to each other. They each become friends with a different younger woman who with family issues, trust issues, and a need to forgive others and themselves. It is a sweet read, set during the holiday season.
I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Oh, what a beautiful story with friendship at the core!
The story starts many decades ago, with two friends, Greta and Bea. They both move from Vienna to England, and begin the habit of writing letters to one another regularly, including that Christmas 'newsletter' style update every year.
Fast forward fifty-odd years later, and they are still writing to one another. Bea from her care home in England and Greta from Vienna, where she moved back with her husband, Walter.
Both use the assistance of others to support their writing, as they are in their 80s and have failing eyesight, which makes technology difficult for them to comprehend.
Of these helpers, Bea has Sophie, a care home assistant who has become more of a daughter than a helper. Together, they curate letters, and Sophie sends them on, and in Vienna, Walter does the same for his wife, with a bit of assistance from Jennie, a woman like an adopted daughter, and their son Nick.
Unfortunate circumstances mean Sophie ends up taking a trip to Vienna to visit Greta on Bea's behalf, and what she finds there is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
The art of letter-writing is dying, and I loved the fact that these letters were at the heart of everything within this book. Greta and Bea's friendship lasted a lifetime, and their bond stretched further to encompass many souls who were floundering, bringing them back to safer shores.
This is such a beautiful Christmas read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an ARC.

This felt more like a real Christmas read rather than a romantic novel with a small reference to Christmas to target the Christmas market, so I immediately loved it for that. The idea of letter writing and the Christmas markets in Vienna were heartwarming, put that together with the hot chocolate and the story of family and made family and you have a perfect Christmas read. I loved it.

Firstly thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

I loved this book, it was such a heartwarming and emotional book. Each chapter had a characters POV which I loved and they flowed beautifully together. Bea and Greta grew up in Vienna together, the started to write to each other each Christmas to tell each other of their news for that year. This carried on throughout their lives. Jennie and Sophia, have a connection, but they don't know what. When their lives are brought together through the two ladies their worlds will change, but will it be for the better?

This is a story you won't want to put down, so get yourself snuggled up to read this perfect festive read!

oh Helen Rolfe i adore you and your books. i LOOOOOVE coming to an author at the top of my tbr pile and literally getting a feather of excitement in my stomach over whats to come. i truly thank authors and books that come into our lives. books I've come to cherish by authors I've come to cherish too. Helen and her work is one of those authors or me. her books are so special and i am so in awe of her talent and thankful for it everyday.
you know all the best feelings Christmas brings? those from both childhood and adulthood right from your head to our toes, well you don't need it, you just need this book. its gorgeous.
we are bought into the world of Sophie a care worker in London. she has a special bond with resident Bea. one of their favourite things is to keep in touch with letters to Bea's friend in Vienna. sadly before the next letter could be sent Bea dies. this is awful for Sophie and she knows it will be for Greta. how can she tell her this via a letter? this leaves Sophie with a quest to go to Vienna and deliver the news in person. only when she arrives she gets another shock.and what comes next is an adventure and time no one will forget. and neither will we.
this is another book to cherish. the writing was perfect. the characters adorable. i felt the emotions of the story line weave through me.
its never to light or cliche in Helen's books. its real, true and told in such thoughtful and tender ways that makes you truly feel her words and for her characters.
i cared about what was going to happen in this book.
love every moment i got to read this book and didnt want to let it go.
thank you so much Helen for sharing your talent.

A festive Christmas story! I appreciated the information on Vienna as traveling there during Christmas is a bucket list trip!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

The perfect Christmas read! Helen Rolfe never fails to disappoint! Vienna is the best setting for all the snowy, cosy romance feels!

For Christmas in July this year, I read So This is Christmas, and what a beautiful, heartwarming story it is.

Greta and Bea have been writing Christmas letters to each other for 60 years. However, when Bea passes away before her letter can be mailed, her care nurse, Sophie, decides to go to Vienna and deliver the last letter in person. What starts as a simple task, ends with an adventure that no-one will forget.

I picked this one up because of the "letter writing". I absolutely love 84 Charing Cross Road and I wanted to see if this book could evoke some of that magic I felt reading it, and it absolutely did. There is just something so beautiful about letter writing [Gen X here and I loved all my pen pal days] and two friends writing letters over many decades is just so sweet. Add in a new generation of women that have more in common than they think, and it was just such a delightfully heartwarming read.

If you're looking for a Christmas read this year, you can't go past this one. I do warn you though, make sure you have the tissues ready for some happy tears!

A cute and heartwarming read. Bonus points for the festive feel. Love a Christmas themed book. .

This was such a beautiful story! Bea and Greta, who grew up in Vienna together, maintain their friendship through time and distance by sending each other hand written letters. Sophie and Jennie, who have a connection they aren't aware of, and how they discover and deal with that connection when they do find out. Christmas in Vienna filled with Christmas markets, good food, friends and family. Touching, heart-warming and full of love and fogiveness. Wonderful!
Thanks to Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Helen Rolfe for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

Sophie is a care assistant in a care home, she is great friends with 82-year-old Bea, but when Bea dies, she leaves a note for Sophie to go to Vienna to deliver a letter to her friend.

This was such a cute and heartwarming festive read. It was easy to follow and had a great cast of characters, plus the pacing was just right. It's the perfect book to curl up with over the festive season. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading more by the author.
💜 Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Boldwood Books for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Sophie is a care assistant at a residential home, she loves spending time with one of the residents Bea. Sophie helps Bea keep in touch with her old friend Greta. Greta lives in Vienna with her husband. Bea dies and devastated Sophie wants to let Greta know but feels this must be done in person not in a letter. She decides to visit Greta in Vienna and give her the bad news. When Sophie arrives in Vienna she discovers that Greta died months earlier and her husband Walter has been continuing to write the letters. There are surprises in store for Sophie and before she returns to England her life changes in ways she never thought would be possible.