4.5 rounded up
Meet Me Under the Northern lights is a very cute wintery romance. Chloe goes to Iceland on a work trip and falls into, and eventually for, Gunnar, a driver for various day trips around the island. They are incredibly sweet with one another and the family Gunnar has built with Hildur and Magnus is worth the read alone. Chloe gets to go on a journey of self worth both socially and professionally that is fulfilling. The scenes of Iceland are also very beautiful and overall this book just feels like a hot cup of cocoa!
Just a note, various pregnancy themes and infertility surround this story.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

Mandy Baggot delivered an exciting and heart warming story of two people who keep falling into each other at the Reykjavik airport. It's a story about a man who likes to help people out and it escalates into a romantic story. Gunnar Eriksson meets Chloe when they collide into each other and Chloe finds out that her boss has not made any plans for her to stay in Reykjavik. Gunnar saves the day and finds a rental place for her, he also gives her his number in case she needs help. Chloe decides to take a boat tour and see the northern lights, but Gunnar also has to work on the boat. You see the jest. Chloe and Gunnar meet often and the thing is that Chloe has a problem and so does Gunnar. Chloe was told she cannot have babies and Gunnar has a boy, not his, and his mothers friend. Things happen and Kat arrives in Reykjavik to mention Chloe's ex was now married and just had a little boy. Chloe was instantly mad that she could not have any children and Gunnar noticed the difference in her personality. She does an amazing job and they win the bid for the company holiday. I can't tell you all the things that they did but they did a lot. Do they end up together? Enjoy reading the story and see.

Chloe Bellamy es una talentosa organizadora de eventos que mintió en su currículum al afirmar que habla islandés y se ve enviada inesperadamente a Islandia para conseguir un contrato millonario con una importante empresa. El problema: no tiene dónde alojarse, no conoce el idioma y el frío no da tregua. Su salvación parece llegar en forma de Gunnar Eriksson, un atractivo y reservado conductor de autobuses que, pese a su brusquedad inicial, termina ayudándola más de lo esperado. Entre paisajes nevados, excursiones bajo la aurora boreal y situaciones tan caóticas como divertidas, Chloe descubrirá que a veces lo mejor de un viaje no es el destino… sino la persona con la que lo compartes.




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Los paisajes de Islandia, las anécdotas con personajes secundarios le dieron un extra y la química natural entre Chloe y Gunnar hacen que la lectura fluya con una mezcla perfecta de humor, ternura y momentos emotivos. La evolución de ambos, desde la desconfianza inicial hasta el apoyo mutuo, resulta muy satisfactoria y creíble.
Es una lástima que no tuviera epílogo, ya que me quedé con ganas de ver un poco más de su futuro juntos. Espero que en la versión publicada sí lo incluyan, porque la historia lo merece. Sin duda, una novela ideal para leer en época invernal, con una taza de chocolate caliente al lado.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Christmas lights and plenty of snow features in this gem of a book in the sparkling atmosphere of Iceland I felt like getting a hot chocolate and curling up under the blanket with Meet Me Under the Northern Lights. Chloe comes across as strong and independent but in Iceland where she doesn't speak the language and has nowhere to stay she is out of her element. Then Gunnar enters the scene and he comes across as rude and obnoxious but is actually really sweet and caring. I love how the romance played out and I could feel the tension building. The setting is just gorgeous and I could not ask for more because it has me excited for Christmas and it's only August.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Chloe Bellamy is very career-oriented, so when her pregnant boss Michelle asks her to fly to snowy Iceland at short notice, she does it without question, even though she lied on her CV and doesn't actually speak any Icelandic. It's really an unnecessary embellishment because everyone in Iceland speaks English.

Just outside the airport she falls over Gunnar Eriksson, and he is a find. He's gentle, kind, quietly brave and strong, and he collects waifs and strays. He already lives with a ten year old orphan called Magnús and an accident-prone feisty octogenarian called Hildur, and now he takes Chloe under his wing.

I absolutely loved this book. I went to Iceland in 2012 and was blown away by the beauty of this country. The landscape with the many waterfalls and thermal spas, the food and the wildlife are something else and vividly described here. I did activities that Chloe didn't and Chloe did some I didn't. There is so much to see and do in this small country, it's truly astounding. So to have a romance played out in this scenery feels extra special.

I loved Gunnar, Magnús and Hildur, but found Chloe a bit harder to warm to. She is quite het up about not being able to have kids which is probably understandable after her partner Michael left her to have a kid with someone else, but she really let it influence her behaviour.

The one reason why I can't give this 5 stars is maybe stupid but I hated the constant term of endearment "krúttio mitt" that Gunnar calls Chloe. He says it 42 times, from chapter six onwards when they haven't any form of relationship yet, so it felt inappropriate, plus, contrary to belief, we don't always sprinkle English with words from our mother tongue.

I loved the story as I love found families, and the very short chapters help to make this extremely readable. It's full of charm and will steal your heart. It's a delightfully cosy and atmospheric winter read and I now want to go back to Iceland to do some whale watching and dog sledding!

4.5 stars