Nevica sempre a Mistletoe Square, parte I

by Ali McNamara, Elisa Contestabile (Narrator), Mariacristina Cesa - Translator

Elle è senza direzione, a corto di soldi e senza una vera casa. Il tutto proprio sotto Natale! Poi scopre un serve qualcuno che racconti la storia di una vecchia casa e della famiglia che l’ha abitata. Senza sapere cosa aspettarsi, Elle accetta il lavoro, ma appena arriva a Mistletoe Square, capisce che quello non sarà un lavoro come gli altri e che qualcosa (o qualcuno) potrebbe addirittura finire per scaldarle il cuore.

Please This audiobook is in Italian.

Audible Audio

Published December 1, 2025

About the author

Ali McNamara is a writer and author.

Her debut novel, From Notting Hill with Love...Actually, the first of three 'Notting Hill' books, became an instant bestseller.

Ali has had much overseas success with her books - particularly Breakfast at Darcy's which was a Top Ten bestseller in Italy. Her novels Step Back in Time and Letters from Lighthouse Cottage were nominated for the Romantic Novel of the Year.

Ali lives in Cambridgeshire with her family and beloved dogs. In her spare time she likes to visit antique shops and people watch, more often than not accompanied by a good cup of coffee!

Ali suffers with two chronic illnesses: M.E./CFS and UCTD and is a disability and invisible disability advocate.

To find out more about Ali visit her website: www.alimcnamara.co.uk
or follow her on Twitter: @AliMcNamara, Facebook and Instagram.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molto molto carino e coccolo. Non vedo l’ora di continuare la storia con le due parti rimanenti, ma l’incipit e l’idea mi stanno piacendo molto.

[Dora Viazzo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it if:
* You’re in the mood for a very light, cozy Christmas read with no emotional or intellectual demands
* You enjoy gentle, non-threatening stories about starting over, found homes, and friendly neighbors
* You want something extremely short, more like a festive interlude than a real novel

Don’t read it if:
* You expect a complete, well-shaped story with a real ending rather than a chopped-off installment
* You care about believable dialogue and consistent tone
* You get bored or irritated by pointless “time travel” digressions that go nowhere

Why 2 stars:
- [ ] Theme: 4 (the premise sounded truly charming, as it follows a young woman who has lost her job, her partner, her friends, and even a place to live, and has no contact with her family. Then, as Christmas approaches, she finds a welcoming home and a kind community of neighbors, and from there her story begins. For me, this setup was very inviting, and I dove right in)
- [ ] Plot: 2 (the plot, which I had already partially anticipated, is difficult to grasp in this book because it seems they’ve split a larger story into smaller installments, and this particular installment doesn’t have a real ending. So I’m not sure whether it’s only a love story, a rags-to-riches story, an “overcome the monster” tale, or an adventure. I don’t think it’s really an adventure, but I can’t say for certain. As far as what is shown in this mini-installment, part of the story is very charming, particularly the segment about a mysterious person who helps the heroine find a job by leaving a newspaper on the bench where she was sitting when she lost her previous job. It also describes how she goes to the new place and meets her neighbor. However, in the second half, the story becomes quite absurd: the former landlady starts telling tales and they all time travel, and things get even more ridiculous when the protagonist tries to hang the Christmas tree, gets an electric shock, faints on the floor, but miraculously doesn’t die)
- [ ] Characters: 2 (the characters are a bit amusing, but not particularly compelling. The two people living in the house come across as somewhat oddly theatrical, while the protagonist and her neighbor are a bit more likable. The characters introduced during the so-called “time travel” segment, however, are absolutely tedious)
- [ ] Fun/adventure/surprise: 2 (there is a touch of adventure in the first part of the book, as mentioned, but it all falls flat once the story shifts to a so-called time travel segment, recounting the house’s past. These parts are utterly silly and heavy, and fail to spark any interest at all)
- [ ] Profoundness: 1 (the novel lacks any real depth; on the contrary, it is genuinely very silly and rather stupid)
- [ ] Length of the book: 4 (the book is very short, which encouraged me to give it a try beyond the blurb, as it didn’t feel like committing to anything heavy)
- [ ] Language and style of writing: 3 (the writing is light and easy to follow, making the book very approachable. It does manage to create a bit of tension, but the dialogue is genuinely awful)

Favorite part
- [ ] My favorite part is when the protagonist finally finds a job that also offers her a roof over her head, because it brings together security, kindness, and the feeling of being quietly rescued at the right moment, which is genuinely cozy and comforting

Least favorite part
- [ ] I was bored by the sections dealing with the house’s past, especially the storyline about a woman who becomes pregnant and cannot keep the child because it would be shameful. It is told in a dull way and, on top of that, these are stories that have already been told a thousand times, with not even a hint of originality or surprise

[_Erica_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

L’inizio di questa storia è stata molto interessante e piena di spunti per un seguito che spero sia altrettanto coinvolgente come questo.
Mi chiedo solo se Elle riuscirà a raccontare e mettere per iscritto quello che succederà e fare ordine nella sua vita…

Voto
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[Dolci Carloni · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Serafina Iaquinta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Per ora è carino, una lettura leggera, aspetto però le altre due parti per vedere come continua la storia .

[Noemi Di Maio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molto cozy. Perfetta per questo periodo dell'anno...