Sunshine, With a Chance of Snow

by Carole Matthews

And Other Stories
In this exclusive collection of short stories, brought together in print for the first time, Sunday Times bestselling Carole Matthews will transport you to worlds filled with love, family and sunshine. Join Carole as she introduces you to happily married couples who face their biggest challenges yet, tales of romance and secret admirers, and stories of chance encounters and unrequited love. So put your feet up and lose yourself in these wonderfully warm-hearted stories from the most romantic of storytellers. Added extra alert! Contains the opening chapters from Carole's Top Five Sunday Times bestselling novel, Paper Hearts and Summer Kisses.

Genres: Short Stories, Chick Lit, Romance, Christmas, Contemporary, Fiction, Womens Fiction

133 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

Carole Matthews is an international bestselling author of hugely successful romantic comedy novels. Her unique sense of humour has won her legions of fans and critical acclaim all over the world.

A Minor Indiscretion and A Compromising Position both reached the Top 5 in the Sunday Times bestseller chart in the UK. You Drive Me Crazy reached number 8 in the original fiction charts. The novel Welcome To The Real World was shortlisted for RNA romantic novel of the year 2007.

In 2006 Carole co-edited - with writer Sarah Mlynowski - two new editions of the hugely popular Girls' Night In charity series called Girls' Night Out - one for the USA and one for Canada. All proceeds go to War Child.

Carole has presented on television and is a regular radio guest. When she’s not writing novels, television or film scripts she manages to find time to trek in the Himalayas, rollerblade in Central Park, take tea in China and snooze in her garden shed in Milton Keynes which is near London, England.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought i would.
A mix of stories all revolving around love and relationships with the book ending in some cheesy Christmas love stories.
Very easy read. Love her writing and how descriptive it is. Very immersive.
Will be reading more of Carole Matthews' books in the future

[Malia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this for free on my Kindle, so I thought I'd give it a go, as I haven't read anything else by Carole Matthews. The story is short and therefore not exceedingly developed. It basically centers around a family that is dealt a blow, and how they deal with that. While the story is interesting, it's not original, nor are the characters particularly gripping, but were this fleshed out a bit, it might warrant another star. As it was, it was a nice quick read and gave me a glimpse into the author's style, which I might explore further through a full length book some time in the future.

Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can read my review on my blog :) https://emptychairsatemptytables.word...

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short story that was delivered to my Kindle today....lovely story of Beth, Michael & their two children-very inspirational & humbling....a really great quick read.:-)

[Susan Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars from me. I even cried. Lovely, heartwarming story. And it's a freebie from Carole. Can't wait to read her new book. Have read all the others.

[Rachel Burton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reminder of what is really important in life.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting. Like with any short story collection there are going to be stories that enjoy more than others and this was no exception. For the most part I rated the majority of stories in this collection either 2 or 3 stars just because I thought they were okay stories but nothing earth shattering. My top three favourites were the title story sunshine with a chance of snow which is a story of a family realising what's important when it's future is threatened. Another of my top three favourites was a weekend in Venice about a woman who realises she has been settling for less than she should and realises through an encounter with a Venetian painter than she is more than she thinks she in a somewhat unconventional way. This story was fun and sexy but with a serious message at its heart. My third and final favourite was All I want for Christmas is you which takes us through advent with Maria having presents left on her car by a mystery admirer. Is it the new editor hired to bring the publishing house up to date or the cute coffee shop owner? You'll have to read it to find out. This was good.

[PrettyFlamingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to have a different book to everyone else as mine had a collection of short stories, some Christmas based (which I read before the holidays). It was a very good selection box of tales to dip in and out of. The one featuring Beth was the most touching and uplifting for me particularly as one of my friends is going through the same experience as Beth. I particularly liked the story of Tara which had an amusingly positive outcome, though I felt Anna was a bit of a mug for taking back Sebastian so quickly.

A good intro if you haven't read work by Carole before. I liked it!

[Tilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This is a collection of short stories and not just one like listed on here) Although these were beautifully written and really engaging and thought provoking in just their short pages, a lot of these centred around cheating and break ups, not something I enjoy reading about- I was warned by the friend that lent this that some of the stories are gut wrenching and she was right, not one to read if you’re looking for a positive uplift, but a good read nonetheless

[~☆starlight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perfect if you don't have much time on uf hands as its only twenty minutes long. Its a beautifully written story full of emotion and warmth, it also carries a rather important message about whats really important, and to always have hope I'm not going to lie a couple of times this brought tears to my eyes perhaps because of my personal memories and heartaches. I definitely recommend this

[Priyanka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two beautiful short stories I have read in years. Stories like these reminds us the beauty of life among the interplay of life struggles, relationships, dreams and expectations in our lives. The narratives brought both tears in my eyes and smiles on my lips and ended up leaving me satisfied. Too good!

[Becky Grinter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking

Having lost a friend to breast cancer, when I realised the direction of this story I wasn’t sure I wanted to read on. That said, I’m glad I did as the ending was different than I was expecting and made me reflect on some of my own life choices. Maybe a little simplistic but time is precious and valuable family time the most precious of all.

[Allison Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book of little stories. Not too keen on the first one and the 2-3 page ones weren’t long enough to be a short story lol. But not a bad read when you don’t have a lot of time. Some nice stories in there

[Nicki Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐ A heartwarming Christmassy short read that will leave you appreciating what really matters in life. #sunshinewithachanceofsnow #carolematthews #tea_sipping_bookworm #chicklit #goodreads #litsy #amazonkindle #bookqueen #bookstagram

[Vivien Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love a good short story and this little book is full of them. Sad funny, poignant and several full of Christmas spirit. I only know the author by her novels, but she writes great short stories too! Good to read on the cover of my copy that a donation from sales goes to charity.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice easy read of short stories so not too taxing and made a change from having to concentrate too much in the plot

[leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth a read

Very inspired by reading this book gave me hope on life such a
Easy read as a struggle to read

[jennie bowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

This is a short story and I read it in just over and hour. It's a fantastic heart warming story

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely book with a wide range of short stories.

[Vicky Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short story, easy to read in one sitting as only takes around 20 minutes.

[Karen Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely short story another winner from Carole Matthews

[Jadzia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the short stories. Nice to dip into multiple lives.

[Vikki Climpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carole Matthews is one of my favourite authors, and I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories which obviously are very different to her novels, but still show her style. Well worth a read.

[mrs j holder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cab read as always

Love a Carole Matthews a short story is a fab way toget to know her style
Always a giraffe and a good read

[Chantal Gareau · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I’m not much into short stories. It was entertaining but I cannot say much more.

[Kendra Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tear Jerker

What a lovely, thoughtful short story with smiles and tears a plenty. Give yourself one hour and a box of tissues to enjoy this gorgeous story.

[Maisie · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have 20/30 minutes to spare this short story about a young wife and mum could do the trick. Time for reflection on life and what is really important. Something we all need to do.

[mrsljgibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know what this book was about prior to reading it, only that it was a Christmas short story! I had also never read anything by Carole Matthews (shame) and it was a nice introduction to her work and I will definitely be reading lots more from her!!
The story was quite sad and very thought provoking and I was left thinking that life should not be taken for granted.
A lovely short Christmas story and I would definitely recommend it for a short Christmassy read!

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy short stories, as I have a very busy life and it means I can enjoy a whole story at once.

This short story was the first story I have read by Carole Matthews and I thought it was written brilliantly. I was actually shocked about what happened in the story. - When they are a short story I normally take a chance and just get them without reading the blub, I am glad I did this with this book as I feel I don't think it would have been my type of book. Wow I would have really missed out!

This story begins with a family on their holiday, something they have wanted for years, a honeymoon, a foreign holiday for the kids and everyone thinks that life could not be more perfect. The family are then struck by a terrible tragedy, missing Christmas, something that is a big blow for the family as this is their favourite time of year. This was something very close to my heart, I love Christmas, I got married at Christmas and the thought without it would be horrendous!

This short story is about what is important in life, actually after reading the story am I that bothered about Christmas now? Well a little but who isn't! This is a short story that will stay with you for a long time.

Thank you so much Carole Matthews for a fabulous short read. Only wish it was longer!

Can't wait to read another book by Carole Matthews

To see this review and more please check out my blog:
mrsbbooks2011.blogspot.co.uk

[Jenny in Neverland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to be donated this book by Carole to my readathon and as I was raising money for Cancer Research, it kind of fit the bill. Sunshine With a Chance of Snow is a short story about a woman named Beth who is diagnosed with breast cancer. She has a wonderful, loving family who support her through the ordeal and she realises throughout her battle that that’s all that really matters.

This story was very short - only 36 pages – but it made me cry. It made me cry loads. Beth is a lovely woman who has a seemingly perfect family and although, like many families, they have money issues and other mundane things to worry about it shows the effect a genuine, life-threatening problem can have on not only the one suffering. It makes you look at your own life and wonder whether the materialistic things really do matter? As expected, it was well written and easy to read – like all of Carole’s book – and is a subject that I think will resonate with a lot of people. Perfect quick read which is both uplifting and thought-provoking.