Christmas Actually

by Joanna Bolouri

Et si l’amour de votre vie était la petite amie de votre meilleur ami ?
Quelques jours avant les fêtes de fin d’année, Nick perd son prestigieux emploi dans un cabinet d’avocats et se voit contraint d’accepter un travail de Père Noël. Il rencontre alors Alfie, un adorable petit garçon de cinq ans, qui souhaite pour Noël que sa mère, Sarah, soit de nouveau heureuse et cesse de pleurer son mari disparu trois ans auparavant. Attendri, Nick décide d’organiser un rendez-vous entre Sarah et son meilleur ami qui est célibataire, Matt. Mais alors que Sarah et Alfie prennent une place de plus en plus importante dans la vie de Nick, celui-ci se rend vite compte que le bonheur naissant de Sarah et de Matt pourrait bien lui briser le cœur…

Une comédie romantique hilarante et réconfortante pour les fans de Marian Keyes.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Holiday, Fiction, Adult

380 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joanna Boulouri's festive rom-com is full of charm, warmth, fun and so entertaining featuring 30 year old lawyer, Nick Harris, set in London and Oxford. Nick hits rock bottom after being fired from his prestigious law firm hits, broke and desperate, he grudgingly takes on the position of Santa at Southview Shopping Centre. His Z-list celebrity glamorous girlfriend, Angela, a reality show star, drops him fast, although it takes Nick a while to come to terms with this. Depressed and thinking of himself as a failure, surrounded by elves that include the initially hostile Izzy and the squeaky voiced criminologist, Laura, Nick listens to what children want for Christmas, dispensing gifts to them. His world is to change dramatically when he meets cute 4 year old Alfie O'Brien whose only wish is to see his mother, Sarah, happy again after his father's death.

Nick sets up the beautiful, funny, and kind single mother Sarah with his flatmate, former work colleague and best friend, Matt Buckley, on a date, and to his surprise Matt falls for Sarah. Nick has been friends with Matt since university, so close as to practically be brothers, despite their different social and economic backgrounds, and have been there for each other at their lowest points, such as the death of Nick's mother and Matt's break up with Karen, which he never really got over. Nick develops a close relationship with Alfie, enjoying babysitting him while Matt and Sarah go out on dates, with all of them going out together on various occasions, such as ice skating. It slowly dawns on Nick that he has strong feelings for Sarah on Matt's birthday, something which makes him feel sick to his stomach. Finding the pain of being around Matt and Sarah together too much, he takes up a job working for a homeless charity in Oxford.

Bolouri is an expert at writing a rom-com, although it is rather light on the romance side, making me smile and laugh throughout the romantic entanglements of the love triangle, and their social circle of friendships. The highlights for me were the close affectionate and bantering relationship between Nick and Matt, their bond so close that Nick would never knowingly do anything that would hurt him and risk their friendship, and Nick and Alfie's endearing relationship, Nick is just so good with him. I have never read Bolouri before but I will now lookout for her next book. This is a lovely festive read, so entertaining and with great characters, that will appeal to many readers. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

[Shelley's Book Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

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This was such a charming book, I couldn't get enough of Nick, he was so real and relatable. He was funny and sweet yet full of human flaws, but ones I could have forgiven him for as he made up for them in other ways. I loved that this story was from the male character's point of view. Having a female author write a male lead so well is rare.

The book is so much more than just another typical holiday romance as Nick learns he needs to be true to himself and find a career that is satisfying and I liked him and Sarah together. Sarah's son, Alfie, was such an adorable character. I always give props when an author voices a child so well and Joanna Bolouri does a great job. I have Driving Home for Christmas and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by this author and if this book is anything to go by I will be reading them both this holiday season!

This title is currently available for purchase.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been desperate for a feel good read for quite a while now and although it was still a few weeks off Christmas, “All I Want for Christmas” by author Joanna Bolouri, one hundred per cent magically hit the spot!
What if the love of your life is your best friend’s girlfriend and you were the one who set them up? The premise of this story was so simple but so clever. From the first page I was fully invested in the superb characters and wonderfully endearing storyline. Every scene played out like I was watching a movie, so clear were the descriptions, the characters personalities and the delightful ambience. It doesn’t have to be Christmas time to read this story, the advent of Christmas is the catalyst for the events that unfold in the coming months. This is such a fun rom-com that isn’t heavy on the romance and would make an excellent read for teenage readers too. I particularly loved the friendship between Nick and Matt and the endearing relationship little Alfie brought to them both. The love triangle between Sarah, Nick and Matt was realistic and very believable and I enjoyed reading how Sarah was diplomatic and thoroughly genuine in her emotions.
This is the first book I’ve read by Joanne Bolouri but I understand she has written many women’s fiction stories, including the very naughty ‘Relight My Fire’ and the popular “The List”. I will most definitely read more by this author and after being thoroughly entertained and kept laughing by the antics of Nick and Matt, I’d happily recommend “All I Want for Christmas” for any time of the year!

5 stars

[exploraDora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about this book 😍
RTC.

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com

Thirty-year-old corporate lawyer Nick has been sacked after not one but two, (okay three but he didn’t get caught the third time) incidents at work. He takes his sacking badly and resorts to getting drunk most nights, and day and eating take-out food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He shares a flat with his best friend Matt who has tried to give him a kick up the butt but nothing is working.

Nick has applied for numerous jobs but no-one seems to want to hire him, that is until an offer comes in for him to play Santa at the local shopping centre. He doesn’t want to do, doesn’t even like children but he needs the money after nearly depleting his savings. When his reality star girl-friend finds out that he is Santa she dumps him.

One afternoon just after closing and a day from hell a little boy, four-year-old Alfie is desperate to see Santa. Nick eventually obliges and asks Alfie what he would like for Christmas, his response stuns Nick. He wants his mum to be happy again as she has been sad since his dad died. In a panic Nick tells Alfie that he will grant his Christmas wish, now all he has to do is make it come true, and what a better way than fixing Alfie’s mum Sarah up with his friend Matt.

As the two become close Nick soon realises that he is falling for Sarah and has become attached to Alfie. As if his life wasn’t complicated enough!!

In this festive rom-com, you can expect heart-warming moments, lots of laughter, and fabulous characters. In the beginning, Nick came across as a bit of an arse but as the book progressed his personality changed and I came to respect him and feel sorry for the situation he had become involved in. The adults in the story are wonderful but it is little Alfie who steals my heart, gosh that child is so adorable and lovely.

The book is set in the present day and filled with thirty-somethings and is true to the way a lot of people talk, so expect some bad language in there, for me, this made the book more realistic. Plus it is told from a male perspective so we’re talking lots of swearing at times.

I’m not normally a fan of love triangles but I was completely hooked on this book, though it is more like a love square with Alfie! The writing is spot-on, the situations plausible, and the whole story gave me that feel-good vibe.

I’m just glad that my first festive read of the year was an absolute belter. It is so good I could see this being made into a Hallmark Christmas movie (even if the storyline takes place over the year), the scenes certainly played out in my head whilst reading and I rush through the book not wanting to put it down. For me, this is a must-read if you love festive rom-coms.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a warm, witty and happy festive story. I'm so fed up of angsty, awkward and heart wrenching reads after the ongoing PITA that has been this year, it's lovely to be able to escape somewhere where you can freely meet with people you don't live with and do normal things. Remember that?

Unusually for a chick lit, it was narrated in first person by Nick, a lawyer who has just been sacked and has to temporarily resort to working as a shopping centre Santa.

Although he's down on his luck, he's snarky, funny and he made me laugh lots of times as he gradually gets his life together. I loved his friendship with Matt, but I really loved his loyalty and integrity as he hides his attraction to Matt's girlfriend, Sarah. I also loved the interaction between Nick and Sarah's son, Alfie.

This was such a belly warming and funny read, I loved spending time with these characters.

Complete story, recommended if you're looking for something romantic, funny and uplifting. No smut though I'm sad to report.

*Thanks to the publishers via netgalley for my arc.*

[NAT.orious reads ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is for you if… emotional cheating does not ruin a romance for you.

⤐ Additionally.
Yeah. The whole I'm in love with my best friend's girlfriend thing sort of ruined this for me. Being with somebody even though you actually sort of like their best friend is a pretty shitty thing. Doing this especially when kids are involved is a very morally dark grey thing I simply cannot agree with. I just was not able to let this go for the sake of enjoying the story. It's something I have witnessed several times in real life and the person who was in the middle always suffered a lot. And even if they didn't it's just horrible. Judging hard (yeahh I know you can't help your feelings blablabla).


Apart from the emotional cheating, there's definitely some appeal to All I Want for Christmas; the family and relationship struggles, the desire to find one's career path, to lead a purposeful life are all themes that I could identify with immensely, also because most of them are presently relevant to me as well.

⤐ What’s happening.
Two people who like each other more than the people they are in relationships with dance around each other while a third person (partner/best friend) and a child are caught in the middle.
_____________________
3 STARS. Decent read that I have neither strongly positive nor negative feelings about. Some things irked me and thus it does not qualify as exceptional.

[Антоанета · Rating 3 out of 5]

Тази книжка беше много приятна за четене, много интелигентно написана, с хубав стил и добра история. Не мога да я определя за точно коледна, но на Коледа започва завръзката, та да речем, че е подходяща за това време на годината. Освен това цялата история е разказана от мъжка гледна точка и това беше свежото от страна на авторката.
Главният герой Ник е безработен правист, на ръба на оцеляването, след като го отхвърлят от десетки места за работа. Принуден е да стане Дядо Коледа в кварталния мол, при положение че не се разбира добре с децата. Но там среща момченце, което не моли за поредната скъпа джаджа, а за това майка му да бъде щастлива. Противно на всякаква логика Ник решава, че неговият съквартирант и най-добър приятел Мат ще стане чудесно гадже на майката и от там започват веселите ситуации.
Макар книгата да е приятна за четене за мен огромен минус е когато един партньор се дели между двама приятели или между братя/сестри. Не го приемам, че някой ще има връзка с най-добрата ми приятелка ще спи с нея и после изведнъж ще се прехвърли на мен! А цялата книга дефакто разказва историята между Мат и Сара разказана от гл.т. на Ник - някакъв пълен абсурд.
Тъй като обаче предходните прочетени от мен коледни книги получиха по 3*, а те бяха по-големи бози, тук ще дам 3,5. Беше добре написана история, но заради размяната на партньорите в последните буквално десет страници няма как да закръгля към по-голямата оценка.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Приятна коледна история, но много разтегната. Книгата можеше да бъде с поне 100 страници по-кратка и да се спести повтарянето на едни и същи мисли. Връзката между Сара и Мат беше обречена от самото начало и не знам защо 80% от съдържанието е запълнено с безсмислените им срещи.

Накратко, "Всичко, което искам за Коледа" е забавна книга, тъй като е представена от гледната точка на Ник. Определено прочетох по-стойностни коледни книги от тази и съответно оценката ще бъде по-ниска.

[madame Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

nouvelle romance de Noël que j’ai taaaaaant aimée!

𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒅'𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒅 parce que le narrateur est un homme et que c’est rare que ça arrive dans les romans de Noël, non? j’ai tant aimé vivre l’histoire selon son point de vue!

𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆, un avocat qui perd son emploi et qui se retrouve à être le Père Noël dans un centre commercial, c’est assez inattendu et j’ai bien aimé! 😅

𝒑𝒖𝒊𝒔 c’est une histoire d’amitié, c’est du drôle (vraiment), c’est un rythme accrocheur, ce sont des personnages auxquels on s’attache rapidement (Alfie! 🩵), c’est de l’amouuuuuur et c’est le temps des fêtes. un mix parfait ou quoi? 😍

vraiment, il n’y a rien de chicklit quétaine dans ce livre. c’est divertissant et bien beau et c’est un des beaux romans à lire et à aimer avant Noël! ☃️🎅🏼🫶🏻

oh! et le beau film que ça ferait 🥰🤩

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warm and charming, funny and engaging, All I Want For Christmas is a sweet festive read bound to bring smile to your face.

[Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This superior romantic comedy follows a year in the life of thirty-year-old luckless lawyer, Nick Harris, and starts and finishes with the festive season. Whilst there is a certain amount of predictability about the whole novel and the direction it’s heading in, All I Want for Christmas benefits from superior characterisation and the occasional bit of near the mark humour! When Nick is fired from his job as a corporate lawyer and on the receiving end of numerous rejection letters he swallows his pride and reluctantly accepts a seasonal post as Santa at nearby Southview Shopping Centre. His flatmate, former colleague and best friend for over a decade, Matt Buckley, might have family money to fall back on but as the son of a deceased single mum and brought up in a tower block, self-deprecating Nick pitches up for days with an aggressive elf dishing out presents to snotty kids with greedy Christmas demands. His vacuous and reality TV obsessed girlfriend, Angela, is mortified and makes short work of calling time on their relationship.

Just a few days into the job Nick meets four-year-old Alfie O’Brien who doesn’t want anything except for Father Christmas to make his mum happy again after the death of his father. When Alfie’s mum catches up with him, Nick meets Sarah who works in the shopping centre coffee shop and as well as being attractive turns out to be funny and grounded. Nick, being the thoroughly decent guy he is, sets Sarah up with Matt thinking that if he can’t solve his own problems then he can at least solve Alfie’s. As Sarah and Matt hit it off Nick finds himself quite happy to babysit Alfie and takes a shine to him, leading to the foursome forming a sort of family unit of their own and spending days out and dates together. As Nick spends more time with Alfie and gets to know Sarah the unthinkable happens and he finds himself falling in love with his best mate’s girlfriend but his loyalty and brotherly relationship with Matt precludes him from acting on his feelings. As the year unfolds and Nick finds himself wanting everything that Matt has and his affection for Sarah and Alfie grows he starts to realise that he might have to forgo his own chance of happiness in order not to lose the three people who mean the most to him.

This is a genuinely relatable rom-com with enough depth to make the friendships and relationships feel credible and a great line in sarcasm and whilst the novel is admittedly pretty predictable there are a some well-fleshed out detours along the way that don’t just feel like half-hearted padding to prolong the story. I really appreciated how Nick’s relationship with Sarah blossomed into a great friendship and just having fun together with Alfie and the dialogue felt so natural. Whilst I never really felt the chemistry between Matt and Sarah this did little to detract from an easily readable and wryly humorous story with characters that I cared about. Superior chick-lit that with characterisation and humour that I would compare to Jane Fallon and given I would never normally read a festive rom-com All I Want for Christmas gets the thumbs up from me!

[Zornitsa Rasim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*

[Габриела Иванова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книжката беше забавна, ама много забавна. Приповдигна ми настроението и искрено съм се смяла с перипетиите, през които премина Ник.
Обичам, когато историите са от гледната точка на мъжа. Може би, защото по-рядко се среща този похват, ако така мога да го нарека. Та главният герой много ми хареса, не мога да кажа нещо лошо за него. Имаше чувство за хумор, доста отчаян от живота на моменти, мил, грижовен и с добро сърце. За минус мога да сметна, че нямаше много описания. Тъй като съм свикнала да чета книги с по-описателно съдържание, тук малко ми липсваше това. Но не беше болка за умиране и не ми попречи да се насладя на историята. Четеше се бързо, сюжетът беше интересен, сладък и просто няма как да не се усмихнеш, докато четеш. Стопля ти сърцето!
Също така, книгата малко ми напомни на "Един ден през декември", която е друго мое любимо коледно четиво. В интерес на истината, не очаквах действието да се развива в толкова дълъг период от време, останах приятно изненадана.
На моменти ми ставаше тъжно. На Ник никак не му вървеше и човек да се чуди да се смее ли, да плаче ли, защото беше написано с доза хумор, но той не спестяваше истината. Искам да кажа, че стилът на авторката много ми хареса. Беше успяла да съчетае нещата перфектно и май посланието този път беше да не се отчайваме, винаги следва по-добро и, разбира се, да работим това, което ни прави щастливи.
Финалът беше сладък. Искаше ми се да бъде малко по-дълъг, та да видим повече от Сара и Ник като двойка, но всичко друго беше 🔝🔥. И може би знаете, че аз имам голям проблем с разбирането с главните героини. Не мога да кажа, че Сара ме дразнеше, просто не успях да я усетя така, както Ник и си ми остана безразлична до самия край.🤷‍♀️
Определено, догодина бих си я препрочела пак и кой знае, това може да се превърне в ритуал.😂 Препоръчвам!

[Virginie Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟

[Daniella · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5*
Освен да кажа, че историята беше супер свежа и приятна за четене, няма какво повече да допълня. Изключително много ми допадна, смях се от сърце, а в някои от ситуациите на Ник се познах и аз, хаха! Той беше изключително колоритен, чувството му за хумор и самоирония бяха на такова високо ниво, че веднага се влюбих в това. Със сигурност и не е "типичната лигава коледна история", но донася празнично настроение. Мисля, че от всичко коледно, което съм прочела, тази книга заема първото място. Не очаквах, че така ще се развият нещата с Мат и Сара, но беше страхотно, за да може да се запазят всички добри отношение между героите. И пак тази книга ме води на мисълта, че ако нещо си е за теб и твое, независимо през какво минаваш, то ще се върне в живота ти и ще си бъде твоето нещо. Радвам се, че дадох шанс на историята, въпреки че доста се колебах дали да си я взела, сега знам, че решението ми е било правилно. Препоръчвам с две ръце да я видите, ще ви хареса, но разбира се това зависи от различните вкусове на всеки.

[Draga Stavreska · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book in 2023 and I loved every single page of it.
It was really cozy,sweet and christmasy. I found myself constantly smiling while reading it.
Perfect for the holidays. 🥰

[Ulrica Kulturladyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

En mysig och underhållande julroman med en hel del julkänsla, kärlek och förvecklingar. En förvirrad jultomte, en ledsen änka och en charmig fyraåring är centrala i berättelsen. Lite filmisk, skulle bli en bra julfilm.

[Симона · Rating 3 out of 5]

Не беше много въвличаща, но и не беше съвсем скучновата.

Мисля си, че вече нямам енергията, която имах в тийн годините си по повод любовните триъгълници и определено съм се наситила. Сигурно затова "Всичко, което искам за Коледа" не се превърна в любимо четиво.

Иначе хуморът беше пет от пет. На доста места шегите бяха оригинални.

3/5 ☆

[Йоана · Rating 3 out of 5]

Приятна история, но много разточена. Всичко е написано с прекалено много подробности, които могат да бъдат спестени.

[Robin Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of holiday-themed books and probably would have passed on this one because of the title, but a friend was reading it and the blurb intrigued me. It doesn't have that *typical* holiday romance feel—which for me is a good thing. It just happens to be set (though not exclusively) during the holidays. If you liked One Day in December, I'm sure you'll like this one too. I loved the writing and will definitely read more by this author.

Side note: I wish I'd have had the time to listen to the audio for this one because it's in the British hero's POV and the narrator sounds 😍

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is nice romantic Christmas story.
The interaction of the characters made me smile and although the ending is predictable it is an easy read.
The only thing I would warn you about is the swearing which is splattered about which may offend some people.

[Anna Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

En stark trea, nästan en fyra

[Joanne Ragona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet story with lots of laugh out loud moments. Nick stole my heart. Loved that the book was told from his POV only. A great holiday read.

[Karschtl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book that proves chick-lit can be funny and original (at least to some extent) and cute and all that without being corny at all! Yes, it starts with a bit of a cliché (a kid wishes for his mommy to be happy again, and a nice guy is trying to make this come true), but then it gets suprisingly fresh & funny.

Joanna Bolouri writes solely from a male perspective (no unnecessary switching between his/her side), which I liked very much. Plus, she does so quite convincingly, that's amazing really. Nick doesn't behave like the typical macho-man (something lots of authors believe they must incorporate that in their leading characters in romances) but like a regular nice guy who does not need to have sexual images run through his head as soon as he sees a girl he likes. I really really cherished the fact that the reader is spared constant references to what the guy would like to do with "her". We get it that he is slowly falling in love with her all the same.

Slight problem: she is the girlfriend of his best friend, who is not even a bad guy so that he (and the reader) would have no qualms about simply stealing her. I was really anxious to learn how this problem would be solved.

Although a lot of the story is not taking place around Christmas, it still has a great Christmassy feel about it!

[Cecilia Ollikainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4- / 5 ⭐️
tämäkin mukava hyvänmielen joulukirja. juoni aika ennalta-arvattava. mutta hauskaa että päähenkilönä oli miespuoleinen hahmo, joten tämä oli itselle uudenlainen kertojan näkökulma!

[Kimberly Carrington-Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Thanks Netgalley for the ebook. This review is my honest opinion but just another opinion, you should read this book and judge it by yourself]

Estoy siendo muy generosa con la nota básicamente porque esta escritora me gusta y el libro, aunque me ha parecido bastante flojo, es fresco y muy fácil de leer.
No es novela romántica, vaya eso por delante. Seguimos la vida de Nick, un abogado en paro que acaba trabajando de Papá Noel en un centro comercial, donde conoce a un niño encantador y a su más encantadora madre. El niño le pide que se madre sea feliz y esta lo acabará siendo... con el mejor amigo del prota (no es spoiler, eh, que así comienza todo). Podría parecer una comedia de enredo pero se queda en algo simple y planito donde apenas pasan cosas. Los personajes son adorables y el protagonista y su mejor amigo son ideales, me encanta cómo escribe esta mujer los momentos de camaradería. Tiene partes cuquis, partes dulces, partes divertidas... pero todo esto no es el grueso del libro, son momentos. Lo demás es un día a día que avanza la trama más bien poco. Joanna Bolouri se guarda todo para el final pero lo desarrolla poquísimo, de modo brusco y, sinceramente, bastante mñe. Parece que se quiere quitar todo de encima porque se pasa de páginas.
Es una pequeña decepción no haber pasado tan buen rato con este libro como esperaba pero al menos he estado entretenida y me ha durado un suspiro. A ver si el siguiente que escriba me emociona más.

[Steffi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

"Ein Wintertraum in London" klang nach einer süßen weihnachtlichen Geschichte und ich war sehr gespannt darauf die Geschichte von Nick und Sarah zu lesen.

Nick verliert kurz vor Weihnachten seinen Job als Anwalt in einer Kanzlei und es bleibt ihm nichts anderes übrig, als einen Job als Weihnachtsmann in einem Einkaufszentrum anzunehmen. Dort wünscht sich Sarahs Sohn Alfie von Santa, dass seine Mutter wieder glücklich wird.

Das Buch ist eine unterhaltsame Geschichte, in der man Nick, Sarah und Alfie sowie Nicks besten Freund Matt nicht nur durch die Weihnachtszeit sondern auch durch das folgende Jahr begleitet. Es gibt viele witzige und süße Erlebnisse und ich hatte sehr viel Spaß die Charaktere zu begleiten.

Die Charaktere waren insgesamt sehr sympathisch, auch wenn mir Nick manchmal ein wenig zu gewollt witzig dargestellt wurde. Manches war da manchmal eher zum fremdschämen als zum lachen.

Das Setting war schön, aber die weihnachtliche Atmosphäre kam für mich leider ein wenig zu kurz. Dennoch ist das Buch eine kurzweilige Unterhaltung mit einem flüssigen Schreibstil.

[T.L. Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bless! Poor Nick got fired from his prestigious job as a lawyer. Desperate for cash, he ends up as a store Santa.

These characters are all very 'real' and I love how Nick grows as a person. Let's face it; there was plenty of room for him to do so. He and his mate are living the lad life at the start.
There's an agonising situation which held my interest.

It's very British, so yeah, there's swearing.
Probably no prizes for foreseeing the ending, but it's chick lit not a mystery.
I really liked the varied backgrounds of the characters.
The story is told from Nick's POV which was interesting.

A fun, Christmassy story.

[Nelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 4,5.