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White Christmas #1
White Christmas
The new heartwarming historical fiction romance book for Christmas 2021 from the Sunday Times bestselling author
December, 1938
Rozalin Sachs has grown up in the vibrant city of Frankfurt. But with the outbreak of war just months away, her family is forced to flee Germany. When a tragic accident separates Roz from her parents, she finds herself aboard the Kindertransport bound for Holland.
Here Roz meets a young lad called Felix and they vow to stick together as their journey takes them to England. Eventually they find themselves in Liverpool with the promise of a new life, until a devastating incident takes Felix away. And, in a desperate attempt to escape the terrible situation she has found herself in, Roz decides to join the Women's Land Army.
When she is posted to the sprawling Hollybank farm Roz meets Bernie, a dashing farmer's son, who has more than just friendship on his mind. Roz is flattered by his affections, but she can't help but think of the journey she has shared with Felix. Will Bernie manage to win her heart, or will her love for Felix remain as strong as ever?
December, 1938
Rozalin Sachs has grown up in the vibrant city of Frankfurt. But with the outbreak of war just months away, her family is forced to flee Germany. When a tragic accident separates Roz from her parents, she finds herself aboard the Kindertransport bound for Holland.
Here Roz meets a young lad called Felix and they vow to stick together as their journey takes them to England. Eventually they find themselves in Liverpool with the promise of a new life, until a devastating incident takes Felix away. And, in a desperate attempt to escape the terrible situation she has found herself in, Roz decides to join the Women's Land Army.
When she is posted to the sprawling Hollybank farm Roz meets Bernie, a dashing farmer's son, who has more than just friendship on his mind. Roz is flattered by his affections, but she can't help but think of the journey she has shared with Felix. Will Bernie manage to win her heart, or will her love for Felix remain as strong as ever?
- GenresChristmas
400 pages, Hardcover
Published November 15, 2021
97 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Katie Flynn
101 books218 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School, where she was extremely happy and extremely undistinguished. Published at the tender age of eight, in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, she joined a Writers’ Circle as an adult, publishing short stories, articles, etc; only turning to novels in 1971 because the postal strike cut off her main source of income!
At first she wrote under several different names – Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, Judith Arden – but her Katie Flynn books were a delight to write and proved far more popular than she had dreamed. She has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns. Her most recent titles are: Lost Days of Summer and Christmas Wishes.
Katie Flynn was born in Norwich and attended Norwich High School, where she was extremely happy and extremely undistinguished. Published at the tender age of eight, in Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, she joined a Writers’ Circle as an adult, publishing short stories, articles, etc; only turning to novels in 1971 because the postal strike cut off her main source of income!
At first she wrote under several different names – Judith Saxton, Judy Turner, Lydia Balmain, Judith Arden – but her Katie Flynn books were a delight to write and proved far more popular than she had dreamed. She has now published nearly ninety novels, twenty-seven of which are Flynns. Her most recent titles are: Lost Days of Summer and Christmas Wishes.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 28, 2021
Great story. Much grittier than most Katie Flynn books I gave read, which was a very pleasant surprise.
December 8, 2021
Rozalin Sachs has grown up in Frankfurt, but with the Nazi Party gaining power, unfortunately Roz and her family have to flee the country. But a tragic accident separates Roz from her parents and Roz finds herself on the Kindertransport (train for orphaned children).
Roz meets a boy called Felix and they both find themselves in Liverpool, until an incident takes Felix away from Roz. Roz then joins the women’s Land Army and finds herself eventually stationed on a farm just outside of Liverpool, where she meets the farmer’s son, Bernie.
Overall I enjoyed the concept of the plot, but unfortunately, not so much the writing of it. I thought that most of the ‘key’ moments in the book were somewhat rushed. Firstly, the relationship between Felix and Roz. They met on the Kindertransport and find themselves in Dovercourt where they are awaiting placement with a foster family, long with other orphans. Although Felix has only just met Roz, he is instantly smitten. Roz is then placed with what seems like the perfect foster family in Liverpool, but we soon discover that this is far from the truth. When Felix hears of Roz’s struggles, he is determined to find her and help her. Conveniently, Felix is also in Liverpool and it’s a little too easy how Felix and Roz ‘reunite’. Roz then gets a new job with her new friend Mabel, and just as she seems to be settling into her new life, Felix is arrested out of the blue and immediately taken on board a ship bound for Canada (albeit the ship changed destination to Australia!). Shortly after, Roz and Mabel join the women’s Land Army and find themselves posted to a farm in Wales. Within a matter of weeks, Mabel falls in love with the farmer’s son who has just received his call up papers from the RAF. Before he goes, he tells Mabel that she’s, his beau. This is another rushed storyline and one which quite honestly paints women as being rather pathetic. And don’t get me started on the ‘relationship’ between Roz and Bernie! I’m a history buff and I read a lot of historical fiction, so I know that society in general and women’s values were different in the 1940’s, but it seems that every handsome man that comes along, one of the lead characters instantly falls in love with them!
I know that sadly Judy Turner (Katie Flynn) passed away in 2019 and her daughter Holly is now writing under the same name. I have read a number of Holly’s books (which I absolutely loved) but I hate to say that this one is not one of her better ones. Sorry!
Roz meets a boy called Felix and they both find themselves in Liverpool, until an incident takes Felix away from Roz. Roz then joins the women’s Land Army and finds herself eventually stationed on a farm just outside of Liverpool, where she meets the farmer’s son, Bernie.
Overall I enjoyed the concept of the plot, but unfortunately, not so much the writing of it. I thought that most of the ‘key’ moments in the book were somewhat rushed. Firstly, the relationship between Felix and Roz. They met on the Kindertransport and find themselves in Dovercourt where they are awaiting placement with a foster family, long with other orphans. Although Felix has only just met Roz, he is instantly smitten. Roz is then placed with what seems like the perfect foster family in Liverpool, but we soon discover that this is far from the truth. When Felix hears of Roz’s struggles, he is determined to find her and help her. Conveniently, Felix is also in Liverpool and it’s a little too easy how Felix and Roz ‘reunite’. Roz then gets a new job with her new friend Mabel, and just as she seems to be settling into her new life, Felix is arrested out of the blue and immediately taken on board a ship bound for Canada (albeit the ship changed destination to Australia!). Shortly after, Roz and Mabel join the women’s Land Army and find themselves posted to a farm in Wales. Within a matter of weeks, Mabel falls in love with the farmer’s son who has just received his call up papers from the RAF. Before he goes, he tells Mabel that she’s, his beau. This is another rushed storyline and one which quite honestly paints women as being rather pathetic. And don’t get me started on the ‘relationship’ between Roz and Bernie! I’m a history buff and I read a lot of historical fiction, so I know that society in general and women’s values were different in the 1940’s, but it seems that every handsome man that comes along, one of the lead characters instantly falls in love with them!
I know that sadly Judy Turner (Katie Flynn) passed away in 2019 and her daughter Holly is now writing under the same name. I have read a number of Holly’s books (which I absolutely loved) but I hate to say that this one is not one of her better ones. Sorry!
January 1, 2026
Such a good book. I fell in love with Felix and Roz since they first met and I loved every second of them…
December 16, 2021
For me it's not Christmas without a Katie Flynn novel. Great light escapism
January 4, 2022
Warning - review may contain SPOILERS.
It has taken a couple of days of reflection for me to write a review for this book. So, here it goes...
This book is about two young adults, adolescents, who are rescued from Nazi Germany via the Kindertransport network, before the beginning of WW2 and when the Nazi's had power over Germany, and found love along the way.
My favourite character of the book is Roz because she is a fiercely independent and strong character as she stands up for what she believes in whilst in Liverpool being fostered by a nasty family living in poverty, however, she relies a lot on other people around her when she needs more support and most importantly help. People like Felix and Mabel.
For me personally, I found it tricky to get a real connection with any of the main characters which made it tricky for the characters to feel real to me in any way shaoe or form.
The best part of the book, in my opinion, is the ending as it made me feel all warm and fuzzy when reading the book and showed that the storyline came altogether and foreshadowed the kind of life that the characters could have in the future if this book were to have a sequel after the war. It would be interesting to explore what the effect the rest of the war had on the final relationship in the storyline.
However, what had me gripped the most was whether the Roz and Felix would end up together or not, this is what had my interest the most in the book and what could potentially be the alternative if Roz and Felix were to get together.
The only criticism I had on this book is that I found the beginning of the book too slow paced and the ending too fast paced, but that may just be my own preference for this book - others may enjoy the pace of the book as it is.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, I think it is a good read.
4/5 stars.
It has taken a couple of days of reflection for me to write a review for this book. So, here it goes...
This book is about two young adults, adolescents, who are rescued from Nazi Germany via the Kindertransport network, before the beginning of WW2 and when the Nazi's had power over Germany, and found love along the way.
My favourite character of the book is Roz because she is a fiercely independent and strong character as she stands up for what she believes in whilst in Liverpool being fostered by a nasty family living in poverty, however, she relies a lot on other people around her when she needs more support and most importantly help. People like Felix and Mabel.
For me personally, I found it tricky to get a real connection with any of the main characters which made it tricky for the characters to feel real to me in any way shaoe or form.
The best part of the book, in my opinion, is the ending as it made me feel all warm and fuzzy when reading the book and showed that the storyline came altogether and foreshadowed the kind of life that the characters could have in the future if this book were to have a sequel after the war. It would be interesting to explore what the effect the rest of the war had on the final relationship in the storyline.
However, what had me gripped the most was whether the Roz and Felix would end up together or not, this is what had my interest the most in the book and what could potentially be the alternative if Roz and Felix were to get together.
The only criticism I had on this book is that I found the beginning of the book too slow paced and the ending too fast paced, but that may just be my own preference for this book - others may enjoy the pace of the book as it is.
Do I recommend this book? Yes, I think it is a good read.
4/5 stars.
December 20, 2024
Awful
The teenagers in this book were, I suppose, suitably written, but most of the adults turned out to have very few redeeming qualities, and manipulated children in their care instead of dealing with a situation properly.
The main description implies a love triangle, but you spend 60% of the book with the first one, before meeting the second, and the MC makes it pretty clear she's not interested in the second boy, but is put into a contrived situation by adults to make it a love triangle. The adult in question only does this so she herself can avoid the consequences of her own actions, which made me go from liking her to actively disliking her.
The story was overall very predictable, with far too many coincidences and lucky breaks. Pretty weak all things considered.
The teenagers in this book were, I suppose, suitably written, but most of the adults turned out to have very few redeeming qualities, and manipulated children in their care instead of dealing with a situation properly.
The main description implies a love triangle, but you spend 60% of the book with the first one, before meeting the second, and the MC makes it pretty clear she's not interested in the second boy, but is put into a contrived situation by adults to make it a love triangle. The adult in question only does this so she herself can avoid the consequences of her own actions, which made me go from liking her to actively disliking her.
The story was overall very predictable, with far too many coincidences and lucky breaks. Pretty weak all things considered.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2024
Roz Sachs is forced to flee Germany with her parents during the war.
They are separated and she travels on alone to England with the Kindertransport.
En route she meets a boy called Felix and from then on their lives are inextricably bound.
In Liverpool she is placed with the vile and cruel Haggertys, then on farms as a land girl.
While there she meets Bernie who makes her question her love for Felix.
Can they have a happy ever after?
Absolutely love Flynn novels, always a good read.
They are separated and she travels on alone to England with the Kindertransport.
En route she meets a boy called Felix and from then on their lives are inextricably bound.
In Liverpool she is placed with the vile and cruel Haggertys, then on farms as a land girl.
While there she meets Bernie who makes her question her love for Felix.
Can they have a happy ever after?
Absolutely love Flynn novels, always a good read.
December 19, 2021
A Brilliant story set before and during ww2. Roz escapes from Germany just before war is declared and travels to England. On the way she meets Felix who helps her and they fall in love. I really enjoyed this although it was a little bit sad in places. I like how a few bits have been left so hopefully we will revisit them one day (please!)
November 28, 2023
The first of many Katie Flynn books I’ll ever read, my mum recommended me these books and even when I shrugged them off as “old” I have to take that statement back. I’ve never felt so much love in my life for reading, the way the story goes, what Rozalin has to face, Katie really did blow me away with this one.
December 26, 2024
This was a very good book and very gentle read. I fell in love with the two main chapters, Roz and Felix, I felt they were made for each other. It was heart wrenching to here what the Jews were going through during the run up to the war and I felt for the family trying to make the move to safety , is there a follow up to this book yet?
December 15, 2024
This was a sweet story, and once again, gave me some things to ponder about how life could have been in a very different context than my own. The pace, and drama, really picked up in the last few chapters.
December 20, 2025
I was enjoying this book.
Until it started to change and turn the characters away from the setting.
I couldn't feel like I was getting anyway with the story.
A mistake on the book with a couple of characters started to make me not enjoy the rest of this story.
Until it started to change and turn the characters away from the setting.
I couldn't feel like I was getting anyway with the story.
A mistake on the book with a couple of characters started to make me not enjoy the rest of this story.
September 13, 2021
Happy people
This book took me to a different place and gave me wonderful characters. To come from it that way was amazing. Great book to read. Thank you Katie xxx
This book took me to a different place and gave me wonderful characters. To come from it that way was amazing. Great book to read. Thank you Katie xxx
January 4, 2022
Fantastic. Loved every word, sentence, chapter.
If you love stories of ordinary people in world war 2 you will love this.
If you love stories of ordinary people in world war 2 you will love this.
March 11, 2022
Loved it ❤️❤️
December 8, 2022
Very easy to read. Great story. Reminds me why Katie Flynn is one of my favourite fiction writers.
January 6, 2023
Good read
January 7, 2023
Just a lovely stort set during WW2 involving German children who arrive in Britain on the Kindertransport. Their trials and tribulations are described as the story progresses, really enjoyable book.
November 29, 2023
Wasn’t expecting it to be quite as good as it was considering it was won in a raffle but was pleasantly surprised with it and got me back into reading.
February 28, 2024
Amazing, brave, turbulent. So many emotions. What an amazing read! Couldn’t put it down!
April 10, 2024
That's better....liked it very much. By the way, this isnt just for Christmas, its enjoyable any time.
September 8, 2024
Really enjoyed this book, took me back to my Mums time being in the war. Showed the good in people and the few bad ones. Good came out good in the end.
December 14, 2024
Took some getting into but when I di it was really good
May 13, 2022
this book was ok but i have read some other better books from K.F WOULDNT read this one again.
March 5, 2024
This is the second time I've read this book.I first read it about 4yrs ago.I enjoyed it just as much this time round.Im now looking forward to reading Winters orphan which is a follow up to White Christmas but has only recently been published.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews