“I just want a normal, traditional Christmas. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”
You’re telling me! Sandy Barker has hit the nail right on the head with this well-timed Christmas treat. Imagine all your favourite Christmas rom coms rolled into one. That’s The Christmas Swap in a nutshell.
Best friends Jules, Chloe and Lucy call themselves ‘The May Ladies’ (due to their Birthday’s all falling in May) and are on a video call one night/morning, each feeling in a bit of a funk and looking for a way to brighten up their Christmases. Inspiration strikes and taking inspiration from one of my favourite films The Holiday, they decided to swap homes for the festive season!
Chloe journeys from Australia to a quintessential Oxfordshire village, Lucy swaps English village for snow-covered Colorado, and Jules cranks up the heat swapping snow for sunshine in Melbourne. Queue not one, not two, but three Christmas romances! With Lucy’s boy-next-door who just happens to be a mega-famous film star, Jules’ hot brother, and Chloe’s winemaker friend.
This is a perfect read for the festive season, with a warmth radiating out from it in the form of lovely vivid descriptions “Shopfronts like gingerbread houses were trimmed neatly in colour lights, their windows spilling warm light onto the footpath in cone-shaped beams.”
Rather than just hinting at The Holiday I loved the fact that Chloe states they should “do like they did in The Holiday and swap Christmases!” right up front. If you’ve seen the film it gives you a comforting hint at how things might play out (later on one of the characters even compares himself to Miles from the film), but there are plenty of surprises along the way to still keep you entertained.
All three of the male love interests are kind-hearted characters you immediately warm to and root for, even if a little unsure of themselves. The fact that the three female leads are constantly communicating over video or phone calls makes it particularly relatable to 2020 Christmas!
Overall this is a funny, heart-warming and uplifting read with lovely messages about family, friendship, love and taking chances in life.
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