Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“One day to change fate…”

My first Christmas read of 2023 and I don’t even care if it’s too early! Saying that, the Christmas themes in this one aren’t as strong as others I’ve read, so I think I can just about get away with it! I wasn’t prepared for the emotional rollercoaster I went on with this book, but One Christmas Morning is definitely one of the best of its genre. Heartbreaking, yes, but also filled with warmth, hope and love. I’m so happy to be sharing my review of this one on publication week!

About the book

They say you know when you meet the one.

The moment Eva locked eyes with James over a library bookshelf, she knew she’d found her soulmate. Over ten years, they fell in love, got married and made plans to start a family. Until everything changed one Christmas three years ago, and they’ve been drifting apart ever since.

Eva hopes a friend’s Christmas party at an old manor house in Cornwall will give them the chance to reconnect… but the last thing she expects is to wake up on Christmas morning in the body of a different guest. As Eva’s forced to keep reliving Christmas Day from the perspectives of those closest to her, she realises just how much her life has fallen off track.

But can Eva break the cycle and save her future with James, before it’s too late?

The beginning

The feeling I got when starting this book was what instantly hooked me. Beautifully written characters, such vivid descriptions and a relatable problem that I was desperate to explore and to solve. Eva’s a workaholic. She’s making sure everything is set for the grand opening of her shop, but this side of her is forcing her to neglect her relationship with James. There was also something else, something from the past. A person, an event, an incident that continues to haunt Eva, even more so at Christmas time. She’s lost her Gran, a person so consistent, so influential in her life. It broke my heart! Already, there were so many elements pulling this story neatly together and I loved it. As Eva returns to a house that had played such a huge part in her life, to spend Christmas with people she really should have made more time for, the unthinkable happens. Something to make this story even more magical and unique. She wakes up on Christmas Day in someone else’s body. Not just anyone’s; the body of another guest!

“My mind is a revolving to-do list, reminding me of everything that is still undone.”

Already, the book succeeded in surprising me at every turn. I never expected a storyline like this one, but it certainly felt more unique and memorable than so many other Christmas-themed reads I’ve read before! Shocked is well and truly an understatement as Eva begins Christmas Day in the body of Diana, her assistant, after speaking to the ghost of her beloved Gran. It all felt so chaotic and confusing for Eva with so much to question, but it was written in an organised way which was both entertaining and heart-wrenching. Eva needs to take control of her life, and I felt she’d certainly be able to see herself through different eyes now. Reliving Christmas Day in a different body would surely teach her things about herself she’d probably never noticed before, making it clear what’s important in her life and where her priorities should be. Despite all this and the seriousness of finding herself again, I found Eva’s unfortunate body shift to be really entertaining and I was always looking forward to the next event or what she’d uncover about herself. Getting to know more about Diana’s life felt so refreshing!

The middle

Eva relives multiple Christmas Days in the bodies of different characters, speaking to her deceased Gran at the end of each day (who very quickly became one of my favourite characters) and slowly understanding why she’s being given these new chances to make a change, to fix her relationships, and to understand the thoughts and feelings of others. I became so invested in the lives of all these characters and loved finding out their thoughts about Eva, their own home and work life, even their relationships with others. But what really shocked me was hearing James talk about his crumbling relationship with Eva, about how he’d done something terrible. That he had to leave her. My poor heart (and Eva’s!) There were so many layers to this story, each one making me feel all the feelings and experiencing character’s emotions as if I were in their shoes. The writing completely pulls you in and has you rooting for everyone all at once. I can’t believe how many loveable characters there were in these pages. I needed them all to be happy!

“I open my mouth to say something. I wait for the words to pour out, for the dam to burst and a river to engulf us. But I’m already drowning in it, all those words I cannot say. They’re fighting over each other, too tangled up and worn out to make any sense of.”

I was taken aback by how utterly heartbreaking Eva’s story was as we learn more and more about her past, why Christmas time is particularly painful and exactly what she’s lost. The author writes Eva’s words in such a raw and powerful way, and the reasons of exactly why she can’t connect with her old friends anymore become clearer. Delicate subjects are written with such care and attention, and even amongst all the pain and suffering, the words are laced with hope. Eva learns so much about her friends and slowly begins to understand what she needs to do to put things right, to bring these important people she’s pushed away to the forefront of her life instead of letting work and her business consume every part of her. It’s quite far from the warm, cosy Christmas feel I expected from the book (even though there is still this too!) but the balance has really been perfected. I was hopeful and confident that Eva would overcome her fears and embrace the life she was meant for, with all her loved ones around!

The end

The story goes deeper and deeper, teaching not only Eva, but also myself about the importance of keeping family and friends close, how important it is to talk and share thoughts and feelings. I am certain everyone will be running straight to their families for a hug and a chat after reading this! I was becoming increasingly desperate for a lighter tone and a bit more of a happy, Christmassy feel though after all the heartache and pain, but I knew it would appear towards the ending – it had to, right?! Diana’s side story also had a place in my heart alongside Eva’s story. The two were even more alike than Eva expected, this whole experience of spending time as other people opening her eyes so much. Please be warned that there are mentions of death and miscarriage through the book, but more strongly towards the end, with some scenes potentially tough to stomach for some. Even so, the author’s message as well as the care she gives these scenes is something so commendable.

“This is her life, not mine. But now I know, I can change things for her. I can make sure she doesn’t become like me. And I can take this advice and change myself.”

The emotion is strong and there was certainly a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat as Eva learns some tough lessons, but my god, the writing was incredible. I didn’t feel as much of the Christmassy feel throughout the book as I’d expected, but it was certainly strong as we get to those final few chapters. The book was about so much more than Christmas though, and it had all been executed with care, passion and love. The ending was everything I’d hoped it would be and more, giving me plenty of food-for-thought and basically forcing readers to prioritise the right things in their lives. I’d grown so attached to Eva and this group of characters, the final chapter giving me hope for their futures, the growth and nurturing of friendships and relationships. It was so heartwarming thinking about their futures after the book! What stood out most for me was just how Eva changed from beginning to end, and how she became a sort of role model by the time I finished that final chapter. If Eva can change her ways, anyone can!

Overall thoughts

One Christmas Morning is an emotional yet heart-warming story of a woman on the brink of losing everything, neatly packaged together with a well written time-loop theme and a whole cast of flawed, yet loveable characters. Eva is such a wonderfully developed main character, her life heading for disaster as she puts her work before everything and keeps her pain bottled up inside for years. Learning about herself and others by reliving Christmas Day over and over was both entertaining and incredibly eye-opening, the changes she makes on her journey making me feel like a proud parent. I loved her! Such a moving, poignant and (eventually) uplifting read that provides so much food-for-thought. Highly recommend!

A huge thank you to the author, Rachel Greenlaw, and the team at HQ for my copy of this book! You can pre-order your own copy of One Christmas Morning ahead of its release on October 12th on Amazon (or wherever you buy your books!) Make sure you’re following the author over on Twitter/X and Instagram for more updates!

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