Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Could this Christmas be the start of a new chapter?”

If you’ve not heard about/seen this book yet, then where have you been hiding?! I’ve personally not been able to stay away from it on social media so naturally, it got moved up my reading pile – I can’t resist a Christmas read, and what an absolutely delightful read it is! I loved every teeny tiny moment and it’s filled me with so much warmth and love. I’m so thrilled to be sharing my review for this beautiful book 🎄

About the book

Every year, Erica, Claudia, and Anna reunite for their book club holiday. They’re bonded by years of friendship and a deep love of books, but there is still so much they keep from each other…

At the cosy Maple Sugar Inn, Hattie specialises in making her guests’ dreams come true, but this Christmas all she wants is to survive the festive season. Between running the inn and being a single mother, Hattie is close to breaking point.

Over the course of an eventful week, Hattie sees that the friends are each carrying around unspoken truths, but nothing prepares her for how deeply her story will become entwined in theirs.

Will this Christmas be the end of the book club’s story or the start of a whole new chapter?

The beginning

It always blows my mind when authors manage to introduce you to a major character, tell you all about their current situation and make you feel like you’ve known them forever in a single opening chapter. And that’s exactly what happens when we meet Hattie! She’s the owner of the Maple Sugar Inn, her late husband’s dream. But after his tragic death, things aren’t quite the same. Straight away, I admired Hattie’s courage and the fact that she has to keep going, running the inn and making her guests happy. I loved her! It isn’t long before we meet the other three main characters; Erica, Claudia and Anna. I was worried that it would be too much at first with four major characters to focus on, but they were all surprisingly different people, their lives so unique and memorable. It was such a joy to find out about their lives, each of them going through something that made me eager to continue reading. Already, character development was spot on – absolutely loved it!

“She was forty years old and happy with her life choices. Wasn’t she?”

It was so easy to grow attached to all these characters, but Anna was someone I really felt for in particular. Despite not having kids of my own, I really felt Anna’s emotion and sadness at her kids growing up and not wanting to keep the Christmas traditions they’d shared since they were young. I can imagine just how heartbreaking it is, and the way the author completely absorbs you in her life is extraordinary. Description is clearly one of the author’s many strong points! I loved revisiting each character’s POV and as Hattie prepares for her three book club guests, we also learn more about her and about Noah – the man she shared a moment of passion with – a man she can barely manage to look in the eye. I felt so close to Hattie already that I knew pursuing this relationship would do her the world of good, but I also understood the guilt she felt from the possibly of moving on after the death of her beloved Brent. I loved how we were always learning about all these characters, and I was so desperate to see the Christmas book club be a success! They all certainly needed the break.

The middle

The book is very character focused which I absolutely adore in my Christmas reads. There’s nothing like the feeling of being included and involved in conversations, putting the world to rights and talking over problems. And the descriptions! The author really captures what Christmas means to so many of us, and as the book club trio see the Maple Sugar Inn for the first time, I felt as though I could see it too, and even I was blown away by the beauty of it! However, this dreamy weekend is set for disaster, something so unpredictable happening that made me so impressed, so curious. Erica finally reveals the truth about why she was unsure about booking the inn, about why she was weirdly tense on the drive over there. And the truth was so moving and so heart-wrenching! It doesn’t end there though; there’s a huge staffing issue at the inn and Hattie desperately needs help. And what happens next sent a surge of warmth through me. The kindness the book club trio showed Hattie, despite everything going on, was truly magical 🥰

“She’d arrived here thinking that she’d be able to take it slow, observe, find out what she needed to find out and then make a measured decision based on the facts. She hadn’t expected to be plunged deep into emotions so visceral she’d been robbed of breath.”

The development of relationships, especially with Erica and Hattie, felt so full, so detailed and so real. I loved seeing how they slowly let each other in, getting used to each other’s company. I also really loved how each of these characters stepped up to help the inn in times of need. It seemed like each character had found a new purpose, something positive to focus their time on. And despite all their own personal problems/issues, their time at the inn had already made them forget all that. I did really want the book club to go ahead though, and so far, books had only been mentioned in passing and we were over halfway into the book! I really hoped an actual book club session would go ahead and I could imagine I was an extra member, sitting all cosy by the fire and discussing books. There was one specific scene where Hattie and Erica have such a deep conversation about everything. It was the sort of heartwarming discussion that fills you with love and admiration, and explaining the truth and expressing emotions from years gone by. It really is expertly written.

The end

With Erica deciding that she wants to stay at the inn for the remainder of their trip, (after initially thinking she couldn’t go ahead with it) it was all smiles as the festive cheer really kicked in. I loved all the descriptions, the words used by the author really bringing the inn and its surroundings to life. I got a little emotional (no surprise there) as Anna finally begins to understand the opportunities she could have once the kids left home, the positives that could come from it instead of focusing on the negatives. I didn’t expect to learn so much from these characters throughout the course of the book; there was always so much food for thought, encouragement to focus on what’s important and to not be afraid of new opportunities. It really is such an uplifting and feel-good read! I love how the stars started to align, how characters were slowly starting to make those positive changes to their lives. And it was all thanks to a little book club week away with good friends. Well, that and the magic of the Maple Sugar Inn!

“If life had taught her anything it was that if you shut out risk you also shut out happiness, and she was determined not to do that.”

I felt so incredibly proud of all these characters. There wasn’t one character I loved more than another, which is pretty good going in a book with a big cast! Their growth from the very start until the last few chapters was so skilfully written and it felt an absolute honour seeing them all grow and blossom before my very eyes over the course of the book. The ending chapters were everything I wanted. There was nothing unexpected or out of the blue – in fact, we can guess how a lot of things would play out early on – but even so, it didn’t deter my enjoyment one bit. I loved seeing how Hattie lets love and opportunity into her life again. I loved how Anna saw more positive than negative in her future. I loved how Claudia fell in love with her passion again and I loved how Erica started to have more fun and took more risks that didn’t involve work. It was beautiful, hopeful and so so magical. I can see this book being just the first of many, many other Sarah Morgan books for me! Thanks, Sarah, for getting me into the Christmas spirit 🥰

Overall thoughts

The Christmas Book Club is a beautifully festive and heartwarming story about life, friendships and taking risks. The book focuses on four different characters who are all facing hardships, and being a part of their journey of growth and lesson-learning was so exhilarating. The author has crafted a Christmas paradise that is the Maple Sugar Inn, somewhere so idyllic and picture-perfect that I’ve never wanted to jump inside a book more! And having a week away from day-to-day life to talk about books?! The dream. A super cosy and uplifting read, perfect for getting into the Christmassy mood 🎄

Thanks so much to the author, Sarah Morgan, and the brilliant team at HQ Stories for my beautiful copy of the book! You can grab your copy of The Christmas Book Club (or The Book Club Hotel in the US!) right now over on Amazon or wherever you buy your books. Make sure you’re following the author over on Twitter/X and Instagram for more book updates!

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