Book Review: A Christmas Gift

By Becky Gulc

‘Georgine loves Christmas. The festive season always brings the little village of Middledip to life. But since her ex-boyfriend walked out, leaving her with crippling debts, Georgine’s struggled to make ends meet.

To keep her mind off her worries, she throws herself into organising the Christmas show at the local school. And when handsome Joe Blackthorn becomes her assistant, Georgine’s grateful for the help. But there’s something about Joe she can’t quite put her finger on. Could there be more to him than meets the eye?

Georgine’s past is going to catch up with her in ways she never expected. But can the help of friends new and old make this a Christmas to remember after all?’ (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon UK.)

I’ve known of Sue Moorcroft for years but have somehow only just read one of her novels after receiving A Christmas Gift for review. The book promises to appeal to fans of Carole Matthews and Trisha Ashley and I definitely agree with that, there’s a warmth to it that resonates with the work of these popular authors. Whilst I haven’t read any previous work, I know this novel is based in the same fictional location of Middledip as some of Sue’s previous novels, with some previous characters making cameos. I always find this appealing in novels, so I’m sure this will delight existing fans.

For me this book has lots of positives – strong sense of place and community, strong leading characters in Georgine and Joe, and lots of chemistry in the build up to Christmas! There’s also a lot of kindness which is always good especially this time of year. I loved how the character’s backstories were very contrasting but complimentary to one another; some serious issues are covered whilst remaining a light-read, a good balance.

Personally, I think I would have felt even more invested in the characters if the narrative was switched up a bit to relive some of the character’s history and their connection in ‘real-time’ rather than discussing it in retrospect; a minor thing that didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment. I also felt I could have had greater connection and investment in the Christmas production element of the story. I felt more interested in everything else, which was a shame as this did feature quite heavily.

All in all I think this is a great novel that would be great to read any time of year. I’d happily read more novels set in Middledip and would love to see these characters pop up again!

Thanks to HarperCollins UK for the book in exchange for an honest review. Visit the other stops on Sue's tour.

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