Christmas For Beginners
 Carole Matthews
The BRAND NEW festive and feel-good Christmas read from Sunday Times bestselling Carole Matthews
‘Full of fabulously festive fun!’ ERICA JAMES
IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR . . .
Christmas is fast approaching at the new Hope Farm. Owner Molly Baker has been convinced to organise an open day to raise some much-needed funds ahead of the New Year, but the nativity tableau is proving challenging. With anti-social sheep, awkward alpacas and a seriously sequined Santa Claus to assemble, Molly is feeling overwhelmed, and in desperate need of some Christmas spirit . . .
Despite the chaos of the farm getting in the way of her event planning, Molly is looking forward to spending the holidays with boyfriend Shelby and his son, Lucas, hopeful that a happy family Christmas is exactly what they need to draw them all together. But while she is busy making plans on the farm, Shelby, it seems, has ideas of his own.
As the nativity draws near, the team are working hard to pull off a spectacular festive fete – and make sure the animals and humans remain on their best behaviour.
Will this Christmas be merry and bright… or is there more than one surprise in store for Molly and Hope Farm?
A must-read festive tale from the queen of fun-filled and life-affirming fiction, Christmas for Beginners is the PERFECT winter treat!
My Thoughts
It’s difficult to say how much I loved this book and it has to be one of my favourite Christmas reads ever!
Molly runs an animal rescue called Hope Farm where she takes in an array of very mischievious and adorable animals. She lives in a caravan on the site with teenager Lucas, who is the son of her partner Shelby. Most of the time actor Shelby is away working and he doesn’t share the love of animals that connects Molly and Lucas. The farm works closely with troubled children who can interact with the animals and help relieve some of the stress in their lives. Everyone is on board to put together a Christmas themed open day to raise money for the animals, but will it all come together on the day?
This character driven novel has everything you could ever look for in a Christmas book. I was so pleased that it featured rescued animals, a subject very close to my heart. Every single alpaca, chicken, donkey etc had it’s own individual character and a name which suited their personalities to perfection.
I related to Molly on so many levels. I would also love to hide away with just animals for company. However, Molly has to come out of her comfort zone to help the animals and children who are part of her life. Her huge heart enables her to overcome her social anxiety and really put Hope Farm on the map. I felt for Molly as she struggled to keep the peace between Lucas and his father. She had to walk on eggshells and make tricky decisions due to their animosity for each other and it really pulled at my heartstrings.
Every character in the story is portrayed so descriptively by Carole Matthews that you feel like you could spot them in a crowded room. There are serious issues, hilarious animal antics, beautiful poetry and romance (not just from the alpacas!!).
This is a charming uplifting read, perfect escapism and just what you need on a cold, winter evening.
Thank you to Little Brown Book Group for a copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly.
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