I’ve been so looking forward to this one! I’m over the moon today to be helping launch the blog tour for The Christmas Trip by the wonderful Sandy Barker, and to be sharing my publication day review. Published as an ebook today by One More Chapter, it’s available for kindle via Amazon in the UK, Australia, the US and Canada, and also available for Kobo and Nook, and via Googleplay and iBooks. The paperback will follow on 8th December and can be pre-ordered via your favourite on-line or high street bookshop. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading copy (provided via netgalley).
I’m sure I hardly need to tell anyone that Sandy Barker is one of my favourite authors. I’ve entirely loved the Holiday Romance series – I hadn’t read the first, One Summer in Santorini, but That Night In Paris was just wonderful with its humour, vivid settings and the most perfect of romances (you’ll find my review again here). And A Sunset in Sydney was excellent too (review here) – such well-handled emotional content, and more superb settings. And A Sunrise over Bali (review here) and A Wedding in Tuscany (review here)? Every bit as perfect! But I’ve loved the standalones too – The Dating Game was one of my Books of the Year in 2021 and I never had a moment’s doubt about including it (you’ll find my full review here). But before that one came The Christmas Swap, a book I very much enjoyed, also apparently a standalone (you can read the review again here). This was the book that made me declare that no-one writes female friendship quite like Sandy (it’s true, you know!), and I couldn’t be more thrilled that it’s no longer a standalone – her new book brings the May Ladies together once more, and isn’t that just so exciting?
Another year has passed and it’s Christmas again. This year best friends Chloe, Jules and Lucy are all loved up but living worlds apart.
Chloe is madly in love with her celebrity beau, Archer, but after a whirlwind year in Hollywood’s limelight, she’s desperate to get away and spend some quality time together.
Jules loves her Melbourne life – and gorgeous winemaker Matt – but a crowded flat share has her longing for a place of her own.
Meantime, Lucy is stuck in a long distance relationship, jetting back and forth between Colorado and London to see Will.
When Archer’s plan to whisk Chloe to Paris goes awry, he surprises her by bringing her friends together for a Christmas to remember…
Despite all the travelling I’ve done, I’ve never visited Hawaii – but I was so enchanted by the setting of this lovely book, the island of Kauai, that I’ve spent far more time than I meant to looking at photos, lusting after a visit (thank you Google). Although I really didn’t need the pictures – the author’s vivid descriptions are enough on their own. But Matt’s right – the coves of Honopu Beach do look as if they were created by a giant with an ice cream scoop, a location to die for (and distinctly inaccessible unless I too can find myself a billionaire with a boat to take me there).
So, why Hawaii this time? Lucy was headed back to Colorado for another white Christmas – it hasn’t been easy, a year into a long-distance relationship with Jules’ brother Will, particularly when she seems to be the only one making the effort. Jules has settled into life in Melbourne, although flat sharing is getting to her a little – but, much as she loves Matt (and his dog Dex), she doesn’t feel ready yet to move in with him at the vineyard, and it’s looking as if they’ll be hosting the (now becoming traditional) orphans’ Christmas again for all the singles separated from their families. Chloe and Archer were planning to head to Paris, badly in need of a break from the Hollywood lifestyle and constant spotlight – but when that becomes impossible, Archer calls in a favour and snags a luxury home (infinity pool, cinema, yoga studio, resident housekeeper…) on Kauai. And who better to share the experience with them, at short notice, than Chloe’s very best friends and their partners?
As it did in the earlier book – if you haven’t met them before, you’ll soon pick up the really special relationship between the three women – it’s their exceptional friendship that warms the heart and gives you all the feels. Each of them is a distinct character, so beautifully created and developed, each with their own quirks and foibles and the different issues centred on their relatively new relationships. And their respective partners are beautifully drawn too – with depth of their own, and more than a few secrets and surprises to be revealed along the way. There are also a few new characters who feature in the story – some who you’ll take to your heart (I really loved Mama Leilani, not really a BLT – bossy little thing – at all!) and one in particular you might well find it as difficult as I did to warm to at first. And there’s another character that’s less than welcome lurking in the wings too, one we’ve met before, making it particularly difficult for Archer and Chloe to switch off completely.
The whole book is quite gloriously Christmassy, as the women – led by Chloe, organiser supreme – set about creating a Christmas that will be special for them all. Definitely not Walmart for decorations for the tree, abundant food and drink you can really taste and enjoy, and plans (not organised by Chloe) for a party to remember and the celebration of a particularly special occasion. And the romance is really rather special too – it takes some doing to keep three romantic storylines running (plus the day to day happenings, often involving unexpected drama) but the author manages it with particular aplomb as she moves comfortably between their different perspectives. And they’re so much more than mere storylines – I felt entirely caught up in the complexities of their relationships, wanting things to turn out well for them all.
For much of the first book, the May Ladies were apart – and not just apart, but on different continents. Bringing them together, and being able to luxuriate in the warmth of their friendship, gave me all I could possibly have wished for. I laughed (a lot – try sitting near Chloe when she “sings”!), cried a little (some parts are really emotional), was on the edge of my seat at times – and was totally immersed throughout in this wonderfully told story. I really loved it – one to add to your Christmas reading list, because you’re going to love it too.
About the author
Sandy is a writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list, and many of her travel adventures have found homes in her novels. She’s also an avid reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob.
Sandy lives in Melbourne Australia with her partner, Ben, who she met while travelling in Greece. Their real-life love story inspired Sandy’s debut novel One Summer in Santorini, the first in the Holiday Romance series with One More Chapter, an imprint of HarperCollins.
The series continued in That Night in Paris, A Sunset in Sydney, and A Sunrise over Bali: A Wedding in Tuscany was the fifth and final book in the series. Her first standalone novel The Christmas Swap celebrated her favourite time of the year, and that was followed by The Dating Game, a laugh-out-loud romcom set in the world of Reality TV.
Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Instagram
Anne, I can never thank you enough for the thought and care that goes into your reviews. So pleased and proud to have you on the blog tour and SO glad you enjoyed this book. Thank you as always. And I hope you caught your name in the acknowledgements. Sandy xxx
Sandy, it’s always such a pleasure – I really loved this book, and so will everyone else. And thank you, yes, I did catch my name in the acknowledgements – so lovely of you, and it made my day! xxx