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acpoor's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amirahhuss's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Not quite the cozy, heartwarming Christmas read I was after. The first half of the book was slow and introduced a bunch of pretty heavy topics (eating disorder, substance abuse) - if this was mentioned in the blurb/synopsis, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. The miscommunication trope was overdone and felt like overkill towards the end. There was a lot of excessive description and detailing which unnecessarily lengthened the book. The book fell on its face - dull and boring.
snipinfool's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Hannah offered to help out a family friend, Nico, when his father had a heart attack. He needed to go from England to Sweden to see him, but he would not be able to travel alone. Nico was a single parent to eight year old Josie and he was also temporarily caring for his daughter's half-sister, Maria. His ex-wife nor her family were able to care for the two year old at the time. Both of the girls enjoyed Hannah's company, and her offer to travel with them was an excellent solution for the emergency trip. As time passed, Hannah and Nico grew closer and they slowly became more than friends.
This was an ok story. Hannah and Nico did their best to work through their individual life problems. I liked how they both put the girls' interests before their own. Several of the secondary character made me angry due to their selfish ways. Hannah's family was lovely and supportive. While there was a lot going on, the story was just not very interesting to me. I wanted to finish it because I was curious how the story ended in relation to Maria.
This was an ok story. Hannah and Nico did their best to work through their individual life problems. I liked how they both put the girls' interests before their own. Several of the secondary character made me angry due to their selfish ways. Hannah's family was lovely and supportive. While there was a lot going on, the story was just not very interesting to me. I wanted to finish it because I was curious how the story ended in relation to Maria.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Addiction, and Alcoholism
clairedevitt's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cleg11's review
5.0
Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Another great book from Sue.
A lovely Christmas themed book about Nico and Hannah. Quick read, couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for her next book.
Another great book from Sue.
A lovely Christmas themed book about Nico and Hannah. Quick read, couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for her next book.
mayke's review
2.0
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This wasn't for me at all. I don't know if it's been the other books I've been reading lately that have more action, but it felt so flat and boring.
The beginning of the book felt super slow. A lot of focus on the single dad Nico and his struggles with a nanny/babysitter, which kept coming back and started to get boring quite fast. Especially the voice of the child throughout the book got quite on my nerves. It felt a little cringey to me to read it. There was also a lot of this throughout the book.
Although the main character is supposed to be Hannah, she wasn't that interesting and Nico's story was more intriguing. The entire book was also a collection of as many traumatising and complicated personal issues you can have to fill the pages. It was just too much. It would've been better if each character had maybe one or two issues and the focus was more on that and the depth of the character.
Unfortunately not for me.
This wasn't for me at all. I don't know if it's been the other books I've been reading lately that have more action, but it felt so flat and boring.
The beginning of the book felt super slow. A lot of focus on the single dad Nico and his struggles with a nanny/babysitter, which kept coming back and started to get boring quite fast. Especially the voice of the child throughout the book got quite on my nerves. It felt a little cringey to me to read it. There was also a lot of this throughout the book.
Although the main character is supposed to be Hannah, she wasn't that interesting and Nico's story was more intriguing. The entire book was also a collection of as many traumatising and complicated personal issues you can have to fill the pages. It was just too much. It would've been better if each character had maybe one or two issues and the focus was more on that and the depth of the character.
Unfortunately not for me.
thathappyreader's review
4.0
Hannah is a shopkeeper in Stockholm and lives with her boyfriend. She takes pride in the shop although it hasn’t been doing as well as she has hoped. When her brother Rob’s friend Nico stops by her shop, the two become reacquainted quickly. Nico is now a single father of eight year old Josie from his former marriage. Hannah enjoys Nico’s company and looks forward to seeing him again at Rob’s upcoming wedding in her hometown of Middledip.
Nico thoroughly enjoys his life as a single father, but between work and Josie he hasn’t much time for anything else. When he brings Josie to see her mother for an overnight stay, it’s very evident that he cannot leave her here. In fact, he cannot leave Josie’s two year old half-sister Maria there either. Suddenly his life has become much more complicated.
At the wedding, Hannah and Nico spend some time together dancing and talking and Hannah realizes that the relationship with her boyfriend has lost its magic. When Hannah returns from the wedding, she is surprised to learn that she has lost her shop, her home and her boyfriend. She returns to Middledip to care for her Nana and to start repairing her life. Hannah and Nico develop a strong friendship and romance, but will it be strong enough to overcome so many obstacles?
This is a beautiful story perfect for the Christmas season. I really appreciated how this book felt as though I was observing a real story. I loved these children and the sweet element they bring to the story. I appreciated the therapeutic relationship between Hannah and Nico and the spirit of giving and helping others. There was a key message in this enchanting story - one that speaks of keeping yourself healthy first and understanding the limitations when helping others. The author provides great character development of the protagonists and I felt I really knew and liked the characters. The story is engaging, and a joy to read.
I listened to the audiobook version which was narrated by Julia Woodwind. I really enjoyed her performance and found her voice to be crisp and articulate. I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of Maria and her charming “My Dad”! I listened to this book at 1.5x speed which is slightly faster than my normal speed of 1.25x. I would definitely recommend the audiobook version of the book to those that enjoy this format.
Nico thoroughly enjoys his life as a single father, but between work and Josie he hasn’t much time for anything else. When he brings Josie to see her mother for an overnight stay, it’s very evident that he cannot leave her here. In fact, he cannot leave Josie’s two year old half-sister Maria there either. Suddenly his life has become much more complicated.
At the wedding, Hannah and Nico spend some time together dancing and talking and Hannah realizes that the relationship with her boyfriend has lost its magic. When Hannah returns from the wedding, she is surprised to learn that she has lost her shop, her home and her boyfriend. She returns to Middledip to care for her Nana and to start repairing her life. Hannah and Nico develop a strong friendship and romance, but will it be strong enough to overcome so many obstacles?
This is a beautiful story perfect for the Christmas season. I really appreciated how this book felt as though I was observing a real story. I loved these children and the sweet element they bring to the story. I appreciated the therapeutic relationship between Hannah and Nico and the spirit of giving and helping others. There was a key message in this enchanting story - one that speaks of keeping yourself healthy first and understanding the limitations when helping others. The author provides great character development of the protagonists and I felt I really knew and liked the characters. The story is engaging, and a joy to read.
I listened to the audiobook version which was narrated by Julia Woodwind. I really enjoyed her performance and found her voice to be crisp and articulate. I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of Maria and her charming “My Dad”! I listened to this book at 1.5x speed which is slightly faster than my normal speed of 1.25x. I would definitely recommend the audiobook version of the book to those that enjoy this format.