May your books be many and delightful, may your snacks be tasty and not too crumby, and may your beverage be just as warm or as cool as is required. Determined to distract herself Freya throws herself into a 12 days of Christmas cooking challenge she develops with Finn. Anche se ormai avevo capito che era solo perché non volevo soffrire, e Jude avrebbe potuto ferirmi, se glielo avessi permesso.

It was such a lovely read to dip in to and I wanted to devour the whole thing and the food staright away, but took my time as I knew I was going to enjoy the story and I really did. has been a mixed bag of a year, and the beginning of it seems like a really, really long time ago, but at the same time I’m not at all ready for it to end yet. She was working in a high-profile restaurant in Paris and lost her job due to having to leave suddenly to be with her dying mother.It’s not a visit made in happy circumstances though, as Freya is there following the death of her mother. Freya found solace in preparing food and set out to construct a dish for each of the twelve days of Christmas. First, a small-beaked and feathered face pokes its head out from between the branches of a pear tree. Take a walk through each beautiful scene brimming with details that will remind you of the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas.

It’s a cracker of a read which provides the perfect slice of escapism which pulls you into the plot from the very beginning and leaves you entranced and even more excited for the most wonderful time of the year than perhaps you already are.

Poppy's first published book - the bestselling 25 Days 'Til Christmas - has been translated into several languages and optioned for TV. This really was the loveliest read – the beautiful warmth of the friendship and growing relationship between Finn and Freya, the new friends she finds and her attempts to recover the ones she’s lost, the way she slowly repairs herself and comes to terms with her sadness and regrets. Holly is at times a little acerbic, but I recognise that this is her automatic defensive keep-people-out mechanism to protect herself. She was wracked with guilt for having stayed away so long and missing out on valuable years with her mother.