#BlogTour Book Review: All I Want for Christmas by Joanna Bolouri

My dear bookish friends,

Now that Halloween is over it is officially Christmas season (well, for me any way 😁). I’m not one to put the tree up so early (mainly because I like to have a real one and it would die before we even get to December) but I do love the festive feeling that comes with putting fairylights up and enjoying the cold and dark evenings inside with a good book (such as this one!) and a tea or hot chocolate. All I Want for Christmas is a hilarious and yet heartwarming book, and even though it is different from many of my usual Christmassy reads I absolutely loved it and want you all to know about it too! And on top of that, look at this GORGEOUS cover! If you’re lacking in the Christmas decor department this would surely do the job just as well. Big thanks to the lovely Katya Ellis from Quercus Books and the author Joanna Bolouri for my beautiful paperback copy that I received in exchange for my honest review. Let’s start with the synopsis, and then on to my review!

What if the love of your life was your best friend’s girlfriend? And you were the one that set them up? When 30-year-old Nick loses his prestigious job at a law firm, he has to grudgingly accept playing Santa at a local Christmas grotto. There he meets 5-year-old Afie, and all Alfie wants is for his mum to be happy again. She has been sad ever since his dad died three years ago. Moved by the boy’s selfless wish, Nick arranges a date between Alfie’s mum, Sarah, and his best friend Matt. However, as Sarah and Alfie become an integral part of their lives, Nick starts to realise that happiness for Sarah and Matt might mean heartbreak for him.
A hilarious, heartwarming Christmas romance for fans of The Flatshare and Marian Keyes’ Grown Ups, from the bestselling author of The List.

My Review

What a lovely, funny, and heartwarming story – it’s perfect for the festive season ahead of us! Normally my Christmas reads have a female protagonist, but not so here. We meet Nick, a 30 year old lawyer whose life seems to go downhill lately. After losing his job, he becomes the mall Santa. Not happily, of course, but it pays the bills for now. One day, Nick meets 4 year old Alfie, whose biggest wish is for his mummy to be happy again. How adorable is that?! Nick grants him his wish – unexpecting of what he’s really doing.

I’m normally not a big fan of love triangles, but this is different. Nick and his best friend Matt have been through so many ups and downs in their lives, and I loved seeing their strong bond. However, when Nick sets Sarah (little Alfie’s mum) and Matt up, he never expected to fall for her too. And while he babysits Alfie while they’re out on their dates, fatherly feelings blossom in him too. I absolutely loved how loyal and lovely Matt and Nick’s friendship is. Nick ended up in a hard situation, and I couldn’t stop reading in order to find out how he would cope.

This book is pure escapism in festive form – just what I needed! If you are a fan of funny, laugh-out-loud rom-coms, this is the book for you! It was out on October 29 – so make sure to get it for the festive season ahead! You’ll get a good portion of romance, bromance, family, and friends – what more could you want? All I Want for Christmas catapulted Joanna Bolouri on my radar, I hope there will be many similar books to come, and now I have to check out all her other books!

5 of 5 stars from me for this funny story full of catchy one-liners and sarcasm (one of my favourite kinds of humour). The writing is brilliant too, so make sure you check this book out!

Author Info

Joanna Bolouri worked in sales before she began writing professionally at the age of thirty. Winning a BBC comedy script competition allowed her to work and write with stand-up comedians, comedy scriptwriters and actors from across the UK. She’s had articles and reviews published in the Scotsman, The Skinny, the Scottish Sun and the Huffington Post. Her previous novels include The List, Relight My Fire, I Followed the Rules and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Find her on Twitter: @scribbles78

Thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you all find your festive spirit soon!

xoxo