It’s a week before Christmas and Louisa Graham is working twelve hour shifts at a bakery on Manhattan's Lower East Side. When a young cooking show assistant comes in from the rain and begs to buy all the cinnamon rolls on her tray, she doesn’t know what to do. Louisa is just the baker, and they aren't hers to sell. But the show burned the rolls they were supposed to film that day, so she agrees.
The next morning, Louisa finds out that her cinnamon rolls were a hit, but the star of the show was allergic, and the whole crew is supposed to leave for London that afternoon. They want Louisa to step in for their annual Christmas Eve Dinner TV special at Claridge's. It’s a great opportunity, and Digby Bunting, Louisa’s famous baking idol, will be there. Even if he does seem more interested in her than her food.
And then there’s Kate, the show's beautiful producer. On their first day in London she runs into the skinny boy she jilted at St. Andrew's in Scotland ten years ago. Now he’s a handsome, brilliant mathematician, and newly divorced. Their familiar spark is still there, but so is the scar of how they left things. Kate and Louisa are busy preparing for the show, but old and new flames are complicating their work.
Set during London's most festive time of year and filled with delicious food, Christmas in London is about love and friendship, and the season's most important lesson: learning how to ask for and give forgiveness.
My Thoughts: There were parts of this book I really loved. I loved the London setting and the descriptions of the holiday decor. I loved the role that food played throughout the book. Additionally, I loved Kate and Trevor's story and the premise of Louisa and Noah's story. The cover of this book is also one of my favorite covers of the year.
That said, there were a few things I did not like. The characters, especially the men, seem to overreact to basic situations, they jump to conclusions, and they're too stubborn to allow the female characters to explain themselves. There were also a few instances where there was just too much dialogue and multiple sentences were used to describe the same thing but in different words. Sometimes less is more.
With all of that, this is a very cute book and it's a nice holiday read - it's the perfect thing to curl up and read while enjoying a hot beverage and a tasty treat. I'd recommend buying some cinnamon rolls before you sit down to read this; you won't be sorry.
I received an advanced copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I also received promotional photos and press releases, including the cover photo I used, from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
No comments:
Post a Comment