Pub. Date: November 15, 2022
Goodreads says, "Newly single lawyer Gwen Baker is hoping that a family Christmas—countryside, a mountain of food and festive films—will salve the sting of her career hanging by a thread and her heart being trampled on. Because everyone else has their life sorted: even Dev, her boy-next-door crush, is now a tall, dark and handsome stranger with a fiancée. She can’t help wishing her future was clearer. Then Gwen wakes up to discover it’s Christmas day all over again. Like Groundhog Day but with eggnog. And family arguments. On repeat. As she figures out how to escape her own particular Christmas hell, Dev is the one bright spot. He might be all grown-up but underneath he’s just as kind and funny as she remembers. Maybe, just maybe, her heart can be mended after all. But how do you fall in love with someone who can’t remember you from one day to the next?"
Gwen Baker is newly single and her job as a lawyer is in question after an incident at work. She is heading home for the holidays to her childhood home of Baslow. While there, she has to deal with her family's expectations as well as her critical sister. Plus, there's all the holiday chaos of a family coming together under one roof along with all of their physical and mental baggage. Things start to get extra weird when Gwen finds herself stuck in a time loop. She is repeating the same 24 hours of Christmas over and over again. While this is 100% stressful, she starts to realize thing about her friends and family as well as herself. The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk is a very fun and hilarious holiday read reminiscent of Groundhog Day.
I liked Gwen right from the start of The Christmas Wish. She had a meltdown at work, which seems a bit extreme, but she has absolutely had it with this one client. Now she isn't sure if she will be fired and she has to return home to tell her dad this bad news. He has always admired her work as a lawyer, so this will be disappointing to him. On top of it, she is newly single and won't be bringing anyone home to Christmas this year. Her sister, Cerys, and her family will be there and things don't always go well with her overly critical sister and her inappropriate brother-in-law. Thank goodness her cousin, Manny, will be there with her to help her through the mess.
And by mess, I mean the fact that Gwen wakes up and it's Christmas Day again in. She finds herself stuck in this time loop with no way out. It's exhausting, but she starts to realize not only some things about herself, but also her family members. She sees things in a new light and this time loop not only gives her time to reconnect with her sister, but also with Dev, her childhood crush who lives next door. Could he actually have feelings for her too after all this time or are the rumors true that he is engaged?
The absolute best parts of The Christmas Wish are the funny holiday antics as well as the witty banter. I was laughing out loud, which I rarely do when I read a book. So much so that I was in public in a waiting room and shaking with silent laughter. Kelk really hits it out of the park with her British dry humor, her one-liners, as well as the hilarious situations her characters find themselves in during a family holiday get-together.
I really needed a laugh this holiday season, so easily I can say that The Christmas Wish is my favorite holiday book of the year. I highly recommend it if you need something funny, light, and a character who will remind you of Bridget Jones. So, have you read The Christmas Wish? Is it on your TBR list? Let me know in the comments below.
This book was such a gem!
ReplyDeleteRight? It was just what I needed! So funny! I am glad you enjoyed it, too. Thanks for visiting, Angela!
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