The Hygge Holiday – by Rosie Blake

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

The perfect recipe for hygge this autumn: make a hot chocolate, draw the curtains, snuggle under a blanket and read your way to happiness!

It's autumn in Yulethorpe and everyone is gloomy. It's cold, drizzly and the skies are permagrey. The last shop on the high street - an adorable little toy shop - has just shut its doors. Everything is going wrong for Yulethorpe this autumn. Until Clara Kristensen arrives.

Clara is on holiday but she can see the potential in the pretty town, so she rolls up her sleeves and sets to work. Things are looking up until Joe comes to Yulethorpe to find out exactly what is going on with his mother's shop. Joe is Very Busy and Important in the City and very sure that Clara is up to no good. Surely no one would work this hard just for the fun of it?

Can a man who answers emails at 3 a. m. learn to appreciate the slower, happier, hygge things in life - naps, candles, good friends and maybe even falling in love?

My Opinion:

I’m a big Rosie blake fan and together with the Hygge title, this book was very intriguing from the start.

I have two Hygge books at home and I have looked at them, but I have not read the whole book. I really loved this book, because it properly introduced me to this lifestyle. I really like the idea behind this book and Rosie Blake did a fabulous job putting this all into one story.

Clara is a very interesting characters and it was great to see what she was able to change. She is Danish (obviously) and on holiday. She sees potential in the little town of Yulethrope and is determined to get to work.

There are also other great characters like Louise, Roz or Joe. Joe is the opposite of Hygge. So of course this get different for him. All the characters are brilliant and a great mixture.

This book is warm-hearted, cosy, sweet and just portrays this journey of people finding happiness. Rosie Blake’s writing is on point, very smooth and clever. It’s full of humour too, some romance of course, so it definitely has all you can ask for in a book.

Rating:

Rosie Blake on Twitter: @RosieBBooks
Website: https://rosieblake.co.uk
Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

How to Find Your (First) Husband – by Rosie Blake

My own copy

Original Cover

The blurb:

It's a beautiful day in 1994 and the turn-out in the school playground is fantastic. Isobel is eight years old and marrying Andrew Parker, the boy of her dreams. Life is perfect. Then the ceremony is over, and a week later so is the marriage. Twenty years on and Isobel is dressed as a prawn handing out promotional fliers outside an L.A. fish market. Her career is going nowhere and her love life leaves a lot to be desired. Nothing Isobel hoped for has gone to plan. Then, she catches sight of Andrew, her first husband, in the background of a TV news item and wonders: if she can track down Andrew, will she recapture the happiness that she felt all those years ago? Isobel travels the globe to find her first husband, via Cornwall, Devon and a remote Malaysian island, but is he really what she is looking for?

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Having read Rosie’s previous book, I really have to say that this is her best!! I liked the first two books, but this one is on a whole new level.

The story follows Isobel, who married Andrew Parker in the playground, when they were eight years old. Now, many years older Isobel struggles in life. Her career is going nowhere and her love life?! Let’s not even talk about that…

When she spots Andrew in the background on TV, she decides to track him down and find him.

Isobel travel the world to find, the way is long and hard. On the way she meets several people, one of them being Zeb. She meets him on the plane first and then again and again in other places. Eventually she finds Andrew, but is he still the same?! Can there be a future between them?! That was for Isobel to figure out now.

I already mentioned other lovely characters and Isobel’s friend Mel was definitely a wonderful addition to the story.

The story is told from Isobel’s point of view. Every chapter ended with a diary entry from years ago, when she was at school. These entries really show us, how she felt about Andrew back then.

The mixture of characters brought this book to life. Isobel was surrounded by all of them and they all brought something special to the story.

The idea behind this story is fantastic and Rosie found a great way put it down in writing. Her writing is fabulous, full of life, very funny, sparkly and wonderful.

The setting of course is amazing, the island of Tioman sounds beautiful, please take me there. I really adored the ending of this book, I actually want to hear more!!!

Rating:

My possible cast:

Isobel: Alexandra Park

Rosie on Twitter: @RosieBBooks
Website: https://rosieblake.co.uk
Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US

How to Stuff Up Christmas – by Rosie Blake

My own copy

Original Cover

The blurb:

'Tis the season to be jolly. Unless you've found an intimate picture of another woman on your fiance's phone...

Eve is heartbroken after discovering her fiance is cheating on her. Being surrounded by the joys of Christmas is more than Eve can bear, so she chooses to avoid the festivities by spending Christmas alone on a houseboat in Pangbourne. Eve gets an unexpected seasonal surprise when handsome local vet Greg comes to her rescue one day, and continues to visit Eve's boat on a mission to transform her from Kitchen Disaster Zone to Culinary Queen.

But where does Greg keep disappearing to? What does Eve's best friend Daisy know that she isn't telling? And why is there an angry goose stalking Eve's boat?

A hilarious and heart-warming novel about Christmas, catastrophes and cooking, containing exclusive Christmas recipes, from the talented Rosie Blake.

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Yay, Rosie Blake is back!!! I really enjoyed her debut novel How To Get A (Love) Life, so I was excited for this one. I think the title is genius and I just adore the cover. The blurb is very intriguing.

The story follows Eve. She is in a bad place at the beginning of the story, heartbroken! To get away from it all, she decides to rent a houseboat in Pangbourne. Eve is a lovely character, very likeable and so much fun to follow around.

The way she meets Greg, the vet, for the first time is actually hilarious. All the scenes and moments are funny, vivid and bubbly. Rosie’s writing flows perfectly and the descriptions are spot on.

Greg is great, I liked him from the start. He hides something from Eve, which made him mysterious for her. We got to read about his side of the story as well. It made me understand him better and it explained a lot.

The way things move on between them was not as I expected. They had a strong connection from the start they way it all developed just didn’t seem authentic for me.

All the other characters/animals ;) in this story are great as well. From Eve’s best friend Daisy, her parents to her dog Marmite. They were all wonderful and added a beautiful spark to the story.

How to Stuff Up Christmas is a wonderful festive and Christmassy read. I loved the recipes in the story and it was all put together so nicely. This story is full of heart-warming and magical scenes, a Christmas Must-Read!

Rating:

My possible cast:

Eve: Allison Williams

Greg: Ricky Van Veen

Rosie on Twitter: @RosieBBooks

Website: http://rosieblake.co.uk

Goodreads - Amazon UK - Amazon US