Reviewed by Emma Crowley
A big family. A whole lot of secrets. A Christmas to remember…
This year, Lottie is hosting one last big family Christmas at the home she grew up in – just like her Nana would have wanted.
But when her relatives descend on the old manor house, Lottie gets more than she bargained for. Every family has its secrets, but in this family, everybody has one!
So, between cooking a Christmas dinner, keeping tensions at bay and a stray dog out of mischief, she has plenty on her plate (and not just misshapen sausage rolls and a frozen turkey). And then her first love shows up – nine years after he walked out of her life.
Can Lottie make their last family Christmas one to remember… for the right reasons?
Many thanks to Avon via NetGalley for my copy of One Family Christmas to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Wow Bella Osborne has written such an amazing Christmas novel that really sums up what the run up to Christmas Day is like, the big day itself and a day or two after. That’s not to say that the festive season is as chaotic and jam packed for everyone as it is for the characters in One Family Christmas. Lottie wanted one last big family Christmas in the home she grew up in, she feels she owes it to her Nana who has recently passed away. Spending the last few weeks with her has made Lottie realise that maybe she can strike out in a different direction and reinvent herself but her future path is still very much undetermined. She doesn’t claim to be the perfect host and wonders how she can pull off the one dinner of the year that everyone looks forward to immensely whilst at the same time upholding the family traditions that meant so much to her Nana?
To say things become crazy, mad and a bit off the wall would be an understatement as Lottie tries to hold everything together and balance many balls in the air. But it’s all done with such fun, humour and genuine warmth and excitement as Henbourne Manor plays host to various family members and a new addition to the village as they celebrate one last big family Christmas that no one will forget in a hurry.
I feel like I have been saying lately with regard to each new book published by Bella Osborne that this is her best yet and at the risk of sounding like a broken record this new story truly is beyond a shadow of a doubt the best thing I have ever read by this author. It ticked every box for me and the further I delved into this wonderful story the more I enjoyed it. It oozed Christmas from beginning to end and didn’t pretend to be anything else. We’ve all read books that claim to be Christmas books and we look forward to reading them immensely and then are let down when Christmas barely features. Here everything to do with Christmas and it’s meaning is here in spades and I eagerly lapped every bit of it up.
There was never a dull moment and really it would make the most brilliant Christmas film if the opportunity ever arose. It’s like a comedy of errors unfold as Lottie struggles to maintain the ideal plan that she has for Christmas in order to honour the memory of her Nana but at some stage or another she realises she just has to go with the flow and accept it for what it is. A gathering of family members all wanting something different from their day and each one comes to the manor with that little bit of extra baggage that she hadn’t bargained for. Of course some more serious issues are explored in the story amidst the fun and festive frolics. Two people take the term frolics quite literally and provide lots of laugh out moments and some cringeworthy ones too. But Bella Osborne has balanced the heavy issues perfectly alongside the light moments, laughter and of course a dash of romance.
Lottie is distraught after laying her beloved Nana to rest with just two weeks left to go until Christmas. Everyone always came to Rose at Henbourne Manor for the big day, it was like the annual pilgrimage where everyone gathered together as one big unit. The manor may now have to be sold which just adds another strand of stress to the mess that Lottie finds her life in. She is adrift and doesn’t know how she can go on without her beloved Nana who was her rock, comfort and guide. But Lottie is determined to do her proud and the call is put out to celebrate one last Christmas together before change comes knocking on the door. Lottie is daunted taking over the role of matriarch, she doesn’t feel she has the strength to do this but she will try and do her best.
Lottie was a complex person and particularly when it came to her love life. Joe, the boy she grew up with and lost her heart to, walked away from her without looking back and Lottie has spent the last nine years trying to forget him. She really takes things to heart and can’t face a lifetime of potential hurt so she chooses to stay cocooned and protected at the manor. So a chance encounter with a dog leads to a surprise for Lottie as she meets Joe once again. Said dog will go on to provide so many comedic moments that I lost count but it also becomes a little link that binds some characters together.
Joe has returned to the village from America, after nine years away for a reason that will become apparent much later on, he feels now is the time to come home and he will relish his role as the new vet in the village. For Lottie this throws up a whole heap of problems as she battles her heart and mind as well as the various issues, secrets and situations her various family members find themselves in. Can she cope with the return of Joe who finds himself unexpectedly partaking in a family Christmas that spills forth lots of surprises as well as giving everyone the big day she feels they deserve? It’s a lot to handle for one person and as a series of comedic errors emerge alongside some deep secrets. One thing is guaranteed, Lottie won’t have a restful Christmas but perhaps it might turn out to be the best of all.
Joe knew coming back to Henbourne meant he would have to face up to his past and this included talking to Lottie at some stage. I don’t think he counted on their first meeting being the way it was. But Joe is ready now to deal with everything, going to therapy has helped him and he has the tools needed to explain why his departure was so abrupt. Will he assimilate back into village that easily and will Lottie welcome him with open arms or has her heart been shattered just that little bit too much in order to start repairing itself? Perhaps Joe might be the one Lottie needs the most amidst all the madness of Christmas at the manor. Maybe Christmas will work the magic its renowned for? Who knows?
There were certainly a number of characters to get to know but it never became confusing as to who was who or what was going on with regards to their storyline. Instead everything just flowed really well and I found myself thoroughly immersed in and really enjoying all the comings and goings from the house and all the little mishaps and funny moments. Uncle Bernard has been a long term resident of the house wandering around in his motorised scooter and he seemed to say just the right thing at the right time to offer some light relief from any tension that may have been building.
Angie is Lottie’s mum and she arrives at the manor with her toyboy Scott. Angie focuses on how she looks with Botox being de rigour. What started out as an innocent lie has led to her falling even deeper into a situation that yes she maybe is thoroughly enjoying and she is certainly getting the most out of it but if the truth comes out will her fun end? To be honest I found Angie to be a bit vain and the majority of the book she was behind closed doors so to speak so I wanted her little lie to come out. You could just tell that she was going to let something slip.
Lottie’s brother Zach arrives with his girlfriend Emily. He is very easy going and has a young daughter named Jesse. But Emily has just discovered some life altering news. Typical, that the one time of the year when peace, calm and happiness is supposed to reign, that poor Emily feels under such pressure and expectation, caught between a rock and a hard place. She can’t quite make up her mind whether her news is good or bad. There are a lot of stumbling blocks out in her way when she tries to pick the most opportune moment to reveal what she has learnt. These blocks are funny and filled with the trademark humour that is evident throughout the entire book.
That’s a strong characteristic of this book the lighter, humorous moments balanced with more serious pressing problems that need some more careful consideration. There never seems to be a quite place in the house to sit and think. There almost seems to be so much going on. It’s like one madcap event after the other but I loved this about the book that there was no let up in the madness and festive fun. Lottie was the one who the others seemed to gravitate towards to share their secrets or upsets. She knew what everyone had going on but none of the others knew the extent of what was going on.
One Family Christmas is a book where you can tell the author got such a buzz from writing it that she literally threw every Christmas conundrum at the plot and every little funny caper involving animals or whomever. I mean this in the nicest possible way because it all combined together to make for just the best read. This book really would put a smile on your face and put you in the best mood. It had me from page one and every turn of the pages kept bringing more surprises and laughter. Don’t hesitate to pick up this fabulous read. It’s a real Christmas tonic in this most trying of times.
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