Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Kate seems to have it all – wonderful friends, a successful career, and an idyllic life in the quirky Yorkshire town of Essendale. But under the surface, Kate is lonely and yearns for family – especially at Christmas.
With the holidays approaching and the town desperate to attract more visitors, Kate plans an enchanting living Advent calendar to feature the local businesses. But Kate's picture-perfect plans take an unexpected turn when her ex-boyfriend returns, determined to create the pivotal Christmas Eve display.
Caught between a new spark and an old flame, Kate must pull off her festive campaign and protect her heart. Will she let go of the past and embrace the future she dreams of?
Many thanks to Aria and Aries via NetGalley for my copy of Christmas at the Board Game Café to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The thrill of discovering a new author will never grow old and that’s exactly what happened this year when I came upon the Little Board Game Café series by Jennifer Page. Since then she has established herself as one of my favourite authors and I have read all four of the books in the series so far. Each book has been better than the last and that’s saying something as every book has been fantastic from beginning to end. Jennifer has created a cast of characters that you are rooting for all the way and with a real community feel in the villages of Essendale and Hebbleswick which only grows with the publication of each new story.
Each book is unique in its concept and truly it’s genius the ideas that Jennifer has come up with. Each has kept my attention whether it featured board games, scrabble, upcycling fashion or as with the latest instalment a Living Advent Calendar. My enthusiasm and affection for the series has just grown and grown. Those who have read the previous books in the series will revel in overlapping characters and stories (in fact that’s half the fun and enjoyment - spotting familiar faces and seeing how they are doing now) but each book can be read as a standalone as there is much to enjoy in each book alone. But let’s be honest if you are anything like me and start one book you’ll instantly want to devour them all one after the other if at all possible.
At the end of book three, Second Chances at the Board Game Café, I was left wondering would Kate ever get a chance to share her story? Thankfully my question has been answered and let me tell you the wait to delve deeper into the character of Kate was well worth it and it was even more of a bonus that it was centred all around Christmas. In Christmas at the Board Game Café, Jennifer Page has excelled herself in writing a festive read that does what it says on the tin. Too many books in this genre claim to be Christmas reads and then the reader can be left bitterly disappointed with little or no connection to Christmas. But here Christmas and everything that goes with the most wonderful time of the year was here in abundance and I soaked up every magical moment of it. I truly didn’t want this book to end as I adore the writing by the author as she creates those just one more chapter kind of books and then before you know it you are gutted to have reached the end. If I could I would take the time to savour every page but I couldn’t because I as just so enthralled with everything going on and dare I say it Kate has been my favourite character to read about so far. In the previous books she was always there in the background doing everything for all the other featured characters. But now we come to realise that Kate has her own insecurities and problems and now that the spotlight has been turned on her it is perhaps the time to do some work on herself as well as continuing all the wonderful work that she has done for so many others.
Kate is such a fantastic well developed character and I think we can all see a little bit of ourselves within her. Too much time spending doing things for others that she neglects herself. Or in this case it’s to take her mind off the fact that she hasn’t found the right man and fears that she never will. Kate is always on the go in her marketing job, working long hours and completing her tasks to perfection. So much so that she has won an employee award for several years running. She is always there for her friend Em, who runs the board game café, or helping Jo with the recent Scrabble festival or Taylor with her upcycled fashion show. Kate is kind, caring and generous and is always there to offer a shoulder to cry on in times of need. She offers her knowledge and skills free of charge. This is highlighted throughout this story as she realises the towns of Essendale and Hebbleswick are distinctly lacking that Christmas charm that will bring visitors and improve the fortunes of local businesses. If something is not done and fast then many businesses whose owners have worked so hard to keep them going will be forced to shut. Kate can’t stand by and let that happen especially when it comes to her friends.
Despite dreading Christmas every year as it reminds her of all that she doesn’t have and deeply longs for and it also reminds her of people that should be in your life but no longer are for whatever reason. That being a husband and a family. She is aching to have someone by her side who wants her and to have children and to feel part of a family. The more time passes the more Kate feels like the odd one out in her friendship group as they all have partners and are happy and content with exciting events ahead for some of them. But she pushes her own worries aside and strikes upon a brilliant idea - to create a Living Advent Calendar - where all the businesses will devise their very own special Christmas window. It will be a fun project for Kate but businesses will be pinning their hopes on it. Kate becomes like a whirling dervish organising the event and I thoroughly enjoyed every detail that was explored. This meant the book couldn’t be more Christmasier if it tried. I revelled in all the windows that were unveiled with some very inventive ones displayed, it has to be said. Kate gives her full commitment to the task but is worried the visitors the towns so badly need won’t arrive. Will the whole thing be a flop and a disaster for the usually very much on the ball Kate?
For those that have previously enjoyed this series of course there is a romantic angle to this story. But what I love is that each of the main male characters are just normal, down to earth men who each have some unusual hobbies/pastimes. There are no hard to reach men who seem unobtainable and out of this world and completely unrealistic. Instead, you feel as if you could meet one of them on the street in real life and actually be quite happy to do so. Kate initially finds herself in quite a conundrum when she wakes up in the house of Peter, the ex-fiancée of Em who runs the local engineering company. I mean isn’t it some unwritten law somewhere that one never ventures into that territory. But Em gives her blessing and a tentative relationship ensues between the pair. But to be honest it didn’t feel real at all. It was as if Kate was desperate and settling for second best and Peter himself seemed distracted from the whole thing. An unexpected arrival sets the cat amongst the pigeons in the form of Xander, Kate’s ex boyfriend. He is very much the one that got away and through no one’s fault only Kate’s. You can see the regrets she has regarding this and that she believes she truly blew any chance of happiness when she let Xander slip through her fingers. But there must have a been a good and solid reason for this and overtime delving into Kate’s family history things become a little bit clearer. I loved this aspect of the story as it brought out a more human side to Kate which she kept hidden with her work ethic. The true meaning of Christmas, family and loved ones starts to come to the fore and this will bring a tear to your eye.
Kate has a heart of gold and works like a trojan and it was fun to see what each window would be each evening in the countdown to Christmas with Xander keeping his secret until the very last night. I desperately hoped that Kate would overcome her issues and find the happiness that she so truly deserved. Filling her life with activities to make her feel less alone will only work for so long. I kept my fingers crossed that things would work out for Kate and indeed that the Advent Calendar would do its job and be a roaring success. Without doubt, Christmas at the Board Game Café has been my absolute favourite Christmas book out of the few that I have managed to read this year. It’s trademark Jennifer Page filled with warmth, love, community and soul. Make sure it’s on your Christmas reading radar this year.
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