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.
When Clara turns up in Yulethorpe, she had come away to escape her past, not to be suddenly running a toy store in the small sleepy village. Though that's exactly what happens.
After sitting in the local pub and witnessing the very upset and eccentric Louisa, Clare finds herself knocking on her front door and to see if she's okay. To her surprise, Louisa wasn't kidding when she left the pub and is now packing all of her belongings into a suitcase and is ready to leave for sunny Spain.
Soon Clara has become the house sitter to a raving mad parrot known as Lady Caca who shouts profanities at everyone and a very lazy ginger cat named Roddy. Oh and theres also a toy shop to run.
Though when she sees the shop, its looking a bit worse for wear. With stacked cardboard boxes, dust covering the shelves and toys, the till covered in papers and doodles of cats and the sign on the door saying closed, things have got to change.
Revving her good spirits, she is soon transforming the space, creating colourful displays and bringing life back into the shop, meeting Laura on the way. The bubbly mother with her little son who adore the shop and will do anything to help.
Meanwhile in London, Joe is an uptight, stressed businessman, whose sole purpose is to see how much revenue he can generate for the big high end company he works for, what with being constantly glued to his phone and always sending out emails at 3am.
So when he soon hears his mum has swanned off to Spain and left the shop in care of some Danish stranger, he is soon reaching for for the pills to calm his nerves and driving down to Yulethorpe.
Clara and Joe are in a head to head battle, fighting for the same thing: His mothers toy shop. Joe thinking that she is only there to steal his mothers money, Clara just wanting to help and feel loved.
Joe has a few tricks up his sleeve but Clara and Laura have a few of their own cards that they can play. Ultimately connecting along the way, but not with a few clashes along the road.
The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake, is such a joyous pleasure to read. Its the first book I have read by Rosie Blake and I can't wait to read some of her other books. The book made me smile from beginning all the way to the very end and even went a bit teary - but happy tears!
As you all know, I love reading my Christmas romance books this time of the year and I feel that I am slowly getting back into reading again, which is always a bonus.
This book reminded me of the film Mr Emgorium's Wonder Emporium, with the toy shop theme and the character of Clara reminded me of Natalie Portman's character which was just lovely. (Highly recommend the film if you've not seen it!)
I really enjoyed this book and I loved Clara's character, she's made me want to have my own Hygge night or Christmas this year. The book is written very well and the story is beautiful, the characters are well thought out and the image it creates is lovely. I was keen to know just what happened to her in the past and it does get revealed at the end of the book but I didn't expect it to be what it was, other people may guess it though.
The way Blake has written her book feels strange, a bit like it's like other winter romances but also different in the same way which I like. I got this book from Kobo in the black Friday sales for only 99p and I was drawn to it by the beautifully illustrated front cover.
I will be giving this book 10 out of 10
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