Book Review: I Heart Christmas by Lindsey Kelk

"Angela’s planning her very own fairytale of New York…

• Enormous Christmas tree
• Eggnog
• Eccentric British traditions
• Gorgeous man

But Santa’s throwing her a few curveballs – new job (as if it’s not mental enough already), new baby-craze from her best friend Jenny, and Alex determined they should grow up and settle down. Once friends start turning up uninvited on her doorstep (and leading her astray), can Angela really have a merry little Christmas? So much for happy holidays – something’s got to give…"

Rating: 5/5

You can buy I Heart Christmas as a paperback or an eBook now!

Who's pleased that the fantastic Angela is back at last?! I was over the moon when Lindsey Kelk announced that she was bringing back Angela and co for a festive installment of the 'I Heart...' series, especially because I thought her last, I Heart London was the last in the series. I was therefore thrilled to receive a very early proof copy of the book, and quickly got stuck in to it. In fact, it was the first festive read of 2013 for me, and certainly kicked it off in style. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop and really enjoyed every page, it was fantastic to be back with Angela in New York once more!

Angela's having Christmas in New York, and she is really pleased with that. She's finally gotten married to Alex, and the pair have happily settled into married life. Angela's loving her job at the magazine, and Alex's music career is going strength to strength, leaving Angela lots of time to plan their first Christmas together as newlyweds, and to make it one that's unforgettable. However, as is always the case with Angela, things don't quite go to plan. Angela soon finds herself with a new job, Alex deciding that the pair need to grow up and settle down like proper adults and her best friend from London suddenly arriving on her doorstep in a bit of a tizz. Angela feels like her perfect Christmas is slipping away from her and fast... can she save this Christmas and make it one to remember?!

This is the sixth book in Lindsey Kelk's 'I Heart...' series, and getting back into the swing of the story with these characters was like getting to know a friend again! I really love Angela, she's one of my favourite chick lit characters of all time, and this was definitely the case with this one. I loved Angela for wanting a perfect Christmas, she really loves the festive season, and doing Christmas in New York just sounds perfect, and I can't blame her for wanting it to be exactly right! She's a bit confused in this book, with a lot going on and poor old Angela ends up getting herself a bit frazzled, and rightly so to be honest! She's a hugely busy woman, thanks to her recent new job and the arrival of her British best friend Louisa and young daughter, not to mention Jenny seemingly going crazy too!

I really loved the pacing of this book. It starts well, before Christmas with the excitable build up, and Kelk puts this across so well, with Angela keen to decorate her huge Christmas tree in their tiny flat, and hiding presents all over the place. Things aren't always plain sailing in their marriage, and I feel that Lindsey Kelk has tackled important issues here that are very realistic and a lot of young couples have to face, and it was interesting to read the uncertainty between Alex and Angela for a change, and I could certainly argue for both points of view, although I was slightly more leaning on Alex's side if truth be told! The story with Jenny seemed a little bizarre to me, but then again, Jenny Lopez is a tad bizzare herself and she certainly adds some comedy moments to it, as well as a rather poignant scene involving Angela, one that shocked me and really struck a chord with me too.

Of course there are quite a few calamaties throughout the book, poor old Angela certainly knows how to find herself in the middle of them, and they really are funny! There's an absolutely hilarious scene involving Angela and an air vent, a mad dash around New York searching for a missing person and much, much more that had me chuckling away as I was reading. Without wanting to spoil too much as well,  there's a surprise return for a character from previous novels and it was brilliant having this person back too, it certainly added a bit more drama to the book! And of course another amazing part of the book is that it's set in New York at Christmas, one of my favourite places in the world, and Angela seemed to love it as much as me! Kelk brings to life all of those amazing sights and the festive feeling, and it was just brilliant from start to finish.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this book, and being back with Angela, Alex and the gang again, especially at Christmas time. I really hope this isn't the last that we see of these characters, although in a way it's the perfect ending to an utterly brilliant and classic chick lit series. Angela was as hilarious as ever, there were lots of laughs as well as some more serious and poignant moments for this well loved character, and I was really feeling the emotions along with her as I was reading. The festive feeling was apparent all the way through the book, despite Angela's hectic schedule, and I had everything crossed for the perfect Christmas for her despite everything! While this book would work okay as a stand-alone novel, it's best read as part of the brilliant series, and if you've read them all so far, you definitely WON'T want to miss out on this! A super festive treat that shouldn't be missed!!