John, Olivia's friend, on the other hand is so upset and is desperate to get home in time for his big family get-together. Nevertheless, determined to make the best out of the situation he sets out to show Olivia how enchanting Christmas in New York can be. And when she adds handsome New Yorker Elijah into the mix, could the magic of the season finally be working its charm on Olivia? As December 25th draws closer, Olivia suddenly finds herself with a decision to make: who does she really want to kiss under the mistletoe this Christmas?"
Rating: 5/5
You can buy the book now!
This is the second festive read I have read by Lisa Dickenson so far, and my goodness was this a brilliant book! Having been lucky enough to spend Christmas in New York in 2005 (well, the middle of December for a week, so close enough!), so I absolutely love reading books set there at this time of year, they always bring back such amazing memories and I love being able to picture the things mentioned in my mind! Lisa Dickenson's books always manage to make me laugh, and that was no exception with this book too!
Olivia finally is given some responsibility at work, leading her team on a special work trip to New York City to try and help her boss' business grow while she is holed up at home with a broken leg. Olivia is sure she can make a success of it, and is thrilled that her long time friend John has made it over to NYC too. But when the group find themselves stranded thanks to a freak snowstorm in England which has grounded all flights, Olivia decides to make the most of it and explore the magical city at Christmastime.
I loved everything about this book. I loved the characters, the setting, the friendships, the sights - everything was brilliantly written and it was truly a joy to read from start to finish. I loved seeing Olivia step up to the plate and manage what was a mammoth mission all by herself, coercing her team into working their hardest for her, and then managing everything once their plans to get home before Christmas went out of the window too. She seemed a bit like superwoman to me, juggling everything and pretty much making everything work one way or another! I loved her, and would love to see Olivia in another story!
John, Olivia's friend was another great character, and I loved the genuine friendship that the pair had. He seemed so keen to show his friend around the city, and then to get home to his family for their traditional Christmas, but made the best of it when it appeared that wasn't possible. In fact, I loved the ensemble cast of Olivia's colleagues, who we get to see more of as they are all stranded in New York together. There was a character there for everyone; an office romance, a young girl keen to get home to spend Christmas with her boyfriend, and the typical colleague who didn't really want to associate with anyone! It made for fun reading, and I loved finding out how they all dealt with the issues.
The setting of New York was of course perfect, and I loved reading about it from Olivia's point of view, excitedly visiting the sights, feeling the thrill of seeing everything for the first time all dressed for Christmas, from Rockefeller to the Empire State Building. Even if you haven't been, everyone has seen these things on TV or online so we can all imagine how amazing it is. Although there was a bit of unhappiness along the way, and Olivia needing to open her eyes and see people's true colours (I wish she had been a bit more with it and realised what was really going on!), it was a brilliant read and I loved it from beginning to end. I laughed a LOT reading this book, Dickenson's writing flows so well and is genuinely funny, and she brings the whole things to life with ease. A truly brilliant, magical festive read, I can't recommend it enough!
No comments:
Post a Comment