Book Review: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Joanna Bolouri


My next festive book review is for Joanna Bolouri's third book, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. I'm a big fan of Joanna's work so I was over the moon to get my hands on her latest. Spoiler alert: she did not disappoint at all!


Title: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Author: Joanna Bolouri
Published: October 27th 2016 by Quercus


Blurb: A hilarious and heartwarming Christmas comedy. Perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Tracy Bloom & Chrissie Manby.

Thirty-eight year old Emily has a satisfying job, fab friends, an amazing car and, most importantly, a wonderful flat, exactly 411 miles away from the judgemental, batshit crazy, interfering family she reluctantly sees twice a year. In fact, the only minor stress in her life is her twenty-something neighbour Evan and his penchant for flirting, loud music and even louder sex... but he's nothing she can't handle.

Emily also has a boyfriend called Robert and it's going really well. So well, in fact, that this year Emily is hoping to take him home for Christmas to meet her family. Finally she won't be subject to five days of nosy questions from her parents and pity looks from her younger married siblings.

But when Robert breaks up with her a week before Christmas, Emily is gutted. How on earth is she going to face her family now? Enlisting the help of party boy Evan (in exchange for one month's rent and the use of her convertible) Emily is determined to take Robert home for Christmas come hell or high water, even if it isn't the real Robert...

Review: I absolutely adore Joanna Bolouri's novels. She always manages to create the most amazing stories. Stories I could read for hours and still be left wanting more. And The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is no different. Emily is just hilarious. I want an Emily in my life. I really warmed to her and was rooting for her from page one, especially with such a crazy family.

Her family was actually a great addition to the story. I had so much reading about them. They were not the most supportive and welcoming family but they made for great entertainment. And they actually managed to surprise me more than once. 

The whole idea for the book was a bit bonkers: Evan, Emily's younger and definitely sexual active neighbour, pretends to be Emily's boyfriend during their Christmas celebrations. But surprisingly, it worked so well! Evan was fun and a great guy and the more we discovered about him, the more I liked him. His relationship with Emily was never boring, they fought like cat and dog but the chemistry between them was palpable. I never knew which way their interactions would go, something that kept me glued to the pages of the book for hours.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is a great book: original, fun and with Joanna Bolouri's special witty touch. The characters are spot on and the festive spirit is definitely there. I can only praise this story and I recommend it to absolutely everyone. One not to be missed, just go and get yourself a copy. You are in for a treat! 

Rating: 5 stars

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

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6 comentaris

  1. Love a character that it's easy to identify with from the beginning Alba!

    Don't know if you saw but we're taking a break on #TalkoftheTown until 7th January. We'll have some exciting news to share then!
    x

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    1. Yes, I saw in the blog post. I cannot wait to hear the news! :) Have a merry Christmas Shaz! Alba x

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  2. When I read the blurb, I thought this book sounded a bit predictable but, after reading your review, I like the sound of it. Ooh, I'm never going to finish all these Christmassy books this year lol.
    Great review.
    #TalkoftheTown

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    1. Hahaha probably not! But with Joanna Bolouri there's definitely nothing predictable, highly recommended festive read :)

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  3. Sounds like a fantastic read! I haven't managed to read as many Christmassy books as I wanted this year (life just completely got in the way - I definitely need more hours in the day for reading). I might add this one to my Christmas pile for next year. Thanks for linking up to #TalkoftheTown.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Heidi! I think we all need more hours, I'm definitely not gonna read all the books I had planned. :)

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