Aoife's Reviews > Christmas Island

I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Holly needs to escape her London life, her brother Jack convinces her to stay with him and his family during Christmas on a remote Norwegian island. As soon as Holly lands, she is freezing, tired and is saved from a near-death experience by Tor - the island's 'hermit'. But as Holly learns about life on the island, and Nordic Christmas traditions she gets to know Tor and the man behind the social awkwardness and hairy beard.

A really nice read that not only served up a lovely community and sweet romance but also taught me a lot about Norwegian Christmas traditions and food. OMG THE FOOD! So many yummy descriptions of baked goods and all sorts - as well as the Little Christmas Eve porridge that sounded delicious! I think I would gladly spend Christmas on this island as they would certainly keep me well-fed and happy.

I did find the first couple of chapters of the book a bit clunky to start with but I kept going and eventually the writing and the village really charmed me. I wouldn't say Holly is the most interesting character I've read - she was slightly basic but I still enjoyed the dynamic between her and Tor and their romance.

Tor definitely, to me, came across as slightly autistic but I don't know if this was on purpose by the author or if it was a spotlight on how all Norwegian men behave. Tor was quite socially awkward, wasn't always great with social cues, not mad on physical touching, and definitely had problems identifying humour. He also was very focused and direct in a way I would recognize as traits from some people on the spectrum.

I liked the sweetness between Tor and Holly though it did feel like their relationship went from 50% to 100% at the flip of a switch. There is no steaminess in the book - maybe just a hint of sexiness - but everything is very chaste and fade to black after one kiss which was a tiny bit disappointing.

The best character was definitely Tor's cat Frøy. I'm not a cat person but this book made me want a cat like Frøy.

The best bits of the book were definitely all the Norwegian Christmas traditions, foods and the Christmas market. If you want to learn about how different countries celebrate Christmas, this would be a good book to read.

The ending was slightly lackluster for me but I still enjoyed the book.