Review: The Perfect Christmas Stocking Pressie!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 20, 2012
I never seem to tire of Carole Matthews books, which is surprising given that she has been writing for the best part of 15 years and I have read each and every one of her books! Although I may not love them all as much as each other there have never been any I have really disliked and her latest release is thankfully no different. This wonderfully Christmas cover threw me a bit, especially since it's still summer here and it looks like the perfect stocking filler. Still, I settled down and once again absorbed myself fully into a new story.Juliet Joyce loves her family, but she loves Christmas time the best. Her family is certainly not small and with an ever changing family unit her life is far from peaceful. Her husband Rick tends to grumble about Christmas but having been together for years they cobble along together nicely. Add to the mix their two children, Tom who hasn't quite decided if he is gay or straight and still hasn't got a job despite graduating. Then there is Chloe who is pregnant with her second child and still lives with her parents following a fall out with her other half Mitch. Juliet's parents are separated and they seem to have inherited her mother Rita permanently and her constantly erratic behaviour doesn't help matters.As soon as I started reading about this ordinary but chaotic household I fell for all the characters in their own way. They are such an eclectic bunch and as we all know Christmas makes life and the family mix even harder. What I really liked about this book is that it is ordinary. Now wait for it, let me explain. What I mean is that for once there are no underlying huge emotional issues; they are just a `normal' family who are trying to muddle along. This is what made the book enjoyable for me, seeing a bog standard family get themselves into so much of a mess with Juliet being the glue that holds them all together.I also loved the fact that we see other characters integrate themselves into the Joyce family such as Rick's worker Merak and Lisa and Izzy, Rick's customer and her daughter. We see the build up to Christmas Day and along the way they have more than enough hurdles to jump, I just found myself crossing my fingers and hoping Juliet held it together. I finished this book (a pretty hefty read) in a day and a half and was yet again disappointed when it was finished. This certainly wasn't my favourite Carole Matthews book (her last book Summer Daydreams was one of my favourites) but it was a lovely book and to be honest a perfect Christmas read. This would really make a great present for people and is the perfect Christmas read snuggled up with a hit cuppa and a blanket. Once again Carole Matthews pulls the hat out of the bag!