My favourite Christmas film of all time is The Holiday, so when I read about this book I just knew I had to read it.

I certainly wasn’t disappointed. The characters where lovely and Zara’s writing makes everything seem so real and cosy. This book is a hot chocolate, curled up on the sofa with a snuggly blanket kind of book. Its a fabulous heartwarming what’s going to happen next book. All in all I really and truly drank in this book in one sitting as I could not put it down.

This book will make Christmas feel extra magical
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for allowing me to review this scrumptious Christmas read xx ( )

“She got out of the car, tugged at her suitcase and tried not to grin, because that wouldn’t be fair. She was finally doing it. Finally going.” (Quotation page 52)

Content
Daisy Fischer is happy with her life, her little cottage near Tippermere and her animals. Until her long-term boyfriend Jimmy proposes and she has to admit to herself that she wants more from her life than just stay in the English countryside between house and pub. Florence Cortes, grown up in Tippermere, lives in a comfortable, beautiful apartment in Barcelona, and writes for a magazine, she owns together with her partner Oli, who is also her boyfriend. But one moment changes everything.
Daisy and Florence need a break from their usual life and swap house – for Daisy this means December in sunny, vivid, amazing Barcelona and Florence is looking forward to be back in England, with snow and traditional Christmas preparations. Soon they find out that this Christmas has some surprises waiting for them.

Theme and genre
This feel good romance is about changes, what-ifs, friendship, Barcelona and rural England, Christmas and love.

Characters
The characters of the story are witty and loveable with their special attitudes.

Plot and writing
The story develops between England and Barcelona, takes alternating looks how Florence copes with the animals, an enormous dog, horse and hens, the snow, ice and presumptuous Hugo, who used to tease her when they had been children and now is her neighbor. Daisy loves Barcelona, the sunny beach and the vibrant streets from the very first moment. Moreover, there is charming Javier who shows her his Barcelona with breathtaking views and places.

Conclusion
A cozy, funny, heartwarming Christmas read, perfect to relax in a comfortable reading chair and enjoy. ( )

I just knew from the cover of this book that it was going to be great fun and indeed it was. I have never read a Zara Stoneley book before so this was my first visit to the fictional town of Tippermere in Cheshire. It is actually a dual location book as it is part set in Barcelona so it was fun to flip back and forth between wintry Cheshire and sunny Spain.

Daisy, Flo and Anna are old friends. Daisy is in a humdrum relationship with Jimmy and Flo thinks an important question is on the horizon when her boyfriend, Oli, whisks her to Paris for their anniversary. Out of the blue Daisy gets a proposal she doesn't want whilst Flo wants a proposal that she doesn't get, leaving both girls considering their future. Anna comes up with the idea of Daisy going to Flo's place in Barcelona for a long weekend and Flo coming back to England and staying in Daisy's cottage. The girls jump at the chance so they pack their bags and arrange the swap.

Flo falls back into village life a lot quicker than she thought she would. She has hilarious escapades with Daisy's dog, Mabel, and she is surprised to learn that Daisy's neighbour is an old acquaintance, Hugo. As Flo tries to forget about Oli, she sees Hugo in a different light but is he just after another notch on his bedpost? Meanwhile in Barcelona, Daisy meets Flo's friend, Javier. Javier certainly makes Daisy's heart beat faster, which is something Jimmy has never done. With Daisy only in Barcelona for a short time, how can she risk starting anything with Javier? Hugo and Javier are such deep and mysterious Darcy-esque characters, they'll certainly warm you up on a cold winter's night.

The Holiday Swap is one of those books that you should read curled up on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate. It has just the right amount of festive feeling so as not to feel out of place as a summer read, but it would be perfect to read as the snow is falling outside and you can escape to the sunny city of Barcelona. It's a funny light-hearted book filled to the brim with romance and hilarious escapades. I look forward to visiting Tippermere again in the future.

I received this e-book from the publisher, HarperImpulse, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )