Thursday, October 22, 2015

The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown Book Review



Title: The Great Christmas Knit Off
Date Published: October 13, 2015
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 400
Format: Paperback
Source: TLC Book Tours

Purchasing:



In the tradition of Trisha Ashley and Jenny Colgan, this first book in a new series by Alexandra Brown—author of the popular Cupcakes at Carrington’s series—tells the hilarious, heartwarming story of a jilted bride who anticipates a lonely Christmas but instead finds herself in the tiny village of Tindledale, where the residents share her obsession with knitting.

When life unravels, it’s time to knit…

Sybil has always taken comfort in her passion for knitting, creating beautiful knits stitch by stitch. But her world suddenly unravels when her fiancé ditches her for her identical twin sister at her Star Wars-themed wedding, leaving her sporting a Princess Leia do. Then things go from bad to worse when an incident at work jeopardizes her job.

Hoping to escape her woes and forget that she’ll be alone for Christmas this year, she visits her friend in Tindledale—a winter wonderland of quaint shops and snowy rooftops. When she arrives in the idyllic town, she can’t help feeling like she’s in a Hallmark greeting card. She’s embraced by welcoming—if eccentric—locals wearing handmade knits that remind Sybil of her own creations as well as her unrealized ambitions of selling them. So when the vintage boutique asks her to make an assortment of knits for their display window, she’s thrilled. The hot town doctor has even taken an interest in Sybil, hoping to heal her broken heart.

But just when Sybil thinks she’s going to have her fairytale Christmas after all, an unexpected turn of events threatens to unspool her happily ever after.


I was intrigued by the premise of this novel - not only did it focus on Christmas, it had knitting, something I have always aspired to learn. 

I loved Sybil, absolutely loved her. After being jilted by her fiance for her sister, even though she was willing to have a Star Wars themed wedding for him, I was rooting for her from the very beginning. She decides to go on holiday to visit her best friend, especially when there is a chance she could have made a huge mistake at work. Everything just seems wrong, so a visit to Tingledale sounds perfect.

Upon arrival, things are much different then what she is used to. Quaint is an understatement, but you will come to love the residents of the village and all of their quirks. And when Sybs meets Hettie, the elderly owner of the wool shop in town she knows that they were meant to meet. And Sybs might be just what Hettie needs to stop her nephew from trying to take over her home and the shop and put her in a nursing home in the process. 

While I really enjoyed the story and most of the characters, I did feel that the plot did drag at times, which is why I gave it a little lower rating. It is a nice easy read and will leave you with a warm feeling at the end. 




Alex is the bestselling author of the warm and witty Carrington’s series and The Great Christmas Knit Off and The Great Village Show.

Growing up in Brighton, Alex left school at sixteen to run away to London with dreams of being a writer. On realising that she needed a proper job too, she went to work in an office. Throughout her fifteen year corporate career, Alex survived many dull meetings by writing a cheeky scene or two, until she could bear it no longer, collapsed in a heap and then lounged on a chaise waiting for the muse to arrive.

Soon after escaping office life, Alex won a competition to write the weekly City Girl column for The London Paper. To read all about her bonkers life as a columnist, please click HERE, it shows how anything is possible in this crazeeee world.

Alex lives in a rural village on the Kent and Sussex border in England, with her husband, utterly adorable daughter (fondly known as QT) and one very shiny black Labrador called Puppy Oscar.

Visit her website

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