Christmas is nearly over, but there is still just enough time before Twelfth Night to read It Must Have Been The Mistletoe by Judy Astley!
If you dreamt of spending a snowy Christmas in Cornwall, this book is for you. There's snow, mistletoe, turkey, and all the family: Anna and Mike want to make this a perfect holiday because they are getting a divorce!
The story centres around Thea, their eldest daughter, whose boyfriend has left her to raise poodles with his sister(!). She feels awkward that her own siblings, Emily and Jimi are there with their children and partners, and she is alone. There is Sean, a surf dude, whom she likes, who runs the holiday home with his partner, Paul, but he is obviously unobtainable.
The snow begins to fall, and Charlotte, Mike's singing friend who helped him make DVDs of the family's past Christmases, turns up and so does Alex, the son of a lady at Anna's book-group, with whom she's got very friendly indeed and who she's invited to come along.
As the snow gets deeper and the house gets cut off, what will happen to these revellers?
I really enjoyed reading it. Judy Astley has a real knack of immersing you in the story, and you feel as if you are right there with the family as they build snowmen, and have a beach barbecue and carols in the church whilst they sort out their problematic romantic lives.
Thanks for posting about this book, Jean. I love Judy Astley's books and will definitely have to read this one.
ReplyDeleteYes, and Judy followed it in 2015 with A Merry Mistletoe Wedding to tell you what happened next!
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