Bookends recommends festive reads to get you into the Christmas spirit!

With December in full swing and Christmas just around the corner, we’ve pulled together a list of festive books to read to get you well and truly ready for Christmas…

One Last Gift by Emily Stone

 

 

This Christmas, take a romantic journey and follow the trail from sparkling London to beautiful Cornwall in this gorgeous love story from the bestselling author of ALWAYS, IN DECEMBER.

 

For as long as Cassie can remember, it had been the three of them: Cassie, her big brother Tom, and Tom’s cocky, gorgeous best friend Sam.

Now, Tom is sorted, Sam is flying high, and Cassie thinks she’s figured it all out. Then life takes an unexpected turn.

For Cassie starting again seems unimaginable. Until she finds an envelope with her name on it, with a letter asking her to follow a trail to one last gift.

And, suddenly, what seemed like an ending promises to lead Cassie to a love that is surprising and new… if she is brave enough to follow her heart…

 

 

Driving Home for Christmas by Joanna Bolouri

 

 

THREE CHRISTMASES. TWO BROKEN HEARTS. ONE HELL OF A JOURNEY.

 

‘Festive, feel-good and funny, a proper Christmas cracker of a read’ LAURA KEMP

‘Warm, witty and deeply moving . . . a real festive treat’ CLODAGH MURPHY  

Driving home marks the start of the holidays for Kate and Ed, who have made this journey every Christmas of their ten-year long relationship. Normally the seasonal hits blare from the car stereo, and they are guaranteed to be wearing ridiculous jumpers in anticipation, but this year a frosty silence fills the car…

A massive argument leads to the immediate collapse of their relationship. But the show must go on, so they decide to brave their families together one last time.

With three Christmases to celebrate, an old flame waiting under the mistletoe and a shed load of expectation around their future together, this most wonderful time of year is anything but. There will be turkey, tiffs and tantrums galore, but it’s sure to be a Christmas they’ll never forget.

 

A hilarious and heartfelt seasonal romance from the author of All I Want for Christmas. Perfect for fans of Sophie Cousens and Lucy Vine.

 

 

All I Want for Christmas by Maggie Knox

 

 

‘An utterly adorable, pitch-perfect romance with just the right amount of Christmas cheer’ Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Will they hit the right notes this holiday season?

When Sadie and Max are selected as contestants on the famed reality singing show STARMAKER’s special festive season, Sadie thinks she’s finally gotten her big break – and Max sees a chance to step out of his megastar father’s shadow. But then they’re paired up for duet week and stun the world with their onstage chemistry…

With fans going wild for #Saxie, the judges demand they remain a duo – on and offstage – or exit the competition. Faking a relationship shouldn’t be too hard, except for one small problem: Sadie and Max can’t stand each other.

But with their dreams just within reach, they agree to the ruse. Will their relationship lie be exposed before they can win? Or might their fake connection turn real by the Christmas finale?

A pitch-perfect festive rom com, perfect for fans of Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game and Beach Read by Emily Henry.

 

 

A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

 

 

‘Tis the season to take out the mistletoe – and for a second chance at love.

Country music’s golden boy Colton Wheeler felt the most perfect harmony when he was with Gretchen Winthrop. But for her, it was a love-him-and-leave-him situation. A year later, Colton is struggling to make music, with only the Bromance Book Club standing between him and self-pity.

It’s hard for immigration attorney Gretchen not to feel a little Scrooge-ish about the excess of Christmas when her clients are scrambling to pay rent. So when her estranged, wealthy family makes her an offer that could help, she can’t say no. She just needs to convince Colton to be the new face of their whiskey brand. No big deal . . .

Colton agrees to consider Gretchen’s offer in exchange for three dates before Christmas. With the help of the Bromance Book Club, he’s determined to prove there’s still a spark between them. But can Gretchen and Colton overcome the ghosts of Christmas past to build a future together?

 

‘The most inventive, refreshing concept in rom-coms!’ Entertainment Weekly

 

All I Want for Christmas by Joanna Bolouri

 

 

The sparkling Christmas romance to pick you up this year…

‘A hilarious and heartwarming festive treat’ Heidi Swain
‘So funny, sweet, warm and fuzzy’ Clodagh Murphy

What if the love of your life was your best friend’s girl?

When Nick loses his job and is dumped by his glamorous but demanding girlfriend, he is forced to grudgingly accept work as a Santa at a local Christmas grotto. As his friends are getting married or promoted, Nick spends his days being terrorised by unfriendly elves and cried on by snotty, spoiled children.

Then he meets 4-year-old Alfie. All Alfie wants for Christmas is for his mum, Sarah, to be happy again. Moved by the boy’s selfless wish, Nick arranges a date between Sarah and his best friend, Matt. But as Sarah and Alfie become part of all their lives, Nick realises that happiness for Sarah and Matt might mean heartbreak for himself.

 

 

Make You Mine This Christmas by Lizzie Huxley-Jones

 

‘Joyous, funny and full of warm, relatable characters, this is the queer Christmas rom-com I’ve been waiting for’ LAURA KAY

It’s the golden rule of pretending to be someone’s girlfriend: don’t fall for their sister.

After a year from hell, Haf is ready to blow off steam at a Christmas party: a kind stranger, a few too many drinks and suddenly she’s kissing Christopher under the mistletoe – in front of his ex-girlfriend.

The next day the news is out that they’re apparently a couple, madly in love and coming to Oxlea to spend the festive season with Christopher’s family. But Haf doesn’t have better holiday plans and to save her new friend from embarrassment, she agrees to pretend to be Christopher’s girlfriend for Christmas.

It has the makings of a hilarious anecdote they’ll be telling for years. Until Haf meets Christopher’s sister: the mysterious, magnetic and utterly irresistible Kit. Maybe love was waiting for Haf in this quiet little town all along . . .

Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Laura Kay and Carol – this is sheer festive joy as you’ve always wanted to see it.