Review: The Christmas Wish

The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.3 stars 

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

'Besides, it isn't as though anything legitimately catastrophic can happen, is it? Christmas is only one day. How bad could it possible be?' 

Gwen's driving back home from London with her cousin Manny for Christmas and with her boyfriend dumping her for his receptionist and trouble at her job, she's not particularly looking forward to extra family time. When someone's wish on the Christmas pudding sixpence has her reliving Christmas Day over and over again, she's suddenly looking at her family members differently and herself. It's a Groundhog Day family story with a side of getting a second chance at that secret love for the neighbor boy. 

Punting the pudding hadn't worked. 

It was still Christmas Day. 

The Christmas Wish was a sweet holiday story that was told all from Gwen's point-of-view and focused mainly on her familial relationships. Gwen's a lawyer at a high powered firm in London and mostly there because it was her father's dream and he loves living through her. She's holding in, though, that she's on mandatory leave for attacking a sexual harasser client and questioning if all the stress she feels at her job is something she even wants to do anymore. Her mother she's starting to see in a different light and realizing that she and the whole family take their mother for granted and that their Welsh take no gruff nana, may need her own kick in the pants to get out and make connections again. There's her cousin Manny who grew-up with them because his father died and his mother didn't want to take care of him alone, so he battles feelings of self-worth, even when a brawny Highlander comes into the picture, and Cerys, Gwen's sister. Cerys and Gwen have never gotten along and with Cerys married to a prat, two rambunctious kids, and a her own law firm she's trying to get running, they've never been more apart. 

Gwen, her own issues, with and separately with her family, felt full and realized and I liked how her first Christmas Day was gone through with the big and little moments you could tell were going to be instances to be revisited. It was around 30% that the Groundhog Day aspect of the story started and we get Gwen in shock and then trying to make each family member's wish come true since she doesn't know who got the sixpence and thinking that is why she is reliving the day. Her day was peppered with funny moments and small and deeper emotional moments that Gwen got better at navigating, bringing her closer with her family members. I really liked the moments she had with her sister Cerys, as they had the farthest to travel emotionally, and felt the hurt and loneliness, wanting to connect to each other (even when Cerys had some big pill moments). 

'We really should go somewhere,' I murmured as my resolve weakened and his lips found their way back to mine, irresistibly drawn. 

'We are somewhere,' Dev replied, whispering directly into my ear and unlocking every ounce of desire in my body.' And there's nowhere on earth I'd rather be.' 

Along with the familial relationships, there was a little romance arc with Gwen and the neighbor Dev. The two grew-up as great friends, Gwen always had a crush on him, who lost contact in college but from that first 'Hello, stranger', you can feel there's going to be something between these two. I would have loved more romance in this, Dev gets forgotten for a bit in the latter second half, but they still had some sweet moments (they do get a sex scene but very quick, I'm talking paragraph, and along the lines of PG/PG13ish). 

The seasonal setting of this was great with it's food, mistletoe, snowball fighting, Christmas party with requisite breathe fire punch, romance, and family fighting and loving. There was a good amount of pop culture references in this but the challenge of family dynamics was the main element and something that will never lose reference. The Christmas Wish was a story of learning to see and be seen by your family and taking the chance with that crush, while delivering those holiday vibes. It would be a good seasonal read with it's warm and fuzzy ending to curl up and sip hot cocoa to.

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