The 12 Books of Christmas: One Kiss Before Christmas by Emma Jackson

I was given an ARC of One Kiss Before Christmas in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Orion Publishing and Emma Jackson

One Kiss Before Christmas was a heartwarming read which was a classic ‘will they won’t they’ romance novel. I do not read romance novels often as I’m really not a fan of cheesy, cliche characters and plot lines. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

Firstly it is set in Brighton, where I have been living for the past three years, this made One Kiss Before Christmas that little bit more special for me. It was so nice reading about some of my favourite places in the city and being able to actually see them in my mind and having the ability to relate them to my own memories. Whenever somewhere like the pier or The Lanes was mentioned I had a huge smile on my face. More books set in Brighton, please!

Secondly, you can’t help but fall in love with Ash and Olivier and find their constant ‘will they won’t they’ bit charming. I genuinely thought that after a while I would get sick of this. However,I found that from the very beginning I was rooting for them. After fifteen years of both of them pining for eachother, you can’t help but feel like a hopeless romantic yourself. Who wants to step into the book to tell them how they both feel and to get on with it already!

You also get to meet a lot of charming side characters. Romesh: Ash’s best friend who tries to play matchmaker between her and Olivier. Beth; Primary school friend of Ash who is getting married right before Christmas, and you, of course, cannot forget nan. A blunt retired nurse who has taken care of Ash since she was a child.

This was an extremely quick read for me, it has been less than 24 hours since I started the book. I found that I was so invested in Ash and Olivier and finding out whether they would get together that I did not want to put it down.

Although Christmas in the title of this book it isn’t a constant in your face theme. Yes, Christmas is mentioned quite often however it is not the main point of the book. I wouldn’t say I am feeling very Christmassy after finishing it, however, it is a very cosy read which is perfect for this time of year.

I would very much like to see a sequel to One Kiss Before Christmas!