I am excited to finally share my review for My Christmas Number One by Leonie Mack. I had planned to post my review late last month but when I was given an audio copy to listen to, I jumped at the chance. Scroll down to see if Amazon’s claim this book is ‘The perfect uplifting festive romance for 2020’ is true.
Book Review: My Christmas Number One by Leonie Mack
Title: My Christmas Number One
Author: Leonie Mack
Narrator: Gloria Sanders
Publisher: Boldwood Books and Boldwood Books Audio UK
Release date: 10th September 2020
Genre: festive women’s fiction, romance
Blurb
There’s nothing quite like a Christmas love story, to get you in the mood for celebrating…Cara doesn’t do sexy and she only does ‘Happy Christmas’ under duress. She is, after all, a serious musician, and her stubborn streak is born from her struggle to recover from a serious injury.
Javi lives for escapist fun – in his music, and in his life – especially since he’s always failed at life’s more serious challenges, including marriage and fatherhood.
Javi and Cara are forced to record a Christmas single together, but neither of them have plans to spend any more time with each other than they absolutely have to. With Christmas traditions that couldn’t be more different, and outlooks on life that are worlds apart, the chemistry just shouldn’t work. But the magic of Christmas can bring even opposites together…
From the snowy beauty of London at Christmas, to the candle-lit magic of Javi’s traditional family celebrations, let Leonie Mack whisk you away on a memorable festive adventure. Perfect for fans of Trisha Ashley, Mandy Baggot and Holly Martin.
My Thoughts
I was in a reading slump where nothing satisfied my inner book worm until this came along. It jolted me out of boredom when its singing pineapples promised me a fun, quirky and different type of Christmas story. It did not disappoint. I instantly connected with not only Cara but also her potential swoonsome love interest Javi. From different cultures, musical backgrounds and life experience the chemistry between them sizzles.
The musicality from the beginning continued throughout and the music it evoked made me want to dance, which is a testament to the quality of writing. The words of the songs tugged at my emotions further investing my love in both characters. It has depth, laughter and emotional ups and downs which kept me in the story. I desperately wanted a happy ending, but the tension kept rising with emotional conflicts, so I remained unsure whether it was achievable until the final page.
The novel covers many difficult topics sensitively such as grief, divorce and mental health issues. I loved the fact that though Cara was severely injured in the past, her physical disability is not the primary focus of the story. They show it as part of who she is. By showing her acceptance and ability to do all the things she wants to, it normalises disability in literature and is how diversity should be.
Would I recommend?
This is on my forever shelf, so I can return to it another Christmas. With the beautiful, vibrant, and unusual setting of Columbia, it made a refreshing change to the typical snowy scenes. The depth and emotion in the relationship with Javi and Cara has lodged them firmly in my heart. I loved it and has become one of my favourite festive books. If I had read this before my visit to A Little Book Problem to discuss my Desert Island Books, I would have to had to sneak it on my list for my Christmas read.
After I had read the eBook version I was given the opportunity to experience the story again in an audiobook. This is novel translates perfectly to the audio format with the highly listenable narrator, Gloria Sanders. She brings the characters and story to life. This is one audiobook I will listen to again and again. Both versions are ideal to escape the cold winter’s days with a warm duvet and favourite drink.
Thank you Boldwood Books for the advanced copies of this book so I could give my honest and unbiased opinion.
Happy reading and stay safe.
Love
From Under the Duvet 
Reblogged this on Kate Kenzie Writes and commented:
This book stands out as one of the best Christmas novels I have on my shelf for its chemistry between characters, musicality, portrayal of disability and vibrant location. I can’t wait to see what Leonie Mack writes next.
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