Un regalo inaspettato

by Carole Matthews

Attenzione! Contiene la magia del Natale

Una famiglia imperfetta alla ricerca di un Natale imperfetto

Juliet adora il Natale. L’albero, le decorazioni, i regali, il pranzo: tutto contribuisce ogni volta a creare un’atmosfera unica e indimenticabile di amore, serenità e comprensione reciproca. Ma quest’anno sembra che non sarà proprio così.
I figli continuano a darle problemi: Tom è disoccupato e non fa altro che presentarle partner improbabili, mentre Chloe è tornata a casa con il suo bambino e per giunta è di nuovo incinta. Per non parlare poi dei genitori: suo padre sta attraversando una fase di depressione acuta e sua madre sta diventando sempre più eccentrica. Infine, meglio non chiedersi che cosa ne pensi di tutto questo suo marito Rick, che ormai sembra aver esaurito la pazienza. Riuscirà Juliet a riprendere le redini della famiglia e a impedire che tutto vada a rotoli proprio ora che arriva il bianco, dolcissimo Natale?

La commedia romantica di Natale!

Autrice bestseller del Sunday Times e USA Today

«Una tenera, meravigliosa storia sull’amore e sulla famiglia.»
Closer Magazine

«Una lettura perfetta per sfuggire alla routine quotidiana, quando diventa troppo impegnativa.»
Woman Magazine


Carole Matthews
È autrice di numerosi bestseller tradotti in tutto il mondo, alcuni dei quali destinati a diventare grandi successi hollywoodiani. Con il suo travolgente umorismo ha conquistato la critica e milioni di fan, ed è spesso ospite di trasmissioni radio e TV. Quando non scrive romanzi o sceneggiature, può scegliere se fare trekking sull’Himalaya o pattinaggio a Central Park, andare a bere un tè in Cina o schiacciare un pisolino nel suo giardino di Milton Keynes, nel Buckinghamshire. La Newton Compton ha pubblicato con successo i suoi romanzi Il sexy club del cioccolato, Per un’ora d’amore e Le donne preferiscono l’amore.

Genres: Christmas, Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Holiday, Contemporary, British Literature

447 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Carole Matthews is an international bestselling author of hugely successful romantic comedy novels. Her unique sense of humour has won her legions of fans and critical acclaim all over the world.

A Minor Indiscretion and A Compromising Position both reached the Top 5 in the Sunday Times bestseller chart in the UK. You Drive Me Crazy reached number 8 in the original fiction charts. The novel Welcome To The Real World was shortlisted for RNA romantic novel of the year 2007.

In 2006 Carole co-edited - with writer Sarah Mlynowski - two new editions of the hugely popular Girls' Night In charity series called Girls' Night Out - one for the USA and one for Canada. All proceeds go to War Child.

Carole has presented on television and is a regular radio guest. When she’s not writing novels, television or film scripts she manages to find time to trek in the Himalayas, rollerblade in Central Park, take tea in China and snooze in her garden shed in Milton Keynes which is near London, England.

Reviews

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Release Date: October 25, 2012
Actual Rating: 4 stars

Christmas Books | Chick Lit

Gosh I haven’t read a book by Carole Matthews in ages! But when I started this one, I immediately remembered why she used to be such a beloved author of mine. She writes strong characters that deal with real issues. Perhaps this one was a tad dramatic in some areas (how many things can really go WRONG in such a small period) but it’s such an immensely heartwarming story that those dramatics faded away.

Anyway, this is pure chick lit gold (as are many of her novels). The book is based in the UK, takes place during Christmas, and shows us the true meaning of family, love, and everything in between. The characters in this one (which I didn’t know about at the time) also have another book titled That Loving Feeling, but you DON’T have to have read it before this one. I didn’t. I did however notice a few things that seemed out of place in the novel which I’m assuming are played out through the other one.

If you’re in the mood for a chick lit read during the holiday season, I recommend this one! I fell head over heels for the story and am planning to jump right back into her other novels as soon as I finish this review. Her books are truly wonderful!

[Shirley Revill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read but very hard to put down. The type of book that you want to snuggle by the fire and enjoy. Recommended.

[Melindam · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 25%.

I am terribly sorry, for I like books by Carole Matthews in general, and Calling Mrs Christmas is one of my favourites, but I just couldn't make myself to finish this one.

This is a Christmas-story that comes as close to revolting as possible. :(

[Love Fool · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can the imperfect family really have the perfect Christmas?

This gave me such a great Christmas feeling, I just wanted December to come again. I could picture 25 days of Christmas on ABC Family and hear Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" playing. My family is imperfect as well so I could relate however, I honestly couldn't stand Juliet's kids and because of them I gave this book 4 stars. They were spoiled, selfish, little shits that all I wanted to do was slap them and Juliet for putting up with their behavior. They are adults and that's how they treat their parents? Where is the respect?

Don't not read this book because of her kids. I'm just saying they really pissed me off.

[Monica (crazy_4_books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

(read for #thistheseasonthon for the challenge: read a Holiday theme book)
"Typical dysfunctional family tries to spend the best possible Christmas against all odds"
I liked this book, it's too long for a Christmas story. British middle class family in which everyone has several problems, some quite serious, try to save Christmas and spend it as best as they can.
The female lead, Juliet, is a 45-year old woman who's been married for 27 years. Her husband is quite a relaxed dude who is worried about the expenses. They have two grown-up children, a girl of 24 who has a 2-year old son and also she's pregnant about to give birth and has moved back with her parents after a fight with her boyfriend and father of her children. Their son is 26, single, seemingly bisexual who doesn't want to settle down and move out of their parents' house. Juliet's mother, left her father about three years ago for some guy and then she moved in with her daughter, also she's showing early stages of Alzheimer's disease. And Juliet's father after the divorce realized he was gay and has been in a relationship with a man half his age for over two years. There are secondary characters that end up on their Christmas dinner table because basically they don't have anyone or anywhere else to go.
It's a quick story to read, but there are too many sub-plots that could have been edited to make a much better book with 100 pages less. I liked Carole Matthews' writing style, and I will be reading another of her Christmas book in the next readathon. I am not used to this sub genre of Christmas novels, but I think they are quite enjoyable. The other two I've planned to read next gravitate more towards romance than family dramas. This one reminded me of some Christmas movies with dysfunctional families, such as "The Family Stone" with Diane Keaton, Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams, and "Nothing like the Holidays" with Debra Messing, Alfred Molina and John Leguizamo. I might be new at reading Christmas centered books but I certainly do watch a lot of Christmas movies.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an addictive writing style from start to finish with the second half being even better than the start. Sometimes you pick up a Christmas themed book and are very disappointed when the season is only mentioned briefly at the start or end (This is not one of them). Juliet is a great lead and I like she's a little older for a main character with a family already. I liked her husband Rick, he was one of my favourites in this story.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...

My first read by this prolific author and I have to say, I was quite disappointed. Irritated by the selfish, indulgent characters, I found some of the book quite awkward to read. Whilst there were plenty of funny one-liners, this was not enough to raise my enjoyment of this festive read.

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published: 25/10/2012
Author: Carole Matthews
Recommended for: fans of chick lit


I love Carole Matthews books! and this book did not disappoint at all, it was expertly written and just kept me wanting to read on. It had great descriptions and transported you into the book with the talented way she writes the books. Any readers who enjoy her other books or 'chick lit' genre books I think will absolutely love this book!.

[Rea Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Wrapped up in You by Carole Matthews last Christmas so I had extremely high hopes for With Love at Christmas this year ( No pressure Carole)!

Juliet Joyce adores Christmas. She loves the presents, the tree, the turkey, the tinsel, everything. Already the festive spirit is upon her, which is just as well as this Christmas things are starting to get out of hand.

Her son Tom is out of work and bringing home a slew of unsuitable partners; pregnant daughter Chloe and her little boy have moved back in; Juliet's father, Frank, is getting over a heartbreak of his own and Rita, her eccentric mother, is behaving more erratically each day. And has the chaos got too much for Juliet's husband Rick?

With the big day fast approaching, Juliet hopes that she can stop everything spiralling out of control, because the only thing she wants is her family all around her and her home to be filled WITH LOVE AT CHRISTMAS.

We are reintroduced to the characters we know and love from a previous book of Carole Matthews, That Loving Feeling which only made this book have even more of a warm cosy feel to it because of the familiarity to the characters. What I love about this group of characters and their story lines are that they are so down to earth that it often feels as though you are reading about the story of the people next door because it all feels so realistic.

I love all of the characters but I have to say on more than one occasion I wanted to throttle them mainly Chloe who quite clearly is used to having everything handed to her on a plate and finds it all too easy to expect her mum to babysit at a drop of a hat because her little boy is obviously a pain when it comes to her social life but then I equally want to throttle Juliet just as much for giving in to her daughter so easy which does Chloe no favours but having said that I still love both of the characters!

This is a perfect Christmas read and it gives you a real festive feeling. The family are building up to the big day and we get to be with them on a traditional Christmas day opening presents and sitting down to a Christmas dinner. There are many little story lines going on through this book involving each of the many characters and yet Carole manages to tie them all up and bring them together so they all come together to make a perfect read.

I think this book brings out every emotion from excitement to family troubles, heartache to romance. Oh and how can I forget the humour! There was more than one occasion where I found myself laughing out loud my favourite involving Juliet and the Kitchen table! Once again I find myself taking my hat off to Carole Matthews she really is the Queen of chick lit and doesn’t ever seem to falter so thank you yet again for a fantastic read.

Looking for a traditional and festive story with all the trimmings then With Love at Christmas is the book for you.

[Cora Tea Party Princess · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 Words: Christmas, family, love, kindness, generosity.

AUDIOBOOK

Don't you just hate it when you listen to a sample and all is great and then when you're about 1/4 of the way through you up the speed because it's starting to drag?

I don't think it was the story, although it was rather slow at times, but the narrator had a pretty grating voice after a while.

It was a pretty good story, and although it felt at times that nothing was happening, an awful lot had happened by the end. It was enjoyable enough and did have its funny moments, and when the pace picked up at the end I found myself enjoying it a lot more.

[Sharon Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I realised that Carole Matthews Christmas novel returns us to the Joyce family from That Loving Feeling (two years later), I was really looking forward to spending time with Juliet again. Having identified with her before, I found myself nodding to the questions Juliet asks herself in With Love at Christmas, having asked myself the same!

We start our journey towards the big day with the Joyce family as Juliet is in the supermarket, filling her trolley with Christmas fayre. We find out where she is in her life now and her reminisces of her own childhood Christmas, making do with the little they had and a dearth of the festive spirit. She witnesses an ironic scene in the supermarket car park and on arriving home, we find out that although husband Rick doesn’t have the same zest for Christmas, he is competitive with the lights decorating the outside of their home.

Straight away you know you’re in for a fabulous read, not only because of the characters and everything being so true to life and therefore easy to identify with (all those rituals we make our own) but also because of Matthews writing style and humour.

We get to identify with both leads as Juliet is narrated in the first person and Rick third. These two different narratives work really well. Juliet is the one trying to make Christmas the event she so desperately wants while Rick has a secret and his employee has a secret of his own.

Spending time with the Joyce family in the lead up to Christmas is engaging and emotional. As I’m writing I have so many scenes in my head … from the sadness of bereavement/illness and the break up of a relationship, to the birth of a baby and the inclusion of people less fortunate. The humorous scenes still have me giggling now; my favourite has to be Juliet’s return from her works Christmas party! although others are close behind in the belly laughing stakes. Christmas Day is full of drama but also resolutions and love.

I was reluctant to get to that final page and once I had, it left me feeling bereft. No surprises at my rating! With Love at Christmas is my all time favourite of Carole Matthews.

A Keeper for me :)

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book - a perfect Christmas read. It made me laugh - it made me have a tear in my eye in places. Long live the Joyce family - and I hope they return.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for me.

Full of family drama and Christmas preparation.Juliet Joyce and her husband really will be tested,to in-laws to grown children that living with them and grandchild it seems that they never get a break.Fun festive read.

[Jean Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely feel good book ,I didn't want it to end

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I nearly gave up on this book multiple times and truthfully would have but one of my goals this year was to actually finish books that weren't great if I took the time to start them. My biggest issue was the grown kids and the way the parents just continued to take care of them instead of pushing them to grow up. Their daughter is pregnant with a toddler already has left her boyfriend to move back in with mum and dad because she was having commitment issues. Their son lives with them and brings one night stands over every night while at the same time has a college eduation but doesn't work.

One thing I did enjoy is the way they so easily helped friends who needed it. Lisa and Izzy, Merak and Juliet's boss Robin. They were always there for them.

In the end everything turned out fine with the family after a very drama filled Christmas lunch. The ending was worth hanging on for the very long and at times frustrating ride.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is now one of my favourite books by Carole Matthews, It has humour, tears and situations that means you can put yourself in the characters shoes. At times I had a lump in my throat trying to hold back tears. I thought I had sussed out what would happen next but I didn't and that was great. Now looking forward to reading That Loving Feeling as this has the Joyce family in it.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw it, I saw xmas, and thought why not.



Juliet loves xmas and wants to make it special but, omg her family.



First, I know you need help Chloe, but you have a kid, and one on the way and now you are mooching of your parents and goes out partying. And living with them.Grow up!



Tom, their son, has also moved back home since he does not have a job, and same thing here. Out partying and bring home strangers. Kick him out.



Her mum, well I get it there, she can not be on her own, but Carole can not take care of someone who needs constant care. She has a jo! And her mum has alzheimers :/ Sorry, but you need to face facts.



But this is a xmas story, so it will all work out, sort of, there are threads left hanging, oh well, everyone had a lovely xmas at least.



Cheerful, with some hmm moments

[Iryna Soroka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this time of year! Even something as mundane as the weekly food shop is transformed into a magical experience.
What I need now is a restorative cup of tea and perhaps my first mince pie of the season. They’re possibly my most favorite festive food .
🎄❄️🎁

[Hasanthi Navaratne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a wonderful book, filled with The Christmas Spirit! I couldn't stop reading it!
At the beginning I was very slow in reading I, but later on it boosted up my spirits too. A finely crafted story, where it shows the true bond and love of a family. Family life can be chaotic, aggressive and filled with disagreements and arguments. But in the end, there is always each other to hold on for and to be loved.
The story is full of life and love. I must say, Juliet and Rick are the most adorable characters in the story. No matter how hard the life seems to be, they cope up with it, while safeguarding their children and parents. It is amazing to see the courage and the sacrifices they do, to keep their family together and protected.
In the end the story shows, the unconditional love of parents, towards their children.
I loved every bit of the story and the characters. I enjoyed it very much! Best book for the festive season.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read That Loving Feeling, the prequel to this, and absolutely loved it. There were loads of laugh out loud moments and i loved Juliet and Rick, so I was eager to start this.

I was very disappointed. Juliet has become a compete and utter slave to her family; her kids are so idle I wanted to shake her, and there were few laugh out loud moments. I liked Merak and Lisa and I think there could be a follow up story there.

It's just a nice, easy read.

[Bernadette · Rating 1 out of 5]

When it was suggested that this be our bookclub read over Christmas, my initial thought was "cool, something light and easy".

Yes it is a light and easy read. But that is about all it has going for it.

Definately a book I wish I had not spent money on.

[Aiza Idris (biblio_mom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed myself reading this book. The main character, Juliet, is a mother, a grandmother and such a lovely wife to her husband Rick that has love to just everyone she knew and even just met. She has so many things on her plate but she still takes care of others too eventhough they're strangers.

In the festive season, most mothers would fight all the hustles just to bring the family together to have a good time and they would sacrifice their own time for themselves, their comfort and everything not to mention money and energy. They even risk their own health due to lack of sleep they'll be getting on the festive season.

This is a cozy and easy read for me. Its an experience and I can say i've learnt new things and theres good reminders to for me, a mother myself of how to handle things and stress in those days when I most needed by my family.

[Carol Sheppard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasnt sure about this bookat the start as i like escapism and this felt too close to my own life...trying to manage a job, house, elderly parents, grown up children and pets. The story improves as it went on.

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't often give one star for a book but this one was so annoying and frustrating plux the characters were all so selfish I felt like shout them. It's a shame because usually enjoy Carole's books but, this just wasn't her best.

[Rebecca Cullin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Such an easy light-hearted book.

[Danielle Shotton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light hearted festive read. All the ups and downs of a big family Christmas and everything that comes with it.

[Emma Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy, light-hearted, feel-good book! 🥰

[Laura Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for www.bookchickcity.com

With Love At Christmas is perhaps not the normal type of book I would read. It sits really in the chick-lit genre which I tend to avoid, I actually thought about abandoning it a little way in. I’m really glad to say I’m pleased that I didn’t. There were times I felt immense frustration with the characters, and there were some predictable elements, but all in all this was a really well written book about family, love and relationships.

Our main heroine is 45 year old Juliet, mum of two, grandmother, wife and daughter to two ageing parents. She loves Christmas, loves her family and works hard to pull everything together for everyone for the big day. The problem is her family are there to provide plenty of curve balls.

The story has highs, lows and even a couple of laugh-out-loud moments. But be prepared for a very sad beginning. This was the point I did nearly give up I have to admit, this is meant to be a Christmas book, it’s meant to be happy surely? But Matthews pulls to careful a well plotted story, that brings realism to her book. As the sadness ebbed its development also brought with it a new phase for some of the characters.

Juliet’s children, both in their 20s I’ll add, completely and utterly infuriated me – regularly. There was once scene in particular with her daughter Chloe that absolutely filled with with RAGE at her total selfishness. Chloe have moved back home with her toddler son after a relationship break-up and is currently pregnant with her second child. She seems to have no concept of responsibility or respect for her parents and moving back home seems to equate free childcare so she can go out and party until the second child is born. Then there’s Tom Juliet’s promiscuous son, who likes to bring home with him a collection of unsuitable partners for his parents to meet in uncompromising situations. I slammed the book down in disgust at them in more than one occasion.

There isn’t a love story as such, Juliet and Rick have been married for 27 years. But while there isn’t wild passion that you would see in a traditional romance, Juliet and Rick show us what forever love really means. Stability, supporting one another, loving one another through the thick and the thin. There was a very predictable twist in terms of Rick that I saw coming a mile off. I kind of wish it hadn’t been in there in a way and the situation was written in differently. But, it all came good in the end and I did really like the addition of the character involved.

I can’t write the review without mentioning Rick, we get the odd chapter from his point of view, which adds a nice different interpretation to parts of the story. I really couldn’t help but smile with his fascination with his shed, and how when things get too much he either escapes down there to his mini beer fridge or conveniently takes the dog for a walk.

Juliet herself is such a giving person, she holds little back for herself. She loves her family unreservedly even when they quite clearly do not always deserve it. This includes ending up with both her ageing parents coming to live with her, until they have to convert the dining room into a bedroom. There is very little to dislike about her and you end up routing for her as the events of Christmas Day unfold and she puts a smile on her face and just goes to peel some more potatoes!

VERDICT

A different book for me being a more traditional romance fan, but I’m really glad I stuck with it. With a Love At Christmas is a modern Christmas story about the changing dynamics of families, and how two people pull everything together through their love for all involved. There are some funny characters, some infuriating ones and some sad ones and Juliet has far more patience than I ever could have. But this is a book I would definitely recommend.

4/5

[Zarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart-warming and often laugh out loud funny, With Love at Christmas conveys the true spirit of Christmas.

Juliet Joyce is a daughter, mother, grandmother and wife and very much holds together her family. She's always there for her grown-up children, who despite their age still live at home and rely on their mother to take care of them, as well as her age-ing parents, her mother even moved back in with Juliet and her family, making it a daily challenge to find everyone a place to sleep in the house.

There are a lot of different stories happening parallel in the novel, but they all seem to come back to Juliet. They include her father's relationship with a man younger than even Juliet, her mother's increasing moments of confusion that leave her wandering the streets, her pregnant daughter Claire's on and off relationship with Mitch, and son Tom's sexual encounters with different men and women on an almost daily basis, to name just a few. It's no surprise that with all the time Juliet spends making sure everyone else is doing okay, she has very little time left for herself.

Despite all this she still very much enjoys the rush up to Christmas and spends her rare spare moments in the lead up to the holidays plotting and planning for the big day. There are many ups and downs, including an untimely death, infidelity worries and a birth which wouldn't have been out of place in a a slapstick comedy, but Juliet still manages to pull through.

With a tear and a smile the Joyce family (and unexpected guests, some of which only show up on the day) make it to Christmas lunch which makes for a hilarious few chapters on its own. The pudding scene in particular had me laughing out loud, which is not something that happens frequently when I'm reading a book.

I felt an instant connection to caring and generous main character Juliet as we both absolutely love Christmas (and may go a tad overboard with the preparations for it). It doesn't matter to me that at the time of reading the proof copy of the novel it was still September and shorts and flipflop weather (well, for as far as it's ever shorts and flipflop weather in London), I happily sought out my Christmas playlist in iTunes and started looking up recipes for Christmas dinner online as soon as I started reading the novel.

With Love at Christmas was an incredibly fun book to read and has a heart-warming underlying message. A must read for everyone who loves the holidays as much as Juliet does. And also for those who perhaps feel a bit more like a Grinch when it comes to the commercialised day as I guarantee that after reading this novel you'd want nothing more than to listen to different renditions of "Silent Night" on repeat while baking mince pies for those less fortunate than yourself.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can the imperfect family really have the perfect Christmas?

Juliet Joyce adores Christmas. She loves the presents, the tree, the turkey, the tinsel, everything. Already the festive spirit upon her, which is just as well as this Christmas things are starting to get out of hand.
Her son Tom is out of work and bringing home a slew of unsuitable partners; pregnant daughter Chloe and her little boy have moved back in; Juliet's father Frank, is getting over a heartbreak of his own and Rita, her eccentric mother, is behaving more erratically each day. And has the chaos got too much for Juliet's husband Rick?

With the big day fast approaching, Juliet hopes that she can stop everything spiralling out of control, because the only thing she wants is her family all around her and her home to be filled.


I've recently started reading Carole Matthew's Books, first book to read was Summer daydreams and I loved that so I knew with this book I wouldn't be disappointed! With Christmas just around the corner I thought this book would be perfect to get me in the festive spirit and make me very excited.
Straight away the thing i loved the most about the book was the front cover, it was amazingly bright and colourful and was very festive which I just couldn't help but have my own copy!

We meet the lovely Joyce family where Christmas nut Juliet is busy making sure she has everything right and perfect for her family for Christmas.. With this book we follow from the beginning up until Christmas Day with little problems always occurring one way or another. This book does have a lovely big mix of characters but I loved that all the characters linked together but all had their own problems and plans but they all managed to help each other especially in the spirit of Christmas. By the end of the story I actually felt i was part of the family and had been through the same problems with them. My favourite character would have to be Juliet, she is a Christmas nut like myself and I just loved her personality and thought she was full of happiness and caring nature for her family.

Carole Matthews definitely did a splendid job at writing this story it was very creative and soon had you hooked by every chapter. I bow to you Carole you certainly are the Queen of Chick lit in my eyes and are an amazing writer.

This book is a fabulous read and recommend anyone to pick up this book and read! It is a very warm and festive read which will have you laughing, crying and smiling alot but the story also has drama and heartbreak however it really does bring a love of Christmas cheer and a sprinkle of snow to the whole family!
You will definitely feel in the festive mood when you've read this!