Review: Together by Christmas

Together by Christmas by Karen Swan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Eugh.

I just loved it, okay?!

Yes. It's true. This piece of Christmas fluff has thawed my icy heart and left me a melted mess of joy and tenderness and good old Christmas Spirit.

I mean, I don't even know how to explain why I got so much enjoyment out of the emotional rollercoaster this story took me on. I felt every emotion a human can feel reading this book, I'm certain of it. I was so thoroughly hooked that I didn't even have time to feel ashamed of myself for loving a romance novel so much. I just fully embraced the love. If that isn't Christmas spirit right there, I don't know what is.

This wonderful Christmas story follows Lee, who is a single mother to 5yr old Jasper, who is the most important thing in her life. She's got no time for romance, but thankfully her job as a celebrity photographer keeps her busy and allows her to meet people to scratch the itch when she needs it. Then of course something unusual happens - a book ends up in her bike basket, and it's got a strange message scrawled inside. Lee sets about trying to solve this puzzle; meanwhile secrets from her past are drifting to the surface and her simple, controlled life begins to get a little out of hand ...

I won't lie: I was mildly concerned when it started in a war zone, since I abhor reading war stories. However, beyond the prologue I found it added such a fascinating depth to the story through Lee's character, and I just really loved her journey from a war photojournalist to this celebrity photographer still trying to make a difference in the lives of others. I loved who it made her, but also her growth throughout the story as she began to deal with these things.

There were a few different things going on but it never felt messy or out of control - rather, it added a fullness to the story that made it even more enticing to me. Like Lee, I got swept up in the lives of the people around her, and I loved all of them. I loved that Lee would help out almost incidentally - like it was just part of her DNA. But she's no martyr, either - she sticks up for herself, she doesn't hide or lie about her feelings (much) and she is determined to do things on her own terms.

The motherhood angle is another one I'm wary of because I can never relate but, again, I was completely sucked in by the relationship between Lee and her son. It's such a beautiful, meaningful part of the story, and I loved that he was always her number one concern no matter what else was happening. It struck me as much more real than some other stories I've read, where children tend to take a backseat to new love. Jasper was a huge part of this novel, and Lee's love for him is where this novel gets so much of its heart.

At the same time, it was also a lot of fun falling in love with pretty much all the men in this novel. I'm so glad that, as a reader, I don't have to choose - I can have them all! Sam is obviously the one who stole my heart the most, but I also just loved how supportive her friends were, and even the sincerity of the friendship between her and Harry (even though it's kind of messed up on the surface). They were all such real characters and even though they had their own moments of pain their places in this novel brought me so much joy.

The mystery with the book was quite curious, but was just another layer to fatten up the story, rather than the sole driving storyline. I liked that. I appreciated that it wasn't laser-focused, and that Lee still went about living her life in the meantime.

There really was a lot going on in this story but I was drawn in so thoroughly that it seemed to flow together pretty seamlessly to me. Some may find it a little long but I honestly couldn't get enough.

Honestly, I am feeling so much Christmas cheer right now, thanks to this book. It's literally Christmas Eve, I've barely thought about Christmas once this year, and now suddenly I'm just overflowing with love and gratitude and I want to go hug my neighbours. (Obviously I won't, since 2020 is the year hugs were abolished.)

I freaking loved it. It made me so happy. I think it's the first time I've rated a romance novel 5 stars. I don't even care. *happy sigh*

Thank you to the person who recommended I read one of her Christmas novels. You have given me a great joy this holiday season. :)

With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC

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