I absolutely love Jo Thomas writing and it gives me enormous pleasure to share my review of her latest book Finding Love at the Christmas Market today. I still have Jo’s summer book Escape to the French Farmhouse waiting for me to read and I can’t wait!

You can read my reviews of Jo’s books Coming Home to Winter Island here, A Winter Beneath The Stars here, Sunset Over the Cherry Orchard here, The Olive Branch here and Late Summer in the Vineyard here. I also have a smashing post about Jo’s top 5 holiday destinations that you can read here.

Published by Transworld imprint Corgi, Finding Love at the Christmas Market is available for purchase thorough these links.

Finding Love at the Christmas Market

Residential-home caterer Connie has had one online-dating disaster too many. Hurt in the past and with her son to consider, now she’s feeling hesitant. Then one of Connie’s residents sets her up on a date at a beautiful German Christmas market – with the promise she’ll take a mini-bus full of pensioners along with her…

Amongst the twinkling lights and smell of warm gingerbread in the old market square, Connie heads off on her date with a checklist of potential partner must-haves. Baker Henrich ticks all the boxes, but when Connie meets Henrich’s rival William, she starts to wonder if ticking boxes is the answer.

Will Connie’s wish for love this Christmas come true, and if so – with who?

My Review of Finding Love at the Christmas Market

Connie needs to tick things off her list to find her perfect partner.

Finding Love at the Christmas Market is another lovely, lovely book from Jo Thomas. It has all her trademark elements with mouth watering food, evocative settings, and believable characters blended into a glorious, escapist read that I thought was wonderful. With so many experiencing Christmas alone or in reduced circumstances, missing family, travel and new memories, Finding Love at the Christmas Market is the perfect way to experience all the positive aspects we are denied.  Every sense from sight to sound, touch to taste and scent is catered for here. The title couldn’t be more apt because although one might expect romantic love, other forms are splendidly woven through the narrative with platonic, filial and community love playing their part in making Finding Love at the Christmas Market such a smashing story.

In fact, I thoroughly appreciated the sense of community illustrated in this motley group of pensioners led by Connie. Although she is no longer alive, Elsie is the catalyst for the action and Finding Love at the Christmas Market felt like a tribute to a real person and to so many who have left us in 2020. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that Pearl holds such wisdom as she subtly steers Connie in the right direction. As for Connie herself, by the time I had finished reading Finding Love at the Christmas Market, I was feeling her emotions every bit as much as she was. She holds a kind of Everywoman quality that appeals completely. It’s such a positive experience to read about older characters who are not side-lined, but who are very much at the heart of the action.

There are such beautiful themes here. Jo Thomas understands that what we all need is human connection, friendship and the chance to follow our hearts. Relationships in Finding Love at the Christmas Market are not perfect. Characters are affected by self-doubt, illness, grief and disability and yet we are shown that there is always love even in the bleakest of times. Finding Love at the Christmas Market is exactly the kind of book we all need, especially in the difficult times we’ve been experiencing.

Distil the essence of Christmas – love, simplicity, family and friends and this is what you have in Jo Thomas’ writing. Finding Love at the Christmas Market is a wonderful, heart-warming read for any time of year and I loved it.

About Jo Thomas

Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer, first for BBC Radio 5, before moving on to Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Radio 2’s The Steve Wright Show. In 2013 Jo won the RNA Katie Fforde Bursary. Her debut novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller in ebook and was awarded the 2014 RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the 2014 Festival of Romance Best Ebook Award. Jo lives in the Vale of Glamorgan with her husband and three children.

You can visit Jo’s website, find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @jo_thomas01.