I almost never reblog a review because I am inundated by requests for blog space so it’s a very special book that appears on Linda’s Book Bag more than once. I think that tells you something about Milly Johnson’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day! I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is about to be released in paperback and if you’re quick and pre-order you might just win a very special Christmas hamper from Betty’s. Details here.

My thanks to Courtney Jefferies at ED PR for inviting me to participate in this blog tour. I’m delighted to share my review once more.

Published in paperback by Simon and Schuster on 11th November 2021, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is available for paperback pre-order through the links here.

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

‘An absolute joy. Like all of Milly’s books it’s packed with heart and humour and characters you fall in love with. I didn’t want it to end’ Jane Fallon, bestselling author of Queen Bee

It’s nearly Christmas and it’s snowing, hard. Deep in the Yorkshire Moors nestles a tiny hamlet, with a pub at its heart. As the snow falls, the inn will become an unexpected haven for six people forced to seek shelter there…

Mary has been trying to get her boss Jack to notice her for four years, but he can only see the efficient PA she is at work. Will being holed up with him finally give her the chance she has been waiting for?

Bridge and Luke were meeting for five minutes to set their divorce in motion. But will getting trapped with each other reignite too many fond memories – and love?

Charlie and Robin were on their way to a luxury hotel in Scotland for a very special Christmas. But will the inn give them everything they were hoping to find – and much more besides?

A story of knowing when to hold on and when to let go, of pushing limits and acceptance, of friendship, love, laughter, mince pies and the magic of Christmas.

Gorgeous, warm and full of heartfelt emotion, I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Day is the perfect read this winter!

My Review of I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

Heavy snow means a change of plan for six travellers.

Oh yes! Yes indeed. I’d been hearing about how fabulous I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is and so Milly Johnson had considerable expectations to live up to and my word she met and exceeded them completely. I couldn’t have enjoyed I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day more – even if all the references to food made me ravenous throughout the read!

In essence, there isn’t an in-depth plot here as six metaphorically and physically lost people find themselves stranded in an inn in Figgy Hollow and spend the Christmas period chatting and eating; but with customary Milly Johnson élan, the story is utterly captivating, moving, uplifting and totally wonderful. I’d be quite happy to write a review that simply said, ‘Insert your own superlative here,’ because I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day is just joyous.

I fell in love with each of the six characters. I couldn’t bear to leave them when I wasn’t reading the book and ended the story feeling as if I had lived every moment of their lives with them – not just the few days in Figgy hollow because their past lives are so carefully woven into their present situation so that I felt I knew them completely. Each of them represents a version of love that Milly Johnson seems to understand so brilliantly and convey equally wonderfully on the page. There’s steadfast love, jealous love, unrequited and unacknowledged love, selfish and selfless love, passionate and platonic love so that every one of Bridge and Luke, Charlie and Robin, Mark and Jack, illustrates in vivid technicolour just how the world could be. I was so moved by them that I laughed and cried alongside them. Charlie in particular held personal resonance for me and I genuinely wish I could have met him in real life. Reading about these people gave me a physical sensation in my heart.

With themes of identity, family and friendship, industriousness and loyalty running through the story with a rich seam of humour (just look at Luke’s Terrible Christmas Jokes at the end) too, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day feels the perfect antidote to the awfulness of 2020. Milly Johnson shows, particularly through Charlie, how life is what we make it and living well in the here and now is enough. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day might be one of the wisest books I’ve read as well as one of the most entertaining. I loved the references to Jane Austen, and those alongside the music in Brian’s broadcasts, gave fabulous texture to the narrative that I really appreciated.

I’m aware I haven’t explained the appeal of this book adequately enough because it’s difficult to articulate how it made me feel. Suffused with love, warmth and humanity, Milly Johnson’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day isn’t about the spirit of Christmas, but rather embodies it in every glorious moment with just a touch of added magic. I absolutely adored it.

About Milly Johnson

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. As well as being a prolific author, she is also a copywriter for the greetings card industry, a joke-writer, a columnist, after dinner speaker, poet, BBC newspaper reviewer, and a sometimes BBC radio presenter.

She won the RoNA for Best Romantic Comedy Novel of 2014 and 2016 and the Yorkshire Society award for Arts and Culture 2015. Milly has recently been awarded the RNA Outstanding Achievement Award.

A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and with millions of copies of her books sold across the world, Milly’s star continues to rise. Milly was chosen as one of the authors for The Reading Agency’s Quick Reads 2020 campaign. Milly writes from the heart about what and where she knows and highlights the importance of community spirit. Her books champion women, their strength and resilience, and celebrate love, friendship and the possibility of second chances. She is an exceptional writer who puts her heart and soul into every book she writes and every character she creates.

She likes owls, cats, meringues, handbags and literary gifts – but hates marzipan. She is also very short.

You can follow Milly on Twitter @millyjohnson and Facebook.

Milly has an excellent website too where you can sign up for her brilliant monthly newsletter with exclusive, news, offers and competitions.

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