Channel your inner Mary Poppins!

Such a fun story. Loved this - my only slight issue was I found the jumps to Barclay’s narration a bit jarring, as the narrator was so well fitted to the nanny. I think it wouldn’t be an issue in the book as you’d “hear” different voices. But it didn’t spoil the book

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great Christmassy listen

I loved listening to the audio version of this book. It the tells the story of a lady called Ruby who is employed as a nanny of two girls. It is a lovely Christmas tale, with relatable characters and is very easy to listen to. The narrator was great. I have listened to a few other stories by this author and they have all been good.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A Christmas Romance

This is a humourous Christmas story which I did enjoy., full of all the traditional Christmas events you would expect.
Ruby, the nanny, is hilarious and her inner monologues made me smile. She takes absolutely no nonsense from the adults in the story either. Mr Rochester, (yes there is a slight touch of Jane Eyre here) is the moody, work obsessed widower.
Although I enjoyed the story I found the narrator really annoyed me with her silly character voices, especially her whinny children's voices. it unfortunately spoilt it for me.
Having said that, if you can get over the narrator this is a good Christmas tale.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Laugh out loud Christmas read

Oh I do love a Christmas book, especially one as funny as this! Barclay is a grumpy widower with 2 gorgeous young daughters, so he hires Ruby to be his Nanny. I loved Ruby and all her sassy and hilarious remarks. She is such a lovely, kind person who adores those little girls and I feel like we would have got along very well!! This book gave me all the feels from romance to humour to full on tears and it literally had everything you could want for a perfect Christmas read.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A magical Christmas romance!

I received an audio copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review from Laura Barnard.

Once upon a wish-mas is a heartwarming novella about lost love and new beginnings.

Ruby is an amazingly likeable character full of joy and who slowly begins to thaw the frozen heart of Barclay!
This book has all the feels of Christmas and has got me into the festive spirit already!

The children in this story are utterly adorable and I loved the narrators voice when reading their script.

This is a truly magical read that brought tears to my eyes and made my heart race with anticipation.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Predictable

Ruby Campbell meets Barclay Rochester a widower with 2 small children one 3yrs the other 8yrs, and no one can replace his wife so he becomes a workaholic but does make the time for his children now and then so along comes Ruby the nanny, she is bold and can be rebellious at times but good at her job. She finds Mr. Rochester without heart of so she thought but his thinking is taking everything that shows his wife out of sight out of mind so who will win as Xmas is drawing close. A sweet story really can be a bit sickly in places but an easy listen, the narrator Charlie Emmeline Albers was good in most parts but can also be grating in others. The story is predictable so no chewing the nails etc. more of a romance.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

My most favourite Christmas book..... ever!!

Perfect perfect perfect!! This book was wonderful, beautifully written, very Christmassy and made me laugh and cry multiple times!!
From beginning to end and everything inbetween, this book was an amazing Christmas read! It was a warm, cosy, hug of a book and I would highly recommend it!
Barclay Rothchester has a reputation for being a grumpy tyrant and when he hires a nanny for his two young daughters, sparks begin to fly!
Ruby Campbell is the nanny with sass and when she becomes the caring nanny of two young girls, her life is turned upside down!
I loved all the characters and how realistic and relatable they all were.
The story unfolds beautifully and I found myself listening more and more because I just had to find out what was going to happen. If you only listen to one Christmas book this year then you must make it this one, it’s amazing!!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Christmas with children.

This was a fun Christmas read and probably my favourite of the three I've read in the run-up to Xmas 2020. I think what really made this one a hit for me was the build up of excitement from the two children as Christmas approaches.

Ruby Campbell has taken on the job of nanny for 2 adorable little girls, but their father is another matter. Barclay Rothchester lost his wife some years before and he is still grieving. He is impossible to please and has already scared off several nannies before Ruby appears on the scene. She immediately falls for the girls and fights their corner when Barclay declares there are not going to be any Christmas decorations, nor photos of his deceased wife.

Ruby is a bit of a super-nanny and the girls love her. She even joins the PTA so Jessica can ride on the Christmas float. She is totally sassy, but is rather quick to declare everyone she doesn't like as a B*tch, and this put me off her a bit.
The girls are similar ages to my granddaughters (3 and 6) and I totally related to their emotions and excitement.

I wasn't a great fan of the narrator, who only had 2 voices, twee and super-twee. I actually wished I'd been reading rather than listening. Still, the book was entertaining and helped build some Christmas spirit at the end of a really strange year.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Fun and entertaining

I'm not a big fan of tearjerkers, but this one made me cry in a good way. Overall it was an entertaining, funny, feel good story and I liked the characters. It's a little like Mary Poppins meets the Sound of Music. The relationship developed fast in some ways and slow in others. I'm looking forward to listening to/reading more from this author. I'm actually starting Road Trip tonight.

I listened to the Audible version. Charlie Emmeline Albers' performance was amazing. She voices two distinct children's voices and brings a lot of energy and feeling to the whole story. At times that energy made it difficult to tell what was spoken aloud vs. what was in someone's thoughts, and Barclay's voice wasn't always consistent, but the energy is also a big part of what made the story fun to listen to. I would recommend the audio version.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Absolutely hilariously fantastic!

This book. This book had me crying with laughter pretty much all the way through. Charlie is an absolute perfect fit for these characters absolutely brilliant performance. The book is written so very well I did not stop once while listening to it as it was so addictive. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a light feelgood emotional read/listen.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!