ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – A Recipe for Christmas by Jo Thomas

A Recipe for Christmas by Jo Thomas is published by Transworld and available now in paperback, eBook and audiobook. I purchased my own copy of the book.



Take one woman longing for the perfect Christmas . . .

All Clara has ever wanted is Christmas surrounded by loved ones, full of warmth and delicious food. So when her new boyfriend asks her to move to Switzerland, she can’t help but say yes! After all, what could be more perfect than Christmas in the Alps?

Add a dash of surprise

She quickly signs up for a tempting chocolate-making class, but it turns out to be chocolate-making bootcamp! And her boyfriend isn’t all he seemed either . . .

And enjoy a magical festive treat!

Despite it all, Clara begins to make friends – including the aloof yet intriguing Gabriel. With all of the ingredients at her fingertips, will she finally be able to whisk up her Christmas dream?



Clara takes a great leap into the unknown. She leaves everything she’s ever known and moves to Switzerland with her (very) new boyfriend, Daniel. Not knowing what she will do with herself there, she signs up for what she thinks is a beginner’s chocolate course but it turns out that it’s much more serious than that. Her classmates are already pretty good at chocolate making and the tutors practically laugh her out of the room. Thankfully this just makes Clara more determined and the presence of Gabriel, master chocolatier, might be a factor in her desire to succeed.

Jo Thomas is a favourite author of mine, one I can trust to deliver a truly lovely read that will make me hungry. Clara does quite a bit of practising and so I got lots of delicious descriptions of creamy and flavoursome chocolates. This book was just right for my sweet tooth!

I always enjoy the journeys that this author takes her characters on, both physically and emotionally. Switzerland’s beauty is described to perfection and I got a yearning to be sitting outside in the fresh, cold air, imbibing a hot chocolate from the stall. By the conclusion of the story Clara had realised exactly what she wanted from her life and I closed the book feeling, despite the snowy setting, all warm and fuzzy.

A Recipe for Christmas is a delight from start to finish. I loved the characters, the setting, the festive story and, of course, the abundance of chocolate. Gorgeous.



Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer, including time at Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Radio 2’s The Steve Wright Show.

Jo’s debut novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller and won both the RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the Festival of Romance Best eBook Award. Her book Escape to the French Farmhouse was a #1 bestselling eBook. Jo loves to explore new countries and discover the food produced there, both of which she thoroughly enjoys researching. Jo lives in Pembrokeshire with her husband and three children, where cooking and gathering around the kitchen table are a hugely important and fun part of their family life.

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