ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – New Beginnings for Christmas by Sally Page

New Beginnings for Christmas by Sally Page is published by Harper Collins and the eBook is available now. I purchased my own copy. Although it can be read perfectly well as a standalone story, it is a sequel novella to The Book of Beginnings which I read in 2023 – you can read my review here.

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From the author of the word-of-mouth sensation The Book of Beginnings, comes an uplifting, festive short story that will melt your heart this winter.

🎄❤️✨A single Christmas can change everything…✨❤️🎄

This Christmas, Malcolm is determined to give his dearest friend Rev Ruth the perfect festive lunch – a heartfelt thank-you for her boundless generosity.

But when Ruth’s kind spirit turns their quiet meal into a community feast, Malcolm’s dreams – and nerves – begin to unravel.

As snow begins to fall, tensions rise with the arrival of more unexpected guests…

But new beginnings often come wrapped in chaos. If Malcolm can find the courage to open his heart, he might find the most magical Christmas gift of all…

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The Book of Beginnings is my favourite of Sally Page’s books and so I was really looking forward to reading this festive sequel novella. Whilst the first book was Jo’s story as she met new friends, Rev Ruth and Malcolm, this second story focuses much more on Malcolm and Ruth with Jo taking more of a supporting role.

Malcolm really wants to treat Ruth to Christmas dinner, just the two of them, as a thank you for her friendship and to help her wind down. What he perhaps failed to realise was that a vicar’s busiest time is over Christmas and that Ruth actually enjoys all the carolling, the Christingle, the special services and the bonhomie that comes with the festive season. Malcolm finds himself railroaded into something more of a community get-together than the quiet meal he had anticipated but maybe, if he could let himself enjoy being with others, he will find it’s actually just what he needed after all.

New Beginnings for Christmas is a gorgeous festive read. It’s contemplative with lots of meaning behind everything that happens. There’s a kind of magical feel to it all and I loved the way Ruth quietly and surreptitiously steered Malcolm into the meal, helping him whilst letting him believe he was helping her. This book is all about Christmas spirit and festive cheer, it’s poignant and hopeful, and it has a lovely nod to the Twelve Days of Christmas that I thought was achieved with aplomb by Sally Page. Highly recommended for a touching Christmas read whether you have read The Book of Beginnings or not.

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After studying history at university, Sally moved to London to work in advertising. However, in her spare time she studied floristry at night school and eventually opened her own flower shop. She soon came to appreciate that flower shops offer a unique window into people’s stories and eventually she began to photograph and write about this floral life in a series of non-fiction books. Later, she continued her interest in writing when she founded her fountain pen company, Plooms.

In her debut novel, The Keeper of Stories, Sally combines her love of history and writing with her abiding interest in the stories people have to tell. The novel sold over half a million copies in the UK and was translated into 29 languages, making Sally a Sunday Times Bestseller. It was also shortlisted for British Book of the Year.

Sally’s second novel, The Book of Beginnings, was launched in September 2023 and her third book, The Secrets of Flowers, in August 2024. In both books, friendship and hope are major themes. Sally’s three books have sold over a million copies in the UK. In October 2025 Harper Collins released a Christmas Novella, New Beginnings for Christmas – a sequel to The Book of Beginnings, and in the Spring 2026 will be launching her novel, Six Little Words.

Sally lives in Dorset. Her eldest daughter, Alex, is a doctor and her youngest daughter is the author, Libby Page.