"Bella's Christmas Bake Off" by Sue Watson

Amy Lane is about to have the worst Christmas ever. Her husband of twenty years has just left her for a younger woman with a stripper pole in her bedroom.  Her university age children have called to tell her that they won’t be coming home Christmas day.  And as usual, her year ten students are capturing her lowest moments on video and uploading them to the internet.

Bella Bradley will once again be having the Christmas of everyone’s dreams.  The queen of television cooking, her Christmas specials are always the highest rated shows.  She’s married to the ‘Silver Fox,” a war correspondent loved by all.  Her life is just one big Hello magazine spread.

When Amy’s and Bella’s Christmases collide, it can only result in one thing - the best bake off the country has ever seen.  

Bella’s Christmas Bake Off, by Sue Watson, is a fun novel that includes all of the essentials of Christmas - friendship, baking, helping each other out, and of course, a little magic.

The premise of this novel makes it a very cute Christmas read.  Once upon a time, Amy and Bella were best friends.  But Amy did something that betrayed her friendship with Bella and for over two decades, they never saw or spoke to each other again.  Even though they lived two very different lives, Amy always held on to her connection with Bella through her Christmas cooking specials.  But then she realizes that all of the recipes Bella has been using belonged to Amy’s mother.  In order to confront Bella, Amy enters, and of course wins, a competition to be on Bella’s tv show.  Before they know it, the past is confronted and Amy and Bella find themselves in the middle of a television bake off.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It’s a nice, light read and perfect for reading in between all of the busy moments of the holidays.  I like that it wasn’t just a story set at Christmas time (as many holiday novels often are.)  This story is also about the preparations for Christmas but most importantly it’s about friendships and caring for each other.


If you want a book that will give you some Christmas spirit, this is it.  But be warned, it will make you very, very hungry!

I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher through Netgalley. The opinions expressed above are my own.

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