Ever since I spotted this book in Glamour Magazine, I had to have it. Even before I knew anything about it, I knew that if it was featured in Glamour then it must be good - and the gorgeous cover caught my eye!
The Night Before Christmas is the debut novel written by Scarlett Bailey (who is, after reading just this one book, fast becoming one of my favourite authors). It is about main character Lydia who has the plan for the ideal Christmas - staying with her boyfriend and her oldest and closest friends in a gorgeous house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by snow - the type of place that wouldn't look out of place on a Christmas card. But things start to heat up when some unexpected guests arrive (in the form of Lydia's ex boyfriend - the one that got away - and a dashing handsome stranger) and they all find themselves snowed in. However this still sounds like heaven to us!
I absolutely adore the cover for a start, it's so different to other book covers out there especially in that its black. However it keeps in with the Christmas theme well with glam purple and gold illustrations. It's very Christmassy without being too over the top seasonal, it's modern and just really catches your eye.
The eccentric mix of characters in this book is handled extremely well. With Lydia, her boyfriend, three friends and their other halves and the handsome stranger, its easy to get confused. I was confused at first, but with each having such different personalities I was soon able to follow the story line fine without getting mixed up.
Having so many characters and a plot that really only features over a few days must have been challenging to write but I think the author did an ideal job - so much goes on in so little time that it does not feel slow. Likewise, I don't think it sounded rushed either.
The story line itself was a gem too - love triangles and issues being raised when a group of people are stuck together for any amount of time has been done before but parts of this story were extremely original and didn't sound leave me thinking that it was only a different spin on something I'd read before. This book has its fair share of laugh out loud moments, as well as touching, sad and romantic ones too. I think it has a bit of everything. I genuinely found this book unpredictable as well. It is of course a love story that touches upon many different types of relationships too such as friendship and family but I definitely couldn't pin point what would happen in terms of Lydia's love life. With many books and stories you can often tell soon enough who the main character will end up with but this wasn't the case here which was a nice surprise.
This Christmas chic-lit is definitely a story I'd recommend. It's the absolute perfect story like for this winter and as always, after reading, will leave you thinking about the messages behind the story such as how friends are always for life and the different types of love.
I give this book 5/5 stars and would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of chic lit or Christmas stories. If you can wait until Christmas or until we get some snowy weather then definitely do as this book is perfect to read at these times - however I'd also recommend you to read it ASAP as it is amazing! Get your onesie on, grab a hot chocolate and snuggle up on the sofa with this book - you won't be able to put it down.
