I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book, because when I first opened it I noticed that it was compiled of letters, emails, magazine articles, and invitations only. This is my first experience with this type of book, and maybe it is just the madness of the holiday season, but I found that I really enjoyed it. I am also pleased to share that my entire book club liked this book also.

Caro Dixon is a young starlett, who like so many of her peers finds herself living the party lifestyle and not really caring about those that get in her way. She just wants to know when the next mind-numbing experience will be so she won't miss it. Unfortunately for Caro, a writer from a gossip magazine happens to find out about every mistake she makes in the world and adds a spin to it that keeps readers intrigued.

When things have finally gone too far, Caro finds herself in a rehabilitation clinic hoping to change her ways. She reaches out to people from her past as she makes amends to as many individuals as possible. She is thankful when she finds that she can confide in her former nanny Astrid, and Cyril who owns a dude ranch where she spent time at as a young girl. Cyril and Astrid don't condemn Caro for her recent mistakes, but only remember her as the young, innocent girl that they both cared for. When things become a little rocky after Caro leaves the clinic, and it appears that she may give in to her weaknesses once again, Cyril decides to invite both her and Astrid to his ranch to spend Christmas.

Even though this book consisted of correspondence you can feel the love and strength that Cyril and Astrid both provided. The Christmas that they spend together was really a magical time that brought the most unusual people together. There were a couple of other surprises in this book that I won't reveal, but I will say that this was a very quick and enjoyable Holiday book. I have come to not expect a lot out of Holiday books, but this one kept me engaged and it only took me a couple of days to read, so in the Holiday genre I definitely recommend it. ( )

I have read all of Lorna Landvik's books and this is the least interesting of them - not nearly as fun as "Angry Women Eating BonBons".
In tis book all of the action takes place in the form of e-mails and a few newspaper articles - so all activity takes place before it is recorded. It is about a rich heiress who decides to stop drinking and step out of the limelight. characters are not very well developed. ( )

This book was a pleasant little surprise. It is written in epistolary form, including some emails and gossip columns, and while it starts out slow, it really picks up towards the middle for a satisfying conclusion. Caro, a rich, alcoholic heiress, has just gotten out of rehab when she reaches out to her former nanny, Astrid, and the man whose dude ranch she stayed at as a teenager, Cyril. What follows is a Christmas miracle of friendship and love. This was sappy, yes, and the characters could have been more developed, but in the end it was exactly what I needed this time of year, and I may even have shed a tear or two. Very sweet. Three and a half stars. ( )

I really disliked this book, so much so, that I gave it the first 25 pages and didn't finish it. It wasn't the format. I read Cecelia Ahern's book, Rosie Dunne, which was written in a similar style and I loved it. This book however, involves too many characters to successfully incorporate the same format. Other than the main character, there was no explanation of the other letter writers. It's also confusing when reading reviews it seems to be about 5 women and a book club however that doesn't match the books descpription at all. If I had continued to read it would, I hope, become more clear as to the relationships between people. However, this book failed to interest me from the start and I chose not invest any more of my time on a book that seemed to start off so poorly. ( )

An alcoholic heiress, Caroline Dixon, has demonstrated some kind of inappropriate behavior everywhere she goes. Eventually, she attempts to write an apology note to those that she has presumably hurt and then, literally, tosses it aside. The paparazzi do not miss a beat and retrieve the thrown away note. Mitch from the Star Gazer's "Here's Buzz" column prints it all. Once the word is out, Caroline needs help.

Snarky, snarky, snarky. And, thankfully, I like snarky. I also love epistolary-styled books. This one happens to be mainly through e-mails. The exchanging of e-mails begin on August 7 and end on December 31, so the book is not focused just on the holiday season, nor is it just about Caroline. The beginning messages were a tad bit awkward due to the characters being introduced in snippets, but once I figured out the general scenario between e-mailers, I was able to sit back and enjoy. (4/5)

Originally posted on: "Thoughts of Joy..." ( )