Portobello Book Blog

I have an extract from Julia Roberts Christmas novella Christmas at Carol’s for you to read today. It was released yesterday and you can order a copy online here.

First of all, here is what the book’s about:

An uplifting tale of people’s desire to help each other in the season of goodwill – a romantic comedy with a twist in the tale.

Carol fell in love with Wisteria Cottage the moment she laid eyes on it and moved in two weeks before Christmas hoping it would be start of a new more positive period in her life. 

On her first night in her new home she discovers an old Christmas card to someone called Annie with a heart-breaking message inside from Jake. 

Although she doesn’t know them, and despite being on a self-imposed dating break herself, Carol begins planning how she can bring them together, while her new neighbour, Sally, is attempting a bit of matchmaking of her own. 

I didn’t think I was going to manage to read the book but managed to squeeze it in. In fact, if you’ve got a spare hour and fancy a quick festive read, then this is ideal. I moved into my first house just before Christmas, just like Carol in this book, so recognise that excitement of a new home as well as wanting it to be Christmassy. I was very intrigued by the Christmas card from Jake to Annie with its sad message and really hoped she may somehow be able to bring the two together to talk if nothing else. Julia Roberts has created a really cosy atmosphere in the book despite the snow falling outside and it really sounded an idyllic place to spend Christmas. Add in getting to know the new neighbours Sally and Matt, who were just the kind of people you’d like to have nearby, and the possibility of new romance for Carol and this has all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas read.

EXTRACT

I’ve pictured us gathered around a roaring fire, with me handing out homemade mince pies and topping up glasses of sherry after a game of Monopoly where no-one got moody because they were losing, before settling down to watch Home Alone orMiracle on 34th Street.

Who am I kidding? Firstly, I’ve never made a mince pie in my life. What’s the point when you can buy a pack of six from the supermarket with crumbly, buttery pastry for less than it would cost to make them? My stomach grumbles even louder.

Secondly, we always go to my sister’s for Christmas Day. Noella has the perfect family: a husband who worships the ground she walks on, two stunningly beautiful children – a boy and a girl, of course – and a house big enough for us all to have our own room on Christmas Eve. No-one will have to sleep on the floor on cushions from the sofa, zipped into sleeping bags that have seen their fair share of music festivals over the years and have a faint whiff of mud to prove it. At Noella’s house, the bed linen is pristine white and smells like fresh air, and there will be no queue for the bathroom on Christmas morning as every room has an en-suite.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister and her husband, and my nephew and niece, but I sometimes feel that their perfection is yet another reminder, as if one were needed, of just how imperfect my life is. I’m not unattractive, I have a good job teaching English in a private school and a wicked sense of humour but, for some reason, the sort of men I’m attracted to aren’t the settling-down type, at least not with me. The funny thing is, my last three boyfriends have all got married to the girl they dated immediately after me, making me officially ‘The One Before The One!’ 

You can find out more about the author on her website http://www.juliarobertsauthor.com/ where you will find info on her books and can sign up for her free newsletter.

You can follow her on Twitter @juliarobertsTV or Instagram juliagroberts