Driving Home For Christmas by Emma Hannigan

Christmas at Huntersbrook House has always been a family tradition - log fires, long walks through the snowy fields and evenings spent in the local pub. And this year the three grown-up Craig children are looking forward to the holidays more than ever. 

Pippa to escape her partying lifestyle and mounting debts in Dublin; Joey the demands of his gorgeous girlfriend who seems intent on coming between him and his family; and Lainey to forget about her controlling ex and his recent engagement to another woman.

But with the family livery yard in financial trouble, this Christmas could be the Craig family's last at Huntersbrook as they face the prospect of selling the ancestral house. 

As the holiday season gets underway, the family need to come up with a way to save their home, and face the problems they've been running away from in Dublin. And what better place to figure things out than around the fire at Huntersbrook House?


 Driving Home For Christmas is the first book I have read by Emma Hannigan. The cover has a lovely winter countryside setting and I was hoping that the storyline would be festive to help me get into the Christmas spirit.

When it comes to Christmas there is only one place the Craig family want to be and that is at the family home of Huntersbrook House. Thing is this could be the last family Christmas in the family home due to financial problems but this is not known to Joey, Pippa and Lainey who all have a lot of personal problems that they really need a break from this Christmas.

When I first began reading this book I really struggled as there were a lot of characters and they all seemed to blur into one to me but luckily as the storyline progressed they all began to take their own form. Because they story is told from each of the characters points of views their personalities shines through well so we soon get to know the characters well. Pippa was the character who really shone to me, she was a live wire and quite an entertaining character who comes full circle and makes some positive changes.  I loved the importance of family in this book, to all of the family members spending quality time together and looking out for each other is a big thing and it is not something that I see often enough in books or in real life for that matter.

There was some lovely touches of light humour especially around the Christmas presents! There was also an unexpected twist which I love in a good book. I wouldn’t be surprised if the author brought out a sequel to this book as the foundations are already in place for another instalment and I for one would definitely be in line to grab my copy to see what happens next.

This felt like a very realistic and traditional read that you would love to curl up with over these cold winter months. I became so engrossed in the storyline that when I finished and looked out the window I was quite disappointed to see the sun and not a layer of fresh white snow!

Festive Cover

Festive Storyline

OVERALL REVIEW



Kindle                     Paperback