Despite the fact that Christmas is my favourite time of year, I very rarely read fictional books about the season. However, when I saw The Christmas Cookie Club, I knew I had to give it a try, and I’m very glad I did.

The first thing that struck me was the fact that each chapter is preceded by a cookie recipe, and to begin with those chapters seem to focus on the character whose cookie it is. As you get further into the story and learn about all twelve of the women in the club, the chapters become less focused on one particular character.

There wasn’t really much of a plot, but as we get further into the book the more back story we discover about each woman, and how being a member of the Christmas cookie club has or is changing their lives. While some heavy issues are included in the novel, none of them were delved into deeply and so the book easily keeps the feel of a light and easy read to enjoy over the holidays.

One thing I’m unsure whether I liked or not was the description and information about each ingredient between the chapters. While I found it interesting, it didn’t seem to support the main character’s story or characterisation, and generally took me out of the closeness the women have with one another in the group.

Overall this is a book I feel I could read again (and I hope to try a few of the recipes), and is a very enjoyable festive read. I would recommend it to anyone looking for stories about female friendship and want something that will give them hope with a little Christmassy spirit.