REVIEW: The Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane by Jaimie Admans

 

The Christmas Shop On Nutcracker Lane by Jaimie Admans published by HQ Books

 

Christmas has always been Nia Maddison’s favourite time of the year and as a crafter and a massive lover of Nutcrackers, this season gives Nia the opportunity to combine them both. As a child, her grandmother used to take her to visit Nutcracker Lane, a row of Christmas shops full of magic and wonder. When the opportunity to run her own Christmas gift shop on the most magical street in town arises, it feels like her wishes have been finally granted.

After receiving a text from her boyfriend, who obviously meant to send it to another woman (!) Nia faces the holiday season on her own, but as she leaves work late one night, she makes a wish on the (supposedly) magical nutcracker and half-jokingly wishes to find Prince Charming.

The next day Nia gets to work to find another decoration shop has opened directly across the lane from her own, and she can’t resist having a nose around.

Whilst there, she accidentally backs into a six foot sized Nutcracker, knocking it over and breaking it. Mortified, she flees from the store but when she gathers her resolve to go back and apologise, she stumbles across the gorgeous shop owner James, who looks exactly like Prince Charming.

This was the first Jaimie Admans book that I’ve read and I’ve going to be blatantly honest and say that it didn’t blow me away. I felt that you really had to be quite obsessed with Nutcrackers to fully understand Nia’s love for the wooden decorations.

Some parts of the book felt forced, and dragged out – and I cringed when Nia kept talking to herself saying on several occasions that she wanted to hug James, but she held back as she didn’t know him well enough, even though they’d spent the evening together and he fell asleep on her sofa. That didn’t feel right to me – especially as she came across to me as a warm, huggy type of character.

I didn’t understand quite what Nutcracker Lane was – there were times when in my head I was thinking it was like a Christmas Market, or  The Lanes in Brighton and other times I thought it was like an indoor market but I wasn’t too sure.

Also, it was a very predictable story, as soon as James’s character appeared I knew where it was going to go and who he was – although I had to wait until 82% of the book, to be told.

Saying all that (sorry for the negativity!) once the story got going it was an enjoyable read. It was well told, and I loved all the references to Christmases gone by…the foil decorations, the board games and traditions all made me smile.

And now…wherever I go at the moment, my eyes are drawn to nutcrackers whereas before I never really noticed them, and you know what? I might actually buy myself one this year…but not a six foot version!!