One of the coziest books I’ve ever read… "The Hygge Holiday" by Rosie Blake. A five-star read.
This book introduces you to Clara, a young woman who is sort of backpacking through England and ends up in a tiny village that has kind of lost its charm and warmth. There’s not much left in the village, as most shops, cafes, restaurants and such have closed down. At the village pub one night, she overhears a woman talking about how she plans on leaving town and closing her little toy shop. Clara offers to flat-sit for the woman…and has quiet dreams of possibly breathing new life into the toy shop. She does so along the way of meeting a new friend and bumping heads with the toy shop owner’s son. But sparks fly when she begins to show her hygge secrets to life. There was a romance in this story, but it was very subtle. The main story was of Clara and her experiences as she brought life back to not only the toy shop, but to the village and its people.
This book was just such a cozy, comforting read. It was just what I needed…light, fun, sweet, and super cozy. It takes place at the tail end of autumn, so it had all those vibes. I loved the characters and the story and the village and the toy shop…all of it.
There were two things I didn’t particularly like, and felt they added nothing to the story: one political joke and one (rather crude) sexual comment. Nothing a little white-out couldn't fix. Other than that, this was a 4.5-star read for me. (Rounded up to 5 stars on GoodReads) I really loved it! The perfect seasonal read!