The Upside Down Christmas by Kate Forster
Rating: ā­ļøā­ļøā­ļø/5

The Upside Down Christmas by Kate Forster is a touching novella about the sadness that some experience during the holidays.

Available on Audible Plus.

This book is part of my 10 Christmas Books For This Holiday Season – 2022.

My Overview

Marlo relocated from Britain to Sydney after her mom died, and no longer likes celebrating Christmas. Alex is from Sydney, enjoys celebrating Christmas with his family, and is a self-proclaimed Certified Christmas Elf. Theyā€™re flat mates and are each in a relationship. When Alex learns Marloā€™s plans this season are to avoid celebrating Christmas, he takes it upon himself to turn that all around for her. The year Alex created an upside down Christmas for Marlo, is the year she realized it was time to turn her life upside down too.

The Upside Down Christmas is an enjoyable novella. I didnā€™t like it as much as Iā€™d expected to, but still think it’s a sweet story. I listened to the audiobook for The Best Worst Christmas by this same author last year, and loved it. Unfortunately, this one didnā€™t come close. Did I have the wrong expectations? Perhaps. The humor was missing and I didnā€™t connect with the characters. I didnā€™t like Marlo and Alex’s choices and decisions, regarding the way they handled their relationships. I did, however, liked Marlo’s growth and willingness to make changes in her life.

This story is a good reminder that Christmas time isnā€™t always a happy season for everyone. For some, itā€™s a time of sad and painful memories. Thereā€™s no better time to help someone struggling with this time of the year. After all, turning someoneā€™s Christmas upside down might not just change the holiday season for that person, but their life in general.

My Recommendation

Overall, I’m still glad I listened to this audiobook. While the story wasn’t quite what I’d expected, I enjoyed the audiobook narration, which helped the story. At 3 hours and 28 minutes in length, this is the perfect length for the busy holiday season.

Have you listened to this audiobook?

Other novellas I’ve enjoyed by this author: