The Break Up Before Christmas by Charlotte Barnes
Published by ChocLit (Joffe Books) on 10 September 2025
📝 Review Note:
This review is provided as part of the Virtual Book Tour hosted by Zooloo’s Book Tours, taking place 10 September (publication day) until 16 September 2025 (my stop)and you can follow along with the Book Tour Schedule.
Thank you to Charlotte Barnes, ChocLit, Joffe Books and Zooloo’s Book Tours for including me on this book tour and for providing a copy of the digital edition of this festive romance to read and review.
As always, this review reflects my honest thoughts.
About the book
This holiday season, love is going off-script.
Celebrated advice columnist ‘Dear Dotty’ Ellison has made a name for herself by solving everyone else’s problems.
But she derails her seemingly perfect life when she unknowingly advises her girlfriend of ten years to break up with her. Through her own advice column.
Suddenly single, Dotty realises her life behind the picture-perfect brand isn’t as flawless as she thought. Determined to rediscover who she really is, she decides it’s time to learn how to take her own advice. She begins writing letters to herself through her column.
But when Dotty meets a gorgeous stranger at a cooking class, everything she thought she’d learned through her journey of self-discovery is thrown into question.
Now, with Christmas approaching, will Dotty discover that love and life aren’t something you can write, edit or schedule?
About the Author
Charlotte Barnes is an academic, crime writer, and poet based in Worcester, UK. Her crime writing covers everything from psychological thrillers to good old-fashioned detective work. She is currently working on a new psychological thriller.
Charley’s website is charleybarneswriter.com
and on social media:
Facebook @CharleyBarnesWriter
Instagram @CharleyBlogs
X (formerly Twitter) @CharleyBlogs
My Review
There’s something about Christmas books that always makes me want to curl up and savour the glow of the season, and The Break Up Before Christmas delivered exactly that feeling. Charlotte Barnes has written a festive story filled with hope, humour, and the sometimes messy business of starting over.
Dotty’s journey really is the heart of this book. Through her “Dear Dotty” column she’s always had the answers for everyone else, but when her own life falls apart she has to learn how to take her own advice. I loved the idea of her writing letters to herself — it was such a thoughtful and original way of showing her self-reflection.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t warm to Dotty as a character and found her a little frustrating at times. But that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of seeing her growth, the little lessons she learned, and the way she gradually pieced herself back together. Her journey felt authentic — complicated, imperfect, and ultimately rewarding.
The festive details added a lovely touch of sparkle, while the budding romance with Alia gave the story both warmth and fresh energy. The cooking class scenes especially were a delight and reminded me how much fun it is when books bring people together in unexpected ways.
Overall, this is a heartfelt tale of rediscovery and hope, wrapped up in all the magic of the Christmas season. Even if Dotty wasn’t always easy to love, the charm of the story, the emotional depth, and the promise of new beginnings made this an enjoyable festive read.
This review may also appear on my social media and selected book platforms. All links are correct at the time of posting.
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