The third novel in No-one Ever Has Sex series from Tracy Bloom, No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day is a laugh out loud book about a small circle of adults and the odd way life brings people together. Though it is from a series, I felt it could be read as a standalone as I have not read the other books in the series previously. We follow Katy and Ben as they navigate their first holiday season settled in a new home with the pressure of family, work, and the future piling on them. Their friend Braindead brings the constant laughs, and some well-timed insight, as the two struggle with the decisions ahead of them. There's also Matthew and Alison, preparing for their next child, dealing with Alison's demands as a perfectionist, and helping, or hurting, Matthew's friend Ian in his quest for love.

"I mean, it's so not sexy. Kids up at the crack of dawn, hands up turkey's backside before breakfast, stomachs bloated by too much food and alcohol, exhaustion from weeks of celebrating."

I really enjoyed No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day for one big reason, the characters are all realistic. They are flawed, they are curious, then are navigating a world that, like real life, comes with bumps, changes, and incredible opportunities. We get annoyed with our parents and our spouses, we miss some of our kid's moments and we constantly strive to be better in everything. Katy, Ben, Braindead, Matthew, Alison, and Ian all live in the same town, but they're acquaintances at best, their pasts having brought them together once that left things a bit on the awkward side. The book itself switches from character to character, never focusing on a single household for long, not until their lives start to bring them together again.

"This was turning out to be maybe not the most cosmopolitan but certainly the best Christmas he ever had."

I love just how much humor was in this book, Tracy Bloom writes with so much spirit and she knows how to make you laugh. It's lighthearted all while proving that a book doesn't have to follow the standard familial layout of career, children, and friendship. It is funny, it has moments of shock, and it even has a stay-at-home dad with an overworked wife. I appreciated that it was stereotypical, that friendship, romance, and sex carried this story forward, bringing some depth to the humor and sharing with readers a message about love and the people in your life. No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day is a fun, lighthearted read that's perfect for the holidays, or anytime really.


ARC provided in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This was one of the funniest romantic comedies I have read in a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed the British humor that had me staying up until quite late to finish this book. Katy and Ben are a married couple with a 3 year old daughter. Katy is an executive at an ad agency who works crazy hours while Ben is a high school teacher who left his job to stay at home with their daughter. He is now teaching part time at his daughter's pre-school. The other main couple in the story are Mathew and Allison, parents of 3 children with one on the way. If you have read any other books in this series, you will know that these two couples have a past, and in this book, they are going to run into each other again. The author gives enough details about this that you do not need to have read the other books. Throw in the secondary characters of Daniel, Katy's gay best friend, her mother and her new "toy boy" who are coming for Christmas, Ben's bestfriend, Braindead, and his girlfriend and mix in their Christmas plans and you have a fun story. There is also Mathew's best friend and co-worker Ian and their nanny Lena who round out the other family. With Christmas Party's, pre-school nativity plays, proposals, business trips abroad and all the angst that happens at Christmas, and you will understand what the laughter in my living room was all about. This is the first Tracy Bloom book I have read, but it will not be my last. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

This one is part of as series of books which include No-One Ever Has Sex On A Tuesday and No-One Ever Has Sex in the Suburbs. However, it reads perfectly fine as a stand alone since the author gives you enough background so that you know these characters a little more.

No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day was funny from the start. The story centers around Katy, she’s 40, married to a younger man named Ben and they have a three-year old daughter Millie. Also in the mix are their family and friends with plenty of drama, coincidences and mishaps along the way.

I liked Ben right away and Katy doesn’t deserve him. He’s a good father and husband and has been running around decorating the house for Christmas with bargain stuff he managed to find. He also let his career take the back-burner for a while after the baby was born so that Katy could work full-time at her demanding job. Katy is the main breadwinner with an advertising job.

Katy’s mom who is in her 70’s is leaving Katy’s dad for a younger man. She announces that she and her new boyfriend are coming over to Katy’s house for a few days for Christmas. Also in the mix are Matthew and his pregnant wife Alison. Matthew is Katy’s ex who she had an affair with a few years ago. Ben knows about the affair but has forgiven Katy and they have since gotten married. This book reminded me a little bit of Bridget Jones’s Diary plus Love Actually with the quirky heroine and the wacky family and friends all with separate yet intertwining story-lines.

In the midst of all this mayhem, Katy has been offered a new job in Australia. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for her but she is torn because Ben wants to have another baby ASAP. If Katy gets the new job she will have to choose her career over having a second child and she’s pressed for time in the baby department because she is already forty years old. She would have to uproot her family from the U.K. to Australia as well.

All in all, this book is about how family and love are the most important things of all. And also, Merry Christmas. This was a fun, wacky and festive story and I enjoyed it.

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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. My free review copy of No-one Ever Has Sex on Christmas Day by Tracy Bloom was courtesy of NetGalley/Bookouture.

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