Christmas Actually is the store of Kate, a middle aged mom to two kids and wife to Matthew. Kate spends her days catering to her family. She had a dream of being a photographer but that's been forgotten years ago. When she gets an offer from an old college friend to work on a magazine for a few weeks before Christmas she can't help but say yes. This might just be what she needs to start her photography career again.
But once she goes back to work the lives of everyone around her starts to unravel and she's the only one that keeps it all together for them. There's a crazy amount of drama that unfolds during these few short weeks which make the story quite fast paced to read but also felt a bit unrealistic that this much could go on in one month.
I really enjoyed Christmas Actually but I don't feel the title suits. Yes, it takes place over the Christmas season but that's about all. It certainly didn't have the Hallmark feel I expected. I understand the Christmas cover but even it seemed like a small part of the story. I also felt the ending was a bit rushed.