"That's how it works, right? Life-changing holiday, life epiphany?"
Always, in December, Josie sends a letter to someone she knows can never read it. It's not just the snow makes December cold for Josie, but the haunting memories of the life that was taken away from her two decades ago. And to top it all off, she's just discovered her boyfriend cheated on her and she's being made redundant after the new year. Right now, all the bright lights and festive music just remind her how alone she is.
Max knows what it's like to feel alone. Finding him stuck on his own in London just days before Christmas, he's surrounded by people celebrating but feels completely alone.
But this year, on Josies' usual trip to the postbox, her and Max collide and knock each other off course in the most remarkable ways. They've got a chance to rewrite their stories ... and this is only the first chapter of theirs.
"Well, maybe you're not going to find yourself.
Maybe you're going because you've finally found yourself."
Always, in December is a completely charming story that spans two Christmases, three countries and plenty of heartbreaks. A story about fate, about second changes and of course about love. Reading this felt like sitting by an open fire with a hot chocolate on Christmas Eve, just with a lot more tears.
I fell in love with Josie and Max instantly - I felt their spark from the moment they crashed into each other, always more like a warm bonfire than fireworks. There was a playful chemistry, a deep understanding between them that jumped off the pages. Of course, sometimes I just wanted to smash their heads together too - at times there were so many things that could be solved if they just talked properly, some deeply painful miscommunications that felt like something from a cheesy hallmark romance but I was still so invested in them all the same.
The other characters were wonderful, the whole supporting cast played their parts perfectly but I especially adored Josies' family, their private traditions and the way the shamelessly and openly loved each other.
Now, be warned this isn't just a cute festive romance - it will break your heart many times over, and deals with hard issues like illness, death, grief and cheating in some devastating ways. But even in light of all this, it has a beautiful, life-affirming glow to it and we get to see our characters go on personal journeys of self-discovery, acceptance and truly learning what makes them happy in life.
A perfect story for fans of P.S I Love You and One Day, I can definitely see this debut novel sitting on the shelf of classic contemporary romances.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Always, in December publishes with Headline on paperback on October 14th, or you can get the eBook now.
About the author:
Emily Stone lives and works in Chepstow and wrote Always, in December in an old Victorian manor house with an impressive literary heritage. Her debut novel was partly inspired by the death of her mother, when Emily was seven, and wanting to write something that reflected the fact that you carry this grief into adulthood, long after you supposedly move on from the event itself.
You can follow Emily on twitter at @emstonewrites
Thank you to Anne at @RandomThingsTours and Headline for inviting me to take part in this tour. I was gifted an advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
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