Every December, Holly writes to a stranger who is spending Christmas alone. And every year she receives a letter from another lonely person. Being a part of the Dear Stranger club is a tradition she has come to treasure. Because ever since the accident three years ago, Holly has spent Christmas alone.
Usually, the letters go unanswered. But when Holly reads this year's Christmas letter, from an older woman called Emma, she feels compelled to find her, as Emma mentions a place Holly knows all too well.
Holly offers to help Emma reconnect with her estranged grandson. But when Holly tracks down handsome, dark-eyed Jack, she realises she's met him once before, and the connection was electric. Suddenly helping a stranger is about to get a lot more complicated...
"There. Now you've got to call me - this is what all those romcom movies start with, right? Next thing you know we'll be caught in the middle of a montage."
There is one guarantee with an Emily Stone novel - you’re about to cry, so make sure you’ve got the tissues ready. Now, admittedly sometimes these kind of stories feel a little overdone, but Stone has a charm about her writing that does always leave me coming back with curiosity for her next story and it is always so full of love, heart and warmth that it feels like a big hug (no matter how heartbreaking it gets!)
It has all the festive settings of a hallmark movie with the snowy cottage and sparkling lights, all the feelings and such lovable characters with beautiful relationships and an equal mix of complications and love. At the start they did feel like they’d been pulled right from a movie with all the tropes, but as we go along our characters develop and grow and you definitely find yourself getting attached as they go through some honestly catastrophic moments that felt a bit too much at times and also some breathtakingly beautiful ones.The pace is a little slow, long and leisurely, moving through time and interspersed with letters so we spend a lot of time with Holly and her thoughts and watch as we see an entire web of connections come together. Honestly, this was a little too sad for me at times, but there was a glimmer of hope and love at the end that was so warm and affirming.
- The Christmas Letter is available now with Headline. I received an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.
- Please check content warnings before reading as this title contains subjects that may be upsetting or triggering including terminal illness, car accidents, miscarriage and death.
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