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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I am a well-known Ebeneezer Scrooge. My family lovingly calls me the grinch. But I am a sucker for Christmas romance! I’m so happy to have read this ARC and I definitely will read it in December to get into the Christmas spirit. Emily Stone wrote a beautiful story of romance, forgiveness, and self discovery.. The friendship and romance in this book is is wonderful. Holly and Jack just warmed my heart.
Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Holly is lonely. She has been since she and her sister were in a car accident three Christmases ago - her sister hasn't spoken to her since. She starts participating in a Dear Stranger letter program during the holidays, and when she receives a letter from a woman who mentions the same cafe Holly was in the day of her crash - where she met a handsome stranger - she thinks it's fate. She seeks out the letter writer, to find it is a curmudgeonly old woman named Emma who is very closed off. Emma has recently been diagnosed with cancer and longs to reconnect with her estranged grandson after they were in a car accident of their own decades earlier. Holly takes it upon herself to find Emma's grandson and reunite them, but there are surprises in store for her as well.
This is my second Emily Stone book and one thing I love about her work is how heartwarming and tender it is. While there is romance in Stone's books, the heart of the story is in the human connection and friendships that are formed and strengthened. The romance - while lovely - is almost secondary to the growth that each character goes through. This book begins and ends during the Christmas season but isn't a true holiday read, but is so cozy nonetheless! I just love how sweet and uplifting this story was and I was rooting for everyone to come together with those they had drifted away from.
TW: Mention of car crash, death of a parent, miscarriage
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Balletine/Dell for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This is my second Emily Stone book and one thing I love about her work is how heartwarming and tender it is. While there is romance in Stone's books, the heart of the story is in the human connection and friendships that are formed and strengthened. The romance - while lovely - is almost secondary to the growth that each character goes through. This book begins and ends during the Christmas season but isn't a true holiday read, but is so cozy nonetheless! I just love how sweet and uplifting this story was and I was rooting for everyone to come together with those they had drifted away from.
TW: Mention of car crash, death of a parent, miscarriage
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Balletine/Dell for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Emily Stone continues to wow every year with these holiday books that manage to simultaneously rip your heart out and uplift your spirits. Don’t let the holiday theme scare you off until next Christmas, the actual holidays played a very small role and I think this book will be a hit year round.
TW: terminal illness, infertility/miscarriage, death of a parent
TW: terminal illness, infertility/miscarriage, death of a parent
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident
Moderate: Infertility, Death of parent
Minor: Blood
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for the copy of this ARC.
Emily Stone… you’ve done it again. If you like Christmas and crying, she’s the author for you!
But all funniness aside, Emily Stone writes beautifully touching stories that somehow relate back to Christmastime - but can really be read at any time of year. In Love, Holly, Emily touches on grief, loss, and how to face the end, but also provides us with heart-filling love story. The meet cute between Holly and Jack is funny, but they also work on coming to terms with their own company in the process of falling in love. They have to deal with devastating moments in their lives that have ruined relationships - and then learn how to forgive themselves and others and repair their relationships. I love the raw emotion and real-world scenarios that Emily brings into her stories - she does it so eloquently that it really just pulls at the heartstrings in the best way possible.
Read if you:
- love real and raw romance with lots of plot
- enjoy sad romance or need a cry
- appreciate tenacious and charming elderly characters
- want to explore grief, loneliness, and forgiveness
Emily Stone… you’ve done it again. If you like Christmas and crying, she’s the author for you!
But all funniness aside, Emily Stone writes beautifully touching stories that somehow relate back to Christmastime - but can really be read at any time of year. In Love, Holly, Emily touches on grief, loss, and how to face the end, but also provides us with heart-filling love story. The meet cute between Holly and Jack is funny, but they also work on coming to terms with their own company in the process of falling in love. They have to deal with devastating moments in their lives that have ruined relationships - and then learn how to forgive themselves and others and repair their relationships. I love the raw emotion and real-world scenarios that Emily brings into her stories - she does it so eloquently that it really just pulls at the heartstrings in the best way possible.
Read if you:
- love real and raw romance with lots of plot
- enjoy sad romance or need a cry
- appreciate tenacious and charming elderly characters
- want to explore grief, loneliness, and forgiveness
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So sweet
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and I’m so happy I did. I laughed, cried and a bit of my soul healed reading this book!
Probably my favorite read of 2023.
Probably my favorite read of 2023.