Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage
This has all the ingredients I look for in a holiday read.
emotional
inspiring
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
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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
lighthearted
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Excellent, car crashes, intertwined. Closed door.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
This was my first by this author and I am happy to say that I am interested enough to read more!
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and while it's not your typical love story, it was deeply rooted in acceptance and overcoming grief. We have our main character, Holly, dealing with the aftermath of a tragic accident that took pace 3 years prior and ends up writing letters to anonymous strangers through a grief program. She receives a letter before Christmas from someone else who has had a tragedy and decides to go on a mission to find them. The stranger ends up being a woman named Emma who is alone and battling cancer. Holly shows up at Emma's one Christmas and the two strike up a friendship. Holly learns that Emma has a grandson who she wants to connect with again named Jack. The twist is that this Jack is the man Holly ran into the day of her tragic accident 3 years prior.
Holly's determination to solve Emma's familial problems while ignoring her own was a source of constant frustration within the story. I found myself begging her to take her own advice. Unfortunately, this didn't take place until the very end of the story which was a great relief but I wish it happened sooner. Overall, Holly was not a very likable character for the most part but given her passion for helping Emma and the character growth she goes through in the story I found myself empathizing with her.
Jack is a newly divorced man working at a firm he hates and after a tragic accident with his father when he was boy has not spoken to his grandmother, Emma, for more than 20 years. He finds himself staring Holly down after 3 years of first meeting her when she comes to his office. Rather than telling him she is there on a mission to reunite him with Emma, Holly lets the chemistry these two first felt 3 years prior get the best of her and instead ends up on a date with Jack. The two hit it off and are both so into one another. It's a classic right person, wrong time story. Once it is revealed that Holly knows Emma, Jack explodes with anger and the two don't speak for months. They go back and forth between the two of then in the book over spans of months to reconnect and eventually, Jack learns that Emma has cancer and comes to see her after she falls ill on a trip to Italy with Holly.
The romance aspect of this one is a slow burn and when Holly and Jack finally come together, they decide to actually not be a couple due to Emma. They want to put her first as her cancer is stage 4 and her time is limited. Jack moves to the same town as Emma and quits his job to be near her and help out. Holly and Jack still hold a real burning desire for one another but cherish Emma so much. It was beautiful to see. Holly does solve her own familial issues after all, and like I said, a bit too late, but overall glad she too gets the closure she needed.
It is a sad story full of grief, tender moments, written letters, difficult family dynamics and obstacles, and learning to forgive yourself. While I did complain a bit, I found some parts of this story so moving and beautiful that I audibly gasped. Very tender, very sweet, perfectly flawed, just like real people are.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and while it's not your typical love story, it was deeply rooted in acceptance and overcoming grief. We have our main character, Holly, dealing with the aftermath of a tragic accident that took pace 3 years prior and ends up writing letters to anonymous strangers through a grief program. She receives a letter before Christmas from someone else who has had a tragedy and decides to go on a mission to find them. The stranger ends up being a woman named Emma who is alone and battling cancer. Holly shows up at Emma's one Christmas and the two strike up a friendship. Holly learns that Emma has a grandson who she wants to connect with again named Jack. The twist is that this Jack is the man Holly ran into the day of her tragic accident 3 years prior.
Holly's determination to solve Emma's familial problems while ignoring her own was a source of constant frustration within the story. I found myself begging her to take her own advice. Unfortunately, this didn't take place until the very end of the story which was a great relief but I wish it happened sooner. Overall, Holly was not a very likable character for the most part but given her passion for helping Emma and the character growth she goes through in the story I found myself empathizing with her.
Jack is a newly divorced man working at a firm he hates and after a tragic accident with his father when he was boy has not spoken to his grandmother, Emma, for more than 20 years. He finds himself staring Holly down after 3 years of first meeting her when she comes to his office. Rather than telling him she is there on a mission to reunite him with Emma, Holly lets the chemistry these two first felt 3 years prior get the best of her and instead ends up on a date with Jack. The two hit it off and are both so into one another. It's a classic right person, wrong time story. Once it is revealed that Holly knows Emma, Jack explodes with anger and the two don't speak for months. They go back and forth between the two of then in the book over spans of months to reconnect and eventually, Jack learns that Emma has cancer and comes to see her after she falls ill on a trip to Italy with Holly.
The romance aspect of this one is a slow burn and when Holly and Jack finally come together, they decide to actually not be a couple due to Emma. They want to put her first as her cancer is stage 4 and her time is limited. Jack moves to the same town as Emma and quits his job to be near her and help out. Holly and Jack still hold a real burning desire for one another but cherish Emma so much. It was beautiful to see. Holly does solve her own familial issues after all, and like I said, a bit too late, but overall glad she too gets the closure she needed.
It is a sad story full of grief, tender moments, written letters, difficult family dynamics and obstacles, and learning to forgive yourself. While I did complain a bit, I found some parts of this story so moving and beautiful that I audibly gasped. Very tender, very sweet, perfectly flawed, just like real people are.