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m_liz's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Alcohol
Moderate: Grief and Sexual content
sadiebugreads's review
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
it ends exactly how you expect it to, but is way more drawn out than it needs to be. it’s a classic hallmark c movie but less enjoyable in my opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Car accident, Child death, Infidelity, Death of parent, Death, and Sexual content
faithkol's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One day in December Laurie sees a man through the bus window and falls in love with him at first sight before her bus pulls away. A year later and Laurie is still searching for him, they meet again and bus boy is introduced to her by her best friend Sarah..as her boyfriend. The story spans 10 years of friendship and romance, showing how the characters grow up and grow apart. We see every character fall in and out of love, until at the end when everyone gets their happy ending.
SO AMAZING. Such a great book for the Christmas/winter season. I did really like Laurie’s ex-husband Oscar though and I was really sad when they broke up, he was a good man but they were on different paths. I really liked the ending with the radio calls between Jack and “Rhona.” It was just like a scene straight out of a Christmas Hallmark movie. In the end you can tell that Laurie and Jack were ment to be. Ps. I also loved Sarah. Each character in this book was so unique and so well written with a personality you can imagine to clearly.
SO AMAZING. Such a great book for the Christmas/winter season. I did really like Laurie’s ex-husband Oscar though and I was really sad when they broke up, he was a good man but they were on different paths. I really liked the ending with the radio calls between Jack and “Rhona.” It was just like a scene straight out of a Christmas Hallmark movie. In the end you can tell that Laurie and Jack were ment to be. Ps. I also loved Sarah. Each character in this book was so unique and so well written with a personality you can imagine to clearly.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content
notmollie's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Definitely NOT a romcom, even though it seems to get listed with them often.
It's a romance but a very angsty, frustrating one. Character development is a strength, but the characters also make stupid decisions.
I suppose important things happen during the holidays but there are alot of things that happen NOT in December so calling it a Christmas/Holiday romance seems like a stretch.
It REALLY needs an epilogue!!! I slogged through nearly 10 years of pinning, angsty, frustration and only get the briefest of wrap ups at the end.
I definitely see why alot of people like this book but it is not a feel good, 'makes you smile' romance.
Very good writing, just not what I read romances for. They should lift my mood not put me in a funk.
It's a romance but a very angsty, frustrating one. Character development is a strength, but the characters also make stupid decisions.
I suppose important things happen during the holidays but there are alot of things that happen NOT in December so calling it a Christmas/Holiday romance seems like a stretch.
It REALLY needs an epilogue!!! I slogged through nearly 10 years of pinning, angsty, frustration and only get the briefest of wrap ups at the end.
I definitely see why alot of people like this book but it is not a feel good, 'makes you smile' romance.
Very good writing, just not what I read romances for. They should lift my mood not put me in a funk.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Alcohol
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Grief, Infidelity, and Sexual content
emilywemily6's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This one is hard to rate. I think this is not the romance for me. The bus stop moment at the very beginning and the very last scene both made my heart melt, but I didn’t really enjoy anything in the middle. It did not feel like a romance to me because the book spanned across 9-10 years and basically showcased defining moments in the lives of these characters. It felt more like a general fiction with a romance subplot. But even then, I did NOT like Jack as a person. He’s honestly terrible. And I wasn’t really a fan of Laurie either. This book felt like I was reading about realistic, messy people, but I didn’t care about these characters or connect with them. The tropes of fated mates/soul mates is not one I am on board with personally when it comes to romance. I didn’t see the chemistry between the characters either. Others have mentioned that there is a lot of emotional cheating and putting a toe across the boundary line and I was not ok with that. Jack was way worse at it than Laurie, who actually tried to build a life even though it was clear that Oscar and her were not living in the same world. This book had almost nothing I like in a romance. I also feel like it was lacking in holiday/December vibes. While I liked how everything was split up into years and dates, it made it hard to keep track of where we were in the timeline (i.e. how long so-and-so had been engaged, how many years it had been since the bus stop meeting, etc.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Classism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Alcohol, and Bullying
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Infertility
Minor: Child death, Medical content, and Pregnancy
thatswhatshanread's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Twas a very sad discovery to finally read this Christmas-themed romcom and find out that it was quite meh. Normally I love a romance story that spans many years, but this could have easily been summed up in less than one year, maybe two. It was so frustrating! I also love a second chance romance, friends-to-lovers storyline; however, this one fell flat for me because I never particularly felt much chemistry between our two inevitable lovers. All in all, every relationship in the book was rather dull.
Also, our MMC wasn’t especially charming or redeeming? It was hard to root for them getting together after reading all this build up of how he treated the other women in his life. Idk.
The writing was good and I liked the setting for the most part, I just really wish the characters were more developed and the plot lines more exciting and thought-provoking.
Also, our MMC wasn’t especially charming or redeeming? It was hard to root for them getting together after reading all this build up of how he treated the other women in his life. Idk.
The writing was good and I liked the setting for the most part, I just really wish the characters were more developed and the plot lines more exciting and thought-provoking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Car accident, and Child death
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Cursing, Infertility, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
itsheyfay's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
While the beginning was great, I could not root for Laurie and Jack to get together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, and Death
Minor: Car accident, Cursing, Body shaming, and Sexual content
theonlybaillie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I enjoyed this book. I had ALL of the feelings while reading it, as second-chance love is a trope that really hits for me and makes me cry basically every time.
The main characters in this book felt very real to me...in the sense that they had very annoying flaws that were, unfortunately, realistic IMO. Jack was emotionally immature and wanted to blame others and deflect any emotional pain or self-wrongdoing. Laurie was a pushover and bent to others wishes and plans until the end of the book where she finally decided that enough was enough and took ownership of her life (FINALLY!).
Relationships ebb and flow as seasons of life change, and I love that Jack, Sarah, and Laurie were still part of each others lives throughout their twenties. Lifelong friendships are a blessing, even though they can get quite messy over the years.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. It is not the light-hearted Christmas read that most people look for this time of year, but I appreciated the story that it told.
I also appreciated the phrase "kissed stardust into my mouth", because I have never heard it before and thought it was creative and funny. :)
The main characters in this book felt very real to me...in the sense that they had very annoying flaws that were, unfortunately, realistic IMO. Jack was emotionally immature and wanted to blame others and deflect any emotional pain or self-wrongdoing. Laurie was a pushover and bent to others wishes and plans until the end of the book where she finally decided that enough was enough and took ownership of her life (FINALLY!).
Relationships ebb and flow as seasons of life change, and I love that Jack, Sarah, and Laurie were still part of each others lives throughout their twenties. Lifelong friendships are a blessing, even though they can get quite messy over the years.
Overall, I enjoyed this one. It is not the light-hearted Christmas read that most people look for this time of year, but I appreciated the story that it told.
I also appreciated the phrase "kissed stardust into my mouth", because I have never heard it before and thought it was creative and funny. :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Sexual content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Car accident
kfquarium's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident and Child death
laurataylor's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Medical content