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rachelrisseeuw's review against another edition
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
4.0
One Day in December really exceeded my expectations. I went into this book thinking it was going to be a Christmas romance. It was so much more than that. This is a right person wrong time story line and the way it was written is fantastic.
The fact that they included the best friend, the tragic death of a parent, infidelity, and gaslighting makes this story one that really makes you root for the two to end up together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Child death, Death of parent, Car accident, Death, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
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
siobhanward's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Reese's Book Club Pick 63/68 (sneaking this in under the wire before the new pick is announced today).
I think this just was not a book for me. I'm not a huge romance reader to begin with, so that didn't help, but I just struggled with the book as a whole. Laurie is kind of a pain - she's immature and a bad friend to Sarah. I totally get how/why she fell in love with Jack as she actually got to know him (but shockingly, doing that with your best friend's boyfriend makes you a bad friend), but convincing herself she's in love with someone she saw once at a bus stop?? I'm sorry but it's just a little tween romance for me.
The plot dragged and because I didn't care at all for Laurie, it just made things move even slower. Sarah deserved better. She was always rushing in to make things better for Laurie and she was just treated badly the whole time.
I think this just was not a book for me. I'm not a huge romance reader to begin with, so that didn't help, but I just struggled with the book as a whole. Laurie is kind of a pain - she's immature and a bad friend to Sarah. I totally get how/why she fell in love with Jack as she actually got to know him (but shockingly, doing that with your best friend's boyfriend makes you a bad friend), but convincing herself she's in love with someone she saw once at a bus stop?? I'm sorry but it's just a little tween romance for me.
The plot dragged and because I didn't care at all for Laurie, it just made things move even slower. Sarah deserved better. She was always rushing in to make things better for Laurie and she was just treated badly the whole time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship
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
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
clareypotter's review
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship and Toxic relationship
thefatpaperback's review
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
mikahasbadtaste's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
5.0
I truly, deeply love this book. If you're unable to appreciate the messy complexities of love and friendship, this isn't the book for you. It's completely charming and I loved the characters so much. The relationship between the main friends is so endearing, especially. One I have and will reread many times!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Child death, and Cursing
Minor: Toxic relationship
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