Reviews with content warning for Grief - One Day in December

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.

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natekka's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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emilywemily6's review

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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.)

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