Reviews with content warning for Grief - One Day in December

Very dramatic, not at all what I expected.
Not very spicy at all (occassional mention of nipples and mouths, and mostly fade to black).
Less of a romcom, more of two characters on a decade long journey to each other.
I live for the pining and the drama and yelling at them for making decisions that drive them further apart and then being frustrated at how much they love each other.
Another confession of love over the radio 🤪 (I think that's the fourth one I've read this year).
I personally love the drama and the journey so I wasnt actually mad at any of the decisions made, nor do I feel like the book is lesser because of it. I like the book, but it didnt make my heart flutter and my stomach flip. My stomach turned a little in December 2011 (I think), but it didnt even flip at the end and I wish it did.

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writtenbydnicole's review

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emotional hopeful 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

3.75

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confusedmuse's review

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emotional 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

3.5

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soundlysmitten's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

3.25

While I resonated deeply with this book’s portrayal of loss and grief, I did not so enjoy the romantic storyline. And that’s what I was looking for this time—romance and emotional pining, not loss and grief 😹 But part of me feels like I should’ve known better than to pick this one up… for one thing, I really don’t understand the concept of love at first sight. Infatuation at first sight, sure. But to me, love is an action that requires commitment. It isn’t a magical condition that just materializes. I mean, that heady 🥰 in love 🥰 feeling can absolutely spring up out of nowhere, but I think the action is what determines if something is truly love.

All the same, I was willing to go along with the love at first sight thing for the sake of the story. But while I wanted Laurie to be happy, I couldn’t bring myself to root for her and Jack. For the most part, I received Jack as selfish and emotionally stunted. Yes, he has a way with words at times, but he’s got a temper and a disrespectful tendency to patronize/brush people off. So even though I felt for his loss, I didn’t like him as a romantic partner.

I didn’t particularly like Oscar either and definitely didn’t agree with Laurie assuring him he’s been a great husband as they’re splitting up.

I also didn’t think it was cool to have certain people quit on each other just cause things don’t feel like they used to and chalk it up to their love simply not being strong enough to last. As if two lovers don’t have the final say in how strong their love can be… (I’m glad they broke up, I just don’t like the message their reasoning sends. I would’ve rather read about them taking responsibility for the fact that they just don’t feel like trying anymore).

That said, I did mostly enjoy Laurie’s relationship with Sarah. And there were things I found heartwarming along with things that made me cry, especially the parts on caring for aging parents and feeling like you’re running out of time. The plot is suitably predictable, but I’d say it’s also well paced. And I’d agree that the writing is charming in a Bridget Jones’ Diary way—even if the author may have inserted three or four too many nods to said book. So I’m not saying don’t read One Day In December, just that it wasn’t love for me.

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claragweny's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

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

3.75

The beginning was cute, the end was cute, but the middle was so boring and irritating. I enjoy a romance that’s very non-realistic, fairytale like, and swoon worthy. If reality based romance is more your thing I think this could be an enjoyable read but it’s definitely not one I’d recommend to everyone.

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

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

2.5

Title: One Day in December
Author: Josie Silver
Genre: Romance
Rating: 2.5
Pub Date: October 16 2018

T H R E E • W O R D S

Slow-paced • Underwhelming • Multi-layered

📖 S Y N O P S I S

As Laurie sits on a crowed bus on a wintery day in December, she happens to look out the window and her eyes land on Jack. They share a magical moment, and then the bus drives away. Over the next year, Laurie will look everywhere for him to no avail. That is until, a Christmas party where her best friend Sarah introduces her to her new boyfriend, who just happens to be Jack.

💭 T H O U G H T S

One Day in December felt like a missed opportunity to me and I was actually disappointed because I really thought I was going to love it. At the start, I was invested in the story, and was curious to see where it was going to go. In my opinion it just went in the wrong direction. The plot was extremely slow to develop and I quickly lost interest. It's frustrating to me as a reader when a book is drawn out so much and when you get to the end, it feels rushed, which was the case here. Part of the problem with it could be that I did not like the characters, although Laurie did grow on me.

The portrayal of death and grief is the one thing that felt real to me in this novel, and for that reason alone I couldn't write the story complete off.

It was long. It was slow. It took me two tries to get through, and I ended up having to get the audio. It probably would have been a forever DNF if not for fulfilling a book club prompt. All that to say it wasn't my cup of tea. But do keep in mind I am in the minority here.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of Love Actually

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"I'm so very tired of swimming. Most of the time I feel like the tide is going to pull me under, but here in Jack's arms I feel as if he's just reached over the side of a life raft and hauled me to safety."

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mikahasbadtaste's review

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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!

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