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emilywemily6's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This one is making me sob. I really liked how their paths kept crossing and when they were on the same page they were so, so sweet together. However, the first half of the book felt really slow and Josie seemed like a completely different person then compared to the rest of the book. Like she was not coping well with her grief and then all of a sudden a few months later she was totally normal in regards to her grief and its ups and downs. I also feel like the chemistry from acquaintances to lovers was a bit hard to see. And the miscommunication!! Josie didn’t let Max talk when their paths crossed and Max was too much of a wimp to tell her the truth. I totally understood not telling her right away in the first December, but why did it take two more encounters before the truth came out?? Also, I am sobbing at the ending, so it was not the holiday romance I had hoped for, though it gets points for giving me all the feels. I would try this author again, but far from my favorite holiday romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, and Cancer
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
yourbigsistersbookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, Death of parent, and Cancer
frenandjen's review against another edition
sad
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Car accident, Cancer, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
leeliu's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Terminal illness
deelightfulreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Terminal illness
omgitsyelhsa's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
This is NOT a light-hearted Christmas book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cancer, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
sglance9's review against another edition
I had a bad feeling this was going to end awful and after reading other reviews it was confirmed. I was looking for a happy Christmas book and this is not that. I thought about pushing through since I was reading it for a buddy read but decided I didn't need that anxiety
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Death
sarahallez's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness
morganperks's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
emily, bestie I’m gonna need you to be so for real right now. I can’t even give this a rating. This is a joke, right? I feel like I have been absolutely violated by books with Christmasy covers claiming to be ‘romance’, ‘heartwarming’ or ‘good’, and every time I get closer and closer to my 13th reason maybe I’m naive and like to live in happily ever after land but I don’t think it’s necessary to kill off the parents and or love interest to have a good story. I love a good sad story as long as I know what I’m getting into but I do prefer my characters in romance novels to be alive
Update: upon further review, some of the blame may be on me for not reading the back cover where it says, "in the style of Me Before You" so there was a heads-up, but I stand by what I said. I was a victim of clever marketing. Heed my warning, if you're looking for a cute Christmas romance...this ain't it.
Update: upon further review, some of the blame may be on me for not reading the back cover where it says, "in the style of Me Before You" so there was a heads-up, but I stand by what I said. I was a victim of clever marketing. Heed my warning, if you're looking for a cute Christmas romance...this ain't it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Car accident, Medical content, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual content
emmehooks's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
2.5
As a queer person who avoids Hallmark-style straight people romance, I had LOW expectations for this book.
Was I in love with the girl meets boy and they fall in love after 3 days storyline? Nah. Was I sold by all the coincidental meetings and their love/hate/forbidden love dynamics? No. Did it conform to my stereotyped expectations? Mostly.
That being said, I did get teary eyed at the end of the book. It was written well and the emotional aspects are relatable in a lot of ways. If you like straight romances and Hallmark-sequence tragedy with a silver lining, you’ll probably like it.
Was I in love with the girl meets boy and they fall in love after 3 days storyline? Nah. Was I sold by all the coincidental meetings and their love/hate/forbidden love dynamics? No. Did it conform to my stereotyped expectations? Mostly.
That being said, I did get teary eyed at the end of the book. It was written well and the emotional aspects are relatable in a lot of ways. If you like straight romances and Hallmark-sequence tragedy with a silver lining, you’ll probably like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Infidelity