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mctmama's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-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
2.25
Holly annoyed me. The lack of communication between major characters annoyed me. It was a chore for me to finish this book - not the happy, December book I was hoping for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
okiecozyreader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This is my first book by Emily Stone and I really enjoyed it. I feel like it is one of those books that rips your heart and puts it back together again.
The beginning quote says, “serendipity / (noun) finding something good without looking for it”
So much of the book ties back to serendipity or fate and how two people are almost meant to be together, and all the ways their paths cross. It’s true for several people in the book, and it’s fun watching it continue to work out.
Holly is an artist who wants to make art but is teaching. She crosses paths with another family who are also art lovers - and I loved all the art in the book.
This is also a book of second chances and recognizing how precious time is and how you can’t take time for granted with those you love.
Sure, I can always have more Christmas in a book, but I thought this one hit the right notes. Christmas and December are important times in the book.
I loved this one (and I would recommend another British one I recently read and loved - The Man I Never Met, if you loved this one).
“Well, that’s the thing about plants - they rarely do what we want just because we want them to. We have to learn how to give them just what they need instead.” P185
“Without that (connection), Holly was practically a stranger. Just a woman he’d met in a café three years ago. / And had thought about ever since.” P197
The beginning quote says, “serendipity / (noun) finding something good without looking for it”
So much of the book ties back to serendipity or fate and how two people are almost meant to be together, and all the ways their paths cross. It’s true for several people in the book, and it’s fun watching it continue to work out.
Holly is an artist who wants to make art but is teaching. She crosses paths with another family who are also art lovers - and I loved all the art in the book.
This is also a book of second chances and recognizing how precious time is and how you can’t take time for granted with those you love.
Sure, I can always have more Christmas in a book, but I thought this one hit the right notes. Christmas and December are important times in the book.
I loved this one (and I would recommend another British one I recently read and loved - The Man I Never Met, if you loved this one).
“Well, that’s the thing about plants - they rarely do what we want just because we want them to. We have to learn how to give them just what they need instead.” P185
“Without that (connection), Holly was practically a stranger. Just a woman he’d met in a café three years ago. / And had thought about ever since.” P197
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer and Car accident
lexim's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Cancer
Moderate: Miscarriage
markedwithanm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Car accident, Infertility, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Death
cheypreston's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Miscarriage, Cancer, Death of parent, and Car accident
hheartbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Child death, and Death of parent
rachrreads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Wow this was absolutely beautiful.
Holly has felt alone ever since a car accident tore her family apart three years ago. This year she gets a letter from a woman named Emma. In the letter a cafe Holly had visited prior to her accident is mentioned, along with Emma’s full name. Holly tracks Emma down and tries to heal the rift between Emma and her family after a similar accident.
Holly tracks down Jack, Emma’s grandson, only to realize this is the same Jack she ran into— literally—at the cafe three years prior…
This was a great story of love and loss. Of healing after a horrible accident. Emma and Holly become such great friends and bond through their shared experiences.
** slow burn romance, fade to black **
Wow this was absolutely beautiful.
Holly has felt alone ever since a car accident tore her family apart three years ago. This year she gets a letter from a woman named Emma. In the letter a cafe Holly had visited prior to her accident is mentioned, along with Emma’s full name. Holly tracks Emma down and tries to heal the rift between Emma and her family after a similar accident.
Holly tracks down Jack, Emma’s grandson, only to realize this is the same Jack she ran into— literally—at the cafe three years prior…
This was a great story of love and loss. Of healing after a horrible accident. Emma and Holly become such great friends and bond through their shared experiences.
** slow burn romance, fade to black **
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Infertility and Miscarriage
Minor: Infidelity
valerie_roller's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident and Miscarriage
Moderate: Cancer
lololovesthings's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 stars!
Emily Stone is the kind of author who will punch you in the stomach with sadness only to lift you back up again with the holiday spirit, strong connections, and her incredible writing. I loved her book "One Last Gift," and "Love, Holly" is also wonderful. Stone takes big, tough issues like death, grief, estrangement, and terminal illness, and combines them with holiday cheer, second chances, fate, and grace to make one heck of an emotional book. I laughed and cried while reading this one. This is not your typical formulaic love story. It takes its time unfolding to the point where some readers may even call it "slowly paced." I, for one, was along for the ride as main character, Holly and Jack, find their way back to one another through a series of serendipitous circumstances. Stone weaves such a delicate tale of sorrow and reconnection that I found myself fully immersed in this book from start to finish. I think it might be Stone's best book yet. Don't go into this story expecting a light holiday affair; it gets pretty grim and troublesome, but rest assured, she steers the ship back around to happiness eventually. I also love how each of Stone's novels involves letter writing in some capacity. There are some miscommunications in this book that may rub readers the wrong way, but they weren't so annoying that they turned me off from the story as a whole. All in all, read this if you need a good cry this holiday season. I loved it!
Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Stone, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Emily Stone is the kind of author who will punch you in the stomach with sadness only to lift you back up again with the holiday spirit, strong connections, and her incredible writing. I loved her book "One Last Gift," and "Love, Holly" is also wonderful. Stone takes big, tough issues like death, grief, estrangement, and terminal illness, and combines them with holiday cheer, second chances, fate, and grace to make one heck of an emotional book. I laughed and cried while reading this one. This is not your typical formulaic love story. It takes its time unfolding to the point where some readers may even call it "slowly paced." I, for one, was along for the ride as main character, Holly and Jack, find their way back to one another through a series of serendipitous circumstances. Stone weaves such a delicate tale of sorrow and reconnection that I found myself fully immersed in this book from start to finish. I think it might be Stone's best book yet. Don't go into this story expecting a light holiday affair; it gets pretty grim and troublesome, but rest assured, she steers the ship back around to happiness eventually. I also love how each of Stone's novels involves letter writing in some capacity. There are some miscommunications in this book that may rub readers the wrong way, but they weren't so annoying that they turned me off from the story as a whole. All in all, read this if you need a good cry this holiday season. I loved it!
Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Stone, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Grief, Car accident, Cancer, Infertility, Death of parent, and Death
abookwanderer's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
If you like your heartstrings to be pulled, you can count on Emily Stone to make it happen. Love, Holly is a novel about finding forgiveness and love amid grief and estrangement, and it had me feeling all the feelings!
Holly met Jack moments before it became the worst day of her life, but she’s never forgotten the connection they made. Two years later she returns to the café where they met thanks to a letter she received from a stranger. Holly doesn’t believe in fate, but life seems determined to prove her wrong.
Don’t let the cover of this one mislead you, while the beginning and end of the novel take place over Christmas, it’s not really what I consider a full-on holiday book. It’s a nice mix, especially if you’re someone who prefers just a touch of the holiday theme, or if like me, you’re reading it months before the holidays. But I did feel like this was a cozy read, even though it deals with some tough subjects. It felt loving and compassionate. And the ending was beautiful.
Holly’s journey takes her to various places throughout the book. From London to Venice to Ireland, and I enjoyed all the different settings. Especially her time spent in Venice, with her descriptions of the canals, cafés, and shops. And while the book is mostly from Holly’s point of view, we do get some chapters with Jack’s point of view, too, which is always nice. Stone’s previous two books were closed door romances, but I would call Love, Holly a cracked-door romance. It’s not very explicit, but it’s not exactly fade-to-black, which worked nicely with her gentle writing style.
Love, Holly is primarily a book about grief, but it’s also a book about miscommunication or lack of communication. And it’s one of my least favorite tropes. It can get tedious or frustrating. But the communication issues in this novel made more sense with such a weighty subject like grief, which needs time for healing. And while I enjoy Stone’s heartrending books, I would still love for her to write a mostly happy book. She always has a few moments where I find myself laughing out loud, and I find myself wishing for more laughter!
I’ve enjoyed all Stone’s books, but her debut Always, In December remains my favorite. Maybe it’s just the nostalgia of the first book?? Although, I think Love, Holly may be her best written one yet. I can tell that she’s growing as a writer with each new book, which makes me even more excited for her future projects!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Dell and Netgalley for providing me with a copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
Holly met Jack moments before it became the worst day of her life, but she’s never forgotten the connection they made. Two years later she returns to the café where they met thanks to a letter she received from a stranger. Holly doesn’t believe in fate, but life seems determined to prove her wrong.
Don’t let the cover of this one mislead you, while the beginning and end of the novel take place over Christmas, it’s not really what I consider a full-on holiday book. It’s a nice mix, especially if you’re someone who prefers just a touch of the holiday theme, or if like me, you’re reading it months before the holidays. But I did feel like this was a cozy read, even though it deals with some tough subjects. It felt loving and compassionate. And the ending was beautiful.
Holly’s journey takes her to various places throughout the book. From London to Venice to Ireland, and I enjoyed all the different settings. Especially her time spent in Venice, with her descriptions of the canals, cafés, and shops. And while the book is mostly from Holly’s point of view, we do get some chapters with Jack’s point of view, too, which is always nice. Stone’s previous two books were closed door romances, but I would call Love, Holly a cracked-door romance. It’s not very explicit, but it’s not exactly fade-to-black, which worked nicely with her gentle writing style.
Love, Holly is primarily a book about grief, but it’s also a book about miscommunication or lack of communication. And it’s one of my least favorite tropes. It can get tedious or frustrating. But the communication issues in this novel made more sense with such a weighty subject like grief, which needs time for healing. And while I enjoy Stone’s heartrending books, I would still love for her to write a mostly happy book. She always has a few moments where I find myself laughing out loud, and I find myself wishing for more laughter!
I’ve enjoyed all Stone’s books, but her debut Always, In December remains my favorite. Maybe it’s just the nostalgia of the first book?? Although, I think Love, Holly may be her best written one yet. I can tell that she’s growing as a writer with each new book, which makes me even more excited for her future projects!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Dell and Netgalley for providing me with a copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Miscarriage, Car accident, and Grief
Minor: Infertility