A review by jenna36
One Day in December by Josie Silver

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

3.75

I don't quite know what to rate this book. I really enjoyed aspects of it, and there is a kind of melancholy joy that radiates from Josie Silver's writing that hits me in the right spots emotionally. I love One Night on the Island, but I don't think I loved this one as much. Both Laurie and Jack were kind of despicable people, but I still liked reading about Laurie. She seemed to actually grow over the course of the book. Jack just seemed to get more and more insufferable and then the book ended.
I think that Jack started off as a really good character; he was flawed, but he was still relatable and I understood what Laurie and Sarah saw in him. Then after his dj career took off he got more insufferable with each year that passed. Who he actually was on the inside did not match up with the image that Laurie had of him. I think Laurie had the opposite pattern of growth, where we see her at her most despicable in the beginning, but she makes an effort to grow and be better. I think by the end she has actually finally grown past Jack, but they are still thrown together in the end for the HEA. I honestly would have rather they stayed apart and moved on with their lives and became better people independently. It had the same feeling as the HIMYM finale, wherein Ted and Robin had obviously grown past their feelings for each other, but were forced together for a tired plot point that had been decided years ago. 
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