I’m the oddbod who loves to read wintery novels in the heatwave with a romanticised idea of snuggly blankets and clutching hot drinks as the fan oscillates and the ice melts in my garden cocktail! Absolutely loved this romantic trip to December, it was sweet and funny and I’d highly recommend (you might want to read it in the winter tho….!)

For a romantic love story, it's actually really well written and a nice easy read. Not too schmaltzy and full of humour. I enjoyed it, which is rare for me. I thought I'd given up on romance books years ago, but this one helped me back onto the horse so to speak.

I really enjoyed this story. The writing was interesting and the characters were engaging. It was better than I expected.

I have honestly loved this book it’s a beautiful remix of love actually and the holiday which makes it a lovely snuggly Christmas winter read.

A very sweet romance, not so fluffy as I was expecting as there some bittersweet moments in there , Really liked the characters and the description of the book. However I felt it might have been a bit too drawn out.

But overall liked the book and was a pleasant read.

An utterly charming novel with great humour!

This is a wonderful "what if" story and the premise is explored perfectly.
The characters have depth, and following them for a decade ensures the reader is fully committed to them.

Perfect for curling up with under a blanket with a cup of tea!

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved loved loved this book, it was the perfect time to read it and was a perfect story. The ending was a bit obvious but with all the trails and tribulations of Laurie and Jack it brought a tear to my eye. I cant wait to read more of Josies books. Defo recommended

I had quite mixed feelings about this book. The start of the novel seemed quite ludicrous to me, and it made Laurie seem like a very odd and unrelatable character in how obsessed she was. I understand that’s just the author setting the scene for the novel — and perhaps that’s just how some people experience love.

Once I got over the very odd beginning, the rest of the novel was lovely. The friendships seemed genuine and were very heart-warming, although there was the odd bit I read that would make me put down my Kindle. One Day in December is a lovely novel about life, love, and all the things in between.

I don’t know how likable Jack is as a character — I couldn’t see what everyone else saw in him, quite frankly. But it’s nice to have an unlikely protagonist. I also had an issue with the narration as this story is told through two perspectives — Laurie’s and Jack’s — and the latter perspective was like the former’s, but with more swearing.

On the whole though, this novel accomplishes what it sets out to do — it is heart-warming, satisfying, and a delight to read. I would recommend this for readers of romance or those who would just like to read something uplifting for a change.

I bought this book on an audible daily deal but I also had a netgalley copy which I had yet to read.

I LOVED this book! I was so mad at myself for taking so long to read it! this is the second book recently that I have read that has the wrong timing/ missed opportunity trope. It's something I really like. I like that true love will win in the end. I know I am an old romantic but I just love it.

I really liked all three of the main characters although at times they each irritated me in their own ways. I thought they could all be selfish at times and not take into consideration other peoples feelings and difficulties. These characters were very realistic. I could really understand each of their dilemmas and feelings. Josie did an excellent job of making sure I understood all three of them.

The narration was excellent too. I loved that there was one for Jack and one for Laurie. Having different narrators really helps when a book has different POV. One thing that I would have really liked was a POV chapter from Sarah. I think she is as integral to this story as Jack and Laurie and hearing what was going on in her head at points would have been really insightful.

This book is a story about love and heartbreak, about friendship and family. It's one of those epic love stories that will survive the ages. I can't wait to read more from Josie.

A wonderful book that kept my gripped chapter to chapter. I loved all the characters, and how we got to meet them again and again over the time of the book. I loved the authors writing style, along with the settings and of course the characters. Will happily look for the authors other books.

This book was exactly what I needed right now... A little bit of hope and Christmas spirit to get through a difficult week.

Laurie doesn't believe it love at first sight until it happens to her one December evening on a bus in Camden High Street... Of course the path of true love never dies run smooth so how does she feel when after a year of searching for 'bus boy' he turns up at her house as her housemates' new boyfriend! Over the next 10 years we follow this trio of characters as they wrestle through love and life in the big smoke and find what their hearts truly desire...

Pure escapism with the happy ending that everyone needs once and a while!

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This is a light read, quite a predictable story, but some readers will enjoy it none the less. Not really for me though, so I didn’t get to finish it. The characters were not realistic enough.

This story is told by Laurie and Jack and in this way, cuts to the core of their feelings and reasonings and ultimately their actions. Without doubt the book is a slow burn, however it is engaging, satisfying on most levels and fun.

A mixed sense of a great read but wanting a better ending. I recommend.

The book introduces us to Laurie and her best friend Sarah. Whilst on the bus, making her way home from work one day in December, Laurie understands the meaning of love at first sight when she sees the man of her dreams sat at the bus stop. He is also just as captivated with Laurie, but doesn’t make it on the bus in time and leaves Laurie wondering what would have happened if he had! Laurie and Sarah spend the next year looking for him at every bus stop in London, to no avail. That is until one year later when Sarah introduces Laurie to her new boyfriend, Jack…

I have had this book sat on my “To Be Read” list for such a long time! It was always being bumped back for Tour books that I was due to read, and despite hearing such good things about it, I never got around to reading it…until now. I have spent the last few days kicking myself for leaving such a wonderful book lingering on the shelf, and can completely understand all the good things I had heard about it!

I became completely and utterly hooked with this story right from the very first page. I love Laurie’s character and her friendship with Sarah was just how friendship should be. As the story moves on, and Laurie’s chances of finding the bus stop man dwindle away, you just knew that when Sarah brought home her new boyfriend that it was going to be him and Laurie’s world was going to fall apart. Of course, I spent the next few chapters hoping that Sarah got bored with him and Laurie got her chance for her “happy ever after”, but that really wouldn’t have made a very good story!!

We end up following Laurie, Sarah and Jack’s lives over the next 10 years, joining in with their laughter through the happy times and wiping away the tears through their sadder and darkest times. Be prepared to be taken on a rollercoaster of emotions, feeling every single twist and turn along the track, but still wanting to stay on for a second ride! The characters are wonderful, and there isn’t one that I couldn’t empathise or connect with. Told from Laurie and Jack’s perspectives, this is an emotionally charged story of love, loss and friendships. It is genuinely heart-warming, delightful and captivating! This has to be the best book I’ve read in a very long time! Be prepared with tissues though, because you will need them!! Highly recommended!

Whilst reading this book I couldn’t help but feel that it had a One Day, Love Rosie feel to it. Missed opportunities, wrong decisions, tested friendships all play a huge part in this story. Some may not be a fan of the predictable cliches but I thought this made the book an easy read and overall enjoyable. The perfect book to cosy up with on a winter’s night.

Told from the POV of Laurie and Jack we watch as their friendship (romance) blossoms and changes over the course of ten years. We see both characters tried and tested and not always showing themselves in a favourable light. I felt that Laurie always tried to be a good person and was so worried about everyone’s happiness that it led her down the wrong path. I often found myself shouting NO and wishing that she had the courage to tell Jack how she was feeling.

Jack on the other hand was an arse 70% of the time. He started off as a loveable character but as certain circumstances changed he just became annoying and reading him wallow in his own pity made me want to reach into the book and give him cup of man up! Deep down you knew there was a gentle, kind and caring man in there and I’m pleased that he resurfaced. I guess we can’t love the leading man all of the time can we?

It has been a while since I read a book that had a decent love triangle that I didn’t find irritating or boring. This was a refreshing read with interesting characters and plenty of romance to make you believe in love at first sight.

This was one of those books you knew you'd be reading in one sitting. I really like the fact that they saw each other through a misty bus window and spans over the course of a decade. The writing is well done and fills you with frustration at parts but is also heartwarming at times. The characters in this were also relatable and I would be happy to recommend this to anyone.

A truly magical read and well written from an amazing author. The story flowed well and kept me captivated from start to finish

'One Day in December' by Josie Silver. It is an easy reading chicklit story. Can you fall in love at first sight, Laurie did, on a dark cold night through the misted window of the bus their eyes met ….. but Laurie didn't get off the bus and 'bus boy' didn't get on...... I really enjoyed this book, I liked the characters and I kept willing things to happen!!

Listen, I'm about to hate on this book really hard so if you don't want to hear me ranting, scroll away. I'm gonna go ahead and give this a puny 2-star rating, simply because there were a few minor things that it did well and the book, therefore, doesn't deserve less than two stars. However, the negative opinions that I hold (that you don't have to hold, I am entitled to my own opinion) desperately outweigh the positives.

I'll start out with the positives, so you understand why I did really have high hopes for this book and why I'm so disappointed with the outcome. I really enjoyed the first maybe 20-30 pages of the book. You know, the part where she sees him at the bus stop and you can just tell what's going to happen, and then Sarah (Laurie's best friend) introduces Laurie's bus stop boy as her boyfriend... Yeah, that part. I was really enjoying the book at this point. This was the type of YA book that I could see myself really loving. I was so ready for the whole unrequited love, I thought maybe Sarah might leave him because it was too awkward, maybe there'd be a little love triangle but it'd all be resolved. More on this later.

I also really liked that Josie Silver created another person for Laurie to be with. I really really really liked Oscar. He was so much better for Laurie than Jack ever was, so I was really happy when they got together, when they got married etc. I was truly expecting Oscar to be her happily ever after, that they'd be together for the remainder of the book and that Laurie would come to an epiphany by the end that being with Jack was just a fantasy. Nope. Of course, it didn't happen that way. Here come the negatives.

First of all, the entire premise is so unrealistic. I don't know any person who would be sat in an outdoor bus shelter in the snow in England reading a hardback book. He absolutely would not have seen her and fallen in love with her on a dark night with foggy bus windows in that weather. He definitely would not have seen her on the bus and come on and spoken to her. Nope nope nope, Josie Silver, that's not how it works.

Secondly, all the characters were just so one-dimensional. Laurie wanted to work in journalism/publishing, and when she secures her 'dream job' working for a magazine, it's writing for an agony aunt column? That's her DREAM job? I refuse to believe it. I also refuse to believe that anybody wouldn't tell their best friend that their boyfriend was the guy they'd been looking for over the past year. Their friendship cannot be as strong as they say it is if they're not this open with each other. Imagine all the pain that could have been saved if Laurie had just said 'hey, Sarah. Your boyfriend is the bus boy we've been looking for since last Christmas'. Ridiculous.

Don't even get me started on how awful Laurie and Jack are together. They kiss each other just to know what it feels like while shopping for a birthday present for Sarah. Am I meant to find cheating cute? Am I meant to live for the slow-burning angst? Hell no. Instantly I hated both of them for doing that, and it made the rest of the book insufferable. Laurie's eventual relationship with Oscar was such a good way to get over the whole incident with Jack. Jack was so selfish and rude, constantly tearing Laurie down because she didn't want to kiss him while he was dating other people, always calling here pathetic, yelling at her etc. The list continues, really. Oscar was perfect for her, and I wish Silver hadn't written their relationship as a cursed one.

The ending... how do I even begin? If you go into this with a fanfiction mindset, this book and its ending are perfect for you. If you're more mature and you understand the consequences of lying, cheating, being an awful best friend, losing your husband etc., then you know that the ending of this book was just a mess. HOW, dear Lord, did she end up with Jack after all of that? How was their relationship justified after all the hell they'd been through because of each other? I truly will not understand how so many people recommended this book to me because it was a mess and I sincerely hope nobody takes relationship advice from it.