Member Reviews
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were a few moments where I thought things should move one a little quicker but the anticipation built slowly like a pressure cooker until the inevitable outcome. A great read.
* i received an E-arc in return of an honest review through netgalley*
okay so i read this book at the completely wrong time of year! (April and its set at Christmas!)
but i still enjoyed this book!
honestly, im not usually a fan for fluffy romance books but this was a good book!
The opening scenes pulled me in right from the very first page. It well and truly hooked me.
It reminded me of some of my favourite romance films like Love Actually, Nottinghill, Bridget Jones Josie Silver’s writing was perfectly executed throughout. At times quite breathtaking!
even if you are not a romance fan pick this book up on its release date which is the 18th october 2018! ( also look at how beautiful that cover is !!!). 4.5/5 stars
Easy summer read. You always knew how the story was going to end but with some twists and turns the author kept you interested until the end.
I devoured this book in one sitting. It's a love story, but not of the picutre perfect conventional kind. It's set over 10 years and it's messy, complicated and the characters are flawed. It felt real.
The characters totally pulled me in. I laughed a lot with them, I was dissapointed with them and at them, I was annoyed at their actions, I was heartbroken with them and of course I was cheering them on at the heartwarming moments.
I do wish the ending had an epilogue / a couple more chapters, as I felt it ended rather abruptly. I wanted to know how it all settled down with everyone. However the bonus for me was it was set in Britain, and the writing and characters were very British.
All in all, I loved every minute of the journey that this book took me on.
Firstly I was under the misconception that this was a Christmas story. Whilst parts of the story are set around the season, we actually follow Laurie through many, many years of her life.
It's obvious from the blurb that there is some kind of triangle to this story - girl sees boy from bus, boy and girl miss opportunity, boy meets other girl, girl is first girls best friend, and what a truly tangled web this all becomes.
I'm not altogether sure how I feel about the lies along the years, and I guess it's good I'm not Lauries best friend to see how I would have reacted to it all.
It's certainly a rollercoaster, albeit one that lazily winds it's way around the rails, before dipping you down, throwing you around and then lazily repeating it all again.
Whilst I adore the author and her work, I'm not certain about the selfishness of some of the characters, they really made me feel separate to the story, as I like to relate to characters, and I really truly struggled at time.
Fans of Notting Hill, Love Actually etc will adore it. Me, I liked it despite wanting to batter half of the characters.
Laurie is on a bus going home after a long shift as a receptionist at a hotel. The bus stops and Laurie sees a boy, head buried in his book, he looks up and sees Laurie and both of them feel an instant spark of recognition, Laurie wills Jack to get on the bus, and he cannot stop staring at her, as he decides he is going to get on, the bus drives away leaving them separated.
Laurie decides she is going to search for bus boy and searches for a year but doesnt find him. She lives in a flat with her best friend Sarah. They throw a christmas party and Sarah is excited to introduce Laurie to her new boyfriend Jack. The evening arrives and Sarah introduces Laurie to her boyfriend who is.... Bus boy. Both of them recognise each other and neither of them say anything and pretend they dont know who the other is.
Laurie has to watch as Sarah and Jack fall in love and she is devastated as being around Jack is enhancing her feelings for him. After a very stupid incident Laurie goes travelling to Thailand where she herself falls headlong in love. Through relationships, marriages, death and accidents, can Laurie and Jack continue to ignore their feelings or has fate got other plans for them?
This was a gripping book, you wouldnt think so based on the blurb, but i couldnt put it down and was up until 3am reading it. The last scenes of the book were charming and sweet, and you can see this being a movie, it would in fact be the perfect christmas film. I can see Jenna Coleman as Laurie, and Sam Claifin as Jack. Please make it happen !
This book was pretty – really pretty – and I thought it deserved a mention on the blog. The chapters run smoothly and I could relate to the main characters from the very beginning. The friendship between Sarah and Laurie seems real and they look after each other just as I do with my best friend.
The love story between Jack and Laurie is complicated but then again, some love stories really are. They both have feelings for each other but life, as sometimes happens, comes in between them. It was really beautiful how they created a friendship in an attempt to hide their feelings. They both follow their paths in life as does Sarah and the different characters in the novel.
We follow their steps through life and see where it takes them. Different stories, different paths, different loves, jobs, parties and families. It’s a beautiful story about life, heartbreaks, marriage and the road that lies ahead.
I gave it four stars because the book deserves it. Silver knows how to guide the readers, maintain the suspense and create an amazing atmosphere. It felt like falling in love all over again and it’s nice to find a story that does that.
There’s pure joy to find between the pages. It’s immensely moving and definitely a ‘reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness’.
It will be published in a few months but do not hesitate to grab a copy as soon as you can. This is a lovely read that will make you believe in happy endings again.
One Day in December is a wonderful read, full of great characters, but the main two Laurie and Jack just bounce off the pages. Each of them are given their own voice which makes this a well rounded story with both points of view.
Laurie sees Jack at a bus stop from her bus window as they catch each other's eye it's as if they've been struck by lightening, they both realise something very special is happening but Laurie is unable to exit the bus and Jack unable to board. Unfortunately they don't meet again for a year, Laurie still devastated she never found Jack, until her best friend Sarah introduces Jack as her new boyfriend.
So starts a tale full of emotion, humour, heartbreak and excitement. No spoilers, you need to take this Marvellous journey for yourself.
Just one small point, I would love an epilogue a little further in the future, but that's me always greedy for more after a HEA
My thanks to net galley and publisher for opportunity to review this book.
Oh how I loved this book, a beautiful story with wonderful characters. It made me laugh out loud but also reduced me to tears, I felt by the end that I knew Laurie, Jack and Sarah like friends and was reluctant to finish the book as I knew I would have to say goodbye to them. As I approached the end of the book I wondered if I might be disappointed with the ending, but I had no need to worry as it was possibly the most perfect ending to a book that I have read recently. I cannot wait for more from this author.
I LOVED One Day in December. It was everything I could have hoped for. I had no expectations when I picked it up and was quickly swept away in Laurie, Jack and Sarah’s stories. By the time I got off the train this morning, I was almost half way through and had just reached a pivotal moment in the book, heart in mouth. I have picked the book up at every opportunity since. One Day in December felt like the perfect mix of One Day, Me Before You and You’re the One That I Want and I loved every single page. I can’t wait to see what Josie writes next - I’ll be first on the list to preorder it, that’s for sure!
I loved this book. It’s the sweetest, most heartwarming and touching book that I’ve read for a while.
I’ve been looking for something like “one day” for a while and this really reminded me of it.
I’m sure that this debut will be a huge success and strongly recommend it.
You know what? I just really loved this book. I’d been in a reading slump, nothing was sticking and then this book happened. It was full of tender moments, big sweeping gestures and everything in between. I loved them all. I wanted these characters to find their way to each other more than anything but so many factors stood in their way. Every time the next situation keeping them apart happened I thought maybe this is good enough. But no. These characters needed a big moment and so did I as a reader. I’ve watched too many romance films to settle for good enough. I needed epic. Epic is what I got. Laurie and Jack got their epic but they had to work for it! I loved the journey of the highest highs and lowest lows that this book took me on. I remember the books that make me laugh, cry and fall in love the longest. I won’t be forgetting One Day in December any time soon!
Lovely idea but I didn't think there was enough depth to the characters to sustain the book.. It read more like a treatment for a film - and in the right hands it would make a fabulous film
I received this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Having just finished this book, one word that springs to mind is Wow! I couldn’t put this book down! It was amazing! It has all the feels of those feel good rom com movies that we all love such as Notting hill or love actually. I loved everything about this book from all the characters to the pace of the story. It spans a long time but it made the story seem more realistic. It deals with some gritty subjects but this book had me gasping, near tears with sadness and then laughing the next and everything in between. I felt it all. I will be urging everyone to buy this Christmas time for a real feel good, Christmassy read.
I absolutely loved this book. From the minute Laurie’s eyes met the man she knew she was destined to be with I was desperate for a happy apever after. After a lot of searching with best friend and partner in crime Sarah, I felt her heart break when Sarah introduces Laurie to the new love in her life .......the man she locked eyes with. For the duration of the story, I was torn as to whether Lauries should tell, whether Jack realised, and who wouls live happily after forever. I don’t want to give the ending away, but it made me cry!!!! Highly recommend this book.
Laurie claps eyes on a boy she can't forget.
A year later at her friend Sarah's Christmas party, she meets the boy from the bus and finds out his name is Jack and he's Sarah's boyfriend.
As the next year goes on, the pair waver with their feelings and not wanting to split up her best friend and her boyfriend, the following year she chooses to go on a trip to Thailand to escape from it all. While she's there, she can forget about the moments she shared with Jack and meets Oscar.
As the decade goes on, the girls each land their dream jobs, however one relationship falls apart and one progresses to heading for the aisle! A breakdown of a friendship, new job abroad and a new love around the world, each character winds up in the own ever after but are they all happy, read it to find out!
Told from Laurie's and Jack's perspectives, their stories collide in a unique and frankly harmless way until the drama ensues and forbidden love becomes an issue. They both go through the motions but drag Sarah through it with them all the while and later Oscar too. It was a great read and shows how life can present the most unique of meetings that can change your life for ever, this book is life changing for them and us as we share their story, a fantastic read for those who've been through tough love situations.
Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!
I was privileged to be given an early copy of this book to review and it was an absolute delight to read!
This story has it all - likeable characters, enviable friendships, heartache, trials and tribulations that have you questioning how/if a happy ending for anyone is possible and the sort of heartfelt emotions that give you goosebumps!
The writing was so captivating i could see the storyline unfolding in my head like a film!
It's been a long time since a book made me cry happy tears, but this one turned me into a heap of emotional mush!
A very well deserved 5+ stars!
Oh my! This book is amazing. A love story but not as we know it. A story of missed opportunities, friendships, relationships and the dynamic between different people. I will not spoil the story but you need to know that Jack, Sarah and Laurie go through a lot, and it’s not easy, it hurts, it causes pain and anguish and it’s captivating. How I’ll it all work out? Read it and find out. And get your friends to read it too?
This is a book written for those of a certain age based on modern times. Probably most suited to the under 30's. I enjoyed it for what it was but I still find it hard to cope with reading so much blasphemy and swearing throughout.
Lovely romantic read.
Something about this book and it’s telling reminds me of another One Day tale of unrequited romance (and incidentally one of the most infuriating books I ever was sorry to read), but this one is so much more uplifting with nicer characters and ultimately a more rewarding ending (not telling if it was unrequited or fairytale - and you won’t be sure either until the final pages).