Member Reviews
I was fortunate to be sent a copy of this book to read by NetGalley. It is a feel good read. I couldn't relate to Jess at all but I really liked Alex's character. My favourite character was actually one of the housemate's, Rob. He seemed slightly older than the others and had some good advice!
The book goes through the trials and tribulations of house sharing and living in "the Big Smoke" after coming from a South Coast town. Its a cute love story.
Absolutely delightful! As the blurb says, it's definitely perfect for fans of One day in December. I was totally invested in Jess and Alex's story and found myself blubbering at the end. Loved it!
Absolutely delightful. The kind of romance you stay in on Saturday night to read. For fans of Love, Actually or Notting Hill or anything that features cohorts of well-educated Brits being British and falling in love. Charming.
**Thank you to Avon Books UK, Netgalley, and Rosie Curtis for providing a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**
I was excited to read this book because it was Christmas themed (and of course I'm looking forward to Christmas in the middle of September) and because it seemed like a lovely romance/love story. I ended up being disappointed with this one, and I'm pretty bummed about it.
Jess is 29, living in a small town in England, and just broke up with her boyfriend of several years. She is working a job she doesn't love, and when she is offered a promotion she realizing this is NOT the job she wants to be in forever. She applies to a publishing house in London and gets it, to her surprise, and makes the move to pricey London. Miraculously, her college friend Becky inherited a multi-million dollar home in Notting Hill and is willing to rent a room to her for pennies. She moves in, and there is immediate romantic chemistry between her and another house mate, Alex. Problem is, Becky has a no relationships clause in the lease to cut down on drama. We Met in December follows Alex and Jess in their life for about a year in London.
Alex and Jess met about 3% into the book. And then proceed to have the. slowest. burn. romance. ever. A year of time goes by and they are still just friends - no flirty glances, no almost kisses, no anything. They both date <strong>other</strong> people, and most of the book is just random happenings of all the characters. I really didn't feel like the plot was moving forward at all.
It was well written, I will say that. I never wanted to DNF the book, I kept holding out hope that something would happen. It wasn't a bad story, just not at all what I was expecting and it was disappointing for me.
If you enjoy contemporary books with light romance, We Met in December will be right up your alley. Just because it wasn't an insta fave of mine, doesn't mean it wouldn't be for you!
The story of Jess and Alex, who meet when they both move in to a mutual friends house in London. Neither of them are that happy, but they hit it off straight away. Then Jess goes away for christams and when she gets back she finds out Alex has moved on to the other housemate, Emma. You get the impression he is not a very nice person.
I liked how this was told from both of their points of view.
An adorable holiday-ish story about life and love, perfect to get you in the mood for cozy winter days curled up with a good book like this one!
Great relatable characters with a good back and forth flow, I really enjoyed this title. Thank Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for my review.
What a fabulous book! I loved following Jess and Alex's relationship set against the backdrop of London's city streets. One of those books you lose yourself in in the best possible way.
I thought this was going to be my first Christmas book of the year, but this actually contains only passing mentions of Christmas. However, it is a lovely book to read at this time of year, as it does feel very…autumnal…. to me, something to do with the change of the season heralding new beginnings and new challenges, which is one of the themes of the book.
We meet Jess and Alex as they are both undergoing big changes in their lives. Jess has moved from Bournemouth to London to start a new job in the city she has dreamed of living in. Alex has made a drastic career change, a decision that led to seismic changes elsewhere in his life that he is still coming to terms with. They both end up with rooms in the same house share and have an instant spark of attraction, but the path of true love never did run smooth, as we know.
This is a really, sweet, gentle and heart-warning story. it is told from the dual perspectives of Alex and Jess, and gives a great insight into how two people can get in a muddle when they don’t articulate their feelings and make assumptions about how the other person is feeling. It is a totally authentic portrayal of trying to negotiate the tricky world of romance, as anyone who has been young and besotted with be able to tell you. We’ve all been there, so the story is universal and everyone will be able to relate to parts of it.
The two main characters are both easy to like and relate to, so they carry the reader through the story effortlessly. I cared what happened to both of them, and really wanted things to work out, which is the make or break hook for a romance novel. This one worked really well. The story, whilst seeming ordinary, was very touching and true. Rosie also peopled the book with a host of other attractive characters to assist the plot along, the whole thing just meshed together perfectly.
The one thing that set this book a little apart from the mainstream of romance novels was its passionate portrayal of London. The author really brings the city to life, you can feel what a love story of London, as much as Jess and Alex, this is and she pretty much captured how I feel about the city. This was a London I recognised and love when I visit, and I really enjoyed experiencing a visit to the capital via the pages of this book. It did have a very ‘Richard Curtis movie’ feel about it, which no doubt was deliberate given the mention of Jess’s love for them, so if this is something that appeals to you, as it does to me, this is a great book for you to pick up.
This book was a very easy, pleasant and satisfying read that is perfect to carry you through the cooling days of autumn and towards winter. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a heart-warming romance to while away a few happy hours.
An okay read. This is not a new idea: people meeting, being attracted to each other, but then life gets in the way and they don't get together, lots of obstacles, and then eventually they do get together. I could forgive it for not being a new idea, because I love the premise of it, but it's not written in a fresh way.
As for the characters, I did like Jess and Alex, and most of the others (a special mention must go to Nana Beth!), although Sophie was somewhat annoying with her obsessive timetable to get pregnant. Alex casually sleeping with another housemate didn't ring true to his character.
Why didn't Alex and Jess just talk to each other? They seemed to have long periods of time when they didn't see each other. I know they were busy with their jobs, but they lived in the same house!
I loved the descriptions of London. Although the book begins and ends at Christmas, I didn't get a festive vibe from it whatsoever. One more thing, sometimes I forgot which character was speaking. I thought it was Jess for example, then suddenly realised it was Alex, so their voices seemed interchangeable.
The ending felt rushed, and there was an error I think, about Alex and Jess meeting last Christmas, when it was the Christmas before that. A small detail I know.
Maybe I am not the target age range for this book. People will enjoy it, I did for the most part, it's just not a story which will stay with me.
With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
We met in December has been compared to One Day In December, and both stories are similar, in some ways. If you liked One Day, you will probably like this book, but it may not work the other way around.
Note: the review contains spoilers!
We Met In December is the feel.-good romantic story of two people in their late twenties who meet, like each other and become good friends. The end is predictable, but there's no hurry to get there. Both have to live a little and experience some heartache before they can end up together.
I like the way Curtis let us in on both Alex and Jess's thoughts and feelings, alternating between his and her perspectives of the events. I like the way their friendship developed and how they didn't rush into the relationship and spoil it by getting intimate too soon. It's just a shame that both of them had to have relationships that progressed too quickly and ended in heartache.
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalled for the ARC.
Jess and Alex are new roommates living in a house with three other people. Their connection is instant but between the no couples rule and other events will Jess and Alex finally come together?
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What I liked: I liked the characters. I liked the plot. I LOVED the descriptions of London while Jess and Alex walked the city. These descriptions really made the book for me
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What I didn’t: It just moved incredibly slow. This book was a little low in plot— which is fine because you know what’s going to happen. But then push the pace!
I really enjoyed this book about Jess - who is moving to London to start a new chapter in her life. She meets her new housemates in December, goes on holiday with friends, then returns to start her new job and to live in London. The story follows Jess as she falls for her new housemate Alex, then discovers that he is not available.
The characters were believable, the pages were eagerly turned and I was left with a smile on my face.
Thank you to NetGally and Avon Books for a digital review ARC - all views are my own.
This was a great easy read. It’s told from the point of view of Jess and Alex the two main characters who end up living together as part of a big London house share.
Along the way we discover their past relationship disasters and family situations and in true Love Actually style it’s full of near misses of them figuring out and telling each other how they feel. A great autumn/Christmassy book.
This was a fun, heart-warming read with a diverse cast of three-dimensional characters. It felt relatable and realistic because of the depth the sub-characters were given and I particularly enjoyed the dynamics of the housemates. I would have liked to have seen a bit more festive material given the title and cover and positioning of the book, as this felt like a general piece of romance rather than s festive one, but it was fun to read all the same!
The Blurb :
This December, unlucky-in-love Jess is following her dream and moving to Notting Hill. On the first night in her new house-share she meets Alex, the guy in the room next door. They don’t kiss under the mistletoe, but there’s still a spark that leaves Jess imagining how they might spend the year together — never mind the house rule against dating…
But when Jess returns from her Christmas holiday, she finds Alex has started seeing Emma, who lives on the floor above them. Now Jess faces a year of bumping into the man of her dreams — and, apparently, the woman of his.
Jess is determined to move on and spend the year falling in love with London, not Alex — but what if her heart has other ideas?
My Thoughts :
We meet Jess who moves to London in December after her boyfriend is caught cheating on her with a woman at work. Its also an opportunity to pursue her dream job in publishing.
Jess settles on sharing a flat in Notting Hill with Becky, who is a college friend and inherited a house from her grandparents. Rather than sell up Becky decides to rent rooms some friends and ex-colleagues at a cheap price. Jess moves into the house and she takes a liking to Alex, who also lives there and has recently come out of a relationship. They spend some time together enjoying long walks. When Jess comes back after the holidays she finds out that Alex has hooked up with another room mate Emma, Jess is far from happy as she thought her and Alex had a spark. Will they make a go of it or is it too late?!.
This story has a good supporting cast and I enjoyed getting to know their stories throughout the book.
Rosie Curtis has captured the story beautifully and I felt I was right there in London with the descriptive scenery and surroundings. I loved how it was told from both Jess and Alex’s POV.
This is a feel good story that will leave you wanting more.
A sweet slow burn romance with a great cast of characters! This my first Rosie Curtis book, and I am now a fan. Jess and Alex are roommates who spend a year building a friendship and secretly wanting more but not taking the plunge. Alex is going through a major life change and Jess is a hopeless romantic trying to focus on building a new life in London. There are exes and "others'," but no cartoonish bad guys, just real people with different life perspectives. Told in dual points of view, we get to know both characters and understand their hesitations, while wondering when they just get on with it. I was needed a book that would cheer me up, and this one was perfect.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Jess has just moved to London to drastically change her life, and everything seems to be coming together perfectly for her. She's got a fabulous new job, a super cheap room in a Notting Hill house thanks to one of her college friends, and a crush on one of her roommates who just might be the perfect man for her. Until the morning when she catches another woman coming out of his room and Jess concludes she missed her chance. Alex is also after a life makeover after he gave up his law career to pursue nursing which prompted his fiancee to dump him. But his new roommate, Jess, is someone he can really talk to and he enjoys their long walks around London. He's pretty sure that his friends-with-benefits situation isn't really for him, but he's not really looking for a relationship anyway, right? Until Jess starts dating another guy, and Alex realizes he should have taken his shot when he had the chance. Can these two who keep missing each other finally get to the same place?
When I first saw this book on NetGalley, I thought I had already read it before....but no, that was "One Day in December." I can be forgiven for being confused because the covers and titles are extremely similar, and the plots have a lot in common, too: two people meet in December and then spend the next year pining for each other as they date other people and feeling like they missed their only real opportunity at love until finally they get their happy ending. But still, even with the similarities, I was optimistic that I'd enjoy it anyway.
However, I was REALLY hoping that the London setting and a gang of wacky Brits all sharing a house would give me Notting Hill or Four Weddings vibes, and sadly, it fell far short there. Aside from Rob, the Scottish chef who works odd hours but shows up at just the right moments to dispense words of wisdom in his fantastic accent, few of the roommates have much of a personality. I couldn't tell you a thing about Emma, aside from the fact that she's the one Alex starts shagging. Jess and Alex are friends and are each pursuing their dream jobs so they're stressed and exhausted all the time but...why do they like each other so much? What is it, aside from shared walks, that makes them so right for each other? And Becky, the one who owns the house? WHO is she? No idea. I wanted banter, I wanted goofy but charming, I wanted wit (I wanted SPIKE!)... and it just wasn't there.
The other issue I had with this one is that so very little happens. They basically all muddle around for a year (and a Grandma has a health scare and an ex-fiancee reappears for a hot second) but there aren't really any big events or problems to solve or anything to keep the plot moving. I wanted more of a story in my story, especially if the characters aren't really interesting enough to stand on their own.
So, all of that to say, the premise of this book had a lot of potential but ended up falling short for me. When the author's last name is Curtis, I was hoping for something reminiscent of Love Actually which is perhaps unfair. And I didn't hate it, at all. There were some cute moments. But I won't remember much about it, and I can't say I'd recommend it to others.
This is a great read! Many have compared it to One Day in December by Josie Silver, but I think this is different enough to be judged on its own merit. I loved the cast of characters and the way the story unfurled. I think this is the perfect book to be curled up with by the fire this Christmas.
This book is making me long for the colder days towards Christmas and go for a wander around London. A fantastic read about housemates Jess and Alex who have an instant attraction but never quite get together.. How not everyone has perfect family relationships and the importance of friends. Like a warm hug
When I read the summary of this book, I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, the book did not meet my expectations. I especially like to read a friends to romantic couple story, so I thought this book definitely would be for my taste.
The story was drawn out and I felt like I was reading just to finish the book, instead of reading and being interested in what would happen.
I am sorry, but this book was just "okay" to me. I think I am just too old for the plot of casual sex meaning nothing, while you long for another person that you think you might love.
I want to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book. My review is my opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.