I loved every minute of this book!! I didn't want it to end so I found myself putting it down just to make it last longer. I thought all of the characters were well thought out and came across as likable, except for the mother, but that was intended. I loved the grandmother's relationship with Jess--it was so sweet. As I was reading I kept getting visuals of Phoebe's grandmother in FRIENDS. Kind of a free spirit, out there but still present.

I really liked the concept of all the characters living together; it made house sharing seem like a fun thing to do. I know I'd never do it but it was nice to live through Jess for awhile.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I loved the premise of this and I’m a sucker for a good holiday book, so I was all in on this one. Even with the low ratings.

Jess and Alex were okay? They were both similar and fairly lackluster. There was a POV switch, but both of their inner monologues sounded exactly the same. Annnd at one point I read more than half of a chapter thinking it was Jess when it was actually Alex. There were several secondary characters, yet they were all flat and we didn’t get to know too much about any of them.

Plot wise, it was so slow. I liked the idea of the time jumps with the chapters, but there didn’t seem to be any reason for the amount of time. The relationship slash romance aspect was completely non-existent. They each pined away for each other, but in an off handed way, almost like it was an afterthought. No chemistry, no pay off, a weird HEA than didn’t seem deserved.

Overall, I liked the idea and always love London, but this book definitely wasn’t for me.

**Huge thanks to William Morrow for providing the arc free of charge**

I am always on the look out for a great romantic comedy. This book description was compelling, but the story didn't have anything that made it dynamic or made it stand out among the rest of the rom-com offerings this season. It was a pleasant story. The characters were likable, but it lacked heart and emotion and laughs... It was just ok for me.

29-year-old Jess has moved to London in December to try and pursue her dreams. She moves in with a couple of strangers in a flatshare, the rent is cheap, and her roommates seem nice. Jess instantly feels connected to Alex, a male nurse sharing her floor. But when she comes back from a trip with friends finds that Emma and Alex seem to have something going on.

Jess and Alex become close friends and the two bond over walking around London with Alex showing Jess all of his favorite sites. They have a great time, but Alex seems to keep having his relationship with Emma on the side so Jess decides maybe online dating just might be what she needs to move on.

I liked this book, but I felt it took a while to get where it is going. Alex is having a friends with benefits relationship with Emma while saying he doesn't want to be in a relationship. Yet, wants to spend his free time with Jess and gets jealous when she wants to date someone. I liked that Jess and Alex both have alternating POV's, but I wanted more from them both.

This is a slow-burn romance that could have done with a little something to spark it up a bit.

I did really like the myriad cast of side characters from Rob the chef to Jess's friends, Mother, and Grandmother. They all rounded out the story nicely. Plus, the cover is beautiful and don't let the word "December" in the title make you think this is a holiday book. The story is told over the course of a year and begins in December.

If you are looking for a slow-burn romance that is not explicit in its language or sex scenes, this is the cute book for you.

Jess has decided to take a big leap of faith and leave her hometown for the big streets of London. She's starting a new job and has moved into a house-share in Notting Hill. On her first night in the new house she meets Alex, her new floor-mate and by the end of the night her crush on him is solidified. When she gets back after two weeks on holiday she finds that Alex has started seeing another house-mate, Emma.

"We Met In December" by Rosie Curtis was a super cute and sweet story that tackled the scariness of stepping into adulthood, following your dreams, and love. It was an enjoyable story but at times I felt it was a bit bland -- nothing very exciting happened. That's not to say that every story needs some huge unbelievable twist (and perhaps that makes this story more real-life than most), but I would have liked a little more "oomph" to it. I enjoyed the cast of characters - even the ones more on the periphery like Rob were fun to get to know.

3.5./5 stars

Just finished this book last night and I love Jess and Alex. The alternating POV is one of my favorite tropes. Jess was fully realized and Alex came across as a down to earth man trying to prove that what he gave up was for all the right reasons. I look forward to many more books from Rosie Curtis!

Twenty-nine-year-old Jess has moved to London in December to live in a crumbling home in Notting Hill to share with a couple of strangers. The rent is cheap, and her roommates seem nice. The first night there, they have a party and Jess instantly feels connected to Alex, a male nurse sharing her floor. She feels an instant connection but after coming back from a trip with friends finds Emma, their beautiful roommate coming out of Alex's bedroom. It is obvious that they have something going on (even though there is a NO RELATIONSHIPS rule in the house) So Jess resigns herself to the knowledge that she and Alex will just be friends.

Friends they are and the two bond over walking around London with Alex showing Jess all of his favorite sites. They have a great time, but Alex seems to keep having his relationship with Emma on the side so Jess decides maybe online dating just might be what she needs to move on.

I felt this book had so much promise and I did enjoy it, but it was also grating on my nerves a little. Alex is having friends with benefits relationship with Emma while saying he doesn't want to be in a relationship. Yet, wants to spend his free time with Jess and gets jealous when she wants to date someone. Jess and Alex both have their POV's told but they are a little repetitive. Plus, I would have loved to have read Emma's thoughts as well.

As others have pointed out this is a slow burn romance where I would have liked to have more sparks and more angst between the two main characters. For people their age, they came off as much younger to me. Plus, a slightly faster-paced story would have moved this book along a little faster and enhanced my read.

One plus is the myriad cast of characters from Rob the chef to Jess's friends, Mother, and Grandmother. They all rounded out the story nicely. Plus, the cover is beautiful and don't let the word "December" in the title make you think this is a holiday book. The story is told over the course of a year and begins in December.

Some might appreciate that this book is not explicit in its language or sex scenes. We know that characters have had sex with each other but there are no details told.

Enjoyable but had me wanting more.

Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This could have been so much better -- it fancied itself a Love Actually but it read more like a bottom run Hallmark movie -- not even one of the good ones. The story was fine, the characters were fine, the setting was good . . . I just wanted more. Plus the characters didn't find their way to each other until the book was almost over so I did feel a bit wary by that. I was a little bored.

We Met in December comes out TODAY on November 5, 2019 and you can purchase HERE.

Christmas and London are a match made in heaven. There's a man on the street corner selling hot chestnuts by the bag, filling the air with the smell of cinnamon and vanilla. The ornate wooden windows of Liberty are glittering with lights and decorations.

Title: We Met in December
Author: Rosie Curtis
Genre: Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5

At 29, Jess has finally gathered the courage to leave her safety net behind and move to London to chase her dreams. She misses her grandmother, but she’s scored a fantastic deal on a flatshare in Notting Hill, and she’s eager to start her new life. At a dinner thrown by her new landlord, she meets Alex, the guy she’ll be sharing her floor with, and there’s a definite connection.

Jess daydreams of growing closer to Alex and of love blooming between them, but when she returns from a holiday with friends, she finds Alex has started seeing the beautiful Emma, another of their flatmates. Now Jess is forced to watch the man of her dreams chase someone else—from the room next door.

This was such a cute read! I think we can all relate to Jess and her high hopes and dreams for the future, which get bludgeoned with reality. The interactions between all the flatmates were fun to read about, and Jess and Alex have such a great friendship, with both struggling with their feelings for one another while trying to keep said feelings a secret.

Rosie grew up in the Scottish Highlands and now lives in England by way of Melbourne. We Met in December is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of HarperCollins via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

If you’re looking for a cute Christmas romance, look elsewhere. This book was bland, repetitive, and slow. I don’t mind slow-burns if the pay-off is worth it. But here, there is no pay off. You should be warned the two main characters spend most of the book in relationships with other people. And while that’s not an automatic deal breaker, the way the (mostly non-existent romance plot) played out in this book was so underwhelming I was left angry. The pacing was numbing, the characters dull, and the writing unremarkable. Honestly the best part of the books were the cool facts and descriptions of London.

We Met in December took me longer to finish than any rom-com novel I have ever read. The writing was nice enough and descriptive, but the story seemed to really lag on for entire chapters. I typically enjoy a “slow burn” type romance, but this one did not hit the right balance and in the end there was so little steam and romantic connection that I felt a bit disillusioned.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me access to an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw the title and cover for this novel, I was so excited to get started on my first holiday romantic read of the season. Unfortunately, this book (first and foremost) has nothing to do with the holidays, and (second) is not interesting or engaging in any way. I didn’t think the writing was very good, nor did I care about the two main characters.

Two people. One house. A year that changes everything.

29 year old Jess is taking a leap and changing her career. Moving to London has always been her dream. The only way she can afford it is taking a room in a crumbling, but grand, Notting Hill house-share with four virtual strangers.On the first night Jess meets Alex, the handsome new roommate she will be sharing a floor with, at a Christmas party her landlord puts on.

After a night of flirting, the connection is clear. But when Jess returns from a two week ski trip she comes home to find Emma, one of their other roommates, stumbling out of Alex’s room early in the morning. Now Jess must spend the year bumping into the man of her dreams, while he is dating the woman of his.

When I read the synopsis for this title I got major Flatshare vibes! I was so ready to dive into this holiday read. The second line “ There’s a man on the street corner selling hot chestnuts by the bag, filling the air with the smell of cinnamon and vanilla” put me right in the holiday spirit! However, this is about as christmas-y as this book gets. This follows more Jess and Alex’s life after they meet in December. I did enjoy the alternating POV. This is most definitely sort of a slow building romance between Jess and Alex. The ending felt a little abrupt and I wish they would have gotten together a little bit sooner. If you enjoy Sophie Kinsella books, this novel is told in the same brittish/UK style which I loved! Overall, I did enjoy this novel, however I wouldn’t really put it in the Romance category, possible more Fiction/Women’s Fiction.

I love a story that makes its city a character in the book, and that's definitely the case with We Met in December. Jess is wide-eyed and new to the city, Alex spent time in London as a kid. The initial development of their friendship as housemates and on their walks around London is lovely. Then the story bogs down for a very long stretch as the two don't/won't admit their feelings for each other, grit their teeth over the other's relationships, and go on living their daily lives.

The book does have a HEA, but this is really contemporary fiction. Readers who go in expecting full-on romance may find themselves disappointed.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

We start out in London at Christmastime, that was more than enough for me to get hooked, but it got better! A cute, light read perfect for a cozy weekend. I would highly recommend it!

3.5

I liked parts of it but I just didn’t like the back and forth. I liked the concept of the book just had a hard time connecting with characters. I didn’t feel the full chemistry between the characters until the end.

We Met in December follows a year in the life of Jess who has just moved to London to follow her dream of working in publishing. To help make ends meet, Jess is sharing a house with four other people. Right before the holidays, on the first night's meet-and-greet between the roommates, Jess meets Alex. The two seemingly hit it off from the start, but when returns from her holiday away with friends, she discovers that Alex and their other roommate Emma have started seeing one another.

Despite their undeniable chemistry, Jess is resolved to not dwell on the fact that Alex is with someone else. In the mean time, they both enjoy each other's company as friends including the exploration of London through various walks and lunch dates.

And as the year moves forward and onward so do Alex and Jess, both experiencing their new lives and continuing to circle around one another. Will they let another year go by before they're both in the same place at the same time? Or are they forever fated to continue circling?

In We Met in December, Rosie Curtis gives readers a sweet look at an almost- maybe- couldbe- romance. You could almost seriously hear the click when Alex and Jess first meet. What I liked most, however, is the fact that their romance is built up as friendship first. Who knows where the story would have gone had Alex and Jess immediately started something. Instead the build up of the friendship is probably the most important aspect of their relationship. The whole idea that two people could be absolutely perfect for each other, but you also have to take into account where they are in their lives. Alex had just gotten out of a serious long-term relationship and, like Jess, decided to switch careers. He wasn't ready to jump into another serious relationship.

So with all the extenuating circumstances surrounding Alex and Jess getting to be together the circling around one another did start to feel a bit repetitive. Just a bit, not too bad, but definitely something that made me wish things would speed up a little in spots.

I did enjoy the fact that we get both Jess and Alex's points of view. It's an interesting dynamic seeing things from the man's perspective and then from the woman's. How they are similar and how they're different. And again just hitting home the idea of where each of them are in their lives at each moment.

Overall, We Met in December is a really sweet read. A nice read for a wintry day, but not too overwhelming on the holidays. I'm certainly going to be on the lookout for the next book by Rosie Curtis.

This book was just ok for me. I thought based on the title and cover that it would be a holiday book, but felt a little mislead. Overall I liked the story, but I felt that there was a lot going on but very little of it mattered. I would have liked to have seen the subplots be explored more or even the main characters have more of a connection.

We Met in December follows Jess, a young woman who is making big changes and is just hoping for the best with the big move and all the changes she has made to her life. She moves into a shared home with 4 other house mates. There aren’t many rules to follow, just one important one. Don’t date other house mates. So when hunky Alex comes through the door Jess doesn’t know if that will be possible. Well, until he hooks up with another house mate and Jess is left as the new best friend. They spend a lot of time together over the course of the years lease exploring their new home all London has to offer.

Jess was a character that I wouldn’t mind having as a friend. Raised by her grandmother, she has a good head on her shoulders and seems to know what she wants in life. And even with a lot on her plate with the job changes and the big move to London, she remained such a loyal friend to Becky. And her love for her grandmother, Nanna Beth was something that just warmed my heart. Her grandmother is a spunky one and spoke her mind whenever she pleased. And I just adored her.

Now, Alex has just as much going on too. He has made a big career change too. He has given up a fancy lawyer with a great salary but it isn’t his calling and it wasn’t without sacrifices. The new profession is one that it both stressful at times but rewarding too. I have to give him kudos for that. I did get a little frustrated at times with him when it came to Jess, but in the end I really liked him. I have to mentions there are a few side characters that were part of the story which I enjoyed getting to know a little about as the story progressed. And I wouldn’t mind seeing how a couple them fared after this particular story ended.

The story is told from alternating points of view from both Jess and Alex and was such a great way to see this blooming romance from both side. The fun times they had together as friends and then there was the questioning on their relationship when it came to the feeling they were feeling over time. But they didn’t act on… For over a year too! They had their own lives, friends and relationships but through it all they always came back to each other and their friendship. But I knew where the story was going from the start with the Jess an Alex having some sort of relationship as some point and it was the journey to get there that really kept me invested in these two. They seemed so good for each other.

I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of London over the course of the year that Jess and Alex’s story takes place. Christmas is London sounds like a dream and the way everything was described makes me want to visit even more than I did before. It sounds amazing. Definitely a perfect setting for a romantic story to take place.

We Met In London was such an enjoyable read, with a friends to lover romance to the wonderful setting and a great cast of characters. It’s a fantastic read for the upcoming holiday season.

We Met in December by Rosie Curtis is a sweet about true friendships. Jess and Alex are both moving to London and starting new careers. They have a mutual friend and end up being roommates. The first night they meet there's chemistry but Jess goes on holiday and when she returns Alex has started something with another roommate. As time goes by they become really good friends and spend quite a bit of time together. They both have feelings for each but the timing is never right.

It alternates between Jess and Alex telling the story. I loved the characters in this book even when I was shaking my head and wondering why would you do that. The descriptions of the walking tours of London were fun. This is a great holiday or any time read that covers friendship, family, starting over, and, of course, love.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers (William MorrowPaperback) for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Romance
Release Date: November 5, 2019