Oh my goodness I loved this one! I was hooked right away and kept wanting to read more. I love the formatting and think that definitely played a party in making it more interesting. I found this to be such a heartwarming and charming read! It does deal with a really challenging subject but found it to be handled tastefully.

Review of Every Day in December by Kitty Wilson

This is the story of two opposite people. Set in December we have Belle who loves everything about Christmas and Rory who hates it and just wants to make it out the other side. They know each other from Uni days and meet up again. The story is told on a day by day basis and we watch their friendship grow and evolve. Overall I enjoyed this story, and a nice one to add to the Christmas reading pile.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. Reading Christmas books in summer isn’t something I normally do, I do love a good Christmas related story. For me, this was average. I wanted to love it. Some of my favourite things to do around the holidays is read stories like this, but I couldn’t connect with the characters as much as I wanted. While it picked up near the end, I found it slow. Belle and Rory have a sweet Christmas love story, but I couldn’t find the passion. Overall the writing was good, the story has promise, but I couldn’t find the connection.

Every Day in December by Kitty Wilson was a slow burn story about friendship, love, and more set around the holidays. Belle, who loved the holidays and Rory, well who didn’t. Belle, even when life is not going her way, spreads happiness. Rory has suffered tragedy and does not look forward. When they meet, they help each other for different reasons, but never expected what would come. I enjoyed watching them become friends and lean on each other. Their story was not an easy one, but instead found something neither saw coming.

Happy reading!

I was lucky enough to also receive this as an audio book which I listened to in a day because I just loved the characters, the story and the way the author had written it with such wit and hilarity!

Highly recommended for an uplifting upbeat romance either in August or whenever you need a boost.

Every Day in December was wonderful holiday romance about dysfunctional family, getting over guilt and loss, having confidence and self-worth, passion, hope, family, friendship, and love.

Writing was lovely, engaging, and steady paced, first person alternative dual narrative written from Belle and Rory’s perspective. Setting of Bristol during winter and Christmas was beautiful.

Plot was great. It took place within a month with December dates as chapter headings. It revolved around Rory and Belle, once a college classmate, reconnecting again, developing a friendship and love as they spent more time together. It was interesting to read how Belle’s dream project will took off, how she would find work, how Rory will get over loss and guilt, move forward in life, learn to love December and Christmas once again, and let love in his life. It wasn’t all fluffy lovey-dovey romance. There was much more to story making it real life romance.

This was more character driven than plot driven story. All characters were realistic and some of them were relatable. Family dynamic was great. Both Rory and Belle grew up in different life style and family that had huge impact in their life. Rory’s family was lovely and caring while Belle’s family was highly dysfunctional. Belle father was manipulative narcissist, control freak jerk who always look for faults in others. He demeaned Belle all her life; her mother made it worst by staying silent, taking her husband’s side and joining laugh against Belle; and her sister was golden child and there was nothing sisterly between the two.

There were many characters in this book but my favourite secondary characters were- Louisa, Belle’s best friend who was more like a family to her. Marsha, Louisa’s daughter and Belle’s goddaughter, was breath fresh air. Alison, Rory’s mother, was fun, loving and amazing person.

Rory and Belle were fantastic character. They both knew each other when they were young and in college and now as thirty years adult gave their characters more layer. Author wonderfully described how they were when they were young and how they grew to be developed and responsible adult.

Belle was my most favourite character. She was kind, loving, jolly, mischievous, and full spirit. It was easy to empathise with her. Looking at her family, the way they treated her, it was no surprise she had self-esteem and self-worth issue. She craved for their love and praise and for that she never snapped back at insults they threw and avoided creating scene and drama. But not fighting for herself and life’s worth demoralising words created such low belief in herself and fear of rejection was so much that she struggled at every step of life.

But her will and determination were admirable. I loved how she went from jobless and struggling to pay bills to having work and more savings than she had in last few years within couple of weeks. I loved how meeting Rory brought comfort and sense of safety in her life, another friend she can open to. His unwavering support brought back confidence and strength to fight for her dignity and not give a shit to people who don’t value her.

Her passion and love for Shakespeare was infectious. I don’t know anything about Shakespeare and now after reading this book I wish she would come out the story and teach me and simplify work of Shakespeare like she did for young kids in school.

Rory was interesting character. He was caring, successful and supportive and loving person. He was close person who didn’t like to share his emotion and feeling with anyone. He was still struggling from grief and guilt of losing his girlfriend in accident five years ago and being back in hometown with news of his mother having breast cancer and needed surgery a week before Christmas didn’t make things easy for him. His fear of losing another person he loved most in world touched my heart. It was great to see how meeting Belle and spending time with her brought smile and laughter back in his life, made him let people in, confront his guilt and planted thought of moving forward in life.

Best part of the book was Rory and Belle’s Christmassy activity. It was fun to read tray hill-sledging, Dickensian Christmas improv, Victorian dance and carriage ride in Tyntesfield, and Christmas party. Belle’s knowledge and passion for Shakespeare was another best thing in book. I didn’t know Shakespeare never wrote full play or sonnet on Christmas. Out of all his work he mentioned Christmas just three times! And it was fun to read about so many Christmas phobias – syngenesphobia, Melegrisphobia, christougenniatikophobia, ghabhphobia, selaphobia. I liked how author showed not every one enjoys holiday and Christmas and it’s often tough time for people and yet they experience magic and hope if they tried.

Romance was slow burn with friends-to lovers arc. Author taking time with both Rory and Belle’s feelings, making them friends first and them slowly developing chemistry between them made it more realistic.

Twist and turns were not much. Most were predictable. I knew Rory was going to have second thought and there was going to be heartbreak in climax but the way he acted and his words surprised me. I’m glad he quickly realised his mistake and planned for big gesture which was fun to read. The end was lovely, entertaining, and uplifting.

Overall, Every Day in December was refreshing, feel good, heart-warming contemporary romance with lots of Christmassy spirit.

I highly recommend this if you like,
friends-to lovers arc
Slow burn romance
Shakespeare
Clean adult romance
dysfunctional family trope
Christmas spirit

‘Two people, one month to fall in love’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to HarperCollins U.K. One More Chapter for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Every Day in December’ by Kitty Wilson in exchange for an honest review.

While I don’t read a great number of romances or romantic comedies, every now and then I crave a little escapism. I found this novel a total delight and read in a single day.

The story is told from two points of view and each of its 31 chapters is allocated to a day in December.

On the 1st December Belle Wilde has been laid off and thus finds herself ‘financially challenged’. While she comes from a privileged background, her parents are not supportive. Yet Belle believes that in December, magic can happen and is determined to improve her situation.

Rory Walters is no fan of December. Five years ago his life was changed forever and he moved to Australia to get away from his memories. This year he has come home to see his family though he expects that he will just have to endure the festive season.

Rory and Belle had known each other in university. He is now in Reputation Management and has been hired by Nick Wilde, Belle’s dad. While considered a national treasure, Nick’s reputation is currently in tatters. As Belle observes: “he is a man that should never use the words ‘me’ and ‘too’ together, never ever, ever.”

Now that Belle and Rory are getting reacquainted, she takes on the mission to not only sort out her own life but to change Rory’s mind about December by appointing herself his personal Christmas elf.

There is also a Shakespearean theme running through the novel. Belle loves the works of Shakespeare and for years has been developing a programme to introduce Shakespeare to school children. Each chapter opens with a relevant Shakespearean quote.

This was a lovely story that was whimsical and yet had elements of drama, including coming to terms with loss. I feel it was a good move to have Belle and Rory be friends, who have been out of touch, rather than meeting for the first time.

I was completely taken with this novel, finding it well written, funny and moving. Plus, of course, romantic. It is definitely a feel-good read.

Every December my reading group selects a light-hearted novel with a Christmas theme, so this year I am going to suggest ‘Every Day in December’ to them as it’s a novel that I feel everyone would enjoy.

Definitely recommended.

Every Day in December
by: Kitty Wilson
HarperCollins UD, One More Chapter

This is a tender, uplifting story of friendship, family, and second chances, set during the month of December. Holiday stories are perfect for any season or time of year, and this book is so good for escaping with its warm, cozy comfort.
Thank you to Net Galley and HarperCollins UD, One More Chapter for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to review this book.

This made me so excited for Christmas. It felt very similar to just about every Christmas movie but I am so okay with that. It was fun and cute and all the cozy feelings.

This book is set a Christmas with a friends to lovers, almost second chance romance theme. So if you love those kind of books then this ones for you.

I loved how amazing the characters Rory and Belle were and the heartwarming story we got from them.

This is my first read by Kitty Wilson. It definitely won't be my last!

This was such a sweet book! It is a a touching romance with lovely characters making for such a heart-warming love story, This is about love, friendship and Christmas. I really enjoy the Shakespeare theme within this too, it was woven into the story so nicely. I also enjoyed the use of the whole month of December to build the friendship between Rory and Belle. It allowed insight into how the two got to know each other. This is my first read by Kitty Wilson, but it certainly isn’t my last!

Every Day in December is a friends to lovers, almost second chance romance set in England at Christmas time. Rory is back in town to visit his mom as she has surgery for breast cancer and runs into Belle, a friend from college. Belle is newly unemployed, treated terribly by her family, and in need of a friend. Rory helps her out with work and they begin to spend more time together. But both of them have a lot of baggage to unpack and need each other's help to heal.

I found this one to be engaging and really gave you characters to root for. Belle and Rory both had a lot of character development through the story and worked hard to get to where they were at the end. They both had family issues to work through, and I felt it was handled really well. I think the plot itself is what was engaging, not necessarily the writing though.

I don't read a lot of Christmas books, no matter the time of year, but I did enjoy this one as Belle was trying to sell Rory on the concept of Christmas and Christmas activities. I thought it was a cute twist to the normal plot of Christmas books. I would have loved more at the end of this book to really wrap everything up.

**Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

"I spent my whole childhood waiting to be an adult and now I am, it's not all it's cracked up to be."

Rory and Belle have very different opinions on Christmas.

Belle loves it - despite the fact she's lost her job, her family are icy as the weather and things aren't really looking that great for her right now. But still, she believes in a little Christmas Magic. Rory however, can't look at winter the same way since he lost Jess, and finds the festive season something to endure rather than enjoy. When these two old college friends bump into each other out of the blue, they might need more than mistletoe to melt Rorys heart.

This was perfectly cosy winter romance (despite it being the height of summer right now!)

With all your favourite tropes - grumpy person vs bubbly person, friends-to-lovers, the grand declarations - and while this made it slightly predictable it turned the whole thing into something familiar and warm. The characters were well written, I loved the supporting characters especially Belles best friend and God Daughter - their relationship was truly beautiful all the way through. While a cute read, there is some dark subject matter lurking around - including cancer, death, and complex family dynamics that were handled well but for me didn't quite fit with what I was expecting from this story.

If you're looking for a christmas romance as sweet as a candy cane - you've found one.

Thank you to Kitty Wilson and One More Chapter for an advanced reviewers copy of this title.

He hates December. How could he not - it's the month where he lost the greatest thing in his life. She loves December and all things Christmas. With a selfish and unsupportive family, it was Christmas with its joy and cheer that gets her through. This book follows these old college friends as they reconnect after years apart, as she begins to show him the joy he's been refusing himself and he gives her the confidence to follow her dreams and believe in herself. This was truly a delightful slow burn romance to read as friends turn to lovers. I enjoyed the format and how every chapter was a day in December and I loved the feel good, clean nature of the story (and the Shakespeare quotes and nods). I definitely would add this to your holiday TBR list this upcoming season.

TW: cancer, spousal loss.
No steam in this romance, but I didn't miss it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this book. All opinions remain my own as always.

Released just a few days ago, I was excited for a Christmas book to escape the heat that is Nebraska summer.

I loved the warm, Christmasy atmosphere throughout this book. It was perfect for putting you in the spirit for the upcoming season.

The characters were great too, although I hated the way Belle’s family treated her and how she put up with it throughout the book.

While I enjoyed the scenes created by the author, this one was just a little too slow for me. This friends to lovers trope focused on every day in December, as the title suggests and it was just a little to monotonous for me. I wanted more romance and substance. It was just lacking depth for me.

If you’re looking for a slower paced, sweet romance that will put you in the Christmas spirit, you’ll like this one.

My first book by this author.

An enjoyable, festive read. Would definitely recommend to those who like a Christmas book!

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF for me. I tried to stick with it and give it a fair shot, but it felt too slow-paced, and I was not attached to or invested in the characters. Maybe I would feel more engaged closer to the holiday season, but this book was not my cup of tea at this time. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Every Day in December by Kitty Watson is the perfect Christmas time romance to curl up with on a cold day with a cup of steaming hot chocolate. Rory Walters has come home to England for the first time in five years because his mother has cancer. He’s finding it hard because it’s also the anniversary of his fiancee’s death, and all of the holiday cheeriness around him makes it worse. When he’s hired to help a celebrity chef repair his image, he encounters Belle Wilde, a former college classmate who’s also the daughter of said celebrity chef. Belle’s parents think she should have it all together by now, and while that may have been true last month, this month, she’s out of a job and is not sure how she’s going to pay the rent. Rory’s belief in a project that she’s been working on gives her the spark that she needs to move her ideas off of the drawing board and into the real world. Belle believes that December is magic and grateful for his support she vows to make this December special for him, his own Christmas Elf if you will.
I enjoyed reading this book immensely and highly recommend reading it. Steam Level: Quite Light. Publishing date: August 20, 2021. #EveryDayInDecember #KittyWilson #HarperCollinsUK #OneMoreChapter #HolidayRomance #NetGalley #ContemporaryRomance #HolidayRomanceReader #RomanceReader #Bookstagram #Bookstagrammer

This is my first Christmas read of 2021. Belle and Rory are loveable characters and meet again although they had first met at University. Their friendship develops over the month of December as the title portrays. Some lovely Shakespeare quotes too.

Book 254 for 2021 - Every Day in December by Kitty Wilson. Thanks to @harpercollinsuk and @netgalley for an eARC in return for an honest review.

Rating: 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summary: Two acquaintances from college (Uni) come back into each other’s lives when Rory is hired to clean up a scandal for Belle’s dad. They fast develop friendship and fight romance while Belle tries to help Rory go from fearing/hating December to at least tolerating it and Rory tries to support his mom through a cancer diagnosis while trying to heal from a death years earlier.

Review: I am a big believer in the concept that people come in and out of our lives for a reason. Rory and Belle knew each other a bit in the college days, but it’s this encounter where their influence and care really helps the other start to heal. Belle’s total narcissist of a dad has done a real number on her and Rory’s outsider enthusiasm for Belle’s life passion (bringing Shakespeare to youth, especially those without traditional access or interest), helps build her confidence and keeps her momentum on a path of remaking herself after years of dating bad men and using substances to cope with serious social anxiety. Belle’s approach to bringing Christmas spirit to Rory, but with grace and space and support helps him slowly start to reclaim a super hard time of year for him and maybe start to chip at his need to control everything.

The side characters are also great - Belle’s best friend and goddaughter, and Rory’s mom.

No spice, but good tension, and romance.

Available now. #everydayindecember #kittywilsonauthor #kittywilson #harpercollinsuk #bookstagram #romancebookstagram #reading #romance #romancebooks See Less
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