A perfect tearjerker for the holidays! I’m typically a romcom reader but this was a nice change from the norm.

First book of the new year! I am still undecided if I’m even planning to do full reviews but then I read this and well felt I had to say something. “Always in December” is not your typical love story or romance or whatever you want to call them. It was heart wrenching and left you wanting more and curious to turn the page. Beautiful story that left me in full on tears at the end.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

“I’m glad for the sadness, that means I remembered….”~Josie

#julesbookshelf #alwaysindecember #arc #lovestory #bookstagram #mustread #netgalley #goodreads #emilystone #1

This book was so cute and touching. I loved it and it was a great holiday book. The book does include death (as a side note). I loved the pacing of this book and how it was set up.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐄𝐃 𝐦𝐞!
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I'm not even going to lie to you, this book had me SOBBING.
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𝘈 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘮𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺!

𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬
Well I went into this thinking it was a going to be a cute, Christmas romance. It’s not, and I’m not trying to spoil it for you because every review will tell you this.
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This book is raw. It’s emotional. It’s heartbreaking. It’s beautiful.
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Emily Stone, you put me on a roller coaster of emotions and I loved every part of the ride.
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𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
❄️ London
❄️ A Good Ugly Cry
❄️ Time Jumps (but not too long)
❄️ Miscommunication
❄️ Awkward Meet Cute
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𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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“𝙺𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚏 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝙸’𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞.”

I sobbed like a baby at the end of this book. It has such a gut punch at a few different points. It’s a solid story. I loved the style. It focuses on four different snippets in time over a year, where Josie and Max serendipitously run into each other.

Dubbed "A devastating, romantic, life-affirming love story, Always, in December will stay with readers long after they've finished the last page."
This is not a happy Hallmark holiday romance.
If you loved the angst and waiting from One Day in December, check out this book!

I had seen reviews of this book by the time I got around to reading it, but I somehow still picked a bad time to read it. That was my mistake though, I'm not holding it against the book.

This was so sad, I cried multiple times. I'd recommend it if you like "In Five Years" by Rebecca Serle (which I also really liked.)

I had guessed what was coming, but it still gutted me when it happened. I'm glad I read it though, and I do like it. I do think it is a mistake to give a somber book such a lovely colorful cover, though. I'd imagine that's where some of the reviewer ire comes from, why some reviewers might feel duped. Just know it's sad going in, and don't make the same mistake I did by reading this just before Christmas and/or when you're already feeling sort of melancholy.

The story was well-written and the characters were multidimensional, which is a cornerstone of my rating system. I don't mind a sad story, as long as it feels genuine. This definitely felt genuine. Josie was a heroine to root for, and I enjoyed her personal journey, aside from the romance. Max of course, is the swoon-worthy, infallible, perfect male love interest. I was so sad with how things worked out for them, but I also felt happy for Josie that she met him and it altered the trajectory of her life for the better.

Holy gut punch of a book! Now, I had heard this book described that way so many times that I definitely read this with a pit in my stomach waiting for the moment I would in fact be, punched in the gut and oh, I was not disappointed. I loved every minute of this story and I look forward to more from Emily Stone.

Always in December
By: Emily Stone

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫/5

Quote: “ The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”

Thank you thank you NetGalley and Dell for the eArc.


I don’t know where to begin with this book. Even though I was warned about this book and still, I ugly cried. A lot. Like literary could not stop crying. 🥺

I never knew how this book would end.

For Josie, Christmas is a difficult time and totally understandable. Both Josie’s parents were killed on Christmas Eve. Every Christmas she copes with their death writing a letter to them. And this year she clumsily runs her bike directly into a man named Max. After this new friendship, a romance begins. After a few days, he ghosts her.

Through the course of 3 years, they keep meeting randomly in the most unexpected places.

Definitely, this is not a happy, cheerful holiday read. Bring the tissue paper because is going to be hard.

A great debut book for Emily Stone.

ALWAYS, IN DECEMBER - Emily Stone

UNEXPECTED BUT GREAT - 5 stars

Plot - 4.5 stars - This is a story about accidental meetings and unexpected love. When Josie, quite literally, runs into Max for the first time, they awkwardly get to know each other, finding a surprising connection. But their liaison is short-lived because of Max, abruptly ending things. Months go on, chance meetings happen, and they slowly develop a relationship that is more than either of them expected or even wanted.

Writing - 5 stars - This debut novel was easy to read, the characters were strong and well-developed, and the story touched my heart. I was shocked (and saddened) by the surprise twist, but it felt right, and I enjoyed every page. Stone has created a setting and situation that was easy to dive into and full of life and personality.

Characters - 5 stars - This is where the story shone for me. Josie is a very practical, very predictable character, but she's also someone who loves deeply and is extremely loyal to both family and friends. I liked being able to see her from the inside (throughout much of the story) as well as seeing her from Max's point of view when they were both in New York. It rounded out her character for me. Max is the ultimate romantic hero. He's handsome and charming, and I loved the joking banter between the two of them. Sure, he kept his big secret to himself, but that's certainly understandable, and I think he was right in that it was better for Josie not to know.

Title - 3 stars - The letter is always sent in December, but I'm not sure of the necessity for the comma which seems to break up the title for me rather than being a single smooth-sounding phrase.

Cover - 4 stars - A nice cover of an embracing couple against a brightly colored background. Definitely eye-catching. This is not exactly a Christmas story, so the cover works for me.

Overall - 5 stars - I really had no idea what to expect from this book when I picked it up. The title sounded holiday-ish, the premise sounded intriguing, and I'm always up for reading a new-to-me romance author. I very much enjoyed the first 90% of the book. It moved forward quickly, kept my interest throughout, and built the characters into people I'd love to spend time with. But the last shocking twist really put this book over the top for me and made it a 5-star read. I'm glad I didn't read any reviews beforehand which might have destroyed the surprise because that was the punch that made this book amazing for me. It had the impact for me that it must have for Josie, forcing her (allowing her?) to grow up and expand the horizons that Max had helped her open up. Wonderfully written and very enjoyable. I can't wait for this author to write another one. I'm a fan.

3.5 stars. The writing was definitely my style, but I couldn’t buy into the connection the MCs supposedly had- they weren’t fleshed out enough for me to really fall for them. Also, I thought the ending was really telegraphed, and easy to guess.

I had high hopes for this book - it promised to be a cozy Christmas book about two people whose paths keep crossing. The cover is an illustrated cover with a couple in an embrace - much like the current trend in romance novel covers. This book, however, is not a romance by a long shot. There is no happy ending. Outside of the misleading cover, I really didn't feel any chemistry between Max and Josie - they kept crossing paths, but they had zero sparks. My other main issue was the lack of a plot - the book just kinda dragged for me. Overall, this book just didn't work for me - but I hope it works for others.

Fair warning, this is not the lighthearted holiday read the cover makes it seem, it was QUITE a tearjerker. But as a fan of books that mess with my emotions, I liked this one a lot. The setting does make it the perfect book to read during the holiday season, just be prepared with plenty of tissues. I was fully invested in both of the main characters, and felt like the author had taken a lot of time and care in developing both them and the story itself. If you like to be gutted by a novel, pick this up. But PLEASE know this is not an HEA. I've seen so many reviews criticizing it for that, so go in with different expectations.

So. Many. Tears for this adult holiday British romance.
CW: death, cheating

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up for the slow start

Loved this book. It was an absolute tear-jerker but I'm so glad I read it. It was wonderful to read about how love can make someone feel, it when it's not the most "convenient" time for love. And it made me think about the amazing strength of the human spirit.

Ugh. This story gutted me! But in such a beautiful way. This beautiful story kept me thinking about it long after it was done.

I wish it had ended differently but I loved Josie and Max’s journey, especially the character development within Josie.

What a poignant, beautiful story.

I loved this book so much! It was so raw, and relatable. I think it would be enjoyable any time of year, not just in the winter. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

I really liked Always in December. When I started the book, I thought it was another one of those stories where the couple keeps denying their attraction for each other and goes in separate directions but keeps bumping into one another until they finally realize they're in love. And it kind of is. But there's an interesting plot twist that I certainly didn't see coming and makes it not the same old plot. Always in December is definitely worth reading. It's well written and the characters are interesting and well fleshed out. I recommend it.

This book left me sobbing! I was wholly unprepared for the emotions it brought out in me.

A fated love story that is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking. This books deals with grief and loss and you will feel it but you will also be glad you read it. Have tissues handy and time to devote to Josie and Max - you will want to lose yourself in their story.

When I started this book I was expecting a light hearted Christmas romance but this isn’t what I got. Instead a deep emotional story that dives into real issues and makes you feel something for these characters. I loved this story but do wish we had a bit more time with the characters at the end.