*May contain spoilers*

Well, this one will tug those heart strings even in spite of yourself. I haven't cried reading a "romance" since "Me Before You." This book invokes similar emotions. I've seen several people comment that this shouldn't be listed as a romance but I disagree. Sure it's not entirely "fluff" as most Christmas romance novels are but I liked that it took me by surprise with it's real life subject matter.

Josie character development for one is the girl growth story we all want! From fearful and defeated she rises from her life ashes strong and determined while embracing weakness in a new way.

So no, don't pick this up as a fluff piece - although there are the stereotypical fluff in there - but it doesn't stay there. Which is what I appreciated. Great storytelling, plot twists, character development, people you want to root for. All in all that's a win for me...now I will need to go read something "fluffy."

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review.

Simultaneously light-hearted and completely devastating, Always in December is the emotional read you need this year.

MV rating: 7/10 so bittersweet
•Fans of “Me Before You” and “In Five Years” will definitely enjoy this one.
•When Josie runs into Max (literally), she has no idea what’s in store. A few passionate days later, he disappears on her. Over the next year, they bump into each other at the most inopportune times, and Josie can’t help but think that Max is hiding something…. Are they in love? Do they hate each other? Who knows how this ends.
•The book is very Hallmark, but in the least cheesy way.
•I read the story in one sitting, and it was truly a sweet and endearing book. Perfect for your holiday break this year.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC access!

I went into this excecting a cute, feel good Christmas read... and that's not entirely what I got.

*****Stop reading here because I have a few spoilers below*****

Holiday reads are supposed to be HAPPY!! This book was not entirely that. Be aware that you will probably shed a tear or several with this read.

Josie and Max meet in when Josie quite literally runs into him with her bike. What seems like an unlikely friendship begins to bud into something more when the two of them bring out the Christmas spirit in one another.

Throughout the year Josie and Max seem to keep running into each other, and there's definite chemistry. It has everything set up for a happily ever after.....

Over all I did very much enoy this story, however usually when I pick up a Christmas read I'm hoping for a light read and this was a bit heavier.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy - I will pick up more from Emily Stone in the future.

I could not put this book down. I thought the novel was going to wrap up, then I realized I had over 40% left of the book!

Emily Stone knows how to keep a reader engaged and emotional throughout her debut novel. One not to miss.

ALWAYS, IN DECEMBER was a heartfelt, bittersweet, unexpected holiday read.

Emily Stone's writes from the heart and her characters are lovely, through and through. I loved Josie and Max, Bia and Laura, Memo and Helen and the whole set of characters in ALWAYS, IN DECEMBER. This book packed a lot of punch - laugh out loud moments, moments that made me smile and cry and long to hug those I love. I would recommend this novel for fans of holiday read, of romance, of women's fiction. This story and its characters will stay with me and I look forward to whatever Emily Stone writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC I received in exchange for my honest review.

This book was very well written and I enjoyed the premise but it was just so sad. I think it could have been categorized better as this was not a christmas-y romance like I was expecting.

Wow, this one was not what I was expecting. It seemed all cozy and romance-y but the ending totally took me out.

I have to admit, I felt a little deceived by the cover and synopsis when this turned out to be a story of love, heartbreak and starting over. It’s definitely not the light, Christmas read that the cover depicts.

All that said, I truly enjoyed the book, characters and setting. It was a beautiful story that was very well written. It’s definitely one of this books that sticks with you.

Just know going into it that it’s a tear jerker and not a heartwarming romance.

Always in December by Emily Stone

On paper, this book is perfect for me. Christmas? Check. ✔️ Romance? Check. ✔️Guaranteed tears? Check. ✔️

But something was amiss. Don’t get me wrong! I loved a lot of moments. I was invested. I cried. Buuuuuuuuut… I’m frustrated!

This had so much more potential. We needed 50 more pages. We needed more details. The devastating ending was more like a “wait woah where did that come from” when I think the impact could’ve been more meaningful with more of a build up. I knew tragedy was coming the whole time and yet I still felt like maybe somehow my kindle skipped ahead 20 pages on accident when I got to it. (I seriously checked).

The potential was there. It just didn’t quite completely land. I enjoyed my time. I swooned. I cried (and cried). This was Emily Stone’s debut and I’ll definitely be reading more from her in the future. I believe we can get there.

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book broke me! I wasn’t expecting the story, but I did enjoy it. It’s definitely sold as more of a rom com than it is. It’s very deep and shocked me.
I will say, being the tissues!!

Five sorrowful, tearful stars!🥺

Well, it’s only fitting that I waited till December to read this holiday romance.

Like for so many, Christmas has always been a painful time of the year for Josie. It’s understandable. Both her parents were killed in an auto accident on Christmas Eve. Now as an adult, every Christmas Eve Josie writes and posts a tribute to them in form of a letter.

This year on her way to post her letter she clumsily runs her bike directly into named Max as he exits his taxi. A quick friendship and a blossoming romance develop over the next few days. Until he vanishes, leaving her without a trace…ghosting her if you will! At this point I hated Max!😠

But hold on…maybe it’s not too late. Can love conquer all?

This book had a sluggish start for me. And with Max’s despicable behavior I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it through. But, just like Josie and Max, I couldn’t quite let go and needed to see it through.

This was exquisitely crafted, though gut-wrenching read that completely blindsided me. (To say the least.) Had absolutely no idea what I was in for and suggest you approach it the same way.

I didn’t just cry…I sobbed uncontrollably. A torrent of tears streamed down my cheeks as I fought to catch my breath.

A buddy read with Susanne that left us both reaching for our Kleenex boxes!😢😢

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine.

So not exactly holiday-snowmance-vibes, but I was certainly warned by Ashley Spivey. I do feel emotionally manipulated by this book and scoff a little at the astounding lack of communication, but that’s neither here nor there. Absolutely recommend, but with warnings and reservations.

Trying to avoid outright spoilers for other readers so I'll say:

Max and Josie have a holiday meet cute when, on the way to post an annual Christmas letter to her long dead parents, Josie hits Max with her bike causing him to miss his flight. They have an insta romance, spending the holiday together, and then Josie wakes up and Max is gone, he doesn't even leave a number - harsh. They spend the next year with their paths occasionally crossing, but never communicate or connect before meeting a tragic end.

I take issue with the structure of this book. I wish we got to see more of the story from Max's perspective to add context to what was happening. Lacking that necessary development this is not a tear jerker because Max and Josie essentially have no relationship and there's little development as far as plot or characters go. Plus, the cover ruins the shock value of the ending, by telling us what to expect through its comparison to Me Before You. It just doesn't work as it should.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A sweet little Christmas romance. It reminded me of the Jojo Moyes books. At times it felt way too long for a holiday romance book, but then the ending snuck up on me and wrecked me! Not super “holiday” heavy, but still a nice winter read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for my copy of Always, in December by Emily Stone in exchange for an honest review. It published October 12, 2021.
I loved this book. I loved that it wasn't completely predictable, I loved the way that this book was written. I loved the start, middle and ending!
If you're burnt out on the basic holiday book formula, you will enjoy this!
The only thing I didn't like about it was cussing, but I know most people can overlook that!

This book was not what I expected. I wanted a Christmas romance and it was just way heavier than I expected. I think I was in the wrong headspace to appreciate it.

This book stole my heart! I am always on the hunt for a good Christmas book come fall and this is the EXACT type of story and beautiful writing that I look for but never seem to find.

Every December Josie writes a letter to her deceased parents and has learned to dread the holiday season after their passing. One Christmas, Josie meets a gentleman named Max who is passing through London this holiday season. They spend a few glorious days together until Max disappears without leaving Josie with any of his contact information. Over the course of a year, the two keep running back in to each other.

This story pulled me in from the very beginning and never let me down. I would suggest that readers do not even read the synopsis but just drive straight in and allow yourself to get sucked in to the story. At many times I felt myself in Josie and both Max and I loved following their story over the year.

I may have cried. I will never tell.

One PSA - if you are expecting a light hearted/romance/comedy you may want to re-set your expectations or pick up at a later time.

A BIG thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House/Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an early copy of this book. I will have my eye out for any book that Emily Stone publishes in the future.

I didn’t love this book. I was hoping for a romance that would add to my Christmas spirit. This was a romance but was simply heartbreaking and felt heavy. It also could have picked up the pace a bit.

This was definitely not the ending that I was expecting for a sweet holiday romance but I really enjoyed the story. There were many tears! A good reminder of those who are feeling grief at the holidays and how much love you hold in your hearts for those who are gone. Even a small amount of time with someone can change the whole trajectory of your life.

TW: multiple deaths of loved ones; off page cheating; heart attack; cancer

I’m very conflicted about how to rate this because I did pick it up as a romance book BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT IT’S ADVERTISED AS, but it definitely isn’t. Was it still well written? Yes. Would I have read this had I known it wasn’t actually romance and the tropes that I love that I thought until the last 10% were what was going on, wasn’t actually happening? No probably not. I sobbed for 15 minutes while reading it and after finishing it so obviously it tore at my heart but this was not properly categorized or advertised, and is more for fans of the tragic romances like Me Before You, the tragic Colleen Hoover books, etc. I don’t know how to either recommend this or not without spoiling it and idk if this would have as big of a punch with being spoiled. However, I don’t think people should be bamboozled like I was either..

My rating changed from initial 4 stars to 2 stars because in further consideration, while I enjoyed the book while reading it, that was because I thought it was going in a different direction and the ending retconned all of those feelings and made things that happened in the story way less forgivable and ruined it. Maybe that wouldn’t happen if you know it’s not a romance going in though! The couple not ending up together made all of the miscommunication and much of the hero's actions be for nothing, with no satisfying ending, and made me resent him. It also made the romance aspect make less sense as they didn't end up together so her grief felt less understandable as she only knew him for a few days total. If they had ended up together even for a short time, many elements would have made more sense and been more satisfying.

This book. THIS. BOOK.

I knew from the beginning I would like this book, but BOY did it take me by surprise. I mean really, where did that last 8% come from?! I quite literally laughed and cried and had my heart ripped to shreds. I loved the way the author included the long-term effects of grief, and what it looks like to try to live life after loss, no matter how long ago the loss was.

Josie and Max have a piece of my heart. I truly, genuinely loved their story.

TW: death of a parent and significant other, car wreck, heart attack, terminal illness.