I truly enjoyed this book. I loved seeing how the threads pulling Holly and Jack together were woven throughout this book. I enjoyed Emma’s dry and curmudgeon caring helping Holly to heal. This was a very good Christmas cozy read.

Emily Stone's latest holiday-themed novel Love, Holly is sure to delight fans. Set against the backdrop of the UK, readers meet sisters Lily and Holly, driving to celebrate Christmas with their parents at a rental cottage. Stopping first for coffee at a cute cafe, fate intervenes. The consequences are felt three years later with the sisters estranged and Holly celebrating Christmas alone. She began to take part in Christmas letters to lonely souls facing solo holidays. Holly, a passionate artist, receives a letter that includes a reference to the same cafe from that fateful Christmas Eve. What follows is a beautiful, bittersweet holiday story that provides hope during this most hopeful season of all. WIth endearing characters and wonderful scenery, Love, Holly is one to pick up this season.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

We do not deserve Emily Stone as a writer. This book was darling, made me weepy, and gave me all the holiday vibes. I cannot recommend it enough and cannot wait to have my bookclub read it for December. Such a huge win.

I will start of by saying that Serendipity is my favorite Rom-Com and this book lived up to it.

TW
The book is grief focused and the acceptance of a car accident.

I don't want to give you a brief description of the book because I don't want to spoil anything. I went into this book completely blind. It tugged at my heart strings and I wanted to cry so much, but at the same time give all these characters a kiss and hug.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.
This book was so cute I just wish it had been more centered around Christmas.

Discovering lost connections and healing wounds, Love, Holly weaves a tale of estranged family ties, forgiveness, and unexpected bonds. Holly, isolated from her family after a tragic accident, finds solace in an anonymous lonely hearts group. When she connects with Emma through exchanged letters, she hopes to bring a spark of joy to both their lives.

However, the reunion with Emma isn't what Holly expected. As their friendship blossoms, Holly embarks on a journey to reunite Emma with her estranged family, leading her to the grandson who becomes more than just a bridge to the past.

Anticipating a lighthearted Christmas rom-com, I was pleasantly surprised as Love, Holly unfolded into a narrative that goes beyond the expected. The story delves into themes of tragedy, grief, and loneliness, transforming into a heartwarming journey of forgiveness and second chances. While the sweet meet-cute and the "will they/won't they" romance between Jack and Holly add charm, it's the bond between Emma and Holly that truly resonates with the heart.

If you're in the mood for a blend of emotional depth and festive romance, this one deserves a spot on your reading list.

Thank you Netgalley for the Arc! This story is centered around Holly whose world is turned upside down one Christmas Eve after she and her sister are involved in a car accident. When she participates in a letter writing club her story becomes entangled with Emma’s, who is also dealing with loneliness, grief, and guilt. It seems fated that their paths would cross and they impact each others lives. This was such a great, cozy holiday read. Maybe not as Christmas centric as I was anticipating but the plot was so great it didn’t really matter. Definitely very emotional and features some heavy topics but beautifully written. I loved each and every storyline in this book. I will definitely be picking up more of Emily Stones books in the future!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

After a car accident that caused a split in her family, Holly has been devastating by not having her family around. Her best friend encourages her to join a lonely hearts writing club. Each December - the club members write a letter to another member, anonymously, to someone sending Christmas alone. When Holly receives a letter that is not only signed with a last name, but provides a clue to where the person lives, Holly goes in search of her. Holly has been to the cafe mentioned in the letter, back on the day when Holly had her car accident.

Holly forces her way into the senders life, and there are more clues along the way, some would call fates, that they should meet. As the story winds, it is one of life, love, strength, and forgiveness beautifully done.

I've loved Emily Stone's other books. Sad tears aside, have truly, absolutely loved them. They've positively wrecked me and I knew I would need to stock up on tissues for this one. I kept putting it off because I knew what I was in store for (after being completely blind sided by always, in December) and having had a roller coaster of a year I wasn't sure I was ready for this one. There were lots of aspects that touched a little too close to home. But at the end of the day, I can't recommend this one enough. For when you need all the emotions. While there are a couple aspects that take place at Christmas, this isn't exactly a Christmas story. It's just heartfelt, following a few people who fate brings together in a pretty significant, albeit tragic and unconventional way. That aside. There's some romance, the best of friends, and lots of heartfelt moments and I absolutely enjoyed this story!


Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for my review!

The universe works in mysterious ways in this newest emotionally charged holiday romance that sees two strangers connecting through their relationship to a dying old woman and a fateful car accident that changed both their lives forever.

Perfect for fans of authors like Lia Louis, this book tackled some tough subjects and has Holly and Jack meeting one night at a random café only to find themselves reconnecting later on when Holly tries to help Jack's estranged grandmother.

A beautifully moving story that is sure to have you reaching for the tissues as each character learns to forgive and love again after great loss. Great on audio narrated by Heather Long. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Steam level: mostly closed door/fade to black, some mild details

CW: terminal cancer, miscarriage, fatal car accidents

Love, Holly deals with themes of love, grief, loss, fate, and forgiveness. Holly, Emma, and Jack were all interesting characters and I’m glad I got to know them. Overall, this was a much heavier holiday oriented book than I normally enjoy. I do think the reader needs to be in the right mindset for Love, Holly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Love, Holly by Emily Stone, is an emotionally impactful mesmerizing story that captured my heart! This is an incredibly moving story, and not the easiest to read, but it is one that will leave a lasting impact.

When a tragic car accident causes a bitter separation between Holly and her sister Lily, Holly turns to a Dear Stranger letter writing program as therapy. Each person writes an anonymous letter at Christmas time to an unknown recipient. Each party has lost someone, or suffered in some way, and the letter and the writing process provide a cathartic comfort for sender and receiver. When Holly discovers some clues to the identity of the person she received a letter from, and feels a connection to this woman, she decides to find her and offer comfort and assistance. What follows is a fateful unfolding of events and personal links, as well as a forging of relationships that create deep, meaningful, purposeful bonds. Lessons are learned, insights are gleaned, love is fostered, wounds are healed, and hearts are broken.

This story is beautifully written, cleverly and creatively plotted, and powerfully poignant. This evocative tale will make you feel things, while breaking your heart and putting it back together again. It’s a charming story that offers depth and touches on thought-provoking topics with grace and clarity. I think I will make Emily Stone’s stories an annual tradition.

❤️Book Review: Love, Holly by Emily Stone 📝

4/5⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!

Trigger Warnings: car accident, cancer, miscarriage, infidelity, grief

I really enjoyed this book! Emily Stone is known for writing heartfelt stories set around Christmas time and I look forward to the way she writes beautiful and authentic characters. The relationship Emma has with Holly is caring, sweet and so tear jerking to watch unfold. After an accident leaves Holly and her sister Lilly estranged, she turns to letter writing around the holidays to find connection and comfort with others. Holly forms a bond with fellow letter writer Emma and their friendship leads to surprising results. I loved Holly and Jack and will miss them dearly. This book has lots of content warnings to please read them if you’re interested in this book.

You’d like this book if you like:
•holiday reads
•emotional stories
•books about fate
•cross generational friendships

This plot is the very meaning of serendipity-the definition of which is mentioned at the very beginning. The story starts as Holly and her pregnant sister Lily are in the car heading to see their parents for Christmas. They stop for coffee and Holly runs into the handsome Jack. Their connection is instantaneous but they both go their separate ways. Unfortunately for Holly, the rest of that Christmas is a tragic one. Fast forward 3 years and Holly is sending and receiving grief stricken "Dear Anonymous" letters to help her to get through the holidays. She receives one from Emma-a grief stricken recluse who mentions the coffee shop that Holly met Jack in 3 years ago. Even though these letters are supposed to be anonymous, Holly becomes determined to track down Emma and to try to fix her situation. Holly is really a delightful character-impetuous, fun and stubborn, yet hurting inside. Her journey to help Emma while also trying to avoid and then fix her own situation was very moving. The Christmas holiday is touched on a number of times. This is not a story that is set in one Christmas yet the feeling of the holiday is definitely prevalent in multiple sections.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest and very late review.

Despite the lovely animated cover and the publishers marketing this as a Christmas book, most of the story takes place over the course of a year, and much of the story is not holiday-focused. Due to this, I went in expecting a sweet Christmas romance but got a heart wrenching tale of love, loss, and finding your way back home. This imbalance threw me off a bit at the beginning, but once I settled in, I enjoyed the story and Stone's writing style.

One of my favorite aspects of this was Holly's relationship with a few side characters. The found family was fantastic, and they had a positive impact on Holly's much-needed growth throughout the story. Holly is one of those characters that may rub some readers the wrong way. She is a bit irritating and meddles in other characters' business far too often.

The romance is slowly paced and closed door.

Also, I do not know if Dear Stranger writing groups are a thing, but if they aren't, they should be. I can only imagine how therapeutic they could be.

If you go into this knowing how heavy it is, you will likely enjoy it more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I probably should have learned my lesson with ONE LAST GIFT but I’m just not sure I’m the right audience for Emily Stone. Her books are so depressing and while I personally can relate to dealing with immense grief at the holidays and a complicated relationship with a family member, I just didn’t love this. It just kept getting sadder but for me, it kind of stayed surface level and the characters felt a bit one dimensional. I had similar complaints with ONE LAST GIFT but I totally appear to be an outlier as everyone else is loving this!

I enjoyed Love, Holly by Emily Stone as I've enjoyed her previous books. She is consistently a like for me, especially if I feel ready for a little bit of a teary read.

Three years ago, Holly was in line at a cafe to get drinks for her and her pregnant sister. She accidentally runs into a handsome stranger with her coffee. It's a meet cute, he's charming, he gives her his number. She's smitten. On the drive home, Holly and her sister get in a car crash and the results are devastating for her whole family.

Three years later Holly is part of a Dear Stranger activity where people send letters to strangers expressing heartache. Holly is moved by a letter she received and tracks the woman down, she is in her early 80s and named Emma. She discovers that she and the woman have more in common than they think.

While this book was sweet, and I enjoyed the friendships that developed, I had a difficult time with how disposable family member were to one another. Holly and her sister haven't talked in years since the accident. Same with Emma and her family. I understand where the author was going with it, but the execution bummed me out a little.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest review.

I thought this book was going to be Christmas themed through and through- and when I started reading it in September it was hard to get myself to continue reading. I recently picked it back up- and boy was I WRONG. This is not just a Christmas themed book. It's a beautiful, gripping, emotional story that talks about how fate brings people together. My favorite quote is "everything happens for a reason" and this story embodied that. My heart ached for Holly, Jack, and Emma. I was sobbing at so many parts of this book- it was beautiful. I am very very picky at what I give a 5 star to, but this absolutely deserved it. Forgive while you can, learn the others story, spend time with family as time is precious... all of things I as a person value and practice- but in book form. This story touched my heart, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to read it.

After loving ONE LAST GIFT, Emily Stone gives us another sad, holiday romance centering around siblings. It's not my favorite of hers. I found it hard to believe an ACCIDENT would cause such a separation in the family. Removing yourself does not solve problems. Yet, it was a beautiful story and a great remind that it's never too late. IThanks, @randomhouse and @netgally for the advance copy.!

Emily Stone is my go-to author for sad, holiday romances and 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆 does not disappoint.

A car crash forever changes Holly's life and creates distance between herself and family. After years apart, Holly finds herself sad and lonely, that is until she receives an Dear Stranger letter that mentions the cafe from the night of the horrible accident. This connection compels her to return and seek out the anonymous sender.

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆 is full of heavy topics (loss, cancer, miscarriages, fate, and forgiveness) and no doubt make your heart ache. Even if the accident is a stretch, IMO, everyone's family is different and it doesn't lessen the pain experienced. Raw and emotional, this is a beautiful reminder that it's never too late to forgive.

Thank you to @randomhouse for the advance copy. It is now out.