my first emily stone novel and it did not disappoint! a heartwarming story about second chances, forgiveness and strangely enough, fate.

after an tragic accident, holly and her sister lily become estranged. as she spends christmas alone, away from her family every year, she writes a letter to a "dear strangers" group and meets emma, an elderly woman, who is also spending christmas alone. relating to emma's grief, holly decides to find her and ultimately forges an unforgettable friendship that changes her life forever.

i was expecting this to be a light-hearted, holiday read and while it did have it moments, it very heavily touches on topics of trauma, grief, depression, forgiveness, and death. i appreciated how healing the friendship between holly and emma was for one another; they each are on their own path of forgiveness/blame and they found comfort in relying on one another.

i had a bit of trouble following some of the flashbacks since they were just embedded in the present and it was hard to distinguish the two at times, but overall, enjoyed the book and the message behind it!

I really enjoyed this book. It has a holiday feel and is about fate and second chances. Really enjoyed reading it! Highly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

This book has all the cozy winter vibes with so much more than just a holiday romance.
Holly is driving her pregnant sister during the holidays and ends up in a terrible accident changing her and her sisters lives and relationship.
A year later around Christmas she writes a letter for the lonely Christmas penpal and receives a few back. One stands out to her from Emma. An elder art curator in a small town.
They both wind their lives together and Holly hopes to help mend a family rift Emma has while also slowly working on her own family.
Don’t want to spoil too much but there is a handsome Jack entwined in this fate driven story.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for providing me with this arc.

What a wonderful sweet book with amazing characters. When you sit down with an Emily Stone book you know you will be entertained with an amazing feel good book! I really enjoyed Love, Holly and cannot wait for Emily Stone's next book. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Holly no longer celebrates the Holidays but she does write a letter to her sister, whom she's grieving. Only this time around, she receives one back, from a stranger and Holly's taken it up on herself to find them. Only, the stranger may not be completely unknown, and maybe things were already set in motion years ago with that unfortunate accident.

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Oh, the rivers I cried. The Nile now flows from my room (jk). But in all honesty, it's an amazing read. I wish I could give a few spoilers but the best way to read this is to dive in completely blind.

All I will say is, this is the author's most romantic (imo) but heartbreaking book yet. Although, it can be argued that it just may piece your heart back together.

Total paradoxes, I know, but read it! It'll all make sense <3

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𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺 is an emotional and endearing read with a little twist from fate. It's a tear jerker for sure but one you'll be glad to have read.

4.01 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

I enjoyed this story immensely. Holly writes a Dear Stranger letter at Christmas. She decided to seek out the stranger who wrote her this Christmas. When she does she begins a journey of friendship, love, and healing. The question of is it fate or chance is woven throughout the story making it an interesting read.

I am becoming a huge fan of Emily Stone’s work. This story had me laughing, crying, and reflecting. The characters had depth and I was very invested in them. Though the story covers deeper issues it is not too heavy. To me it had the perfect mix of romance, depth, and great storytelling.

Love, Holly by Emily Stone is story of love,friendship, family, forgiveness and making peace. This is a story I find myself turning over in my mind and being so glad that I read. I highly recommend Love, Holly.

I was given a copy by the publisher and not required to write a positive review.

Synopsis: Holly gets in to a terrible car accident which severs her relationship with her family. While feeling lonely she starts penning letters to The Dear Strangers Club to have someone to connect with. This leads her to a connection with her an elderly woman. Along the way she deals with grief, relationships and romance.
Pros/cons: let me preface by saying this was a very nice story, I just didn’t connect with it nor like it very much. I anticipated that it would be a light, holiday read and instead it was very much a read about relationships, depression and lost connections. It just wasn’t what I was hoping it would be, but I can see how others may really appreciate it.
Nonetheless thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the early copy. It is set to be released at the end of the month!

2.5/5

Ever since a car accident tore her family apart, Holly has been part of a lonely-hearts holiday letter–writing club. Each December, she writes to a stranger who is also spending Christmas alone, and receives a letter from another lonely person in return.

Usually, the letters go unanswered. That’s the point—the letters are anonymous, and the senders write whatever is in their heart. But this year, the letter Holly receives is different; not only is the letter full of a grief she knows all too well, but its writer, Emma, mentions a place that Holly has visited. When she realizes that she might actually be able to find the letter’s author, Holly becomes determined to reunite Emma with the estranged grandson, Jack, with whom Emma is desperate to reconnect.

When Holly finally tracks him down, she remembers that she’s met Jack once before . . . and the connection was electric. The spark between the two of them is still there—until a misunderstanding risks their burgeoning romance and his strained relationship with Emma, too. But Holly is determined; if she can fix Emma’s family, she might also be able to fix her own. Though as it turns out, Holly might have less time to put things right

4.5 stars

Don't let the cover of Love, Holly fool you - this book absolutely wrecked me (and, if you've read any of Emily Stone's other books - you will not be surprised). This is not a light, Christmas rom-com.. it is so much deeper.

This book dealt with it all - pregnancy loss, infertility, death in the family, complex family dynamics and left you questioning if you do or don't believe in fate. It was beautifully written and the characters were real, raw and relatable.

And... anyone who knows me knows I love an elderly character who is a little bit of a grump so Emma will always hold a soft spot in my heart.

Also - note that this book can be read (and enjoyed) at anytime!

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Love, Holly is your typical holiday romance with nothing new or original to bring to the genre. If you Hallmark movies, you will enjoy this book. I did like the pen pals trope and it’s a great read for the holiday season.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Ransom House Publishing Group- Ballantine, and Emily Stone for providing this beautiful book for my honest review. This is not just a typical Christmas read. This is a beautiful and deeply moving book about 2nd chances, forgiveness, and healing. It’s a beautiful book that I highly recommend. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Thank you again for allowing me to review this book.

There's not a lot of Christmas in this book but it's a solid story about grief and forgiveness and loss and being vulnerable. I like that Holly and Jack work on their own issues separately. They don't rely on the other to magically erase the pain and regrets and hurt. I really loved Emma and how her story pulls the whole book together.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book. I am required by federal law to disclose this.

Love, Holly is set around Christmas time, but this story has depth and some heavy topics.
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Holly writes a letter each Christmas as part of the lonely hearts holiday letter writing club. After receiving her letter this Christmas, Holly finds herself determined to help her pen pal heal a past hurt, all while trying to put the pieces of her life back together.
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✉️ family and friendship
✉️healing and forgiveness
✉️ second chances
✉️ holiday read
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This was a hopeful romance that will give you all the feels.

Holly and her sister Lily are heading to a cabin to spend Christmas with their parents. Holly pulls over to get a coffee and runs into a handsome man named Jack. But unfortunately her and Lily are in a car wreck shortly after leaving the coffee shop. Holly lost so much that night. She lost the card that Jack had gave her to get a hold of him when she got back to London plus her family basically. She decides to write a lonely hearts letter and it is supposed to be anonymous. But when she is delivered a letter she recognizes where it may have came from.
Can fate mend these families and bring everyone to start the forgiving process?

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This story isn't just about a girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl finds boy again, but it's also about friendship across generations, and sisters. Do you believe in fate? Holly doesn't, but her sister sure does, and if only she was on speaking terms with her sister would Holly understand the circumstances unfolding around her. How Jack and Emma and Holly's stories intertwine together beautifully, you find out in the end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I was not expecting to cry over this book as much as I did. I found it to be a beautiful and heartbreaking story about grief and healing more than a romance. I loved the relationship between Holly and Emma so much. They were two people who learned to forgive themselves through each other. Jake and Holly's relationship throughout the book was rocky as they both processed varying levels of loss but I loved how they came together. The aspects of fate bringing them all together is so many different ways was so beautiful. This book was well written and very emotional. I really enjoyed it!

🎵Have yourself a sentimental Christmas...: lovely!😍

It had a marvelous, poignant and simultaneously hopeful finish, but I did not want Love, Holly to end! It was moving, with family estrangement after tragedy and the sadness of grief, guilt and regrets, all balanced with an incredible story of three people who really need a bit of joy and hope coming together after a fateful Christmas Eve encounter in a country cafe.

The plot was amazing with a bit by bit reveal of just how entwined their lives really were. The characters I won't easily forget as they burrowed their way into my heart: so broken and yet able, with the right push, to recover and forgive. I especially loved the way curmudgeonly Emma's layers peel back to reveal a brave, lonely and frail old woman who can accept and give affection so freely.

Holly and Jack, the pair at the center of the novel, provide inspiration as well as a lovely, slow burn romance as they recalibrate their careers to bring the most joy and fulfillment. The romance is mostly sweet, with just a touch of none too graphic heat: I really liked the way the author conveyed their connection without focusing so heavily on the physical passion. Somehow, she mostly made a touch here and there, a kiss, more than enough to evoke their yearning!

Although the story takes place over the time span of a few years, the most significant moments do happen around Christmas and there's holiday glitter, snowy weather and all the seasonal trappings. But Emily Stone's Love, Holly was a delight to read in September and the feels it evokes work year-round. I can't wait to see where the author takes me in her next book.

Thanks to Dell, Random House and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the novel; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Fate, do you believe in it? Love, Holly might just change your mind - in a good way.
Holly is estranged from her family and so every Christmas she writes to a stranger who is alone like her. In return, she also gets a letter. But, this year, her anonymous stranger becomes her very best friend. Emma understands Holly's grief, and together, they navigate the tricky business of healing old family wounds and reconnecting with the ones they love.
Fate. Fate brings Jack into Holly's life. Their romance is electric, and even after years, Holly's stomach still flips.
The slow burn, intense romance is delightful, and the exploration of family relationships will hit home with many readers. I typically don't enjoy a miscommunication trope, but Emily Stone knocked it out of the park. It was a novel that will make you feel like you should tell the people you love that you love them. And that wasted time is truly a terrible tragedy.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for my. eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a little confused as to why Goodreads has the title as The Christmas Letter when my copy says it's called Love Holly, but nevertheless, this was a beautiful book. The romance between Holly and Jack felt very real and the conflict made sense, but my favorite part of the book was probably the friendship between Holly and Jack's grandmother Emma. As I've come to expect from a lot of the contemporary romances I read from British authors, it was also very sad! I was moved to tears on several occasions. Content warnings include on-the-page illness (cancer), miscarriage, and sibling estrangement. I usually shy away from these books but having read and enjoyed this author's work before, I knew it would be worth it. For fans of Josie Silver.

Loved this sweet story about fate. It definitely wasn’t the cheery Christmas story I was expecting and that’s okay- it was real and honest and I was invested and needed to find out how it ended. I felt like I was transported to England the whole time I was reading.

I think it should have come with some trigger warnings, but I don’t know how you do that without spoiling parts of the book.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy.