I wanted to love this book so much. The premise of fate and the intertwined lives was interesting and very emotional, but I struggled big time with the pacing and the way a few situations played out and couldn’t get past it. Solid ending though!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to review an advance copy.

Love, Holly by Emily Stone is a heartwarming story about family, empathy, and being open to receive love. It is a romance in that it follows Holly and Jack's instant attraction / missed opportunities storyline, but it is so much more than that. Much of the book is dedicated to a platonic friendship between two lonely women mirroring the way we tend to be more forgiving of others than of ourselves. It is a book with heart and depth and I recommend it!

4.5 stars / 5
Advanced copy provided by the publisher for early review via NetGalley.

Holly meets Jack on a snowy night when she and her sister Lily stopped for a coffee while traveling to meet their family for Christmas. It's an interesting cafe where artwork is sold and Holly is charmed as she is an artist. It's a quick exchange with Jack and he gives her his number. Holly and Lily are involved in an accident after leaving the shop and Holly loses his number and Lily, something more. Fast forward three years and circumstances have them in each others path and now they discover how what happened that night has affected both their lives. Is there a chance for a relationship for them now? 4 1/2 stars

A touching story about how people come in to your life to help you in ways you didn't know you needed.

Emily Stone’s latest novel is a master class in heartfelt Christmas spirit. Love, Holly is true a masterpiece - weaving a fate divined love story of Holly and Jack through the tumultuous mine field of life’s obstacles - accidents, divorce, death, grief, and finding one’s way back again.

This story truly tugged at my heart strings - it will make you weep, but these tears were so welcome for the words written on the page. Without giving much of the plot away, Emma is a character that will stay with me forever - someone who will sit in the back of my mind, with a wise crack or word of wisdom, and a reminder to choose quality over quantity in my life. I identified with Holly’s guilt and self-imposed isolation, and watching her come back into the fold and heal herself healed something within me as well.

Any time I pick up a novel by Emily Stone I know my heart is about to break and weep in the best ways - and Love, Holly may just be my favorite of hers yet.

I couldn't stop thinking about how much I disliked Lily through most of this book. And Holly's parents for basically telling her to bugger off.
Overall though I enjoyed this book and the moral that life is short and you should t spend it holding grudges or being afraid.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.
I continue to say I’m not a big fan of the romance genre, but I’m finding that if the book has depth and is about more than romance, that I do enjoy this genre. I found myself laughing and crying with this book. This had the aspects of a cute British romance, but it is so much more. It is about grief, guilt and forgiveness. Holly is artistic, clumsy and disorganized. But she is really humble and likeable. In fact, all of the main characters grew on me. Except Holly’s parents who are dicks, to be blunt. I did feel frustrated at times because of the poor communication between so many loved ones. It isn’t really a holiday book, more a book that spans a few Christmases. I enjoyed how the book cycled through moments of normalcy and lightness, mixed with tragedy and sadness. 3.75 stars rounded up.

This book completely blew me away.

Now, I saw the cover and was like "okay, lemme buckle in for another romance book," but it really managed to take all the typical "miscommunication" aspects of romance and push past them. Which was SO refreshing, let me tell you.

This was a really beautiful and sad story about being estranged from your family, and how it takes a toll on you/the family. Because even if the estrangement is completely justified for your own health, it's still /sad/ that you're losing someone you once trusted and loved.

I really loved the characters. I also liked the romance - if it had been any more in the forefront, I think I would've been a touch upset, but how it was made it really refreshing. Because this was a story about Holly and the love interest, no matter how much "fate" played a part, it was really about her.

And I did appreciate the few povs from the love interest! It really helped to round it all out.

Really enjoyed this one!!!

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for a chance to read and review.

Emily Stone knows how to make me cry. Every book, snotfest. And you know what, I love it? This was another beautiful story about loss and love and dealing with grief. I liked that it wasn’t solely based on a romance between Holly and Jack. It was also about forgiveness and repairing relationships. I loved Emma and Hollys relationship- even more so because it brings Holly and Jack back together after not seeing each other for 3 years. This was a beautiful story and I’m so glad I was able to read the arc.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Love, Holly by Emily Stone!

Did this book make me ugly cry? Yes, it did. Multiple tissues were needed. This book just hit me right in the feels. I loved the found family, reconciliation and grief & mourning. I loved it so much. I loved the monthly gaps, getting snippets of what's happening in Holly, Jack & Emma's life.

I didn't know that rolly pollies (USA) are called woodlouses in the UK. I had to Google that.

Always learning.

I'm not sure how to convey how much I adored this book.

I love the way the author made the time go in this: it was jumping ahead a few months each section. It was refreshing after reading flashbacks in so many other books. It was nice to see how everyone's lives were intertwined. As you read their stories, the more layers were peeled back, and you really fall in love with the characters. I feel that all of the trauma was dealt with well and you truly understood where each character was coming from. I enjoyed it!

Love, Holly by Emily Stone is a holiday romance that doesn't completely revolve around the holiday season. We see three different Christmases, but the book is about so much more than that. It is about family, fate, and learning to accept things you may not believe.

Holly meets Jack during a pit stop as she and her sister are driving to a family Christmas getaway. There's an instant connection. However, something causes them to lose contact after that first meeting. Three years later, Holly is part of a Dear Stranger letter exchange to help lonely people during the holidays. When she reads this year's letter, she immediately feels a connection and knows she needs to find the letter writer.

What follows is a heart-wrenching story that made me cry several times at multiple parts of the book. The characters are so genuine; they leap off the page, and their heartbreak is my heartbreak. You can't help but root for Holly and Jack and Emma as the book progresses. I never wanted to stop reading. In fact, I stayed up way too late finishing the book because I needed to make sure everything turned out okay.

If you enjoy holiday romances and books that make you believe in fate, this book is definitely for you.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“ Some people you know for a lifetime, but they never really make an imprint on your soul – and some people you only have to know for an instant, to know they will be a part of you forever“

Ever since a car accident split her family apart, Holly has been participating in a holiday letter–writing club called “Dear Stranger”. Each December, she writes to an anonymous stranger who is also spending Christmas alone, and receives a letter from another anonymous stranger in return.

Usually, the letters go unanswered which is the point—since the letters are anonymous so that the senders will feel comfortable writing whatever is in their heart.

But this year, the letter Holly receives is different; not only is the letter full of a grief she is familiar with, but its writer, Emma, mentions a place that Holly had visited the last year that her family was to spend Christmas together, a coffee shop a couple of hours away from where she is currently living.

Not only is it the last place she spent time with her sister, Lily, but it’s also the place where she had literally bumped into a handsome stranger named Jack that she had hoped to see again, carrying out a coffee cup with his phone number on it, that she would lose before she could call.

When she realizes that she just might be able to track down Emma, if she visits the coffee shop again- she sets out on a mission to meet her-and in turn, she may find even more than she expected to.

Emily Stone lost her own mother when she was young, so she knows firsthand how hard the holidays can be for those dealing with loss, whether it’s fresh, or in the past, and she is carving out a niche of tear-jerker Holiday Romances.

Her signature style seems to include stories that make several jumps in time, MANY misunderstandings, and include therapeutic letter writing! ✍🏻

I don’t know if the “Dear Stranger” program really exists but if it doesn’t-it should! A very enjoyable story, full of HEALING and HOPE, but you may want a tissue handy for the very end! 🤧

Expected Publication date: September 26, 2023

Thank You to Dell for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

After a car crash on Christmas Eve, Holly’s life is thrown into turmoil, including her sister no longer speaking to her. When she receives a “dear stranger” letter and recognizes the name of the coffee shop, Holly takes a risk and goes to meet this stranger. As she learns more about the letter writer Emma, she becomes determined to reunite her and her grandson she hasn’t spoken to in years.

Welp, Emily Stone sure knows how to make me cry! Seriously, don’t read her unless you are ready for a few tears…find maybe a bit more than a few! I absolutely adored the relationship between Emma and Holly, and of course how it led to Jack, but the love story felt like it took a bit of a back seat in this one, and I really appreciated that. The relationships between Jack and Emma, Emma and Holly, and Holly and Lily and how each dealt with their own grief really took center stage and made this book as fantastic as it was. Obviously the love story was wonderful as well, but I loved that this book had a lot more depth to it than just a love story! I seriously love everything Emily Stone writes and cannot wait for what is next!

Each year at Christmas, Holly participates in a “Dear Stranger” letter writing club, where strangers who are spending Christmas alone pour out their hearts in a letter to another stranger. The letters are meant to be anonymous, but this year Holly feels compelled to seek out the author of the letter she received. Its writer, Emma, is a prickly older woman recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and estranged from her grandson Jack, her only living relative. Holly is determined to reconnect Emma and Jack before it’s too late – and find a connection with Jack herself in the process.

I loved this emotional story of found family and new love. It’s a little heavier than I was expecting for a holiday read with a jolly illustrated cover, but it’s a beautiful story that’s full of heart and healing. The characters are flawed but so relatable and likeable! I loved the snarky but deep friendship that developed between Holly and Emma, and the budding romance between Holly and Jack was so endearing with all of its awkwardness and banter. I felt the tug on my heartstrings as I rooted for the characters to resolve their misunderstandings, bitterness, and regret. I definitely shed some tears during the last couple chapters, but they’re the good, cathartic kind.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine / Dell for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Love, Holly was a poignant, compelling story that definitely had me in its grip as I stayed up late to finish. It is one that will touch your emotions and touches on some heavier topics: loss of a loved one, accidents, grief, terminal illness. Though it starts in the holiday season, it really spans several years and seasons throughout.

There is a strong romantic arc/element throughout, but really I think that this is one that I’d classify as more of a lit drama or women’s fiction read. There is romance, but the focus is really on the character growth and relationships.

It was a beautifully written story, the characters all felt well developed and real with the nuances of being human. There were no perfect persons or endings, but there was growth, love, forgiveness, strength and hope.

This was my first Emily Stone read, though I’m certain it won’t be my only for long. One I will definitely recommend and think fellow fans of authors like Beth O’Leary, Sophie Cousens, Emily Henry and the like will enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Ballantine / Dell, for the opportunity to read an early copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own and freely offered.

Love, Holly is my second Emily Stone novel and it was so well written. It’s a tender hearted story that deals with very heavy topics like car accidents, parental death, cancer, and miscarriage, to name a few. I think her books would be better characterized as women’s fiction with a dash of romance.

I didn’t find this book to be particularly sad as Always in December. It starts and ends at Christmas time but has scenes in almost all the months of the year, as it’s set over two years. I liked the time organization and what was a real treat was that we got dual POV of both Holly and Jack! The book was significantly improved by knowing Jack’s thoughts.

Grief and found family are the major plot points of this story. The way we deal with grief, the mistakes we have to overcome, and the power of forgiveness is especially important to this story. Fate and healing, as well. I was a little sad at the end, but we do get good closure!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine/Dell for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review

This was such a beautiful story! It was emotional, heart-warming and brought tears to my eyes. Great message of forgiveness, love and hope. Emily Stone knocked it out of the park again with this lovely book!

This was a really heartwarming read that made me misty-eyed more than once. This book made me feel a whole range of emotions and gave me a lot of perspective on grief, blame, and acceptance. I really fell in love with Holly and Emma and their unlikely friendship. This book is full of heartbreaking but beautiful stories, exactly like the real world. The book ends on a perfectly hopeful note. If you're looking for an emotional Christmas read, pick this one up!