Thank you Netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Okay, I loved this book. It is so much more than a love story between two people. A chance meeting before a terrible car accident, fast forward 3 years and lives are changed completely. Holly tracks down Emma after receiving an anonymous letter from her. She stubbornly sets out to make Emma let her into her life and help restore her relationship with her grandson, Jack. Along the way Jack and Emma help Holly repair her relationship with her sister. Lily, and her love of art.

Easily 5 stars for me. I loved the relationships that Holly is able to form with Emma and Jack. They all helped each other realize that they were being too harsh on themselves for the accidents they were in years ago. They all learned to find a way to get back to their passions - art and gardening. And best of all they found each other.

Holly has lost contact with her family through tragic circumstances, but is brought together with others who can identify. Like many found families, they work together through tough situations and find love in the process. As much as I liked Holly as a character, this book left me wanting a bit more. Less tragic back story and more interaction between Holly and Emma.

Thank you Net Galley for providing this ARC for an honest review.
Another great emotional romance from Emily Stone!
What a cute holiday read that spans years and many interconnections. A great look into how we can blame ourselves and others for things out of our control.

After having an adorable meet-cute with a guy in a coffee shop, Holly and her sister get into a car accident that tears her family apart. And ever since then Holly has been apart of a Dear Stranger letter campaign to bring lonely people letters to make them feel not so lonely. But one Christmas she receives a letter that she eerily connects to and tracks down the sender.

Holly and her beloved sister Lily are on the way home for the holidays. A stop for coffee, a change in the weather, and their lives spin out of control in ways neither would have ever believed.

I loved this novel, for its willingness to let bad things happen to good people who find themselves in irreparable situations. It is full of great characters, wonderful art, and the reactions of its characters to art. We get to experience rural England alongside London, and we get to be part of two lovely, though damaged, families.

If I say more, I’ll be forced into spoiler territory, so I’ll just say that this was a lovely book by an author who’s become a “don’t miss” for me. The book releases September 26m 2023 and will be great for the holidays.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the talented author. I really liked this book. Although it is fiction, it reads like nonfiction also. Holly befriends Emma. Holly meets Jack. Holly has family problems. This is a story of caring for others. This is a tale of heartbreak. This is novel of romance. This is a quick fun read. Curl up in a comfy chair and become lost 8n Holly’s story.

Modern day romance where Fate plays a dominant role. Holly physically slams into Jack at a coffee shop, spilling his coffee all over the two of them. Jack is fascinated her and writes his number on her coffee asking her to call him. When Holly left the coffee she ended up in a traffic accident where she lost Jack's number and her sister lost the baby she was carrying.

Even with the tragic start Holly and Jack find their lives intertwining through good times and bad. This was an enjoyable book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes complicated love stories.

Slow, sad romance. Definitely not what you want to pick up around the holidays if you want to be uplifted. But if you want to be sad, it’s a good choice. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC, opinions stated are my own.

“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 part of you forever.”

Emily Stone does it again!

She’s got this magnificent way of writing heartfelt stories that relate to Christmas time without making it a rushed experience. All of her characters have depth and charm.

If you like reading romances that are real and have a meaningful plot, this book is for you! If you believe in fate and enjoy stories about loneliness, forgiveness, and grief, this book is for you.

I loved Holly and Jack and their intertwined story of fate and love. Emily's stories keep getting better and better and I will be reading all of them going forward.

“We found each other. I think we were always meant to find each other.”

Things I loved:
Only one bed
Christmas meet cute
Real and raw love story
Fate

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Love, Holly by Emily Stone is an emotional holiday read. It explores themes of grief, guilt, family, and love. It is not a straight forward romantic comedy, but the romance is definitely swoon worthy. The "meet-cute" is delightful. It doesn't work out in that moment, but Holly and Jack's lives are intertwined moving forward.

Check trigger warnings before you start. I almost didn't make it past the first chapter but am very glad I stuck with it!

Thank you to #netgalley and #Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this e-arc! All opinions are my own.

Holly connects with a pen pal at Christmas time when she realizes that she knows the coffee shop that the lady referenced in her letter. The letters are meant to be anonymous, but Holly connected with the writer and had been in a similar situation. Holly was driving her pregnant sister when they were in a car accident and since then, they have been estranged. Holly goes to visit the lady who wrote the letter, Emma, and learns that Emma’s grandson wants nothing to do with her after the death of his father. Holly tries to track Jack down and realizes that she has met him before…right before her car accident with her sister. She is hoping that she can reconnect them in hopes that she can reconnect with her sister as well.

Man, this book pulled on all of my heart strings. the grandma, who was all alone but who opened her heart up to Holly and then Jack. Holly, who struggled so bad after the accident with her sister and only blamed herself. Then all the twists that connected Holly and Jack without them even knowing. It was just a really emotional book that pulled me in from the first chapter. It was not a light, easy Christmas read, but definitely a good emotional read.

What an enjoyable book that will tug at your heartstrings! Emily Stone's books always have an emotional element to them, and Love, Holly was no different. I promise that this one will really get you in the holiday spirit.

Holly, Emma, and Jack all have connections to each other and are carrying emotional baggage. Holly meets Jack one Christmas Eve, but because of certain circumstances, she doesn't run into him again until several years later. Holly also meets Emma due to a letter that was intended to be anonymous. Because of Holly's meddling, the characters all meet up -- but giving much more would spoil the plot.

I really loved this book, especially how Holly was written. Emily Stone switches perspectives seamlessly and makes you really enjoy the idea of found family and friends!

I was hoping for a bit more of a lighter read from Love, Holly, but this was a bit more emotional than anticipated. Still overall really loved this though!

4/5 stars

A cute little rom com about fate, accidence and forgiveness. I thought it was going to be more Christmas centric (doing a bit of a Christmas in July reading moment) but it’s really just a book that has moments that take place over the holidays.

Holly is an artist wondering if her life will ever impress her family when a terrible accident rips her life apart. Three Years later a mystery letter sends her into the life of Emma who’s own life was torn apart by tragedy and who is now suffering from cancer. An unlikely bond is formed

This was such a great book to read! I loved how the lives of two strangers Holly and Emma lives intertwined into a friendship filled with many life lessons. There was grief, but there was also the story of hope, forgiveness, and love. This is the best Emily Stone book I have read. Thanks for Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This book was beautiful. I just finished and am crying silent tears. I've loved all of Emily's books and One Last Gift has been my favorite...this one ties it!
Such a beautiful story and Jack. I need a Jack!

A sweet romance with a lot of grieving alongside it. I think readers will want to know there's a whole lot more characters' internal journeys through grief than there is romance in this book.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

A bittersweet, holiday romance that I expected to be a bit more light and fluffy. However, Holly's relationship with her sister threw me a bit in the beginning.

A quick, overall sweet read.

This was a heartwarming story about Holly and a rollercoaster of emotions she deals with. Fun setting in the UK during the holidays. I enjoyed this one.

Holly's life hasn't been the same since a car crash on Christmas Eve three years earlier devastated her family. She gave up art for teaching, moved from London to Windsor, and still hasn't been able to process her grief and guilt enough to have a solid relationship. What she has done is write a Dear Stranger letter every year to express her feelings and try to find healing through anonymous contact. This year, though, she has received a Dear Stranger letter from an older woman who lost her son in a car crash 18 years earlier... and who is now alone as she deals with a cancer diagnosis. Since the woman mentions the cafe Holly had visited just before her own car crash (where she also met a handsome stranger), Holly impulsively decides to travel to Devon, track down Emma, and help her reconnect with her grandson.

This warmhearted story delves deeply into the way our mistakes and miscommunications can set us onto lonely and difficult paths -- and how sometimes it takes a stranger, or someone not so close to us, to help us find the way back. Despite her independence, Holly is so trapped by her guilt and her feeling cast out by her family that she retains a certain immaturity in how she approaches her own life. Her impulse to reach out in person to Emma might be ill-advised, but it leads to possibilities for her to grow and find her confidence again. Emma's cantankerous and sometimes bitter personality hides her vulnerability and loneliness, and as much as she resists Holly's attempts at cheer and kindness, Emma recognizes a kindred spirit in her and helps her just as much. Jack, the love interest, has his own mistakes and guilt to overcome -- and a role to play in both their lives (which you might well guess but I won't spoil here).

As much as the romance threads through the book, for me the more appealing theme is that of our need for community and connection, whether it be platonic, familial, casual, or romantic. A touching story with no great surprises but a whole lot of heart. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you, Dell Books and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Wow, what a beautiful, heartfelt story. This book brought me on a roller coaster of emotions in a good way. And I will definitely be purchasing a copy for myself and recommending my library purchase a copy for circulation purposes. THANK YOU EMILY STONE FOR BEING SUCH AN AMAZING WRITER!