Emily Stone writes holiday romances that absolutely rip your heart out then sew it back together again. I cried through "One Last Gift" last year and then cried through this one, too, but I loved every second of it.

The romance takes a bit of a backseat in this book (though still very present) because the heart of the story is about loneliness and the importance of human connection. It was one of the first holiday books I picked up this season and it really got December off to a great start.

Another wonderful read from Emily Stone! This was a touching and sweet and I really enjoyed the characters. I loved the setting and it was a nice cozy Christmas read! I will definitely continue to pick up more books from this author.

this might be a new favorite holiday read! this book was so lovely and just well written - it definitely tugs at your heartstrings and surrounds so many poignant themes such as family, loss, grief, forgiveness, second chances, and more. the way that the romance was intermeshed with the other plot lines of friendship and family was so wonderful and I thought the balance between the two was incredibly done. the emotions of the characters were so real and well-portrayed that I was really feeling along with them. I don't want to give away too much of the story because I loved going into it blind but this is a holiday must-read for me now! and also this book was so 'invisible string' coded - like the connection between holly and jack but also all the characters was so profound and it truly felt like fate was pulling them all together. honestly all I can say is wow what a wonderful read that I would recommend to anyone looking for a sweet romance with some emotional depth to it (could even be read outside of the holiday season as the story spans an entire calendar year)!

Overall this was just fine for me. I've read other books by Emily Stone and enjoyed them more than this one. It was likely a book that was just not for me given the topic and it felt more sad than I had wanted it to be for a holiday book. I would still read more by this author and for many I would even recommend this but I didn't love it.

Thank you everyone for this gifted copy of Love, Holly by Emma Stone.

Now, if you’ve read Emma’s books before, you know that your heartstrings are about to be pulled. And if you haven’t, considered yourself warned to go grab some tissues now.

I really couldn’t stop reading this book once I started it, and I loved the plot of this story. It’s a story of fate and found/chosen family. It’s a beautiful story of second chances and forgiveness. I really did love every moment of it.

I always save the holiday book I’m most excited for until right before the big day. So I read Love, Holly this week and it has cemented @emstonewrites as the Queen of heartfelt, but beautiful Christmas stories.

Holly has had a tough few years after a car accident and a falling out with her sister. She spends Christmas alone writing letters to other people who are spending the holidays alone. Holly receives a sad letter this year, but she knows the area where this letter has come from and the letter is signed. She decides to visit the woman and maybe they won’t be lonely together. But Emma isn’t welcoming and doesn’t want a new friend.

Holly is determined to reunite Emma and her grandson. She knows a few details and when she goes to his office building… she discovers she has already met him. And they have instant chemistry.

I love how all the stories intertwine and that Christmas isn’t always a jolly time for everyone. I really love that Emma gave Holly a chance even after Holly is beyond overstepping with her grandson. I also love that the two women take their dream trip to Venice together. #YOLO

Thank you @penguinrandomhouse for my gifted ebook. I knew I need this book so I bought myself a physical copy.

Love, Holly is a sweet rom-com about Holly, a 20-something who gets into a car crash on Christmas Eve, resulting in a fractured relationship with her sister and alienation from her family. Through a "Dear Stranger" letter she connects with a grouchy 80-year-old woman, striking up an unlikely friendship as she helps her mend her own ruptured family relationships. While partly set at Christmas, I wouldn't consider this book particularly Christmas-y, but it's a sweet feel-good story about the importance of forgiveness and second chances.

ADORABLE! I read a few holiday books this year and Emily Stone’s are always my favorite. I loved the sweet characters and the chance encounter/second chance romance. Super cute.

I absolutely loved this book, first Emily Stone novel! Devoured it even, in two days. I thought the plot line was unique and I loved how she intertwined the idea of fate. It had Serendipity the movie vibes but in a British countryside setting. I absolutely adored Jack and watching his thoughts and feelings develop for Holly. Bonus points for not having a crazy third act breakup which is all too common in contemporary romance novels. I only gave it four stars because it became a bit repetitive at times and I didn’t love the large jumps in time. It felt like we were missing large bits of character growth that were important to the story. Overall, I’d still highly recommend and will definitely be reading more Emily Stone!

There were many aspects of this that I really loved! But the angst felt forced and I didn’t enjoy the fact that our MMC was pursuing a relationship while his divorce wasn’t yet finalized. For me that just presented a moral dilemma that made me uncomfortable

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC. Such a cute story! I really enjoyed this one. Had lots of humor and heart felt moments.

Ever since the accident, Holly has spent her Christmases alone. She joined the Lonely Hearts Holiday Letter group where people send letters to strangers around the holidays. Normally these letters go unanswered, but the one Holly receives compels her to do something about it. She is determined to find the writer of the letter and not let them be alone on Christmas either. What Holly finds is that the letter writer and her have much more in common than either of them could have ever imagined.

I absolutely adored this book. I really loved the journey of self-reflection that Holly & Emma were on together. I think the miscommunication between Holly & Jack did get tiresome but overall, this book wasn't as much about the romance as it was about finding your way back to family. I really enjoyed & would recommend!

I enjoyed this book, especially the relationship between Holly and Emma. While it is probably considered a Christmas story, it takes place over several years during different months so it isn’t overly Christmas, but that really works for it! I loved getting to know Holly, Emma, and Jack and see all the ways their relationships were intertwined with each other.

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

This book enacted so many emotions. It all starts with a letter that people with lonely hearts write to each other. They usually go unanswered until Holly feels compelled to find the person who wrote her letter.

This is a book about grief, second chances, fate, love, loss and so much more. It was kind of perfect for the Christmas season. It's not your typical feel good Christmas romance but it is a heartwarming story about forgiveness, reuniting families, and romance.

Love, Holly, by Emily Stone, is the story of Holly Griffin, a young struggling artist who turns to teaching art after a family tragedy happens. In the blink of an eye Emily and her sister Lily are traveling to spend Christmas with their parents at a rented country home and find themselves in a three vehicle accident sandwiched between a car behind them and one oncoming. While Emily suffers bumps and bruises, her sister suffers a miscarriage. Blaming Emily, Lily withdraws, not wanting to see or hear from Emily for three years.

Also on the day of the accident Emily and Lily made a coffee stop just before it happened. At this stop, Emily had a chance encounter in line with a fellow named Jack. Although Jack gave Emily his phone number written on her cup, the cup disappeared in the accident and, although she thought of him, she had no way how to reach out.

As part of her own coming to terms with the fallout from the accident, Emily joins a program called Hello, Stranger, in which someone who is suffering themselves writes a holiday letter to be sent to another person in a similar situation. Each person enrolled in the program will receive a holiday letter also sending encouragement. This year Emily has received a letter from an older woman with a similar story who unwittingly gives clues as to her location and signs her full name.

As the woman divulges she has cancer and regrets and is dying alone, Emily takes it upon herself to find her and help her. As the lady describes the coffee shop where she had stopped on her one fateful day, Emily knows where to begin. And what a story unravels from that point on!

I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

I really liked the storyline and the characters. I like the Authors writing and I will look for more books by this Author.

“A young woman tries to heal a rift in her elderly pen pal’s family in time for Christmas, all while falling in love—and maybe even reuniting with her own family.”

This is my first Emily Stone book and I have to say that I’m presently surprised! I’m not usually a holiday book reader, but this one definitely hit different, much more deep than your typical holiday romance. This book has some heavier topics such as loss, heartbreak, grief and loneliness, but it also brings about the ideas of hope, healing, self-reflection and love.

This is a book about the power of forgiveness, second chances and having faith in the universe. While it was a solid read, overall, it was highly predictable and the ending…definitely bring tissues.

If you want a holiday read that is more heavy than light with a little romance sprinkled in, you should pick this one up today.

“Sometimes it takes a stranger to bring you back to yourself.”

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
Don’t be fooled this is not your typical holiday read. This is pretty dang heavy. And it takes place not just over Christmas.
I did really enjoy the romance though.

I enjoyed reading this book which was full of love, hate, friendship, fate, and heartbreak. While its considered a Christmas story because the main events that shape the plot take place during Christmas time, this book can be read year-round.

The story follows a girl named Holly whose life took a major turn on Christmas Eve. She was with her pregnant sister, on the way to visit her family and spend Christmas together. Holly and her sister stop at a coffee shop and there she meets a stranger, who's name is Jack. Holly and her sister leave the coffee shop and get into a car accident down the road. Her sister blames Holly for the loss of her baby, as Holly was the one driving the car. After the accident, Holly and her family become distant for years.

Fast forward a few years and Holly takes part in a holiday letter–writing club for people that feel lonely. She receives a letter from Emma, who has just heard the news that she has cancer and no family to support her. Noticing the place Emma mentions in her letter, Holly finds Emma hoping to provide her with some company and comfort. She then becomes determined to reunite Emma with her estranged grandson, Jack. She does locate Jack, who ends up being the same guy she met a few years prior in the coffee shop, before the accident.

As Jack and Emma reconnect, throughout the next year Jack and Holly get to know each other too. Theres many bumps in the road for the characters to overcome and be able to heal from their tragic pasts.

This is a charming book with a bittersweet ending that I would recommend anyone reads, no matter what time of the year it is.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for granting me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.