This turned out to be so much more than I was expecting. At first I wasn't so sure about this one, but as the story developed I became invested in these characters, and by the end I was completely on board and rooting for this couple to get together. The perfect Christmas read!

Laurie and Jack see each other at the bus stop. Laurie is on the bus and Jack at the stop. The bus is crowded and pulls off before they can officially meet. They don’t get to meet until a year later after several unsuccessful attempts from Laurie. Turns out Laurie’s, best friend, Sarah is now dating Jack. Talk about messy. Or maybe not.......Once Jack and Laurie realize they “met” that one time at the bus stop they decide to play it safe, not to hurt Sarah.

Honestly, I was expecting more angst from this storyline. The author really built them up as the three amigos but I really didn’t feel that one on one connection between Jack and Laurie. Yes, they saw each other at the bus stop. Yes, they were initially attracted to each other but then nothing really happened. I would have liked the author to give me more angst between Jack and Laurie. Make me feel the turmoil, conflict and pain about wanting to be with someone you shouldn’t. Give me that heartache. Hurt my feelings.

This story had a good premise but I found the execution of this story to be lacking. The story had so much potential but sadly it didn’t hit the mark for me. I didn’t like that the couple spent SO much time apart and when they finally do get to be together as a couple, the story ends. Talk about letdown. After everything I went through I wanted and needed more of Jack and Laurie. I also felt the story had unnecessary obstacles to keep the characters apart for longer than needed. This was my first time reading this author and granted it didn’t blow me away it still held my attention.

One Day in December is a hauntingly, beautiful love story about love at first sight, a love that doesn’t lose momentum over the years. Laurie and Jack have a quick glance and fall instantly in love, the problem is, they have never officially met. Laurie spends quite a bit of time trying to find Jack, but when she finally does, it’s not an ideal situation.

Told over the span of a decade, this well-written and beautifully told love story is both original and heartbreaking. Great characters that you’ll cheer on and want the best for. You won’t want to put it down. An enjoyable read!

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Synopsis from the Publisher/NetGalley.com
Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away.

Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.

What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.

I have been hearing amazing things about this book, so I was especially excited to read it. I sadly did not love this story. This type of plot is exactly the reason I don't like books that span over a long period of time. I never felt connected to Laurie or Jack. And let's just talk about Jack. I wasn't a fan of Jack at all. I get why Laurie didn't tell Sarah that he was her bus boy, but Jack wasn't that invested at that point. They had been dating for a month! He could have said something and the whole thing could have been avoided. The fact that he didn't just came across as sleezy and "jerkish" . to me. The whole thing just felt boring and long to me. I hate to say it, but this one just wasn't the book for me.

I'm not big on romances, but One Day in December will go down as the big exception to this rule. I LOVED THIS BOOK. And I can't wait to read more books by this author.

From the beginning, I was drawn in by Laurie James, the young heroine trying to find her way in London after graduating from college, and her best friend Sarah. Silver's descriptive, down-to-earth writing style made me feel like I was right there with them, making sandwiches, nursing hangovers, and laughing about all that had happened the night before. I don't want to say too much about the love story that's central to this novel because part of its charm is the many unexpected twists and turns it takes, but I will say it was riveting and unexpected and emotional and sweet and every time I picked this book up, I didn't want to put it down. When I finally had a relatively free afternoon yesterday, I just sat down and read until I finished it!

You can read One Day in December at any time of year, but it is particularly delicious at Christmas time. I totally recommend it, even if you don't ordinarily read romance novels.

While I was excited to read this book, I was a bit skeptical at the beginning - love at first sight? It doesn't usually play out too well in my opinion. This book, however, went beyond the love at first sight trope and allowed the two main characters, Laurie and Jack, to develop as individuals and as friends. As their friendship grew, I became more invested in the possibility of their future romantic relationship. However, I do wish that the author had allowed us, the readers, more time with Laurie and Jack together. Because this book takes place over almost a decade, we only seem to get little snippets of their relationship through a recap of the year before rather than experiencing everything in the moment with them.

I went in to this book expecting a cute holiday romance. While I got what I was looking for, I got much more. This book was romantic but also sweet and tender as it dealt with friendship and loss. It was a great read and one that I would recommend this holiday season!

I have to say that the ending made this book. But there were moments I wondered if we’d ever get there and there were a few times I wanted to throw the freaking kindle against the wall, although I’d never do that, because it’s my kindle!

That said, the story of Laurie and Jack was so tender and filled with such exquisite moments of sigh worthy goodness that I will forgive the frustration and major angst it caused me at times. One thing’s for sure I won’t soon forget this book and all of the emotion it made me feel. It’s rare when a book can give you all of the things this one does and wrapped up in a beautiful story of love, friendship and fate to boot.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of romance, drama and some seriously good emotional goodness. I so enjoyed it.

This book was a journey. Had some tough decisions and some moments where I wanted to murder all the characters...but we got through it together. I really enjoyed this modern day romance. Most times when reading a "modern day romance" it's a little lacking in substance but this one I think had some really good messages woven within the love story. I would definitely recommend this one!

The perfect book to get you through the hustle and bustle of December!! How I loved the story of Laurie and Jack. The perfect Christmas gift of a few chapters every night. Loved this story and these people!

One day in December Laurie sees a man through a bus window. Their eyes meet and she falls in love. Feeling that he also sensed those sparks, she searches and searches for this man. A year later she finds him when her best friend Sarah walks into a Christmas party with her new boyfriend, Jack, that she is falling in love with. One Day In December by Josie Silver follows Laurie, Sarah and Jack through the next ten years of their lives.

This is a story about three people growing up and figuring out love, friendship, life and what’s important to them along the way.

The author did a great job in creating characters that I loved and was interested in. Laurie is often described as awkward. I am very awkward so whenever there is a good, believable, awkward character I’m sure to love that character. While I did not love Jack as a person, I thought he was a great character. I understood why he was the way he was and it added to my reading experience that at some points I didn’t want Laurie and Jack to ever get together.

As much as I really liked this book the amount of cussing and other crude comments did make it less of an enjoyable read for me. Though it made sense to the characters and I did feel it was true to them.

I really wanted to talk about this book with others when I finished. So many great topics. The characters themselves would be so much fun to talk about. Do you believe in love at first sight? Is there only one life, one person for us?

This was a book I didn’t want to end. I was sad to be done with those characters. I would gladly have read about their next ten years.

I waited till December to read this book thinking it had a Christmas theme (it didn't), but it was still a great, light read for this time of year, which I really needed after some heavy books. I sped through it and was excited to see how it would end. Here's the thing: I really loved the way the ending was done, but I hated some of the events that lead up to the ending. Some of the main characters' actions really didn't sit right with me, and I think this cheapened the ending a bit. I'm obviously being vague on purpose to avoid spoilers, but I'm happy to discuss it with those who have read it. Overall, it was a cute read, and I would definitely recommend it.

I love Christmas novels that aren’t too over-the-top holiday-ish, and this one fit the bill completely. It was a beautiful love story, both heart breaking, and heart warming. This is a perfect cozy afternoon-by -the fire, devour in one-sitting-type of book. I loved it.

Absolutely fantastic novel. Romantic without being being too over the top. The characters were so believable that you hate for the book to end-you'll find yourself wanting more time with them and wanting to know more about their lives. Highly recommended for anyone that loves a good winter romance or a quick, engrossing read.

In One Day in December, released just a few months ago, author Josie Silver delivers a moving story of love, friendship and the mysteriousness of fate. The novel begins all the way back in December 2008. Amidst the chaos and exhaustion of the Christmas holidays, our heroine Laurie has one perfect moment in time. From a crowded bus, she locks eyes with a man through her window and time seemingly freezes. Their connection is instantaneous and life-changing…but then the bus she’s sitting on pulls away from the stop he is waiting at. Fast forward one year later and Laurie’s best friend has just introduced her new boyfriend at their Christmas party. Naturally, it’s the man from the bus stop (Jack) and now Laurie is head-over-heels in love with someone who is completely off limits to her. What follows is a nearly ten year journey told from the perspective of both Laurie and Jack as their lives twist and turn but never quite connect. I loved this story and if you enjoy the movie Love Actually, this will probably appeal to you too.

Unfortunately I will not be posting a review of this novel, as I would only give it 2.5-3 stars. It is my policy that I will only post reviews on books I like or love (3.5-5 stars). While I found the novel writing style adequate and the plot fairly interesting, the premise became very unrealistic once the plot progressed and it only became more unrealistic from there. I'm happy for the author that Reese Witherspoon chose the book for her reading club, and wish the author continued success.

The perfect Christmas gift for a friend...One Day in December was a delightful read. Sometimes friends sacrifice so much to see their bestie happy. I found myself upset that she wouldn't just tell her friend the truth, but her decision to keep quite so that her friend could be happy was so endearing.

I simply adore seasonal reading, but I find most Christmas books to be all mistletoe and holly and Hallmark movie folly. This book, though, was an emotional rollercoaster, with just a dash of Christmas throughout. Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Books for the ARC. I liked it!

I jumped on the band wagon for One Day in December real quick. It was part Serendipity, part Bridget Jones and Part Love Actually. I loved the meet cute in the book and totally think this could be a movie.

I was fussing at the characters the whole book and saying just say something! Just tell Sarah! She will understand. She will totally get Laurie and Jack were meant to be. Timing is everything in this world.

I just loved this book. I loved the romance of this book. I could totally envision this book being turned into a movie.

This is one book I will recommend when asked what should I read next. It was light, it was fast, and I found myself laughing out loud too many times to count!

I received a copy of this book from @netgalley and @crownpublishing in exchange for an honest review.

I was expecting more from this book seeing that it has been so gushed over lately, and a choice for Reese Witherspoon's book club. I found it to be ok, fairly predictable.
I wasn't a huge fan of the Laurie/Jack pairing in the first place. Maybe it's because I've never experienced "love at first sight", but really who has? Enough to spend an entire YEAR looking for this person you glimpsed for about one minute? And her decision to not tell Sarah that Jack is that guy just didn't make any sense. This entire book would probably have been eliminated with that one conversation, so I guess it couldn't happen.
I felt like this book was trying to be Bridget Jones, but Laurie was just too wishy-washy for so long and not nearly as funny.
I give it an extra half star for the ending bit, which I really enjoyed and thought was fresh and fun.

One Day in December is warm, captivating, unforgettable and quirky love story not only between couples but within a friendship as well. Laurie doesn’t believe in love at first sight. That is, until one day when she locks eyes with a by-stander while packed like a sardine on a bus. In that moment she feels a spark and knows she has to find her way back to that guy because she felt something with him. She make it her New Years resolution to find him, with no avail. Until one day he shows up… but not in the way she wanted him to. And so begins a story of longing, heartbreak, and possibly second chances? review: This was one of those books that was heartwarming and frustrating in one fell swoop! The writing is wonderful and the characters are so well-developed, I felt like I could relate to them on numerous levels. I loved the alternating perspectives of Laurie and Jack – it really allowed you to dive deeper into their relationship. But, I totally wanted to scream “NOOOO!!!” at some points in the book haha! This book is perfect to read during the holiday season and will remind you of those Hallmark Christmas movies that we can’t tear ourselves away from! rating: 4 out of 5 ⭐️