One Day in December by Josie Silver is a wonderful, heartwarming story with characters that you like and care about. It follows these characters through a decade of their lives. I
definitely recommend this book and wish to thank #Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this excellent book.

A unique story spanning a decade of love, loss and love again. I enjoyed the characters and storyline.

Did not finish. The book kind of lost my interest when neither character really seemed to try to connect. I also didn't really find the friendship very compelling. After it was revealed that Laurie is in love with her best friend's new boyfriend, I kind of lost interest.

One Day In December by author Josie Silver is a warm and cozy love story! The characters are well structured and they leave a mark in your heart after reading. The plot was wonderful and it reads easily and you are able to follow nicely. I thoroughly enjoyed A Day In December which isn’t my usual genre, so glad I tried this one!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of A Day In December in exchange for an honest review!

I loved this, more than I ever imagined. The characters grabbed me from the very beginning and the hopeful search for the mystery man made me love him too. It really was a whirlwind, growing with the characters as they grow. I really loved it. This is exactly what I look for in a story! It's the kind of story that gives you a sense that there's hope for you too.

This one dragged on for me. I do enjoy Josie Silver's writing very much, but what promised to be "When Harry Met Sally" meets "Love Actually" didn't deliver for me. And I love a good romantic love story, but I just wasn't sold and found myself not rooting for anyone halfway through the book. But I did like Silver's style of writing, so I will seek her out in the future. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

It was love at first sight. Whether you believe in that sort of thing or not, when Laurie locked eyes with Jack from her seat on a London bus, she knew fate had just crossed her path and she had finally found her one. Except when the bus pulls off, and Laurie is left only with a mirage of the man she knows she is supposed to be with for the rest of her life.

For a year, Laurie pines after Jack, the bus stop stranger, even writing him into her New Year’s resolution - “I will find the stranger from the bus stop.” Laurie has almost all but given up hope of ever finding Jack until the day that her best friend Sarah brings him home to their shared flat and introduces him to Laurie as her new, incredible boyfriend, the love of her life, the man she is going to marry. Laurie’s world has just dropped out from below her, and she suddenly finds herself torn between her best friend and the man of her dreams.

Debut author Josie Silver’s One Day in December is a magical, masterful story of love and love lost. Told in alternating perspectives by both Laurie and Jack, One Day in December follows the two throughout the years as they try to come to terms with their feelings for each other in the wake of unexpected, and rather unfortunate, circumstances.

I loved this book because Silver does a wonderful job of painting a complete picture of her characters. Readers really get to know Laurie and Jack and their personalities. By the end of the book, I felt like I was in their circle of friends and invested in their relationship, however you define it.

I enjoyed how Silver took us on the entire journey of their relationship, with the novel spanning nine long years. Readers follow Laurie and Jack through the ups and downs, the highs and lows, careers and relationships, and just life in general. Very well-written, thought-provoking, and atmospheric, Laurie and Jack’s story will stay with readers long after they close the covers of the book.

Sure to be savored by romance lovers and romantics at heart, One Day in December is a poignant, heartwarming novel, and is a perfectly cozy read to pick up for the holiday season.

REVIEW
"A love story about what happens after you meet, or rather, don’t meet the one."

This is a love story for lovers of romantic comedies and Hallmark movies. It has a delightful holiday backdrop, and it's sure to be a win for fans of movies like When Harry Met Sally. Laurie is an utterly charming heroine, and it makes readers think about the opportunities we take and the power of connection.

AUTHOR
JOSIE SILVER is an unashamed romantic who met her husband when she stepped on his foot on his 21st birthday. She lives with him, her two young sons and their cats in a little town in England called Wolverhampton.

I am sure some people will love this book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. It is definitely a romantic comedy, but it just dragged on for me in places. It felt like other stories I've read or seen on the movie screen. I enjoyed Josie Silver's style and hope to read more of her books in the future.

I loved this book. The perfect holiday gift for all of your romcom loving friends! A story which takes place over the span of ten years feels generous as it reveals unexpected depth in Jack. Laurie has you perpetually on the edge of your seat over whether she will or won’t reveal her true feelings and one has compassion for Sarah. Don’t worry no spoilers here but I will say—if you have an opportunity for your own romance - this book will inspire a phone call. Not a text but an actual call!

Nothing says romance quite like a holiday love story! I absolutely devoured this book and didn’t want it to end! The chemistry, the friendship, the love between Sarah, Jack and Laurie was something I never experienced before with characters. As I was reading I was already casting my actors/actresses for a Christmas Hallmark channel movie! This is a must read and hopefully a must see TV movie!

Laurie and Jack lock eyes one day in December — she from a bus, he from the bus stop — and both feel a connection, though they don't meet until months later... When he turns up as her best friend's new boyfriend. Over the next years, they remain in each other's lives, developing a deep friendship even as they seem to go their separate ways. Will they find each other again?

A charming story with the feel of When Harry Met Sally meets Love Actually meets One Day. I enjoyed reading it, although I found the plot and characterization both slight. I wanted more from the years after Jack and Laurie meet — although they kept saying so much had changed in both their lives, I didn't really find that to be true. A bigger cast of characters (why did Laurie have only one friend?) presenting more opportunities for real change and growth would have made the stakes feel higher for our star-crossed lovers.

I very much enjoyed this book. I have not read anything from this author before. Even though it's set in the UK, it was relevant to anyone from any country reading it. I liked the characters and couldn't wait to see how it all ended.

it was a cute story up until the end. I cannot imagine anything like this ending happening, or the friends putting up with it. But i did enjoy it.

My head is still spinning after finishing this book. What an incredibly intense, emotional, page turning read! I loved it from beginning to end!

A chance sighting, an instant connection and a decade of chasing that feeling you had for a stranger you saw for only a moment, one day in December. Laurie looks for "Bus Boy" for a year before finding him and immediately realizing that she can't have him. Life goes on, new love is found, love is lost, relationships are severed and everyone grows up. This read was an emotional roller coaster! One minute I was smiling from ear to ear and the next I was gasping and sobbing. The author took her sweet time crossing back and forth between Laurie and Jack's stories, spanning a decade in the process.

I loved the writing style and the depth she gave the characters and their individual personalities. Laurie might be my favorite female character with her sassy wit and introverted nature. I laughed so hard during her POV parts of the story.

Laurie and Jack's story was captivating, heartbreaking, thrilling and satisfying. I didn't want it to end but I was so happy with how it did. I had no idea how it would get there but I wasn't disappointed. The only reason I rated this a 4 star instead of a 5, was because I felt like Jack's side of the story was lacking a bit in depth and perspective. I'd love to see a follow up or extended epilogue to curb my book hangover!

When library users are looking for book recs, I often ask them about their favorite movies. Share this great rom-com with readers who mention movies like Love, Actually or You've Got Mail, or Four Weddings and a Funeral. This is a love at first sight gone wrong, then right, but it takes a loooong time -- which is good, because Josie Silver is a very good storyteller.

This book is a chick flick on paper. From the very first chapter, when the movie Love Actually is referenced, all the way through the grand gestures of love, this is a feel-good chick lit novel, loosely set around Christmastime. I wouldn't call this a holiday romance, but it does have a few notable scenes taking place in December.

One Day in December is very British, both from the setting and the writing (many British phrases and slang terms are used). This book reminded me a lot of Bridget Jones' diary. It was a very light read, from the beginning where Jack and Laurie are introduced, through Jack's relationship with Sarah (Laurie's best friend) and the continued friendship among all three as they weave in and out of each other's lives. They all love each other, sometimes at the right time, sometimes at the wrong time. The book is predictable, but it doesn't matter. The reader is rooting for Jack and Laurie to have their happy ending.

For anyone who has ever loved someone and felt the timing was just off, this is the book for you.

I chose this book because of the cover, expecting a lighter "rom-com" type feel. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a little more than that and enjoyed the story of love, loss, and friendship. The story is told over a period of 10 years and I enjoyed that even though I didn't love the characters all the time I could relate to their challenges and enjoyed the concept of falling in love with someone vs staying in love and what that really means in the long term. This was my first Josie Silver book and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Oh goodness gracious, what a ride! warning, possibly spoilery (i will hide spoilers on goodreads but you can't here!)

So I will admit, when I saw this on netgalley, I just saw the whole bus thing and the comparison to Love Actually and I was like sold! I somehow completely missed the best friend and the spanning ten years thing. So I thought this would be a light fluffy read, meanwhile my heart feels like it’s been run over by the dang bus.

Here’s the thing, I don’t mind the best friend’s boyfriend thing, but it’s just… angsty and heartbreaking when they are in love or stay together, or when the girl has a guy too.. I just can’t understand that. When I was 13, I had the biggest crush on this boy. I’d been ‘in love’ with him for, like, a year. True love. He ‘asked me out’ right before the school holidays, we didn’t speak for 3 weeks and I think he broke up with me? I don’t remember. But anyway – then he did it again and we went out for 3 months (I’m just now realising what a jerk move that was). Then I guess we broke up again but I don’t really remember the specifics. Anywho, he had a friend, and after the second break up, he asked me out (as in, do you want to be my girlfriend and you hang out at school, not ‘dating’) and I said I would allow him to walk me home, which he did and he kissed me – I cried and told him I couldn’t hang out with him while I was still in love with his friend (oy vey, the drama). Anywho, I don’t remember how long after, I went out with that first boy again, this time for 9 months before he broke up with me again (seriously, what a jerkface). Moral of the story, the second boy was super cute and if I wasn’t hung up on the first boy, I would have been all over that.. but I *was* hung up on the first boy and I cannot personally wrap my head around being with someone when you are in love with someone else – even if you are 13 and have no idea what love is. But that’s just me.

So that’s my long story way of saying, I can’t quite get behind the fact that Jack stayed with Sarah as long as he did – if he liked Laurie, he should not have. Then Laurie marrying Oscar, ugh. It just. Blergh. Speaking of Oscar, I never really got a whole lot from him, I kept expecting him to become a bad guy or villain because he was pretty underdeveloped, you know?

Honestly, I can’t think of how this should have gone – like at the end, they say something like ‘boy sees girl on bus, he gets on, happily ever after, sounds boring when you say it like that’ and yes, that is right, but this way was… agonising. Constant angst. Constant heartache. Honest to god, the fallout with Sarah and Laurie is what broke my heart the most. I am really glad that got sorted. I wish Jack and Laurie had not kissed, so Laurie could have said that to Sarah on her wedding day. I really liked Laurie and I really liked Sarah. Jack was probably my least favourite character out of the three. I know there wouldn’t be a story if he hadn’t stayed with Sarah, but still. It’s like, I believed Laurie and her feelings because what could she have done? But Jack? He stayed with Sarah. He made Laurie feel like crap about Oscar, when he obviously had no right to do. That’s simply the risk you run when you hagve a book like this though because how can he redeem himself when he knowingly chose another woman over Laurie several times? You’re going to annoy some people, not much you can do.

Anyway. Like I said, this was a very angsty read, it was very emotional and kind of draining – not in a bad way, but if you’re invested, this is not a light fluffy read. I do think it could have been a bit shorter, not because it was bad but because it did drag a bit and it spends time on the things that we might not like about the best friend’s boyfriend trope. You know?


Even though I’m not on board with a few of the things that happened in this book, it was very well written, I read it in one sitting and I was invested. I did think the ending was adorable. An epilogue wouldn’t have hurt anyone though ;) I will absolutely read more from this author!

ONE DAY IN DECEMBER BY JOSIE SILVER BOOK REVIEW
Unrequited love that begins on a bus. I’m game!

LOVE FROM AFAR
One Day in December gives me some While You Were Sleeping vibes. You know that movie with Sandra Bullock, right? She sees a guy pass by her train station and has all these ideas in her head about him. Basically, falls in love with a stranger. I LOVE that movie, so when I got those type of vibes from this book, instantly I’m excited!

BUS BOY
Laurie locks eyes with a guy from the bus & she feels an instant connection. Honestly, I can totally relate to this. While I haven’t fallen head over heels for someone I met on mass transit, I trust my intuition. There are several people in my life with whom I immediately connected. I find these relationships to be especially meaningful.

One thing I like about this story is that it spans the course of several years. Josie introduces us to these characters & readers get to experience a huge chunk of their life with them. I also really like that she changes narrators thought the book. This gives me insight into what “bus boy” is thinking. And duh!, of course, I want to know EXACTLY what he is thinking.

A LONG DECEMBER
See what I did there with the Counting Crows reference? I’m sorry I had to. One Day in December is on the long side. While the story spans a lot of time, I wish there was more depth to the characters. I sure know a lot about Laurie, but I wanted to know a bit more about Jack. If it’s an unrequited love, then I want to feel that burning intensity. I want to know these two are destined to be together & I just didn’t get enough of that. So, I found myself not being super invested in their relationship.

THE VERDICT
I am Into This book. While One Day in December didn’t thrill me like Josh & Hazel or The Kiss Quotient, I did enjoy it. Overall, it’s light on romance, a quick read (despite being a longer book) & I did enjoy the characters.

Special thanks to Josie Silver, Broadway Books & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.