Christmas is meant to be joyous however, in Emily Stone's debut novel, joy is bittersweet. ALWAYS IN DECEMBER tells a girl meets a boy story at holiday time and, though attracted to each other, the two part without explanation. Fate(?) brings them together during spring, summer, fall, and a year later at Christmas. When the joy of what love means and how it changes you forever is revealed.

Those who fall in love tend to keep secrets from each other for fear of hurting, then losing the other, Yet it's truth and trust that create forever love.

Emily Stone's first novel has the usual novice pitfalls yet triumphs with an ending that we all need to remember!

love is forever
everlasting hearts whisper
pure abiding joy
__ljp

Thank you to Netgaalley for allowing this honest opinion/revirew.

This just wasn’t the book for me. I was really drawn to the cover and the description but the actual reading experience just fell flat for me.

His book was extremely emotional for me. I lost my mother this past year and really resonated with the characters and the storyline.

I went in blind and so I was thrown off my the focus on the grief and how deep the story was.

Really enjoyed this book! Such a fun read with great character development! Such a fun one and great to grab!

Well that was just terribly sad! I think I knew it was coming...kind of felt it in my bones, but I just didn't prepare myself and got my feelings all hurt 'n stuff!! Not Me Before hurt, or Full Tilt hurt, or (shudder), God forbid, Rainfall hurt...but hurt nonetheless. It is the story of Josie and Max. She's a bit damaged. yet sunshine-y. Max is kind of grumpy at first. They have a "meet cute" that is anything but cute, when she knocks him over in the street. They find themselves in each other's orbit and form an easy relationship that becomes romantic. There are crossed signals, assumptions, and a few things thrown their way so that the timing is just never right for them and they go their separate ways. Life, however, continues to throw them together.

My angst loving heart enjoyed this one a lot.

This book packed a punch! I started it thinking it was going to be a cute seasonal romance with maybe a few more serious issues and was SHOCKED by the ending. I will DEFINITELY recommend this title to library patrons, but I am very glad to have read it first--this book will make you cry and will stick with you for days, but it is not the right book for someone looking for a quick and easy rom-com escape! The characters were well developed and the dialogue was very well written. Devastating but a great (and unexpected) read!

As a thank you to Netgalley, I write this honest review. The premise of this novel posits that every December, Josie posts a letter from her home in London to the parents she lost on Christmas night many years ago. In this letter which has become a yearly tradition she updates her parents on her life. As Josie is dropping her letter off in the postbox she is then knocked over by a male on his bicycle. His name is Max and slowly becomes an integral part of Josie’s holiday. They experience Christmas Day together and have a romantic day filled with firsts ex. Ice skating, but importantly in creating a connection aside from grief. Josie wakes up the next morning having found a note from Max telling he left early in the morning and no word on returning or goodbye. The reader follows Josie to New York City and back across the Atlantic to the English countryside of Edinburgh. The novel centers around Josie’s choice in love, career,finding herself and relationship with grief. I appreciate the time given to exploring Josie’s relationship with grief in its many stages. I recommend this novel to those who enjoy slow-burn romances and thoughtful stories. I understand why recommenders would characterize it to One Day in December, but it is not as light and frilly but holds a deeper tone. Out of five stars I gave it a 3.5 and on goodreads rated it a four out of five.

A solid 4 stars for this and I will look forward to more from this author. I’m glad I didn’t read any reviews before I started this as this book hit me very hard. Numerous tissues were used to finish it. While not exactly a holiday read, how Max and Josie keep crossing paths makes the romance work in this story. Josie’s relatives are a hoot too.

I liked this one up until the very end, which I DID NOT like (no spoilers!). It was a sweet, charming holiday love story with a conclusion I did not expect nor appreciate.

I give this book a 3.5/5. This book was good, but I just don't think it was for me. I thought I was going to be reading about a cute Christmas romance, but this book was not a full romance story. I found myself losing interest with Josie and Max, but the ending was beautiful. I was just not mentally prepared for this type of read, but do not let the 3.5 star rating steer you away from reading it. The story is good and you will see the growth and strength though out the book. Get your tissues ready because you are going to need them.

I am looking forward to more books by Emily Stone.

TW: Death

My heart!…this is not a light holiday read, no people this book requires a whole box of tissues.

I knew it too, I had this looming feeling but like everytime I watch Titanic and wish for a different ending, I found myself still in shock.

Not a 3 star but I’m too mad to truly give it 4 stars. I know I’m being a bit sensitive…I blame the book for makng me emotional.

"A devastating, romantic, life-affirming love story" - isn't that the truth. I was blind-sided by the ending, completely. Max was adorable and although I didn't agree with his choice to just vanish, I loved the way he swooped in to save the holiday season for Josie. Max and Josie were adorable together, and I loved watching their relationship unfold.

I began this book thinking it was a holiday romance and was very pleasantly surprised it is so much more than that. It really touched on several themes and even the ending took me by surprise. Keep tissues handy!

I KNOW IT IS NOT DECEMBER
but it is still cold and winter vibes are throughout the world.

Christmas has always been difficult for Josie Morgan since she lost her parents at just a child. She is a unique somber but hopeful character who grows throughout the book. Insert- just as hopeless male lead who sparks a romantic interest in Josie after a recent breakup.

Throughout the novel, the characters lives continue to cross and make you wonder and believe in fate.

Loved:
Characterization
Happy ending
"Finding yourself"
Mature writing
1st POV

This book will RIP your heart out be ready!

Thank you for the opportunity to read Always, in December! It wasn't a fit for me at this time but I do think the premise is engaging.

Overall, this was an ok read. It was not what I was expecting based on the title - I thought it would be a romantic, light-hearted holiday book, but instead it was a sad, multi-layered story. Well written, but just not what I thought it would be. Left me confused - I wanted to like it, but I was also not quite sure how it was a holiday romance.

A perfect tearjerker for the holidays! I’m typically a romcom reader but this was a nice change from the norm.

First book of the new year! I am still undecided if I’m even planning to do full reviews but then I read this and well felt I had to say something. “Always in December” is not your typical love story or romance or whatever you want to call them. It was heart wrenching and left you wanting more and curious to turn the page. Beautiful story that left me in full on tears at the end.
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“I’m glad for the sadness, that means I remembered….”~Josie

#julesbookshelf #alwaysindecember #arc #lovestory #bookstagram #mustread #netgalley #goodreads #emilystone #1

This book was so cute and touching. I loved it and it was a great holiday book. The book does include death (as a side note). I loved the pacing of this book and how it was set up.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐄𝐃 𝐦𝐞!
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I'm not even going to lie to you, this book had me SOBBING.
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𝘈 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘮𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺!

𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬
Well I went into this thinking it was a going to be a cute, Christmas romance. It’s not, and I’m not trying to spoil it for you because every review will tell you this.
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This book is raw. It’s emotional. It’s heartbreaking. It’s beautiful.
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Emily Stone, you put me on a roller coaster of emotions and I loved every part of the ride.
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𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
❄️ London
❄️ A Good Ugly Cry
❄️ Time Jumps (but not too long)
❄️ Miscommunication
❄️ Awkward Meet Cute
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𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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“𝙺𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚏 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝙸’𝚍 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞.”