Josie puts a letter in the mail every December to her dead parents. This year, she's knocked off course by a cyclist named Max. They spend the holiday together, but he leaves without saying goodbye. Somehow, fate brings them together in weird places over the next year.

I LOVED this book. Josie and Max have their own tragedy that they are dealing with, and Emily Stone does an amazing job of writing them in a way that makes you feel like you are really there as a close friend. I had a mixed reaction to the ending (it made me yell COME ON!), but after some thinking, it really does fit with the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House!

A very cute story that is perfect for fans of Hallmark Christmas movies who are looking for a cozy time.

Thank you for my early review copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I believe this book will be a huge bestseller.

Always in December by Emily Stone is a wonderful story of love and loss. It first seems to be a typical romance novel with a random meeting of two individuals who wouldn’t have crossed paths. This story goes much deeper than that. Josie's great loss of her parents at Christmas time haunts her every year. Max has a secret he cannot bring himself to share. After their Christmas together it seems they will never meet again until fate steps in. The story spans two continents with lots if twists, turns and a secret that too overwhelming to be revealed till the end.
I really enjoyed this book and give it 5 of 5 stars. I was rooting for the two main characters throughout. I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Was enjoying this at first but when it was clear the plot was lost I got disinterested. Still, I finished it snd I wish I hadn’t. The ending was abysmal. Why do that to Josie after trying to repair her inner workings throughout the novel? What a cop out.

This is not a romance. Do not think this is a sweet cosy romance novel. It’s not.

I have many other nitpickings and complaints about this book including all the terrible fashion and makeup descriptions (ick on the fake tan) and Josies basically Ignoring her remaining family.

There wasn’t much action in this book and a whole lot of internal dialogue. The writing is smooth and easy to read but I thought the gesture of putting a lock of hair behind the ear and the squeezing of shoulders a bit overwrought. Josie was likable and charismatic at times and other times frustratingly juvenile and given to angry outbursts. I liked the ending.

i enjoyed this book. It starts and ends with the holidays. Josie mails a letter each Christmas to the parents she lost years ago. This year she literally collides with a handsome stranger on her way to post her letter. They both are avoiding the holiday cheer but end up enjoying the season together. Then he leaves and she wonders what went wrong. During the course of the year they encounter each other again at various events. What will happen? Josie evolves over the course of the book and there is a bit about dealing with grief and lose.

Just. Wow. This book gave me all the deep feels and broke my heart - in the best way. It is gut-wrenching, emotional and heartbreaking. Very reminiscent of Josie Silver, Rosie Curtis, Abby Jimenez, and Emily Henry. Also gave me In Five Years by Rebecca Serle vibes.

Always, In December is the devastating love story between Josie and Max, who meet just before Christmas one year after Josie runs Max down with her bike while posting the annual letter to the parents she lost on Christmas Eve when she was a child. She's feeling a bit more lonely than usual, having just broken up with her cheating boyfriend and losing her job. Max is alone for the holiday as well, having his flight to spend the holiday with his parents cancelled, leaving him stranded. Andre for a drink to apologize for running him down leads to spending a lot of time together - more drinks, holiday shopping, and Josie's company holiday party where Max helps Josie face her ex. After spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (and night 😉) together, Josie wakes up the next morning to discover Max gone with just a note but no explanation. They spend the next year crossing paths and attempting to fight their intense feelings for each other.

Fair warning: you will cry reading this. Have tissues ready. This is not a rom-com, and there is no “typical” happily ever after here. Emily Stone does an excellent job writing Josie and Max’s emotional journey. You can just feel what they are feeling. The initial excitement that comes from the potential of a new love. The devastation of losing that love. The angst of continually being drawn together when there is no way to be together. The pain of loss and grief. Also learning that there is a reason for people to come into your life and there’s also potential for growth from loss.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Emily Stone, and Dell for the opportunity to read an advance copy… hands down once of the best books I’ve read in quite awhile. What a debut! Emily Stone has just become a must read/automatic buy for me going forward!

After a family tragedy in December Josie avoids the season as much as possible, except for 1 tradition, mailing a letter. This December is particularly brutal - her love life and her work life are both in turmoil. and she doesn't expect it to change. But an unexpected encounter leads to an amazing few days and changes her forever.

I loved this book up until the last few pages when I realised this wasn't a romance at all but some pseudo- inspirational women's fiction/ sick lit dressed up to look like a holiday romance. To say I was angry would be an understatement! Do not sell this as a holiday romance to unsuspecting readers or you will have a mutiny on your hands. Make sure they understand that this is a readalike for "Me Before You", "Fault in Our Stars", and the faux holiday not rom-com "Last Christmas'. I don't hate sick lit almost romances when I know what I am getting but I hate it when I am sideswiped and I was definitely sideswiped by this novel. So unless you want romance readers in front of your building with torches make sure you mention how it is decidedly NOT a romance! Other than that, I loved how it starts. The chance, twist of fate meeting in a snowy London, the magical Christmastime outings, the romantic kiss. I even didn't mind the way Max left Josie on Boxing Day because I was confident they would see each other again! I enjoyed the different p.o.v.'s of the characters and how the reader gets to know Max and his family. I loved all the settings of New York and Scotland, that's dream location stuff right there! But to not disclose Max's diagnosis to the reader is unforgivable. It basically zeroed out for me any pluses or pleasures of the book. Will i recommend it? I guess? But I will have to give hints out about the ending and tell them in heavily coded language that it's a readalike for "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes and not Josie Silver as advertised and to read at your own risk!

A most uplifting story. Perfect settings, believable and very likeable characters. Some people through circumstances of their own making or unforeseen events are forced to spend the holidays alone. However in a book anything can happen and when it does the reader will sport a grin a mile wide. Anything does happen in this book and I am sporting a grin a mile wide

I really enjoyed this book. While it starts over Christmas, it wasn't an overly Christmassy story. The character development and storylines were well written and I was immediately invested in Max and Josie. A relatively quick and thoroughly enjoyable weekend read.

I was thankful for an ARC of this book! I was immediately reminded of One Day in December when I read the synopsis of this book and I can say that fans of that book will like this one.

When we first meet Josie, its Christmas time. She is grieving the loss of her parents who died on Christmas Eve when she was a child and, more recently, the loss of her long term boyfriend who cheated on her with a co-worker. In steps Max who, for a short time, distracts her from those losses.

What I liked:
-Josie, our main character, had a lot of depth. I believe her struggle with the loss of her parents during holiday season is one that many people can resonate with.

-Supporting characters like Chloe, Bia, Memo , Helen and Granddad were sweet and realistic.

What I didn't like:
-The timing of the book seemed off. During a scene there would be little dialogue or description indicating time was passing. So it felt like we were skipping ahead too quickly. For example, there is a scene with the main characters in a coffee shop and we get good description of them entering, only like one exchange of dialogue, and then all of a sudden they're leaving the coffee shop and supposedly an hour had past.

-While I love a good plot twist, the one at the end of this book is one I wrestled with.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It tittered on the edge of a 3 and 4 stars for me. I would recommend it for anyone wanting a Christmas romance.

England? Yes! Christmas? Yes! This book has all the elements I love in a romance, yet it didn't hold my attention like I thought it would. It was an interesting concept -- two strangers meet abruptly and keep bumping into each other across continents during the following year. I was rooting for the main characters to get together, and I was quite aggravated when circumstances kept them apart. I guess the author achieved her goal in that I did develop feelings about the characters and storyline, but I am not invested enough to pursue other works.

A poignant, second chance romance and a heart wrenching holiday read. Evenly paced and well written, this novel will have you rooting for this couple and feeling all the feels.

Josie and Max meet one December when he is stranded in London when his flight to visit his family is cancelled. They spend a few days and connect deeply but he walks away once his flight is rescheduled leaving Josie feeling hurt and confused, When they run into each other again she doesn't want her risk her heart but could her initial feelings for him have been so wrong? Why is Max seemingly so drawn to her but still so distant?

As you can tell by my rating this book did not really work for me, There were some pacing issues. I was on board for the first session and then everything slowed down and became a slog. Rather than creating tension it made me feel disconnected. The few days they spent together didn't seem enough to me to have the kind of impact I needed to believe they did and so when the twist occurs I felt more manipulated than anything. I cannot help but feel that this story has been told before way more successfully.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Always in December is such a slow moving book. I lost interest after the first chapter. Hard to really care about the characters I would not recommend this book

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed the setting and the two main characters. I think this book will be perfect for those looking for a story set around the holidays that moves them. I think this book would have been perfect for me about 5 years ago, but my reading life has changed. I liked it, but I am not sure this genre is for me anymore.

Me attempting to write this through just my absolute downpour of tears...

I read this in August but I can see myself coming back to this one in December for a HEARTBREAKING holiday read. Really, anytime I feel overwhelmed and in need of a good cry, I’ll come back to this one.

I loved this book. I fell for the main character, Josie, long before we even met Max, who I then also fell for. I was drawn to their story from the jump, and their meet cute was all I needed to obsess over them. I felt like the chapters with Max’s family were excessively long - it was nice to get the full picture but they could’ve been cut down a lotttttt because, if we’re being honest, all readers want is Max and Josie.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Max’s death scene was slightly underwhelming, and I could feel it was coming, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t sobbing like a baby. When Josie wrote her letters to both her parents and Max at the end, I was done for. Sold. This story broke me in a good way and I hope to one day stop crying. That day, however, is not today.

Thank you to Random House publishing for this ARC. On pub day, I will post my review, and like an accompanying bake, on my Instagram feed or in my instagram story. My handle is @ateaspoonofswoon

I have a soft spot for any book that can bring me to tears and this book did that. This is a beautiful debut novel and I absolutely loved the characters Emily Stone crafted. This exceeded my expectations. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.