"Love, Holly" by Emily Stone is an emotional rollercoaster that beautifully captures the essence of loss, hope, and the power of human connection. Holly, still reeling from a tragic car accident that estranged her from her sister, channels her grief into a lonely-hearts holiday letter-writing club. The letters, meant to be anonymous and therapeutic, take a surprising turn when Holly receives a deeply moving letter from Emma, prompting her to embark on a heartfelt mission. Holly's quest to reunite Emma with her estranged grandson, Jack, becomes a journey of healing and redemption, not just for Emma but for herself as well.

The relationship between Holly and Emma is a cornerstone of the novel, evolving from anonymous pen pals to deep confidants. Holly’s determination to help Emma reconnect with Jack mirrors her own longing to mend her fractured family. Their bond is touching and sincere, showcasing the profound impact of empathy and understanding. Parallel to this is Holly and Jack's relationship, which transitions from a chance encounter to a meaningful connection. Their chemistry is palpable, and their character development is rich, with Holly's determination to mend broken ties and Jack's struggle to reconcile with his past adding depth to their interactions. "Love, Holly" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of love and family, leaving a lasting impression with its heartfelt exploration of relationships and forgiveness.

While this one was a bit heavier of a holiday read, I really enjoyed the storyline! Love, Holly was all about fate, second chances, and learning to forgive not only others but also yourself. I loved the idea of the Dear Stranger letters and think it's a fantastic idea. I can't imagine being in Holly or Emma's shoes and going through everything they did. Definitely check out this author if you haven't already.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Emily Stone ripped my heart out at the start of this book...which was expected, but maybe not so soon. Without giving too much away, I loved the connections between the 3 main characters, which was slowly revealed throughout the book. While I felt the family turmoil was a bit drastic, it is believable and works well in this story.

Love, Holly by Emily Stone

Love, Holly is not what I would consider to be a light, holiday read like the cover would lead you to believe. This book tackles a lot of sad, somber topics surrounding trauma and loss. It's also not Christmassy at all. I enjoyed it, but think a trigger warning is necessary because I can easily see this book taking someone unawares. It's an emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs. I loved seeing how the lives of these characters are intertwined. The romance is barely there, but sweet. It balanced out the heavier moments nicely. The ending is incredibly bittersweet, and left me feeling many things. Overall, I feel sad. I don't like reading books that make me feel sad, but this was well written and heartwarming in places so I feel conflicted as to who I would recommend this to. I highly recommend not saving this for holiday reading, though! I'm glad I read it in June!

✨ARC Book Review✨

Love, Holly by Emily Stone

On her way to visit family one Christmas, Holly and her pregnant sister, Lily, stop by a cafe where she accidentally meet-cute bumps into a stranger. Unbeknownst to her, this random encounter tethers them together in ways they never could have predicted. After, Holly and her sister get into a life-changing car accident, and her whole world changes in a moment when her sister loses the baby. Now, Holly finds herself spending Christmases alone, writing letters to strangers each year as part of a lonely-hearts holiday letter-writing club. The letter she receives this year, though, inadvertently changes everything.

Another Emily Stone tear-jerker. This one is good for fans of invisible string theory, found family, slow burn romance, and multiple POV.

I think this one is a solid, entertaining tear-jerker rom-com. It didn’t totally blow me away, but it did get my feelers out. I finished it a couple days ago and am still thinking of the characters. My biggest complaint is that the story often seemed to tell rather than show because of the way it jumped around, and some plot points didn’t feel relevant at all (like Holly’s breakup). I thought the time-jumping worked well for the ending, though. I’ll still continue to check out Stone’s books. 💚

Thanks to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

📖: (3.5/5—rounding up on Goodreads) ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Oh my! So dang touching! I love the concept of fate and vulnerability and guilt and TIMING! Absolutely incredible! It did feel a tiny bit long as.m a whole but so worth it.

This was so much more than just a cute little Christmas romance. One thing I love in any book, is the discussion of grief and getting to view how there is truly no wrong way for you to grieve. This was so powerful in getting that point across, and also showing that if you really love someone, don’t give up on them. The entire idea of anonymous Christmas pen pals was already intriguing, but Emily Stone did a great job weaving it into the storyline seamless. Now let’s talk about the romance, it was so perfect. I loved that they had a meet cute that never came to fruition and they had there second chance. All in all, I enjoyed this book, and I’d definitely suggest it for anyone looking for a cozy Christmas read.

Holly was in a car crash that changed her life forever and she's barely living when she gets a Dear Stragner letter in the mail from another anonymous person feeling lonely and dealing with grief. The letter contains enough details for Holly to figure out who the person is and her spontaneous decision to find that person and help them sets off a series of events that will help her find not only friendship, inspiration, and love, but a way back to her family and a happier future.

I felt all of the emotions with this book and loved every second of it. It's a fated romance that comes with a lot of baggage and complicated emotions due to trauma and grief while still being incredibly sweet. Following along with Holly and Jack's stories feels like hearing a real person's tale. There are high and low points and people doing their best to get through them even if they might not always make the best decisions. it results in a highly engaging story that I couldn't put down.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Dell for the wonderfully emotional read!

I love Emily Stone's writing and she has a great way of sucking the reader in from the beginning. I love the holiday aspect and the letter writing format.

If I can find a book where the character has my name, I like to read them. This book the main character Holly shares my name. Holly's family was ripped apart after something happened. Now she spends the Christmas holiday on her own. Holly, is determined to help her pen pals family not go through what her family has gone though.

When Holly reconnects them, she realizes she has met one of them before, and feelings start to develop.

This was a fun holiday romance.

Love, Holly is a beautiful, poignant book that discusses grief, healing and fate. It also speaks of forgiveness and second chances. The holidays are such a joyous and magical time of year but we forget the people who are alone or are suffering from grief and/or depression. I appreciate how this book shines a light on those topics we don’t normally see depicted in movies/books during the Christmas season.

(Normally I would add a brief summary but don’t want to give too much away from the story.)

Things I Loved
♥️The LETTERS(I love any books with letters) it’s so intimate and gives you an old time feeling
♥️Dialogue of grief and death
♥️Glimpses of Holly and Lily from the past
♥️Found family 🥹
♥️the romance part gave me Serendipity vibes and I absolutely LOVE that movie
♥️Dual POV(however I wish other characters had a brief chapter POV)

Holly and Jack carried W W W. Jack >>> but wow that was sooo good and cute. I love my sisters. Emily stone is such an underground writer!!! All of her stories are punched in the stomach crazy!!

What an emotional journey this read was! A lot sad with a big HEA! It was the perfect read for the holiday season. It's like your favorite holiday rom-com movie in a perfect book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for the advance copy to of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise of this story and while the cover DOES make it seem like a love story its more than that. It is a beautiful tale of healing the past and beginning again and the power of love. But trigger warning for loss/cancer/death. A great book but bring tissues and be ready. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Her books take part during Christmas and throughout the year. They also have sadness in them. Good to know for those of you with triggers. It is a novel so readers should always look for that callout on book covers. I know readers feel tricked in thinking it’s a romance book because they don’t notice the callout. I liked the letter writing and art aspect.

"Love, Holly" by Emily Stone tells the heartwarming story of Holly, a young woman who finds solace in writing letters to strangers during the holiday season as part of a lonely-hearts holiday letter-writing club. Each December, Holly exchanges letters with another lonely soul, sharing their thoughts and feelings anonymously.

However, this year, Holly receives a letter that touches her deeply, as it reflects the grief she herself has experienced since a car accident tore her family apart. The letter is from Emma, who expresses a desire to reconnect with her estranged grandson, Jack. Intrigued by the possibility of reuniting Emma with Jack, Holly sets out to find him.

When Holly tracks down Jack, she discovers that they have met once before, and there is an undeniable spark between them. As their romance blossoms, Holly becomes determined to mend the rift between Jack and Emma, hoping to bring them back together as a family. But misunderstandings and complications arise, putting their budding relationship and Jack's strained relationship with Emma at risk.

Despite the challenges, Holly remains determined to bring joy and healing to Emma's family, believing that in doing so, she may also find the closure and happiness she seeks for herself. As she navigates the complexities of love, family, and forgiveness, Holly realizes that time may be running out, urging her to seize the opportunity to make things right while she still can.

"Love, Holly" is a touching and uplifting tale of love, redemption, and the power of human connection to heal past wounds and forge new beginnings, making it a perfect read for the holiday season.

I'm usually a fan of emily stone but this one did not hit for me. I unfortunately did not feel any connection to the characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Holy Cow did this book take me by surprise! Grant it, I went into it blind, but I have never read such a poignant, sad but also beautiful Christmas book before! Love, Holly is not your typical happy go lucky holiday read… but it sure does pack a punch and pull at your heart strings. I think the romance aspect was definitely second to everything else going on, but it wasn’t lost in the story, so that didn’t bother me. The narrator’s voice was perfect for this book in my opinion, and made the audio one I didn’t want to stop listening to.

There are some substantial trigger warnings to be mindful of (traumatic miscarriage, death of a loved one, cancer) so be mindful before reading ❤️

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved the renewed holiday vibe it had. This is definitely one to pick up for a story that will tug at your heart!

Love, Holly is out now and is a very unique and beautifully written holiday story that you should go check out this season!

Thank you @prhaudio for the complimentary audiobook, all opinions are my own!

I had a hard time getting through this one. It was a bit too melodramatic and predictable for me. But there's nothing wrong with that! I found the writing to be competent but not extraordinary. The story is predictable: she looses her love and is grief stricken but finds love again. I know a lot of people will love it, but it wasn't for me. As I said, it's a fine book, just not right for me personally.