An emotional read. Centred around Christmas letter for those who are alone. Will Holly trying to help others lead to her finding her own happiness?

4.5★ After an accident leaves Holly and her sister Lily permanently estranged, Holly looks to a letter writing group to find some sense of connection and comfort during the holidays. When a connection forms between her and fellow letter writer, Emma, Holly sets out to find her with very surprising results.

Emily Stone writes the saddest, yet ultimately hopeful, books and every year, I cannot wait to dive in. This years Love, Holly is easily my favorite. With themes of loneliness, trauma guilt, overcoming grief, second chances, finding meaningful connections, and a bit of romance thrown in, this story has everything you could want in an emotional holiday read.

I always love Stone’s examination of what it means, on a visceral level, to lose those we love and the gut wrenching emotions that accompany it. While this usually gives her books more of melancholy feel, it also adds a great deal of depth that is usually lacking in your cutesy holiday reads. And no matter what topics are tackled, she always leaves readers feeling uplifted, a la Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life.

‼️There are very heavy topics addressed. Please check your content warnings if sensitive to certain triggers.

Thank you Random House for my gifted copies in exchange for my honest review.

Everyone needs a book that gets you in the feels during the holiday season. This is it!! Go grab this now!
This one has Christmas feelings and talk of Christmas, but is not overly Christmasy. A fabulous story involving fate, missed connections, found connections, found family, and reconnection, I loved every minute of it!
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (fade to black)
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a heartwarming holiday read. Holly is part of secret letter writing club and this year's letter from Emma takes her on an unexpected journey. Can she reunite Emma with her grandson and men her own family, too? This one will tug at your heartstrings.

first, i would like to send my deepest appreciation to netgalley, ballantine, and dell, for the electronic advanced readers copy. all opinions & thoughts are completely my own! 🎄🎅🏻🦌☃️❄️

such an unpopular opinion and i am so sorry, but 2.75 ⭐, will round to 3 ⭐.

first, i sort of blame myself for thinking this was a cute, fluffy holiday rom-com by the cover of the book. it screams christmas if you look at it. but, this was my first time reading a emily stone holiday book and i did not know she writes deep and sorrowful themes. overall, this book started off very slow (probably it gets better until the 50 percent mark) and super dragged on for some reason. ⛄️❄️⛸️

i think my problems for the book is that it did not feel like a holiday/christmas book. i get that not all books need to be fluffy holiday rom-coms because that would be totally boring, but there was a teeny-tiny bit of a holiday vibe in the book. if someone gave you a blindfold of not looking at the cover, then you probably thought this was just a normal book and would have not guessed this was a christmas book. it was dragged on for some parts to where i got a bit bored and was wondering when will it end. however, i love how realistic it was because not everyone will have a picture perfect holiday and i think the book portrayed it really well. ☃️🎄🎅🏻☃️🎁❄

now for the characters, they were very one-dimensional & unbearable at most times. the only one i liked was emma. she's the type of character who always would put a smile on her face no matter if she's in a good or bad mood. also, she is the only one who did not bother me. i found holly and jack's relationship to be so unrealistic and also not having any connection at all. with the dragged on parts, i felt stone could have expanded the connection more on holly and jack. not to give any spoilers but holly and jack were listening to other people's stories and they were contradicting themselves before realizing they also share a common/similar issue. I also thought this book should have been in first person and have it rotate between holly and jack, and maybe even add emma into one of the chapters. ☃️📼🎄

all in all, i really wished to have liked this book but there were some cons that outweigh the pros. for example, i did like the pen pal idea because that felt like a christmas thing to me. i also liked how it was set in the u.k. as the u.k. does do holidays the best. i just wish there was the holiday magic i was wishing for when reading this book (look at the cover!) thank you, thank you, thank you, to netgalley and the publishers once again! 🎄🎁🦌🍫✨

if interested in "love, holly", the book has already been published on september 26th, 2023! 🎄🎁🎅🏻⛄☃

This was my first Emily Stone novel but it definitely won’t be my last!

Love, Holly was such a tender and heartfelt read. The author really knew how to tug at my heart strings. This wasn’t just your typical romance, there were definitely heavier topics that the author addressed with care.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House Publishing and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a book of second chances, and learning to forgive yourself and to live. A heartfelt story about a young woman, Holly who reflects back to the accident with her sister during a snowstorm at Christmas, soon after stopping at a cafe where she meets a handsome stranger, Jack (as her sister said, it was fate). As part of her therapy to deal with her loss, Holly writes a "Dear Stranger" letter to someone else who is alone every Christmas. Now three years later, she receives an anonymous "Dear Stranger" letter, when Holly decides to track the writer, Emma, down when she recognizes places in the letter where she had been. Against the advice of her friend to meddle, Holly feels that Emma would embrace her and they could share in their similar grief but is surprised when things aren't what she imagines. Both Emma and Holly are living their own guilt, unwilling to forgive themselves, and struggling with lost loved ones. It turns out that Emma too has lost both her son and grandson as a result of an accident. Can they together help each other heal and find their way to move forward, find forgiveness and heal? Some surprises in this plot with characters who learn the power of forgiveness, acceptance, and love. Not really a holiday book, this is a cozy book that can be read anytime, but is a good reminder at the holiday time to remember the importance of family and rejoice in the possibility of second chances. Many thanks to #netgalley #loveholly #emilystone for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received an advance copy of Love, Holly from NetGalley. This was a cute, clean love story. It was not as Christmasey as I expected from the title and the cover, but that didn’t take away from the story (especially reading in Sept). It was a quick read with a bit more substance than a true fluff book. I enjoyed it.

Emily Stone.gives fantastic depth to her characters. This was a tender, emotional read that touches a lot on grieving in different ways. The storyline was engaging and ultimately hopeful.
Thank you #NetGalley and #DellPublishing for the ARC.

This is the third Emily Sone book I have read. The ability that Emily has to intersect grief, growth, support and growth in their characters. I liked the story, found the plot enjoyable, sad, reflective. I would recommend this book to friends and would buy this book.

Great British story.

I loved this book!! The meet cute, the slow burn, the fun side characters, everything!

After a terrible accident involving her pregnant sister, Holly finds herself estranged from her family and spending the next few holiday seasons without them. To help her cope, Holly’s friend suggests she participate in the Dear Stranger program, an anonymous letter exchange that takes place around the holidays. Though the letters are meant to be anonymous, Holly finds herself on a mission to locate the author and reunite her with her estranged grandson.

This book toes the line between heartbreaking and heartwarming so well. There are parts that make you laugh and parts that make you want to cry! The premise of the Dear Stranger letters is really interesting and makes for a really great tie-in. I will say that the cover is a bit deceiving as most of the book does not take place around the holidays (though a lot of the major moments do take place during that season). Overall, I loved this book and can’t wait to explore more of Emily Stone’s catalogue!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC, which in no way impacted my review.

HOPE, HEALING, and lots of tears. Have your tissues ready, especially if you are or know someone affected by cancer.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was very different from your typical romance, which was refreshing. Some parts of the book were a bit predictable, but still well executed. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderfully rich story, one that hovers on the edges of sadness but that is also filled with hope, love, and second chances. Sentimental themes abound but also ones about how grief is ever present and how families are complicated. What stood out to me was the idea of recognizing grief during the holiday season, the idea of strangers writing letters to each other to affirm and support that the holidays can be painful for some, as well as the idea that through pain can come chances for connection, hope, and love. The end had my eyes a bit misty in a good way and I appreciated the way that Emily Stone gave space for growth, reconciliation, and then a nicely written ending.

Emily Stone does such a phenomenal job writing holiday romances that don't feel the least bit Hallmarky. This book was no exception and it problem my favorite from her so far. I loved the friendship between Holly and Emma and thoroughly enjoyed watched the secrets unravel. Jack was such a great male lead and I loved seeing his growth throughout the novel. The story unfolding with diary entry letters to Holly's sister was extremely special and touching. This story was beautiful, poignant, and uplifting.

I was expecting more of a holiday romance and while Love, Holly does have a bit of this...it is a more serious book. Not a bad thing, but also not what I was expecting. Overall this was a solid read though a bit slow at times.

This was a heart-rending story. it maintains a steady, page turning pace that makes it hard to put down. . A perfect book for the Christmas season.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ever since an accident tore Holly and her family apart, she had sought out letters to help her heal. Each Christmas, Holly writes to a stranger expressing her loss and trying to get through it. One Christmas, she receives a Dear Stranger letter from an elderly pen pal that just tugs east her heart. Even though everyone is to remain a stranger, Holly feels that it’s her duty to help Emma through her tough time. She is drawn to her story, but also drawn to the place she lives. She had been there once and has a fire inside her again to find Emma. As things begin to open with Emma, Holly realizes she has met her long lost grandson. Determined now more than ever, Holly sets out to fix everything with Emma and maybe try to even repair her own life.

This was not your typical holiday romance plot. Sure, the book had ties to the holidays, but it had a much deeper plot. I appreciated the depth that the characters. This was raw and emotional as it digs into ones grieving process. It shows the power of fate. While this one at times can be warm and cozy, just don’t be surprised if you end up shedding a tear or two.

Thank you Net Galley, Emily Stone and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for the advanced copy for my honest review. This one is out now, so snag it now and get it on that holiday reading list.

This is a touching and sweet contemporary romance about fate, tragedy and forgiveness. It revolves around the holiday season so is a good Christmas read but not as light and fluffy as the cover would have you think as it deals with some heavier issues.

This was an enjoyable book, I had a great time reading it!

Things I liked:
1. There weren’t very many characters so it was easier to focus on the main characters
2. Everything that happened was connected in some way, that helped tie all the characters and plot points together

Things I didn’t like:
1. The majority of the book didn't take place during Christmas, but the book was advertised as a Christmas book. It mostly spans one year (Dec-Dec), but the prologue is 3 years earlier and the epilogue is 1 year later
2. not necessarily a bad thing, but it was very sad and emotional, and I was hoping for something a little lighter

This was a good book, but I wouldn’t really categorize it as a Christmas book, and that’s what it is advertised as.