Very good romance book

Blurb

When Lili sends a jokey ‘knock-knock’ message to her best friend Em, she doesn’t expect to hear back. Because – as Lili notices the chill in the air, and the little robin in her garden – she realises Christmas must be just around the corner once again. A whole year since she last saw Em.

But then this time someone replies. ‘Who’s there?’ It can’t possibly be Em, but Lili wants to believe it could be, and she hastily suggests meeting.

However when she gets to the meeting place, there only one other person there waiting. A man. And not just any man. The most handsome man Lili’s ever seen, Dylan… And he is also waiting for someone he’s been missing.

As the days get shorter and Autumn turns to Winter, will two lonely hearts spend another Christmas without their loved ones? Or can they welcome an unexpected friendship? Or maybe even more, if they can just help each other to focus on not what they’ve lost, but what they’ve found…

My heart was broken and put back together with this story.

Lili and Em were best friends. Emily passed, but Lili still reads Em's texts. She even writes to her, but there is never a reply. Lili is struggling with her loss, and her grief is overpowering. So when someone replies to her text, Lili is overpowered by the need to find out who replied to her messages.

Sometimes sad,sometimes hopeful, Will You Stay Another Day? It definitely felt like a Christmas story. It brought me sadness and joy. It reminds us all about new beginnings, letting go, friendships, and healing. I was not ready for this, but I enjoyed it and loved it so much.
Thank you, Netgalley and Boldwood Books, for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

I just loved this book! It was heartbreaking but also heartwarming. I loved the way Lili was and how she handled Em not being there but I also love how she met Dylan. I loved how things turned out for them. I also loved how Lili was like with Tommo, Meg, Glenda and Callum she was there for them but in a completely different way and I loved how they were with her. I loved all the characters in this book and how things were different for them all but I loved how they all came together. This is just a beautiful book and it deals with grief in such a beautiful way and I like how it showed that it’s different for everybody.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you love a heartwarming Christmas book that deals with a very difficult subject but in a beautiful way.

I would like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

A wonderful book by Samantha with loveable characters and beautiful narratives making it a heart warming early seasonal read. I found this book light-hearted and funny in many places and is very well written.

I really enjoyed this book. An unusual story but beautifully written. Lilly and Dylan’s story.
Grief affects us all and this book deals with feelings of loss after a loved one has left us and how we try and cope. The freedom ceremonies being a point in question.
A very well written book which I would recommend
Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Samantha Tongue for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

Well, what a wonderful story. Stuffed full of emotion, friendship and family, what an absolutely, lovely read

Finding a partner in grief📱😓

I found Tonge's tale of two young adults dealing with the loss of close loved ones moving and inspirational. And there's even a bit of magic realism and fate woven in as Lili and Dylan learn more about their deceased BFF Em and brother Harry, respectively, and a possible link between them that Dylan and Lili never even contemplated.

The story has more than a few sad moments, but there are happy memories, too, and the building romance between Lili and Dylan. And the Sunday ceremonies for letting go of possessions that were holding people back: loved the concept and how acquaintances like Callum, Jack, Tommo, Glenda and Megan, even Dylan, finally worked up the courage to move on. The robin's appearance in Lili's garden was touching. All good reading, but I did feel the story's pace slowed down a bit too much after the Las Vegas section.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Review shared on 8/5/25 on Waterstones, Goodreads and Bookbub, and with Barnes & Noble and BAM. To be shared on Google Play and with kobo upon publication.

Charming in its simplicity <i>Will You Stay Another Day?</i> takes readers on a journey straight to the heart of loss, life, love and the holidays. I have an appreciation for Samantha Tonge's writing style it feels authentic without any fussiness and still manages to convey warmth.

Lili's best friend Em died a while back and sometimes for comfort Lili will shoot a text to Em's old phone number. When she sends KNOCK KNOCK to Em imagine her surprise when she receives a WHO'S THERE? Could it be? Surely not, but oh how Lili wants to believe and asks to meet. When she arrives, Em is nowhere to be found, but there's a guy, Dylan. The two hit it off with chemistry and conversation. Lili has no intentions of anything beyond friendship but there's something about Dylan that makes her consider more. 🌃

The scenes when Lili would sit outside and feed the robin were my favorite. 🥹 There is a cardinal that tags along during my winter walks, for me it is both strange and comforting. 🐦

Tackling forward momentum through the rocky terrain of grief isn't easy because it's an individual process. Multiple characters throughout the story are dealing with the loss of a friend, family, or partner and are at different points in their personal journeys. I thought setting a novel like this during the holidays was fitting because the holiday season can bring up a lot of emotions and memories when a person is facing hardship. 💔❤️‍🩹

🎄A lovely read that examines new beginnings.🎄

Thank you to Boldwood Books for providing an ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Difficult things happen in life”.
This could be a very depressing book about the loss of a loved one and learning to love again, but it has some positive ideas such as the ‘Freedom Ceremony’ which gives hope after darkness.
I enjoyed this book and found the way the characters coped with loss interesting.
Whether I could read it if I had had a recent loss is debatable, but I don’t think so.
Luckily it has hope for the future, and sometimes that is what we have to cling to.

Will You Stay Another Day? was a book that I started reading and really wanted to like the journey of working through grief. For me it was filled with hopes of what would help a person that has lost a loved one. I had a hard time reading it and the end of the book was a struggle for me to get to. This is, I am sure, a book that will help with some work through grief in their lives.
Thank you NetGalley, Samantha Tonge and Boldwood Books for the arc of the book Will You Stay Another Day. This is my personal review.

Samantha Tonge is a favourite of mine - I've followed her work since she wrote short stories for women's magazines and her writing just keeps getting better and better. Loved this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Will You Stay Another Day? was a really sweet romance with so much more. I really loved learning about freedom ceremonies, that was honestly my favorite part. As someone who has trouble letting go of things this idea feels approachable. I really loved Bobbin - again this is something that feels real. I always think of my grandmother when I see cardinals. So it is just a really sweet element in this story. The relationship between Dylan and Lilli is cute. Funny at times and ultimately really sweet. I know I have used that word a few times but it feels this most accurate for this story. You do still typical romance elements like a miscommunication/break up that I don't love. But ultimately an enjoyable read. It's also really crazy to me to be reading Christmas or winter themed books in August when it is easily 90 degrees everyday. I should also add that I loved the supporting characters and Lilli's relationship with her dad. Those both added to the story significantly.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

It’s been nearly a year since ‘Em, Lili’s best friend passed away in a tragic accident, and she’s finding it hard to come to terms with her loss.

She sends a message to Em’s phone, in order to feel that she’s still with her. But she’s not expecting a response back, so when she does, she thinks that maybe Em is still alive, even though she knows that can’t be true.

So, when she meets the person who sent the reply, she immediately feels attracted to him.

When Dylan came to the meeting, he was thinking he’d meet someone other than Lili. But as they start chatting, he too feels a connection.

Lilly doesn’t have or keep relationships, in the past she’s been hurt too many times.

With the festive season approaching they both have to come to terms with what’s happened in their pasts if they want to start any sort of relationship going forward.

The story is one of loss, love and friendship. It will have you hooked from the beginning.

I loved the characters and how Lily helped others to move on in their lives.

I highly recommend this book.

When Lili sends a jokey knock-knock message to her best friend Em, she doesn't expect to hear back. Because - as Lili notices the chill in the air, and the little robin in her garden = she realises Christmas must be just around the corner once again. A whole year since she last saw Em. But then someone replies "Who's there?" It can't possibly be Em, but Lili wants to believe it could be, and she hastily suggests meeting. However when she gets to the meeting place, there's only one other person there waiting, A man. And not just any man. The most handsome man Lili has ever seen, Dylan.... And he's also waiting on someone he's been missing.

This story will mess with your emotions. Lili's best friend Em had passed away. She reads her texts. Now her texts are being answered It's been a year since Em passed away.

This book shows how grief can affect us. The characters are flawed. The book is dedicated "For anyone who longs for just another day." The story tells us to live your life when you've lost someone close to you. The ending is perfect.

Published 11th August 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #SamanthaTonge for my ARC of #WillYouStayAnotherDay in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really heartwarming book dealing with the feelings of loss after a loved one has died. It shows how people deal with this loss in their own way and how small things and gestures become a huge part of the grieving process.

Our protagonist is Lili who has lost her childhood friend. She is living but only existing, when she receives a text from her friends number, making her wonder is she still alive? Meeting others in similar situations of loss she is able to help them and a possible new friendship develops that may be more, and helps her as the anniversary approaches.

In the book the author uses a robin and a seal as signs to Lili that she can carry on and although she doesn’t realise they bring her huge comfort and this was really sensitively written.

It is a lovely book and one that I very much enjoyed reading.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley and Boldwood Books for my ARC copy. I really wanted to love this book it really sounded like something I would enjoy but It unfortunately wasn't for me. There is 100% a group of people I know who would absolutely love this but i really struggled with it.

this book felt profound. i felt profound whilst reading it. it was so heartfelt and it felt so heart touching. i was in. i was completely and utterly in to this book and the story within it.
just when i think i cant love certain authors anymore they bring out there next books, haha.and i dont want to overstep in to fan girl weirdo territory but boy oh boy does Samantha as an author have my whole heart, my whole love for her work. i cannot wait each time i see a book of hers come out, or see the is writing a new one. authors like these deserved to be praised to the hill and cherished. my words or reviews could never do them justice. so i hope from the bottom of the heart they know it, feel it, just how appreciated and loved they and their work is.
this book brings us Lili. Lili lost her best friend Em. and since then the grief has gripped and held tight to Lili. but then something happens. a text she likes to send to Em gets a reply. how can this be, what could it be?
this is a truly wonderful and tender story about grief, loss, love and how we can move on, how we can heal, how letting go doesn't mean forgetting but it does mean we can move forwards, onwards and always hold those we love with us maybe even giving us more strength and hope for life.
i felt like the characters in this book were so beautifully written. they weaved through the wonderful plot so seamlessly. i wanted to hug them and at times it felt like they were hugging my own soul.
quite by accident this book also teaches us all something. or the word fit with something im sure many of us have felt or feel in some way over a mi-rad of things and or people.
i was completely taken in by Lili and Dylan. there story had me in tears and in smiles.
this book left me feeling different. feeling something. feeling so much. i truly adored my time with this book.
a book to be cherished. and author and her talent to be just as cherished too.
thankyou for all who make us lucky enough to read such blessing.

“ Will you Stay Another Day “ is a sensitively told story about grief and loss. A story that demonstrates that hanging onto the past can suppress aspects of your personality or inhibit your actions.

I loved reading this book. Samantha Tonge always finds a way to describe and understand the feelings and emotions others go through. Her storytelling is always cathartic. Even if you haven’t experienced loss through death, like the main character Lili, we have all experienced deep love of an object, memory, time or place that means trying something new can be scary or difficult. Every character that is introduced has a small part to play in the reader’s understanding of the theme “ Will You Stay Another Day?”. One more day reliving the past, one more day having fun together… I laughed, I cried and was completely absorbed by their experiences.

One day Lili sends a text to her best friend Em, who has been dead for over a year. She is sent into a spin when she receives a reply. Going through every possibility she decides to meet up with the sender. Em isn’t there but Dylan is. He is drinking alone, totally gorgeous and missing someone too. Lili reaches out to him, needing someone chat to rather than going home upset. From there Lili and he strike up a friendship, one of fun, good food and shared secrets. However, Lili is still very tied to her memories and everything she does relates back to Em and things she might think or feel.

Lili is a kind soul and through her work at the local charity shop, she meets several people with baggage they need to let go of. With Lili’s help and support they learn that saying goodbye doesn’t mean all doors to a new future should close. The hope is that Lili will apply the same techniques for herself as she does for others, to help her move forward and possibly open her heart to more than just friendship.

Lili’s best friend and flatmate has died but one day as she sends a message to her phone and gets a reply. Is her friend still alive? At the same time Dylan’s brother has died and he suddenly gets a text message he thinks is from his brother. The storyline brings these two together and we explore their relationship and friends around them. Thanks to Samantha and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

Will you stay another day is dedicated, “For everyone who longs for just another day”and is a lovely, warm story with some wonderful characters.
It’s been a year since Lili lost her best friend Em in a tragic accident and I could feel and relate to her just getting through each day as best she could. She has reached the Anniversary of Em’s death which, as those who have lost someone knows, is an extremely difficult one. As Lili still can’t believe that Em has really gone forever she sends a “Knock Knock” joke to Em’s phone only to receive a reply. A stunned Lili arranges to meet “Em” at a pub on Halloween but in fact meets Dylan and it appears that Em’s mobile number was given to Harry, his brother, who is away travelling. Although Lili is secretly attracted to Dylan she keeps him at arm’s length as she is scared of losing someone again.
As the year progresses Lili has to choose to live again and with the help of her friends and little Bobbin the robin she has to let go of her grief to move forward. Is Dylan the one to help her or does he have secrets of his own?
I loved the setting of the book. Lili works in a charity shop in Mevagissey, Cornwall, a beautiful place where I spent a holiday a couple of years ago. This really helped me to imagine the scenes in the book. By coincidence, even more years ago, I also spent a wonderful holiday in Vietri sul Mare, the place where Dylan’s family are living. I love having places that mean something to me mentioned in the book I am reading.
This is the first book I have read by the author and I really enjoyed the message and comfort it gives to those who have lost someone. The fact that it was set around Christmas time pulled at the heart strings but it can be read at any time of year and be appreciated. Thanks to Boldwood books and the author for an advanced reading copy. This is my unbiased review.