Rating: 4 out of 5
Spice: 3 The scenes were behind closed doors
Sexual Tension: 3 There was a definite connection, but it was more sweet than spice, which in this book really worked.
Would you like this book? You might if you like:
Christmas romances
Cranky old ladies hiding secrets
Second chances for both romance and family
Epistolary novels
A really good cry
Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for this ARC.
Look, come July I think it is ok if my playlist has a few Christmas songs thrown in the mix. I am happy to contemplate the coming of fall and the holiday season. So for me, Christmas romances in July, lovely, sign me up. And I have been meaning to read an Emma Stone book for awhile, I’ve seen Always in December and always mean to pick it up. I was not disappointed in my first book by Stone and I will definitely be reading her other two books this holiday season.
The novel opens with a prologue and we see Holly, our FMC, heading to Devon with her sister for Christmas. They will meet their parents and spend the holiday together. At a brief stop in a cafe, we meet a handsome stranger, a total meet-cute happens and we see the possibility of a romance. The prologue ends and the reader finds themselves a few years in the future. Holly is writing a Lonely Hears- type letter to a stranger at Christmas, as she is now estranged from her family. And then she receives her own Dear Stranger letter, and it sets her off on a mission to find the author and connect. I don’t want to give too much away, so I will stop with the plot outline there.
This book is a romance novel, obviously, but it is also a love letter to sisters and grandparents. It is a story about how influential our siblings and grandparents can be in our lives and how much it hurts to have that love and support taken away. It is a story about second chances and forgiveness, about letting go of the past but also realizing its impact on you. It is, in essence, the perfect holiday book. And though the book starts around the holidays, it does jump through time. Sometimes I want all the action to happen in a short period of time, in other books, I like that things unfold over months. Again, this is a romance novel, so I was expecting the ending, but I was very pleased to go on the journey with Holly, Jack, and the whole crew.
This book comes out in September and I think it makes for a cozy, Christmas read.
Comentários