Josie Silver

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick "Get ready to be swept up in a whirlwind romance. It absolutely charmed me."--Reese Witherspoon "Josie Silver writes with a warmth so palpable her characters sneak their way into your heart and stay for a long time."--Jill Santopolo, New York Times-bestselling author of The Light We Lost Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story. Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away. Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be. What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.

A Novel

One Day in December

Riya

“Despite the fairy-tale snowstorm out there, this isn’t Narnia. This is London, real life, where hearts get kicked and bruised and broken, but somehow they still keep beating.”
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Blurbs are an important insight that set your expectations for the book you are about to read. My copy of this book had the following printed on its cover:
”The sweetest love story. It’s gorgeous!”
However, I found that this book was neither sweet, nor gorgeous. Not really a love story either, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

This story is about two fairly regular people having a lightning-flash cute moment at a bus stop one day, and then consequently find themselves in a very crappy situation that turns them into very crappy people. Year after year, we follow the two characters and their very complicated relationships tangle and untangle, build up and crumble down, over and over again.

In some ways, it is a realistic slice of life regarding how friendships and romantic entanglements evolve over time. In other ways, it is pumped way too full of the dramatics, feeling like a soapy TV show.
However, by the end, I was left with a feeling of exhaustion, as the story dragged on for too long, to the point that I kind of did not care about the characters any more.
All in all, this book is an emotional roller-coaster that got me wanting to know what’s next all the way to the end, while simultaneously wishing the book would end sooner and sooner.

Tatiana

One Day in December: 4/5

Gosh. This was an emotional rollercoaster. A book about missed connections, what could have been, lifelong friendship, forgiveness, loss, and even heartbreak. I read this in one day, mostly in one sitting, and even cried four different times.

This is a five-star romance in every single sense of it. The book itself spans 10 years and the character development between Laurie, Jack, and Sarah is breathtaking. I found myself captivated by every single word truly invested in these characters' lives. I really could not predict how this story would end. It keeps you hanging on and hoping until LITERALLY THE VERY LAST PAGE.

Lastly, the ending is simply perfect. After everything the characters go through, the ending is just so satisfying. I cannot recommend this book enough for anybody interested in a unique, funny, romance with a lot of true friendship, true love, and realistic endings.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Get ready to be swept up in a whirlwind romance. It absolutely charmed me.”—Reese Witherspoon (A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick) “The perfect book to get lost in . . . Josie Silver’s characters sneak their way into your heart and stay.”—Jill Santopolo, author of The Light We Lost Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story. Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away. Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be. What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.

lexie

i like sarah. jack's a jackass. laurie's a pick me girl vibe.

Kristin Boren

I just really really loved this. It's not big classic romance more contemporary fiction with a touch of romance I'd say. But I just fell in love with every character and consistently rooted for everyone to live happily ever after. Also the narration of this audiobook is PERFECT! Eleanor Tomlinson did an absolutely incredible job narrating this like I cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoyed her reading. 10/10 on narration.

Amelia Hruby

A nice Christmas time read for anytime. I loved both the main female characters and hated both the main male characters. It made a fantastic audiobook, the readers were great and so natural, it felt like you were talking to the actual Laurie and Jack.

Antonia Murabito

I hated this book. The only reason I finished it was because we're reading it for book club. Otherwise I would’ve dnf’d so quick. The plot is just terrible. I hate the choices the characters make and the way their choices are justified. It’s also not a Christmas book at all like it’s marketed as. The only thing that got me through was that the writing itself was good, and I liked Laurie as a character for the most part. 

Michaela

Mia Caven

Talk about slow burn. Well written but I wish the ending was eked out more because we literally have to wait the entire book for it. Love the complexities of the characters.

Kelci

The perfect book for December. I literally cried because the ending is so beautiful. I feel blessed to have been able to read so many great romance books the last few weeks. And especially privileged to have been able to read this love story!!! One day in December is a masterpiece. You will fall in love with Laurie, Sarah, Jack and Oscar and will keep wondering what next as you go through their ten year journey.

Krystyna 

I saw this book pretty much everywhere on bookstagram and people were talking about it on booktube. It was super hyped and still is. It was the Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine Book Club selection for December 2018 and it sounded like a great book to read in December. I also saw that Jill Santopolo had blurbed it and I loved her book, The Light We Lost. I had heard some people compare this book to hers. So I was pretty excited to read it. I ended up not picking it up until January and it was still an enjoyable read. I just found it to be an average enjoyable read. It wasn't anything that blew me away but it was a cute book. 

For more of my thoughts on this book, feel free to check out my book blog, www.turningthepgs.wordpress.com

Morgan Thomas

This was much better than I thought, especially since I don't think it picked up until halfway through. Enjoyed the ending. It was cute.

Ariel

A bit predictable but a really fun and easy to read romance story with bits of comedy and drama and characters that draw you in.

Jo M

Sarah Pino

I freaking loved this. Very easy read & also teared

-- re-read 21 Dec 2021 --
🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺❤❤❤❤

Gabrielle Geibel

I know this book isn’t conventional, and can pull at your emotions because you’re not sure if you should root for Jack and Laurie’s love, but the ending was the perfect way to close this book out! Great read and I appreciate the different take on a love story!

Tori Agnew

alyssa b

** spoiler alert **
           this was so hard to get through. the beginning of the book was really good and had potential but then, jack and sarah start dating. and sarah never finds out that jack is the guy from the bus stop until the night before here wedding?? this book was just way too long and we waiting until the last few pages for them to get together which seemed like a waste. disappointed in this book don’t reccomend

I laughed, I cried, I loved every minute of it.

Michelle Hruby

I laughed, I cried, I loved every minute of it.



wren

misogyny isnt hot??? i hope josie silver never writes anything ever again

Melsriana

THE SWEETEST!!! I love this book so so much 🥺🥺

Rachel Kanyid

I really enjoyed this and the aspect of a love story taking place over many years and ups and downs. <3

One Day in December A Novel

Reviews