A review by misslisa11
Love, Holly by Emily Stone

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ever since a car accident tore her family apart, Holly has been part of a lonely-hearts holiday letter–writing club. Usually, the letters go unanswered. But this year, the letter Holly receives is different; not only is the letter full of a grief she knows all too well, but its writer Emma mentions a place that Holly has visited. When she realizes that she might actually be able to find the letter’s author, Holly becomes determined to reunite Emma with her estranged grandson, Jack. When Holly finally tracks him down, she remembers that she’s met Jack once before, and their connection was electric. The spark between the two of them is still there—until a misunderstanding risks their romance and his strained relationship with Emma. But Holly is determined; if she can fix Emma’s family, she might also be able to fix her own.

Thank you @netgalley, @penguinrandomhouse, and @emstonewrites for the ARC! Finally getting into some holidays reads! This was an emotional story full of both grief and hope. Holly was a great character and I really felt for her as she grappled with her guilt and her grief while trying to move on with her life and find joy. I appreciated her bluntness as I am also a very blunt person lol. I really loved Holly’s friendship with Emma and how they were both able to help each other confront the grief and harder things they were going through. I also really liked that the story focused on how people can feel alone over the holidays, especially when dealing with loss. There were definitely a few moment I got teary, especially towards the end of the book! But the story was full of heartwarming moments and overall had a hopeful tone so it was a great holiday story. Love, Holly is out now!