A review by theyegbibliophile
Always, in December by Emily Stone
4.0
Unbeknownst to me, this one became the book I picked up on and off during Christmas week. I am happy to say that I finally got to finishing this and have a fresh review for it!
Josie Morgan has a Christmas tradition of mailing out a letter to her parents every year, since their death one Christmas Eve many moons ago. The letter has no sender's address and never gets delivered but writing and mailing it out brings her peace. As she's about to drop off her letter for the year, she runs into a stranger on the way and everything is changed in a matter of minutes. She befriends this stranger, Max, and they end up spending Christmas holidays together. Perhaps the holidays isn't so bad afterall, until Max leaves Josie abruptly. As fate would have it, these two continue to run into each other at different time periods and places for the next year. Always spending enough time together when they find each other but also pushing away feelings that they can't admit for each other. The next Christmas approaches and once again, does Josie and Max reunite and rekindle or does more lay in store for them?
This was a holiday romance that focussed heavily on grief, growth and learning to love yourself. I felt more than I expected once I got deeper into this book. The first two parts were quick paced and the intrigue to why Josie and Max kept meeting but separating kept me going with it. There were slow parts to this one but right close to the end, I was hit with a BOOM of surprise, and then I was an emotional wreck for a bit. Still a beautiful holiday read, though be prepared for heavier feels when picking this one up!
Josie Morgan has a Christmas tradition of mailing out a letter to her parents every year, since their death one Christmas Eve many moons ago. The letter has no sender's address and never gets delivered but writing and mailing it out brings her peace. As she's about to drop off her letter for the year, she runs into a stranger on the way and everything is changed in a matter of minutes. She befriends this stranger, Max, and they end up spending Christmas holidays together. Perhaps the holidays isn't so bad afterall, until Max leaves Josie abruptly. As fate would have it, these two continue to run into each other at different time periods and places for the next year. Always spending enough time together when they find each other but also pushing away feelings that they can't admit for each other. The next Christmas approaches and once again, does Josie and Max reunite and rekindle or does more lay in store for them?
This was a holiday romance that focussed heavily on grief, growth and learning to love yourself. I felt more than I expected once I got deeper into this book. The first two parts were quick paced and the intrigue to why Josie and Max kept meeting but separating kept me going with it. There were slow parts to this one but right close to the end, I was hit with a BOOM of surprise, and then I was an emotional wreck for a bit. Still a beautiful holiday read, though be prepared for heavier feels when picking this one up!