Published by Broadway Books on 16 Oct 2018
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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.
I chose this book because…
Who hasn’t fallen in love with a stranger on public transportation before? For the rest of the ride I’ll dream up scenarios that will never happen and then forget all about it when I get off my train. I’m eager to pursue one of those scenarios with this novel and I’m already amused by fate’s cruel irony.
Upon reading it…
I stayed up until 4AM to finish reading this in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down! I texted my friend when I finished it, vouching for the novel but warning her that it might ruin love for her forever. Others (on Goodreads) say that it will make you believe in true love.
This was the perfect holiday read to cosy up to and was pretty much what I expected and a little more. It was an easy read. There was humour, sometimes a little sarcastic, just the way I like it. There was love — all the different kinds of love, like innocent crushes, hopeless infatuation, deep longing, effortless love, painful love, and more. Every high was followed by a low and then another high and so on, and I found myself constantly checking how much was left in the book to try to figure out when all the shit was gonna go down. It was the kind of drama I’d only expect from watching a k-drama. I was torn by love and loyalty because on one hand, I wanted Laurie and Jack to have their happily ever after, and on the other hand, I wanted Laurie and Sarah to hold their friendship above all else.
For me, One Day in December was the holiday read of the year. People have been saying that it’s perfect for fans of Love Actually. I don’t remember much about Love Actually (I’ll have to give that a rewatch), but I’ll say that this is perfect for fans of One Day by David Nicholls as well. If the blurb interests you and it seems like your kind of read, definitely give this one a shot!
★★★★★
I’m not a bitch though; or maybe I’m just a quiet one inside my own head. Isn’t everyone?
I told him that there comes a point where you have to make the choice to be happy, because being sad for too long is exhausting.
Who’s to say what’s right and wrong with love, anyway?
Close is enough for some people, for a lot of people. The world is full of close-to-perfect couples.