Published by Random House - Ballantine Genres: Contempory, Fiction, Holiday, Romance
Format: ARC, eBook
Emily Stone has wowed me yet again! This book had all the feels. Love, Hollyis heartbreaking, hopeful, full of love, loss, guilt, friendships, grief, connections, romance, self-image, and so many other things. I felt for the characters, I rooted for them, cried with them, and felt joy with them. One moment can change things in one’s life. One moment can change relationships in either good or heartbreaking ways depending on what that moment is. Just like one letter can also change lives…
Holly and her pregnant sister, Lily, were involved in a horrific car accident on Christmas Eve. The accident caused great loss, guilt, anger, and pain. From that day, Holly and her sister have been estranged. At a friend’s urging Holly began participating in a letter writing group that sends (and receives) letters during the holidays. Holly receives a letter and feels a connection to what a stranger (Emma) has written to her. Holly recognizes a place that is mentioned in the letter and decides to reach out, traveling to the place where a handsome man gave her his number. It was also the last place she laughed with her sister prior to the accident. Both Holly and Emma are just what the other needs even if they don’t initially know it.
This was such a hard to put down book for me, so I didn’t. I sat and read this throughout the course of one day. Emily Stone writes characters that I care about. She has a way of transporting me into her books as silent observer. This is dubbed as a holiday book, but it can be read year-round in my opinion. This book touches on serendipity, second chances, forgiveness, guilt, relationships, grief, healing, letting go, love, friendship, family, loneliness, and second chances.
This well written and hard to put down book takes place over the course of several years. I enjoyed how it showed how the characters changed over that time. It also showed how one moment can change so many things, how lonely people connect, how friendships are formed in unlikely ways, and how time has a way of bringing about change.
TW: Cancer, death & miscarriage
4.5 Stars
#LoveHolly #NetGalley #EmilyStone #RandomHouse
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Dell and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.