I came for a light and fun Holiday read and left having to put the book down to sob. I was not prepared for this in any way and loved it. 

The entire book has a melancholy feel as it explores death and grieving while living and loving. A beautiful heart wrenching love story. 

Ooh, boy. I didn’t read much about the description- it was an impulse buy. An enjoyable read, though frustrating at times as of course many books of the type are as you sit there thinking “just speak the damn words dammit.” Beautifully ended. A whirlwind I didn’t see coming. 

 Happy Tuesday! After feeling less than stellar last week I have a couple reviews to catch up on.

First up is Always, in December by @emstonewrites. I knew going in that this book would be emotional, but wow. I cried…a lot. Stone knows how to write characters you fall in love with and feel invested in. I absolutely adored Josie and Max, Memo, Bea, all the people we met. Well, I didn’t like Oliver because he was a jerk 😂 The relationships between our characters are authentic and moving. I was fully committed to seeing how each relationship would play out and how the story would end.

Several people have mentioned that they are waiting until December to read this one. Yes, December is mentioned in the title, but it isn’t wholly set during that month. In fact, the story starts off at Christmastime and then moves on throughout the following year. I think this is a perfect book to read any time of year. Especially if you’re feeling extra emotional.

I listened to the audiobook and the narration of Heather Long was superb. She really brought the characters to life and conveyed so much emotion. I truly felt like I knew Josie, Max, Oliver, Bea, and Memo. If you like fiction audiobooks then I highly recommend this one!

TW: loss of a parent, grief, infidelity, and others that you should DM me about if curious.

THIS. BOOK.

1. Do not read this expecting a warn, feel good, Christmas story. It is not that.

2. You will most likely expecting all 5 stages of grief while reading this.

3. You will be absolutely GUTTED by it. Like In Five Years gutted. 

4. It will potentially be your best book of the year.

Honestly not even sure where to start with Always, in December. Once I started it, I had to finish it so I stayed up late reading which resulted in me going to bed wrecked, in tears. The story of Josie and Max will take hold of you and whip you around. It does start at Christmas time and end back in December of the following year but it isn't a Christmas story. The story skips forward months at a time, tracking Max and Josie. I really don't want to say much else because you just need to read it for yourself.