This one is making me sob. I really liked how their paths kept crossing and when they were on the same page they were so, so sweet together. However, the first half of the book felt really slow and Josie seemed like a completely different person then compared to the rest of the book. Like she was not coping well with her grief and then all of a sudden a few months later she was totally normal in regards to her grief and its ups and downs. I also feel like the chemistry from acquaintances to lovers was a bit hard to see. And the miscommunication!! Josie didn’t let Max talk when their paths crossed and Max was too much of a wimp to tell her the truth. I totally understood not telling her right away in the first December, but why did it take two more  encounters before the truth came out?? Also, I am sobbing at the ending, so it was not the holiday romance I had hoped for, though it gets points for giving me all the feels. I would try this author again, but far from my favorite holiday romance.

emily, bestie I’m gonna need you to be so for real right now. I can’t even give this a rating. This is a joke, right? I feel like I have been absolutely violated by books with Christmasy covers claiming to be ‘romance’, ‘heartwarming’ or ‘good’, and every time I get closer and closer to my 13th reason  

maybe I’m naive and like to live in happily ever after land but I don’t think it’s necessary to kill off the parents and or love interest to have a good story. I love a good sad story as long as I know what I’m getting into but I do prefer my characters in romance novels to be alive

Update: upon further review, some of the blame may be on me for not reading the back cover where it says, "in the style of Me Before You" so there was a heads-up, but I stand by what I said. I was a victim of clever marketing. Heed my warning, if you're looking for a cute Christmas romance...this ain't it.