It’s officially the Christmas season. Mariah Carey is playing in the shops, hot chocolate sales are on the rise and there are too many cheesy movies to count! It’s a wonderful time of year and not just for the copious amounts of food to be consumed, but also because of the wonderful amount of Christmassy and cosy books on offer. Of course Vanille and I wanted to read something a little more cosy and lovely in December and for our last book club of the year. We decided to go for One day in December by Josie Silver, as it had an intriguing plot description and yet had a cosy feel to it. The description introduces us to Laurie, someone who definitely does not believe in love at first sight…until it happens to her. Laurie is on a busy bus when she locks eyes with a handsome guy waiting at the bus stop and they share a connection, a moment that changes her perspective. Unfortunately the bus drives away before they can speak and Laurie can’t get this guy out of her head. She searches for him to no avail for one year before she is somewhat ready to give up. Just as Laurie has reached her limit of disappointment, her roommate Sarah introduces Laurie to her new boyfriend, who turns out to be the same man.
As soon as I read the blurb for this book I knew I wanted to see what would happen. I really enjoyed reading this book. We get to know Laurie from the very first page, she is genuine, kind, unapologetic in not knowing what she is doing, I quickly connected with her character and found myself really empathizing with her throughout the book. As we get to know Laurie we are rooting for her, she feels like a friend and even when she acts in ways we may not want her to, throughout the book you just keep your fingers crossed that it will all work out. I found myself particularly rooting for Laurie early on in the book, once she realises that her best friend in the world is dating the man of her dreams, the person she believes could be the love of her life.
I wasn’t expecting the way the book was written, not only do we hear from Laurie’s perspective but from her mystery bus stop man throughout the book as well. We also journey with Laurie throughout a number of years in her life. I actually really enjoyed seeing her character progress and change and I honestly couldn’t say how this book would end. Whilst I enjoyed the book all the way through, I actually went back and forth a lot about whether I was rooting for Laurie to end up with this man or not. At times it seems that they have a connection that is so deep, it would be wrong for them not to end up together, but other times I found myself rooting for them just to be best friends. This was a great read with twists in turns, that like in life are unexpected. This book is filled with some wonderful moments, amazing moments and some heartbreaking ones too. This is a perfect book to read whilst sitting by the fire, and to leave you feeling a little cosy and potentially with a smile on your face.
Vanille and I ended our last book club with cocktails at The Ivy, Thai food for lunch and a little browse in the shops for christmas shopping. I have loved the book club this year and can’t wait to find new and amazing books next year!
Book rating – 7/10
Recommend – Yes
Read again – Yes
