"One Day in December" made me cry in a good way. A love at first sight story, Josie Silver creates a bittersweet love tale that makes you wonder how on earth she can possibly conclude it in a good, satisfying way that doesn't leave somebody lovely utterly heartbroken. (And that is my only real criticism. All the characters are just far too nice!)

Yet somehow she does.

Funny, charming and terribly romantic, this book will restore your faith in happy ever afters.

What a charming book. I really enjoyed it. I am not sure I believe in love at first sight, but One Day In December made me believe it can be so.
The story skips through nearly a decade, with dates as chapter headings to help identify the time ticking.
The main character Laurie is likeable and identifiable. She is brave and optimistic. Her friendship with Sarah is warm and believable. They are the university friends we all wanted and were lucky if we had. Jack is flawed but endearing. I wanted to slap him on occasion, but liked him despite this.
A love story with an edge. It is well written and easy to like.
Thank you #Netgalley for the opportunity to read #OneDayInDecember. I think it will be a hit.

On her way home from work on the bus, Laurie catches sight of a boy through the misty window. He looks up at her and she feels he's the one, but neither she or he moves and the bus carries on. Over the next few months she and her best friend, Sarah are on the look out for this special boy, but can't find him. Nearly a year later, sarah wants her to meet her new boyfriend, Jack: its the boy from the bus stop though neither Jack or Laurie mention it to each other nor Sarah. Laurie tries to get on with her life, knowing her best friend has her dream man.

The story is told from both Laurie and Jacks point if view. It's a cosy romantic pleasant novel set mainly in London set over a period of 10 years though the story is predictable, cliche and the ending was not a surprise. As well as the love side of their lives, it follows Jack, Laurie and Sarah as they start their careers in different areas of journalism, be it radio, television or magazines. A number of times there are name drops of famous stars which was off putting.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

Fun, Frothy & Fabulous.

In a nutshell...
Girl sees boy (well, technically they see each other, her from a bus, him from the bus stop) and feels an instant connection. In a bit of a rut, life-wise and job-wise girl spends the next year trying to find ‘bus boy’, only to have him pop up on the arm of her best friend as the new boyfriend who she professes to be ‘the one’. Deciding the only way forward is to keep quiet, Laurie is relegated to the part of best friend when she desperately wants to play the leading lady.

Spanning over a decade, One Day in December follows Laurie and Jack as they studiously avoid aligning their worlds. This is a lovely, light read which is well worth spending time with. The reason I’ve given it 4, rather than 5 stars is that, to me, there was a disconnect between how the characters referred to each other and how they referred to themselves, for example Jack referred to Laurie as ‘serene’ and ‘ethereal’, whereas Laurie referred to herself as socially awkward and there was nothing coming from her voice that suggested serene or ethereal. So, I would have appreciated some explanation in the writing of how this disconnect came about. Otherwise, a really enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Snuggle up and get absorbed in the bittersweet lives of Laurie, Jack, and Sarah as they navigate the love, loss and everything in between. This novel beautifully captures friendship, the lengths taken to protect it and the consequences when fate intervenes. Silver had me laughing, crying, shouting and page-turning until the end - an utterly enthralling love story you will not want to miss!

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for sending me this in exchange for an open and honest review.

This was a great read, just the sort of storyline I enjoy. I am not usually a fan of an author who writes as if the different characters are talking, however, in this storyline the different characters were like new chapters each time. Although I kept thinking I had worked out the ending the storyline kept twisting & turning until it reached its climax. Definitely recommend & look forward to more from this author

I really enjoyed this book although not my usual type of read and Josie Silver is a new author to me, I normally go for psychological thrillers but thought this would be a change.

I thoroughly recommend this book if you like a good cosy romantic read.

This book took me by surprise. At first, I thought it was a simple romantic novel about missed opportunities but I soon realised it was much more complicated than that. It reminded me in several ways of One Day by David Nicholls, which is a book I totally loved, and I thought it was fabulous. I really connected with all the characters and I was so happy with the ending, which wasn't expected in the slightest. This was a lovely, warm book full of great characters and I will recommend this to everyone!

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!! I hated putting it down, even to eat. This book is like a big, warm hug; beautifully, tenderly written. I feel I know the characters and never wanted the book to end. This would make a fabulous film, although people would complain about the casting because I'm sure I'm not alone in being able to picture the characters in vivid 3D. I'm going to read this book again and again. The best love story of the year.

Don't we all dream of that moment when our eyes meet our perfect partner's and the fireworks go off? That's what happened to Laurie James, recently graduated and trying to get started in the world of work. On a bus one day in December. Nothing happens, and she's left wondering what if? and looking for this perfect man everywhere she goes. Her flatmate and best friend Sarah goes out of her way to help Laurie find him. And then one day, a year later, Sarah brings home her new boyfriend to meet Laurie. Does Jack remember Laurie? Did it have the same impact on him? We become a part of their lives and I'm sure I'm not the only one who felt for each of them. Laurie lives her life, goes off to Thailand for a while to escape, but real life is always waiting. It's not a suspense, but I'd hate to give too much away. I loved being part of their lives, I shared their dilemmas, someone had to be hurt. In the end, it was a book that just made you feel that bit better. #onedayindecember #netgalley

As a believer in serendipity, this book blurb appeals, and even though it's more about life choices rather than fate, this magical story makes a lovely festive read.

Laurie, in her early twenties, is still looking for the perfect job, working as a hotel receptionist pays the bills but doesn't fulfil her journalist potential. Travelling across London at Christmas time she makes eye contact with a similarly aged man sitting at the bus stop, they share a moment and so the story begins.


The reader shares Christmas, New Year, Valentine's day, her birthday and other memorable events for the next decade. Jack and Laurie are in and out of each other's lives after their first fateful meeting but are they destined for a happy ever after and who will lose out if they are?

This story flows from year to year, reflecting the seasons and the emotional changes in Laurie, Jack and their friends and family. Romance, humour and poignant moments resonate as their lives' move on, with believable quirks of fate that inexplicably draw them back together.

The tenth year is iconic for everyone. Jack and Laurie finally face their destiny but will they make it happen or watch it drift away. The final chapters laced with festive spirit and heartwarmingly romantic, give this charmingly addictive story the ending it deserves.

A festive tale with a difference, and an enjoyable read whatever the season.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

After One Day and Five Years From Now I didn't expect to love this anywhere near as much as I did, as I thought it would be more of the same. It's the perfect seasonal escape, and the characters are so likeable. I absolutely couldn't put it down, and devoured it over the last 24 hours - I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Laurie and Jack, who seem so human, and real. I became quickly invested in their mutual happiness, even if that turned out to not be with each other. A gorgeous easy to read book, I was devastated to get to the end, even if by that point I was reading through tears. Can't recommend this enough, it was utterly perfect.

Just gave up on this after reading four chapters. It is absolute rubbish !

I really can't believe what I am reading in the other reveiws. It felt as though I was reading a serialised romance from a teenage magazine that I had confiscated from a giggling schoolgirl in class.

Great book, loved it and rooting for the happy ending from the get go.

Sometimes it is love at first sight and you want this to be the case.

I loved this book. I particularly enjoyed the fact that this couple's relationship spanned such a long time and felt realistic. I 100% see why each character reacted how they did to each element of the story, nothing felt rushed or forced, instead it was a realistic portrayal of friendship and relationships. Definitely a lovely festive read for this Autumn.

I actually ended up with 2 copies of this to review.
One from Amazon and then another from Penguin books via Netgalley.

I decided to start this, this morning, between the endless washing, housework and dealing with my kids. I found I couldn't put this down.

In this we meet Laurie, on her way home from work on the bus one day when she sees him, the "one", their eyes meet but unfortunately for her the bus leaves the bus stop before he can get on and they meet. Nearly a year on, her best friend Sarah introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie...and its the mystery bus guy. Unfortunately for Laurie. In the end they become very good friends but obviously this means she can't be with him because she loves Sarah. So she keeps it a secret.

What ensues of this story, is just beautiful.
What passes is 9 years of highs, lows, love and losses in the lives of these three people.
All three of the main characters aren't perfect and have their flaws. However, their story and their lives just flowed so well. I honestly don't feel like I have read a 400 page book today.
Even though things don’t go smoothy for these characters, it feels in the end that it all had to happen that way for a bigger reason.

I admit to have a bigger soft spot for the character of Laurie, mostly because that is the name of my baby sister (9 years younger coincidentally lol) and honestly I wanted her to have her happy ending. Then colour me surprised when my own name appeared on the bottom of one of the pages towards the end! :o Two names that pretty much don’t appear in books and then we were both there lol. We both had a giggle about it and I am happy to report that she then purchased a copy to her own kindle.

This was an amazing story with great characters. As I said above, the writing and the story just flowed so well and I could honestly say not a single page of this story was a page too long.

Josie Silver is a totally new author to me. I have no idea if she has written anything else. If not, she is one to watch for sure! And if there are others, I am totally purchasing right after I have posted this review everywhere.

I don’t know what else to say about this because I really just want to gush, and then gush some more about how amazing this book was.

It is books like this that remind me of why I love to read.

The story is spelled out on the cover, so there are no great twists here, however, it is beautifully written and totally without cringe or cliche. The characters are just so lovely and the author really does well by telling the story from both Jack and Laurie's perspective. You feel the dilemna and totally empathise with the decisions made. You hope so much for the relationships between Sarah and Jack, and Laurie and Oscar to work, there is not the immediate feeling of mistake waiting to fail, because it is set up so beautifully that you do believe they could work. The ending is how it should be, however it gets there well. Totally enjoyed this book, can't wait to see what the writer comes up with next!

If you don’t believe in love at first sight now, chances are you might after reading Josie Silver’s One Day in December. I love a good romance at the best of times, but this one really sucked me in, and had me invested in the lives of Laurie, her best friend Sarah, and Jack, the man she loves—who just also happens to be in a relationship with Sarah. Awkward? You bet.

From the day Laurie first sees Jack through a fogged-up bus window one December day in London, through the ups and downs, break ups and make ups, and even international moves that take the trio through the next decade, the novel leaves you on the edge of your seat waiting to see just who will end up together in the end.

Firstly, this is not my usual type of read. Have moved past romantic books, but the description of this one had me intrigued.
It was ok, a bit overlong I thought. However, I cried at the last few pages, so therefore didn’t realise just how invested I was in how the story turned out. On that basis, gets a high rating from me - any book that moves you to tears has to be read,

*finishes wiping happy tears away before typing*

I confess I had requested to read this book on a whim and rather presumptuously hadn't expected too much from it. How wrong I was! I feel really bereft now that I've finished reading about Lu, Sarah and Jack, all of whom escaped the pages of the book and became so real that I nearly asked my other half, "did you hear what happened at the wedding?". Their adventures made me laugh, cry, get angry on their behalf and kept me up reading until daybreak.

I really, REALLY, hope that a film is made of the book and I want to go and read everything else this author has ever written.

My thanks go to the publishers and netgalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review, and special thanks to Josie Silver for such a fabulous book.