I’d like to thank NetGalley and Michael Joseph for approving me for an ARC of this book. I read Emily Bell’s debut, Baby It’s Cold Outside, and really enjoyed it last year so I was excited to see what her latest one would be like.

The story starts with a tragedy and from their I knew this would be a story about grief and healing. A year after the tragedy Celeste is very much living the quiet life. Lonely with her social life in destitute she reluctantly goes to spend New Years Eve, a difficult time in itself, with her friends. Whilst there she realises just how distant she has been and the discovery of her best friend, Hannah’s, resolution lists gives her the perfect opportunity to get her life back on track.

From hot yoga, to rock climbing, swimming in open water and visiting a Christmas market Celeste finds herself opening up to new opportunities and flourishing as a person. Celeste’s grief and difficulty at the start of the story was understandable but seeing the progress she made was undeniably beautiful. There were even a few things on the list that I wouldn’t mind trying, the Christmas Market in Belgium is at the top of my list.

Patrick is a swoon-worthy heart throb. His support for Celeste and Vik was unwavering, his ambition to change his future, despite the risks was also admirable. Whilst the chemistry between him and Celeste may not have been obvious at the start I enjoyed seeing the romance slowly bubble away.

This story beautifully explores the depth of grief, lasting friendships and ones ability to open up to the world. It teaches us not to be scared of the challenges life brings and sometimes taking the risk can be worth it.

I loved this book and it's inspired me to make a list of 12 things to try in 2023.

Haunted by grief following the sudden death of her best friend Hannah, Celeste is just plodding through life, doing the same things day in, day out.

When Hannah's partner Vik finds a list of resolutions that she'd written, Celeste decides to work through them herself to honour Hannah.

And with each one, she learns something, feels stronger, happier and more open to living again. And with that openness comes true happiness.

A beautifully moving story with a wonderful cast of characters and a heartwarming message.

This is a lovely, heartwarming Christmas story.

I loved the idea of doing a new year's resolution each month.

It was predictable it places, but I still really enjoyed it

Set between London and Ireland, Celeste is honouring some of her friend's wishes. Although set at Christmas, this is a tale about loss, friendship and making a future for yourself. A great selection of characters that add depth to the story.

A charming story full of emotion. I loved the idea of Celeste trying the ideas from the New Years Resolution list each month. Each one seemed to take her out of her comfort zone and make her think about her life and future.
The other characters were great additions- I especially liked Vik and Mel and their relationship with Celeste was so supportive and understanding.
The friendship between Patrick and Celeste was definitely one of those slow burning relationships - with friends and history in common, I really enjoyed seeing them get to know eachother. A particular highlight was the sound of the Ghent Christmas market - just idyllic.

celeste is determined to keep her late best friend's memory alive and decides to complete her bucket list. A lovely, heart warming Christmas story.

This is my first read of a one of Emily Bell books and what a treat it has been. It is well written, with heart-warming characters and plot, which makes for a lovely book.

3.75 🌟

A pleasant, somewhat festive, easy to read slow burn romance.

Lots of things to like in this book - a list of New Years resolutions/things to try, excellent London and Dublin scenery, a main character on a journey of self-discovery whilst dealing with some heavy grief.

Things I didn't like so much - somewhat predictable plot, characters that felt a bit immature considering they're supposed to be in their late thirties (or maybe I'm just an old woman in a early thirties body) and a lot of filler characters that felt like they were a bit pointless.

Overall I enjoyed the whole narrative of trying new things and making the most of enjoying life and I felt that the death of Hannah was handled sensitively. I also really liked reading about how Celeste and Hannah's friendship developed it was sweet and very relatable.

With thanks to Penguin and Netgalley for the ARC

A very uplifting story, despite the circumstances which lead Celeste to undertake a year of self discovery, following the loss of her best friend, Hannah, by trying to complete the list of resolutions that Hannah herself was unable to do. I loved the way that Hannah's friends all came together to support each other when faced with a future without her and what a wonderful sounding place Vik moved to - I would love to go and spend a weekend there!

Celeste's love life goes through some twists and turns along the way but I was very happy with where it ended up...... The only thing I would mention is that some things / situations seem to change very quickly, with almost no indication that they were going to happen - it seemed out of place in this well written story.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

Celeste and her best friend Hannah have spent New Year's eve together for almost twenty years. Over a few Baileys they enjoy chilling out, catching up and planning their New Year's resolutions.

However, when Hannah passes away suddenly  on holiday in January Celeste is grief-stricken. To deal with her loss she decides to work through Hannah's 12 resolutions, one for each month.

Although, initially, she isnt too keen on the idea of some of the challenges, she finds that each benefits her in a different way. She starts to re-evaluate her lifestyle, work and love life... could Hannah's resolutions open new opportunities for her?

A lovely, cosy Christmas  read! A little  predictable, but perfect for curling up with a mug of mulled wine and a slice of stollen  (is it too early to start on the festive food?!)

💭 ᴍʏ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ:
I really enjoyed it. It’s not your typical hallmark romance but it does give that comfortable and peaceful vibe. I did really like the romance element to it, but to me it felt more about grief, acceptance and self-development. Which was quite refreshing. It does have your typical feel good ending! Really enjoyable and quick read for the holidays!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🤓 ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
Romance
Hallmark Movies 🍿
New Year’s resolutions 🍾
Short chapters
Self-development

ꜱʏɴᴏᴘꜱɪꜱ:
𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙧'𝙨 𝙀𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.

𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘋𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦: 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴, 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩'𝘴 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘳'𝘴 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥'𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺.

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬, 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.

𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚? 𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 . . .

Celeste and Hannah have been best friends for years but when tragedy strikes, Celeste is left to try and navigate life alone. She's given a list of resolutions to fulfil for Hannah and maybe she can learn something about herself along the way.

Aww this was a heartwarming story if sad at times. It touches on the grief of losing a loved one sensitvely but in a way that's real and relatable. The story is a slow and steady build up to a touching ending that didn't lead to massive compromises as I feared but instead Celeste taking a step forward for herself. The writing is descriptive and detailed. A lovely read for this time of year.

Although it had a sad beginning the rest of the book is filled with so much hope. I love that Celeste completed Hannahs resolution list and wasn't the usual 'lose weight. Actually inspired me to write one and try new things. Definitely recommend!!

I really didn't enjoy this book. I found it to be very slow, and I just couldn't connect to the characters.
It took a long time to get going, and this made me feel just a bit distant - despite wanting to be completely immersed, like with any romance novel.

Not for me this one.

The perfect book on how to navigate a death and learn to live without your person! Really enjoyed this and Emily Bell stays in my top 10 authors!

A heartwarming read about bereavement and friendship. Some lovely characters, I though Vik was particularly interesting and well portrayed. Lovely descriptions of places which really enhanced the story. Whilst the outcome might have been a bit predictable it was an enjoyable journey.

Another superb cozy read from Emily Bell. Set between Dublin and London, Celeste is grieving her best friend Hannah. In an attempt to honour Hannah and move through her grief, Celeste starts working on Hannah's list of resolutions from the year she died and, in turn, opens herself up to new experiences, new people and a new sense of self. A truly lovely seasonal read.



THE PLOT: Best friends since they were eighteen, Hannah and Celeste were inseparable.
Until tragedy strikes and Celeste finds herself alone. When she discovers a list of New Year’s resolutions written by Hannah, Celeste is determined to complete everything her friend wanted to achieve.
Celeste puts on her big girl pants and sets off on a year of adventure that will help her live and maybe even love again.

MY THOUGHTS: I thoroughly enjoyed this heartfelt tale. It took me through a rollercoaster of emotions.
Celeste goes on quite a journey. She starts with the wonderful friendship that she shares with Hannah and then goes through heartbreaking grief, until finally finding herself again as she sets about honouring her friend.

There is a bit of slow burning romance ticking along, but it isn’t the main theme of the book.

I loved all the different places that Celeste visited. Especially Dublin, which was so beautifully and vividly described.

Over all, this is a warm hearted, poignant and delightful read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Out now on all formats.

With thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for a digital arc of this title.

Celeste and Hannah have been best friends for years so when Hannah dies suddenly Celeste is devastated. Hannah and Celeste always spent New Year’s Eve together so when Celeste finds the list of Hannah’s New Years resolutions, she decides she will carry them out in honour of her friend.
As she works her way through the list Hannah finds herself reconnecting with friends, with fun and with life.
This story of friendship and love is beautiful, well written and totally captivating. It will have you laughing and crying in equal measure. Curl up with it on cold day and warm your heart.

When Celeste is facing the grief of loosing her best friend at such an young age, she decides to change something in her life. After finding Hannah’s New Years resolution, she decides to take it upon herself to make those happen in the memory of her friend.
I enjoyed this story. It’s heartbreaking and follows so many topics that are close to everyone’s heart. I loved that Celeste wanted to make something for her friend and tried within year to make it all happen. And soon enough, she’s discovering a new world for herself. The romance story was on a slow burn side but one that grows on you when least expected.
Beautiful writing and romance story.

🆓📖Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley