Initially I wasn't sure if I was going to really enjoy this as I found it hard to warm to the main character Celeste - I found her cold, shut off and set in her ways, but that is the point of the story; to understand what grief can do and the grieving process as people slowly open themselves up and whilst always missing some-one learn how to live for themselves.

I loved the supporting characters - each coming to life as we learned more about them without over-riding the main story: I loved her mothers dog and fathers PT asides. And the romance - it played out nicely, bubbling below the surface for about 80% of the book, but enough so it didn't come out of left field.

This is predominantly a book of recovery and self discovery and I loved it.

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse and @michaeljbooks for granting me early approval via @netgalley.

Celeste had been struggling since the death of her friend Hannah. She’s trying to retain her friendships but she’s finding it very hard to move on. Hannah had a list of resolutions, and Celeste decides to work her way through them one per month for the following year. Just maybe she can find the strength to move on.

A lovely story about how hard it can be to lose a best friend. Celeste vows to carry out her late friend Hannah's resolutions. Some fare better than others but all seems to work out well.
A great read. Thank you

This Year's for Me and You by Emily Bell

3.5 STARS

A love story that is spread across London and Dublin with added depth beyond your usual rom-com. Interesting characters make this a quick and delightful read.

Thank you #penguinrandomhouse and #netgalley for letting me read this ARC.
What a beautiful. pull at the heart strings story. I love Emily Bell and how she puts her stories together.
We meet Celeste and her best friend Hannah. Through a twist of fate we end up on a journey with Celeste, navigating life after the loss of someone close to her. She tries to avoid meeting with her regular friends, but eventually she has to put her life back together, which starts with Hannah's list of things to do other the 12 months of the new year which include hot yoga, astrology and a gorgeous trip to a Christmas Market.
We watch her grow, change and become a woman learning to live outside of the box.
I loved the trips to Suffolk to spend time with her friends, star of that set has got to be the Swan. Such a wonderful, easy to follow book of love, hope, friendship and grief. I finished this book in two sittings.

This engaging novel centres on Celeste who is grieving for her friend Hannah who passed away suddenly. For twenty years, they have seen each new year in together, first in Dublin and now in London, so this year will be very different. By chance, Celeste comes across the list of twelve resolutions that Hannah had written down for the year to come. What better way to deal with her grief than to tackle this list, in honour of her friend, and experience the things that Hannah did not manage to accomplish?

With its warm and complex development of fictional Celeste and Hannah, and an ancillary cast of interesting, interconnected characters, this is a captivating read that should garner the author many new fans. I would like to express my thanks to the publishers and to NetGalley for the complimentary ARC that allowed me to read Bell’s novel and to produce this book review.

I love a book that goes back and forward and then it all winds together and this was no different.
We get 2 sceneries one in the late 90s and one present where Hannah the best friend and Celeste are celebrating New year the only trouble is Hannah isn't in one of them.
I didn't care about the boyfriend but I really liked the main character and Hannah was cool

Both emotional and heart breaking but with hope running through it. A well written story that warms the cockles of your heart from start to finish.

Loved this book. Great plot, and characters that I liked! I read this in a couple of days as I couldn’t put it down. Thoroughly recommended.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another great novel from Emily Bell!

After loving, Baby It’s Cold Outside I could not wait to read This years for me and you and it DID NOT disappoint.

The story follows Celeste, who sadly looses her best friend but has also lost herself.

Emily Bell articulates grief so well, and has you laughing and crying.

You will be disappointed

I absolutely loved this book.
I'm rarely moved to tears by a story, but there were times during this tale of Celeste, who lost her best friend Hannah to a freak accident, when a tear was shed.
It's not a sad book though. This is the story of Celeste rebuilding her life despite losing her best friend. I love characters like Celeste who aren't perfect - it makes a book less predictable.
Taking on Hannah's list of resolutions, Celeste has a year of adventures and growth.
I encourage you to read this!

I absolutely loved this book so much! Celeste was a wonderful main character who I was rooting for from the start! The book addresses how she deals with her grief over the loss of her best friend. So you might expect it to be a sad story but it’s just the opposite! It is funny, happy, heartwarming and fun, albeit with some sad and poignant moments as you might expect. It’s a book I raced through, I loved the settings - the country house in Suffolk could have its own story, and the Christmas market was described so well I could smell the hot chocolate! Honestly I couldn’t recommend this more if I tried - it’s an absolute delight! Easy five stars and one of my favourite reads of the year so far! Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book!

I loved this book it’s sad and funny and wrapped up totally in love. This book feels like a great big hug and I loved the story of how you recover when your best friend dies and how our heroine learns to cope with her grief by following her friends new year resolutions for the next year and ultimately learning to live the life she always should have been and put herself first. It’s a lovely read.

What a little gem of a book! After initially starting off with a sad event, I was left with a smile on my face as it ended.

Celeste and Hannah have a pact to always spend New Year’s Eve together, after starting the tradition in Millennium Eve back in Dublin.
Fast forward twenty years later and the girls are together, ready to ring in the New Year in Celeste’s flat in London. Unbeknownst to either of them, it was to be the last one they would ever share together. As time passes and NYE looms again, Celeste is left with a dilemma - to start a new tradition with those who knew Hannah best, or to be alone. She chooses to be with friends, which leads her to discovering Hannah’s list of 12 resolutions for the year she didn’t get to see. So how better to honour the memory of her best friend than by carrying out one a month?

Although I guessed where the story was headed, I did really enjoy this book and gladly thought it was a lot lighter a read than I had anticipated. Would recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Hannah and Celeste have been friends since they were eighteen and have spent every New Year’s Eve together since. Hannah dies to a freak skiing accident in January and Celeste can’t begin to imagine celebrating new year with her. Celeste discovers a list of new year resolutions of Hannah’s and decides to honour her memory by completing the before the next new year. This helps Celeste to kickstart her life one step at a time and her biggest adventure yet. Falling in love.

A great read.

This is a lighthearted, engaging story about Celeste, having lost Hannah, her best friend deciding to complete the list of New Year resolutions which her friend Hannah had hoped to achieve. She hopes the challenges will help her to get out of her comfort zone and move on.
The story skips between London and Dublin with Celeste meeting various new characters along with old ones, all relatable in their own way. Starting with Yoga classes, she goes on to do a climbing course, ice-skating and other activities, enjoying them more than she expected.
The scenery is described so beautifully you feel you are there. London streets and bars at Christmas, European markets, and Irish bays. Characters are skilfully drawn and develop as the story unfolds, with laughter and romance, along with heartbreak.
A beautifully written, heartwarming story, perfect reading for Christmas or any time.

A brilliant, poignant read. This book was a mix of heart breaking my sad and utterly uplifting. A journey of rediscovering yourself and how loss and tragedy can bring change. Highly recommended

A lovely year long read based on a list that Celeste, our heroine, wants to complete a list she finds that was created by her friend Hannah. this book reads as an ode to friendship, to moving on and taking a risk. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
A heartwarming story, sad in parts but I enjoyed it. Celeste has just lost her best friend and we follow her as she moves through her grief over the following year. I never really read Christmas themed books but this was lovely and perfect to read any time of year. ⭐⭐⭐⭐