I fully went into this expecting a lighthearted and fluffy Christmas romance.

Instead I got a mix of something heartwarming and heartbreaking, with found family, grief and funny bits thrown in.

The characters make the book what it is, I could imagine them all so clearly.

A lovely emotional read and a great way to kick off the festive period.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher
4/5 ⭐️

Holly’s life was turned upside down by a car crash one Christmas Eve. Upon receiving a letter from someone else bereaved by a car crash, she decides to find this stranger, Emma. Their friendship slowly (and bumpily) develops, but there are still secrets between them. Determined to help Emma, Holly sets out on a mission, not expecting that the man she is seeking is the impossibly handsome guy she met just before the car crash that changed everything.

I admit that I went into this book expecting a lighthearted Christmas romcom (possibly because of the cover) - which it is not. Whilst ‘The Christmas Letter’ is very funny and has a beautiful romantic love story, the core of the book is dealing with grief and finding connection after losing a loved one.

The real strength of ‘The Christmas Letter’ is the characters; Holly, Emma. and Jack all stand out as complex and sympathetic. I absolutely loved the friendship between Holly and Emma, it made me feel completely immersed in the book.

‘The Christmas Letter’ is emotional, heart wrenching, and yet still fun and warm.

Have heard great things about Emily Stone’s books, but unfortunately I did find the subject matter something quite difficult to reckon with.

Very slow start to this book, i have no read a book by Emily Stone before so thought this was a cute christmas read, I didn't realise it would be deep and sorrowful, I did feel it was a little bit too long with parts where nothing was happening, over all not the book for me

Thank you, NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I have to say I enjoyed this book to the fullest. The characters, the plot, and the atmosphere it provided all of which was very enjoyable. It gave such a cozy , christmassy vibe which I ate up.
It follows our MC Holly throughout a span of 4 years, the decisions that lead her to where she is in the present, and her openness and bravery can be seen throughout the plot. The writing style was highly enjoyable even though it is written in the third person I did not mind at all . I highly recommend this book, especially for the holiday season.
I enjoyed all the characters, but I liked Jack and Holly so much, they had such good chemistry, and their banters were on point. This book made me giggle, laugh, cry ; was such an emotional rollercoaster. But worth it. The talk about fate and things like how some things are beyond our grasp and understanding, but the universe has its own way of paving our ways was so beautifully written by the author. The ending was a chef's kiss, no words.
Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an amazing , cozy, emotional , romantic read for this Christmas season. Go for this.

Three years on from Holly being involved in a car accident with her pregnant sister, she is estranged from her family.
Every Christmas, she writes a Dear Stranger letter to someone to let them know they are not alone and receives one in return.
This year letter is from Emma, an elderly lady who is dying and also estranged from her beloved grandson.
When Emma mentions a place that Holly knows, she decides to track her down and ends up discovering their lives are already connected by a chance meeting she had the day of her accident.

I loved this fabulous story and it was every bit as amazing as both of Emily Stone's previous books.
Full of heartache, friendship, love and everything in between.

✔️serendipity
✔️ heartwarming
✔️ emotional
✔️ set in England
✔️ epistolary
✔️ Christmas

This story was everything I didn't know I needed. This book felt like a warm hug, perfect for the holiday season. It's about love, serendipity, healing, grief, loneliness, dreams, family, and so much more. It was utterly wholesome, heartwarming, and a bit heartwrenching at times. I even shed a few tears at the end. It was emotional and poignant. Even though this book is about love and it's quite romantic, it doesn't focus solely on romantic love. And I loved every second of it.

I can't eloquently express how much I loved Holly and Emma's relationship. Maybe an unconventional friendship between a girl in her 20s and a woman in her 80s. But it was so wholesome, honest, and not cheesy at all. They were the support and love each of them needed at the time so they could heal. And I loved it.

Holly, our FMC, is this beautifully chaotic woman with the warmest soul and fire in her heart. She's struggling with loneliness, guilt and pain and trying to move on with a broken heart. Ans still has so much love to give. I just loved Holly so much. I especially loved the journey she experienced to be able to heal.

Jack, our MMC, was such a marvellous character. I felt his pain and hurt. And I love how brave he was to take a step to love and heal. He has such a tender heart. And I loved the way he loved Holly.

Make sure to check the TW before reading. This book does talk about serious issues that might be sensitive for many. However, they might spoil a bit.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a lovely cosy romantic Christmas book, full of love, comedy, romance and a cosy feel to it.

This author always writes such warm and fuzzy books that just feel like a hug, this is no different despite some sensitive subjects.

I absolutely adored this and the characters that she created, well apart from Lily (completely gaslit Holly IMO, she grabbed the phone in the first place, so shouldn’t have put the blame on Holly) despite her initial grief, she could have worked towards building bridges.

I loved Emma and Holly’s friendship and of course the romance aspect, even the setting off the cafe was endearing.

This is a must read and the perfect book to kick off the Christmas festivities.

i have literally just ordered a paperback. when i say that i’m in love with this book, that is a massive understatement. the christmas letter is so heartwarming and heartbreaking. it is full of moments that will make you laugh, moments that will tear your heart to shreds and, if you’re anything like me, cry. for a while. i adore jack and i adore holly and i adore emma. i loved the achingly devastating slow-burn that was the romance, and i loved the connection between them all.

i have nothing bad to say about this book, and i can’t wait to read more of the authors work.

A Christmas letter sparks journeys for characters getting them to face up to their pasts and look to their futures. Friendships are formed and love found. Not overly christmassy but I liked that the stories moved through different time periods. A good read.

The Christmas Letter (or Love, Holly) is dubbed as a holiday book, and is indeed centered around that seasonal time. However it spans so much more in both time and subject matter.

It's an emotional book; touching on difficult subjects of loneliness, grief, guilt, terminal illness and the impact those have on both yourself and the people around you. There is a lot of depth to both the story and the characters, resulting in a touching and heartfelt story.

However this is still a charming story with themes of found family, second chances, serendipity, and most importantly hope.

I really liked the premise of this book, but sadly it just wasn’t for me and I had to stop reading 30% in. I didn’t realise quite how sad the overall vibe of the book would be and it’s just a little too much for me, especially for a festive book.

The opening was strong and the meet-cute between our main character and her love interest was a joy to read. Her personality was really shining and it seemed like a promising start to their romance. But then the accident happened and the book got super depressing.

It really makes you think that Holly killed her pregnant sister and honestly, if that was what actually happened (quite morbidly) that would have made more sense. But no, her sister just isn’t talking to her and it’s been about a year (if I’m remembering right) so, give her time? The accident was clearly very traumatising and she lost her baby. Stop making everything about you Holly.

She actually becomes a bit insufferable after a while. I get that she’s grieving her relationship with her sister, but this is supposed to be a ‘dazzling romance’. It took over 25% of the book for Holly to meet her love interest again and personally, I’m a bit confused about how it happened. It came out of nowhere and it wasn’t even in the original town.

It was at this point I decided to stop trudging my way through the book and put it down for good. No offence meant to the author, it was actually very well written, but it just wasn’t for me.

"There. Now you've got to call me - this is what all those romcom movies start with, right? Next thing you know we'll be caught in the middle of a montage."

There is one guarantee with an Emily Stone novel - you’re about to cry, so make sure you’ve got the tissues ready. Now, admittedly sometimes these kind of stories feel a little overdone, but Stone has a charm about her writing that does always leave me coming back with curiosity for her next story and it is always so full of love, heart and warmth that it feels like a big hug (no matter how heartbreaking it gets!)

It has all the festive settings of a hallmark movie with the snowy cottage and sparkling lights, all the feelings and such lovable characters with beautiful relationships and an equal mix of complications and love. At the start they did feel like they’d been pulled right from a movie with all the tropes, but as we go along our characters develop and grow and you definitely find yourself getting attached as they go through some honestly catastrophic moments that felt a bit too much at times and also some breathtakingly beautiful ones.

The pace is a little slow, long and leisurely, moving through time and interspersed with letters so we spend a lot of time with Holly and her thoughts and watch as we see an entire web of connections come together. Honestly, this was a little too sad for me at times, but there was a glimmer of hope and love at the end that was so warm and affirming.

Every Christmas Holly writes a letter to a stranger, who like herself is alone for the festive period. These go unanswered, until one year she receives a letter from an older woman called Emma. Emma is estranged from her Grandson. In her letter Emma mentions a place that Holly knows. After tracking down Emma, she offers to help her reconnect with her Grandson, Jack. Except, it turns out the Holly has met Jack before. Before things went wrong and she became estranged with her sister. The story follows the twists and turn and is a great read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I will be looking for more novels by this author.

I absolutely adored the last gift by Emily stone so when I saw this I had to get this arc. It was beautifully written which is why I enjoy her books so much. Now Emily’s books do come with a lot of trigger warnings so if you want a happy festive read this may not be for you as I will admit this book did make me shed quite a few tears.

I loved all the characters especially Emma who reminds me a lot of my Nan which made this book even more special. I think this book is my favourite book to date !

The Christmas Letter is a really life affirming, emotional read. There is a big focus on family connections and moments of chance whilst also briefly dealing with tricky subjects of miscarriage and cancer. There are plenty of Christmas themed moments but it doesn’t focus on this for the whole book. Holly makes for an interesting lead character, lacking a lot of self belief. Emily Stone has produced some lovely romance stories and I will certainly look out for her future releases.

A heart-warming and cosy seasonal read. Very engrossing and was hard to put down. There is something magical about festive books and this one is no exception.

This was an emotional read, this author has me sobbing every time! 😭 The meet/cute with Jack and then accident that changes the course of Holly and her sisters lives. I love the connections in the book, and how this book wraps up and the stories intertwine.
This is the perfect book to add to your Christmas reading list, I was hooked from start to finish! 🙌

Thank you so much to the publishers for a copy of this book on NetGalley 🫶

I need to start by saying what a lovely, heartwarming read this is. Very (very!) moving in parts. I had genuine tears in my eyes at the end. Plus, it’s totally unputdownable. I devoured the whole thing in the space of a few hours.

I went into this without any expectations, I’d not read anything by Stone before, but I was honestly blown away. I love how the story showcases the power of writing letters, whilst handling topics such as grief, guilt, forgiveness and hope.

The characters are super likeable and relatable, and the love story is really bloody good. (Jack and Holly 4eva 💘)

This is a must-read for the festive period. Absolutely loved it. Thank you, NetGalley and Headline, for my digital ARC!