ONE DAY IN DECEMBER – JOSIE SILVER

**Spoilers Ahead, Read On With Caution**

“If anyone ever asks if I’ve ever fallen in love at first sight, I shall say yes. For one glorious moment on the 21st of December 2006.” 

Who doesn’t want to read a Christmas book in August? For some reason, I absolutely can’t and hate to read Christmas books in December. I think it’s mostly to do with me working constantly throughout November and December, missing all of the festive lightness and nostalgia, and instead face two months of bitter, tempered and rushed customers blaming me for things being out of stock two days before they’re set to exchange gifts. I want to adore Christmas. I want it to be the magical time that it was in my childhood, but it’s not, and the only way I get to feel that cosy warmth that only dark nights and darker December mornings is by experiencing them in august. Possibly during a heatwave, go figure. 

“You tread lightly through life, but you leave deep footprints that are hard for other people to fill.” 

Ever made eye contact with someone and thought ‘oh hello, there you are, I should have known all along’ well, the is essentially what happens to Laurie James on a London bus going through Camden, one December night. Her bus stops, and she looks down from her top deck window and sees a beautiful boy reading. So deeply engrossed in the books pages, until he’s not. Until he’s not. Until he’s looking at her, and her him, and they’re stuck there. In their own bubble, absorbed. Laurie hoping he’ll climb aboard the bus and Jack “bus stop boy” O’Mara walking to get to the doors before they close. But they do close, and not with Jack on the right side of them. This is where Laurie and Jack’s love story begins, and abruptly ends after a full year of Laurie and her best friend Sarah searching for her Bus Stop Boy. When Laurie finally finds her love at first sight man, it’s as Sarah’s new boyfriend. 

“Sometimes you just meet the right person at the wrong time,” 

The magical thing about this book is how it takes on a journey through Laurie, Sarah and Jack’s decade. We spend ten Christmases with at least one of them, all the heartbreaks, hushed conversations, small moment and big victories. We experience all the highs and lows with them, and we feel like they’re our mates too. This is what makes a brilliant writer, truly being able to force your reader into an emotional state they’re not prepared for, or frankly willing to embark upon. Honestly makes me a little worried to read THE TWO LIVES OF LYDIA BIRD as I’m scared it’ll shatter me irreparably for a while, and I’m quite fragile right now. And I don’t have a Sarah to hand me a glass of wine and a Delancey Street Special. 

“There comes a point where you have to make the choice to be happy, because being sad for too long is exhausting.”  

This book is perfect, but I do wish that it was a smidge longer, as it ends right at the most satisfying moment of the entire story. It’s like someone turning off your favourite film right before the big declaration, or action sequence. I wanted more; not that I’m not incredibly grateful for the four hundred plus pages we got. I just needed an epilogue to know for sure that everyone really was okay and happy, finally. I shall be waiting for a short story or novella to follow! I love that this book also hd duel perspectives so we got to experience the story through both Laurie, and Jack. It rounded itself perfectly as we got to see how Jack felt that first glimpse, and how he experience their lives. It’s one of my most favourite things in a book. I love getting to be in the love interests head because I’m nosey and far too curious for my own good. 

“But what else was I supposed to say? That I felt as if she’d just kissed fucking stardust into my mouth.” 

I’m lucky enough to be able to say that I had my one day in December, except that it was in January. I was Jack in this instance because I was the one reading, but I looked up and I just knew. Kismet is real. The red string of fate move, ties and pulls us in al sorts of directions, but it always gets us where we need to be. And I’m so happy and grateful for who’s at the other end of mine. I met my Jack, and I’m thankful. 

P.S. The cover is, *chef’s kiss* perfection.