I don’t know about you all, but I love a good romance. That could be why I’ve devoured nearly every novel that Nicholas Sparks has ever written. And, around this time of year, I could use a good Christmas read to get into the holiday spirit. So, when I looked at the choices for this month’s Book of the Month book, I knew that I had to check out Josie Silver’s One Day in December, a novel that was promised to be similar to the movie Love Actually. Which I haven’t seen, but that is besides the point.
The book is about Laurie James, an aspiring magazine journalist who is currently working in a hotel. One night after a long and tedious day at work, she finds the man of her dreams while taking the bus home. Both of them stare at each other longly, however, before there is time to make a move, the bus pulls away.
For a year, Laurie searches for the man, known as bus boy. Close to a year after the two have met they found each other. Well, sort of. Laurie discovers that ‘bus boy’ is none other than her best friend’s boyfriend.
The novel then takes the reader on a journey of the character’s highs and lows — from career to love to personal — and then leads them right back to each other to create a tear-jerking ending.
Okay, so the book was beautifully written. I love how it appears to be a Christmas book, but it’s actually more a typical love story of boy meets girl and they go through some stuff to create a happy ending.
Even though it’s typical, I actually loved the novel. It was very easy to get lost in, which is something that I loved. And of course, there were moments where I wanted to scream at the characters ‘get your act together.’
What I really loved about this novel is that it wasn’t cliche. I mean, I’ve read several love stories, and many of them often tip-toed on the line of cheesy. Not this one. I felt like this one was real. Silver channeled the human emotions in an beautiful way, which is something that I really liked about the book.
Now, many people compared this book to Love Actually. I have never seen the movie, so I can not fully testify that it is true. However, I think the novel also has some bits of Sleepless in Seattle — especially the ending. Don’t worry — my spoilers will end there.
Overall, I loved this book. Therefore, if you’re looking for a great holiday read that will grab you and just make you happy, be sure to check out One Day in December.
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