One Day in December
“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.”
Well, if it isn’t another right person-wrong time story climbing to the top of my TBR list…As soon as I saw Jill Santopolo’s glowing review on the back of Josie Silver’s One Day in December, I knew it was a book I had to read.
Some context…
The snow is falling, the lights are twinkling, and the tinsel is glistening. Laurie James is stuck on a congested bus in London, when she sees a beautiful man with sandy hair and green eyes sitting at one of the route’s many stops. Through the steamed-up window, they lock eyes. Fireworks burst, lightning strikes, and magic sparks. And then, the bus drives away. Sixty marvelous seconds of seeing him, and Laurie is in love.
She spends the next year searching every café and street corner for him—to no avail. She has all but given up when she finally comes face to face with him. At her own Christmas party, she is formally introduced to Jack O’Mara and forced to replace his lovely “bus boy” title with a painful new one: “her best friend’s boyfriend.” It can’t be true, but it is. For the next decade, Laurie and Jack cannot seem to separate from each other. Through a series of missed opportunities, friendship trials, and devastating heartbreaks, they question the role of fate in their lives. Is happiness a choice we make? Read to find out for yourself…
Some notes…
The dual POV made this story infinitely better. As someone who rarely has the chance to read from the male love interest’s perspective, I appreciated the insight that came with Jack’s inner thoughts. It allowed me to better understand the reasoning behind his actions, making him an all-around more likable character. Though, I did find myself wondering if Laurie and Jack were intended to be equal protagonists. If so, this did not exactly read to me, as Jack felt like a piece of her puzzle rather than a stand-alone project.
This book is perfect for both seasoned readers and reluctant ones. Its beautiful storytelling and character building will have no trouble pulling in longtime bookworms, but its fast-paced plot and easily digestible prose can hook newcomers in just as quickly. By subtly weaving in their background stories, quirks, and flaws, Silver attaches readers to her characters early on, leaving them no choice but to turn the page.
The only problem I found with the quickness of the story was the effect it had on the resolution of relationship conflicts. In real life, there is push and pull. I wanted to see these characters talk their problems out. When there is forgiveness, it should be coming from something tangible. I wanted the resolutions to be shown, not told. In this aspect of the novel, I felt that the easy way was taken out a bit.
In her debut book, Josie Silver challenges herself to quite the task: combining the hopeless romantic and the realist to create multi-dimensional characters that you can’t help but relate to. I would consider it a job well done.
RATING: ★★★★★
