*I was given a copy of The Christmas Letter in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Headline and Emily Stone for my copy of the book*
Synopsis:
Sometimes it takes a stranger to bring you back to yourself.
Ever since a car accident tore her family apart, Holly has been part of a lonely-hearts holiday letter–writing club. Each December, she writes to a stranger who is also spending Christmas alone, and receives a letter from another lonely person in return.
Usually, the letters go unanswered. That’s the point—the letters are anonymous, and the senders write whatever is in their heart. But this year, the letter Holly receives is different; not only is the letter full of a grief she knows all too well, but its writer, Emma, mentions a place that Holly has visited. When she realizes that she might actually be able to find the letter’s author, Holly becomes determined to reunite Emma with the estranged grandson, Jack, with whom Emma is desperate to reconnect.
When Holly finally tracks him down, she remembers that she’s met Jack once before . . . and the connection was electric. The spark between the two of them is still there—until a misunderstanding risks their burgeoning romance and his strained relationship with Emma, too. But Holly is determined; if she can fix Emma’s family, she might also be able to fix her own. Though as it turns out, Holly might have less time to put things right than she thought.
Review:
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.
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