I received a copy of One Day in December from my library one day in March. This novel made serious waves throughout the book blogosphere when it published in late 2018, aided largely in part by being the December 2018 pick for Reese’s Book Club.
Given my love for Jane Green, Sophie Kinsella, and Jenny Colgan, I eagerly anticipated a new chick lit book set in England.
I read all of One Day in December, but, honestly, I’m not sure what all the fuss was about.
The initial plot is similar to ones we’ve seen before: Laurie spies Jack from the window of her bus seat “one day in December,” but she doesn’t get the chance to introduce herself before the bus pulls away. The fact that Laurie only sees Jack for literally one minute doesn’t stop her from becoming mildly obsessed with finding him, convinced he’s “The One.” Nor does the fact that when Jack does finally does show up in her life, it’s as her best friend and flatmate Sarah’s boyfriend. Cue awkward moments, disappointed hopes, and “three’s company” cliches.
One Day in December starts off relatively well. Author Josie Silver gives us a hilarious, wry beginning, which I loved, even though it invokes, then mocks my favorite movie of all time, Love Actually, in a clever bit of foreshadowing.
Main character Laurie is cynical and snarky, very real and very much the “Every Girl.” You can relate to her, and I was really diggin’ that. After a very short while, though, I found her to be completely pathetic. Maybe because I don’t buy into the whole “love at first sight” thing. Not real love, anyway. An immediate kinship? Yes. Lust at first sight? Definitely yes.
But, honest to goodness, can’t-think-about-anything-else, this-IS-my-future-partner-esque LOVE? Um…no. It takes more than 60 seconds. Sorry, Laurie. Sorry, Josie Silver.
It doesn’t help that Mystery Man Jack, once you get to know him through his interactions with both Sarah and Laurie, doesn’t seem worthy of anyone’s admiration. Which is why I was a little surprised Laurie kept desperately clinging to him as her unattainable love interest.
Additionally, the interactions between Jack and Laurie felt forced; I wasn’t buying this supposedly magical connection they secretly shared.
And, finally, if Laurie’s so enamoured with Jack, I don’t get why can’t she tell her best friend Sarah when he turns up as Sarah’s boyfriend. I call shenanigans on any friendship that doesn’t allow you to be honest with each other, especially when it’s something as important as, “Hey, you know the man you’re dating and madly in love with? He’s the mystery man I’ve been trying to find for the past 12 months. Isn’t that funny?! Just FYI! Laters!”
I know most rom-coms require the audience to suspend a certain about of disbelief in order to fully embrace their stories, but One Day in December had me wondering why anyone was raving about this novel as a must-read.
I thought about quitting this read after 50 pages. However, there were still about 400 pages left, and I was admittedly curious about where the story would go. Laurie couldn’t really harbor her secret crush for the duration of the entire novel, could she?
Thankfully, One Day in December went in a direction I didn’t expect, though Jack did remain the paragon of all that’s desirable in a man, even when he didn’t seem to deserve such an accolade. I wasn’t greatly intrigued with how the love triangle of Sarah, Jack, and Laurie wound on…but I wasn’t necessarily put off by it, either. I kept reading, hoping it would get a little better with each chapter. While it didn’t get better, it also didn’t get worse, and that’s basically what kept me plodding along.
Things didn’t get really interesting for me until the shit finally hit the fan, a little ways after page 250. (I know. That’s a loooong time to wait for a gripping plot point). I feel like this is when the characters finally came into their own and stopped the painful cycle of whine, whine, indecision, whine that plagued half of the book.
From page 256, on, I raced through the book and couldn’t put it down. FINALLY. I raced to the ending, which was a true, over-the-top, rom-com grand finale – and I loved it. Well done, Silver.
So, the big question…is One Day in December worth it?
Honestly, I’m not sure. If you’re looking for something highly original, then you should absolutely skip this one. If you’re looking for a way to pass the time at the DMV, though, this will probably keep you entertained enough. And, honestly, since SO many people loved this book (including Reese Witherspoon herself), I may be completely out in left field here with my review.
Have you read One Day in December? I would love to know what you thought about it – especially if you agree with me on any points, but also if you think I’m completely off my rocker with this review and are debating whether you’ll ever read my blog again.
Bring it. Whatever it is.
And, while Laurie’s story didn’t particularly move me, I was compelled to create a book-inspired recipe for One Day in December. Be sure to check back in to read about my Pecan Snowball Cookies!
Hello. I’ve been reading many of Reese’s book selections during the pandemic months and most of my experiences have been good ones. I just finished reading “One Day in December” and felt a bit unsettled by the characters and the never-ending agony of wondering when will Laurie and Jack admit their feelings and make a go of it and stop dragging other people along. I looked for reviews to help sort my feelings and found yours. Thank you! I agree that Jack didn’t come off as someone good enough to pine over for a decade. However, he was lovely in the end and that made the whole book.
-Kristin
Hi Kristin! I’m glad I’m not the only one who looks up reviews to see if others were as unimpressed by books as I was. 😀 I do that a lot for books I’m not sure I want to finish — unfortunately, I’ve been doing it a lot lately! I seem to be in a bit of a reading slump. If you have an recommendations, I’d love to hear them. 🙂
I am on page 117 (December 2 years later) and it’s sooo boring!! Can you give me a synopsis of what happens until it gets good and when that actually happens? Don’t waste my time on all the whining
Hi Ali! UGH — I hear ya. This one was a little rough to keep trudging through! I honestly don’t remember what happens until “the good part.” You could probably find some spoiler-reviews on goodreads, though! Or, just skip ahead to page 256 and read from there; I don’t think you’ll be too lost, haha.
So while in recovery from surgery I have been going through audio books like crazy. One Day In December was recommended by a friend, IT came across as a Harlequin Romance and so predictable, How could Laurie LOVE a man she only saw through a window? I felt a true friend would have talked to Sarah about the mystery man (Jack) sooner. After all Sarah spent a year helping Laurie look. Ok who has a year to waste looking for a mystery guy? It would have been different if it was someone you actually knew and lost track of. I wanted to like this book but it fell short of getting any rave review from me.
Hi Susan! I’m sorry to hear about your surgery and I hope you are on the road to feeling better soon. It’s great that you have some audiobooks to you company! Though it stinks that One Day in December didn’t live up to the hype for you, either. At least we’re not alone in our feelings! Best wishes on your recovery.