Book Review: One Day in December by Josie Silver, Plus Infographic – 3 Books with Meet-Cutes
One Day in December starts with a missed meet-cute.
Girl is on the bus. Boy is outside of the bus. Their eyes meet and they instantly fall in love. When the bus pulls away, they wistfully resign themselves to what could have been but will never be.
Of course, we know they will meet again. But there are many reasons why the two, Laurie and Jack, can never get it together. They are embroiled in their separate relationships, they have separate lives in separate locations…any sort of “insert excuse here” that can keep them apart, does so for the bulk of the book. It’s a decade-long letdown of meeting the right person at the wrong time.
While romance seems to be off the table, they form instead of beautiful friendship,” although one that’s always fraught with this undertone of “Oh heyyyyy, we fell in love years ago and we are supposed to be together, but here we are fulfilling our lives in these on the separate paths.”
One Day in December is both fun and frustrating.
Though wondering if they will ever get it together romantically, Laurie and Jack’s platonic friendship itself is nice to read. It’s not necessarily the destination of romance that their relationship consists of. It’s nice to see that relationship before the romance without the romance even being a factor in it.
The ending is too rushed, though. Through the entirety of the book, we build and build towards the joining of two star-crossed lovers, weathering events and years of ups and downs. But then it’s suddenly resolved and over in the space of a couple of pages? What the hell?
One Day in December reads almost like the movie sleepless in Seattle starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Excerpt, it doesn’t have that same vim and vigor we experienced in the movie. That same za za zou. The starlight and sparkle dust that we see in sleepless in Seattle.
In the movie, we pine for this couple to get together. We see the almost-meets and the cosmic connection they seem to have and we know that the universe will not be put right until they fall in love. I didn’t feel that same sense of urgency for Laurie and Jack in One Day in December.
Overall, though, this is a nice book and a nice couple of people with whom to pass some time.
One Day in December
Josie Silver
Published October 2018
Broadway Books
Want some other meet-cute reading options? Check to this infographic with 3 books that have great meet-cutes!
The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
Two busy professionals get stuck on an elevator, agree to be wedding dates, and navigate love among their different social and racial circles.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I mean, does it get any better than this? In this classic, snooty Mr. Darcy and prideful Elizabeth Bennett navigate love among their different social and economic circles.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
This story features a meet-cute that crosses decades, careers, a kid, and a broken marriage. Sometimes we need to look at an old love through new eyes.
