Cover Image: This Year's For Me and You

This Year's For Me and You

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Member Reviews

This Year’s for me and you by Emily Bell, a NetGalley review. Celeste’s best friend tragically died in a accident and she’s trying to keep her memory alive and grieving at the same time. Celeste finds her friends New Year’s resolutions list and finds the perfect way to honour her friends life. This is a nice read with a lovely idea on how to remember a friend. It deals with grief in such a beautiful way by Celeste doing her friends resolutions, but it’s more than that, Celeste begins to look at her life with fresh eyes, eyes not clouded with grief. The resolutions give Celeste the push to try new things like hot yoga and meet new people. The resolutions allow Celeste to love again, to get out of the rut she is in at work and take risks. The story on a whole is beautifully told and not only honours grief in this story but honours grief. Grief is hard, when your in the middle of it, there feels like there’s no way out and this story doesn’t dispute that but tells a story of someone being in the middle of that grief, stuck, missing the person that is no longer with them and it doesn’t rush the grief. Celeste is a loving and determined character, a character that is scared and someone that wants to move on from her grief but also never wants to forget her friend. Celeste wants to be loved but is scared of getting her heart broken, she is romantic, she’s a great friend, who is loyal. Like I said it’s a nice book but though I hate the word nice it’s the best way I can describe it. I think without a doubt there are better Christmas books out there, this is a book you you could read all year round and if you are a fan of the author, then worth a read. I won’t be recommending this to friends as I think there are better books I would recommend first. For me it’s a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ and only just as I think the beauty of the story gave it an extra star otherwise it would be 2 stars. 📚📚

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Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
Almost one year on from the accidental death of her friend, Hannah, Celeste hasn't really adjusted: her friendships are on hold, and so is her life. Meeting up with a group of friends at New Year throws a different light on things, and she decides to undertake a challenge. I liked the way the story developed, Celeste finds out things about herself during the year and friendships and romance develops within a lovely story. I found some continuity issues (e.g. Patrick says he'll pick her up at 6pm but by 10 lines later this has become 3pm) and the use of American spellings in a book set in England and Ireland is irritating, destroying the atmosphere, so I have reduced my rating by 1 star. This is a pity because I found the story absorbing and have signed up to follow the author.

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This is a heart-warming story that is great for seeing in the new year. It's full of tradition like making new year's resolutions and the warmth of hope and wonder of what's to come.

Hannah was Celeste's best friend and it is heart-wrenchingly emotional to learn that she dies. This is when the almost magical part comes in, where memories are re-ignited and new hope comes and surprises spring into life - there's a new year's resolutions list that was Hannah's that gets discovered. What follows feels bittersweet and tender. Celeste vows to honour her friend and do everything in the list. It sends her on quite an adventure of discovery, and re-discovery as one resolution brings her back to an old flame. The 'will they won't they' scenario kicks in and by this time, I'm so invested in the characters that I find myself rooting for Celeste's love to come alive again as grief and peace circle.

Go on an adventure of a lifetime to bring you in the new year and be inspired to carry out your own resolutions. This book sure does the job and will leave a fuzzy warm glow inside, quite the contrast from the wintry temperatures outside.

You can buy at Waterstones
Please not I am not affiliated to Waterstones in any way.

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Celeste's best friend Hannah has recently passed away and she misses her so much and she needs to keep her spirit alive, which is so hard for her. She tries to lose herself in work, tries not to be too upset when meeting up with Hannah's fiancé, so as not to upset him.

Christmas is a particularly difficult time of the year, she always was around Hannah. What to do now she's gone? She is invited to Vik's (Hannah's Fiancé's), along with Patrick and other friends for New Year's and there discovers Hannah's list of New Years resolutions, so over the course of the nest 12 months Celeste is determined to fulfil each & every one of them. Patrick is there to provide support and to help.

Does she manage to complete them successfully? Is this a healing process too? Would Hannah be proud of her?
How does her relationship with Patrick progress or doe it not.

This is a lovely story set between London and Dublin, it's a big fat hug in a book, whilst finding peace after grief.

I loved it and gave it 5 stars. You will too, I think!

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a good book to read giving beliefs in the afterlife love heartache and sorry and a little to bee to help with the sign and a good friend who fullfilled hannahs last wishes

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Wowee, a great festive read for sure. This one had me laughing out loud one minute and in tears the next - I couldn't put it down! Emily Bell has a winner with this one, a definite recommend

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3.5 stars
I did like this author's previous book, Baby It's Cold Outside, even if it was a little predictable. So, I was interested to see how she would follow that up.
And sadly this was just as predictable.
Much like the first book that I read by Emily Bell, this was a 3.5 stars for me.
The author did do a good job when dealing with grief but there wasn't enough chemistry between our two main characters. There was actually another character that I thought she was much more compatible with, so it's safe to say that I wasn't really rooting for them to get together.
It was also just a tad too slow, as well.
I could see it working a bit better in the winter, as apposed to me reading it in the middle of a summer heatwave but sadly it just didn't blow me away.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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A book which will have you laughing and crying. Hannah and Celeste have been friends since they were eighteen and when Hannah meets with an accident and dies, Celeste is heartbroken. She finds a list of Hannah’s resolutions for the year and decides with Patrick , an old friend to honour her friend and carry them out. This is a powerful book covering grief, friendship, and doing things which take you out of your comfort zone! Beautifully written, great locations and a powerful story . I loved it and would highly recommend it
Thank you to Netgalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House , and Emily Bell for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

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This was a heartwarming book to read, it had me laughing, crying and feeling oh so nostalgic. Emily Bell tentatively navigates grief and loss and weaves a beautiful tale!

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As other reviewers have mentioned it’s not quite as good as the writers previous book Baby It’s Cold Outside, but it’s still very readable with relatable characters

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A fantastic easy read, emotional at the heart of the story with Celeste having to deal with the death of her best friend Hannah.
We then follow Celeste for the year after the death. I really liked all the characters. I guessed how the book would end but still really enjoyed how we got there.

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This Year’s for me and you by Emily Bell was just a lovely easy read. I loved how Celeste honoured her friend, Hannah’s joie de vivre in taking on new experiences pushing herself outside her comfort zone. This along with a decent dose of romance results in a very enjoyable read. Three and a half stars

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I really enjoyed Emily Bell's previous title Baby It’s Cold Outside, so was keen to read this newest release.

Whilst I enjoyed this book, I probably shouldve paid a bit more attention to the synopsis, as some of the dealing with loss elements of this book were a bit more emotional than I was expecting. Whilst the finding love element was enjoyable (if not somewhat predictable) I missed some of the more heart warming and funny elements that were in her previous book.

A beautiful story, just lacked that extra sparkle that I found with Baby It's Cold Outside - which to be fair was a hard act to follow.

PS - I should point out that I have recently experienced a loss myself, so that may reflect why it's more personal to me.

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I really enjoyed this book dealing with loss and finding yourself again also some romance.

Celeste has lost her best friend Hannah they have spent every New Year together since they were 18. She finds an book with all the resolutions that Hannah planned to do so decides to undertake them. We see Celeste carrying them out with Hannah’s partner and also friends.

The book was funny in places but also sad. We could see what the story was leading up to and I enjoyed the ending.

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Many thanks to the publishing team for my digital copy for review
Emily Bell books are my winter warm mug read! I adore her books as they are always such a cosy and uplifting!
We go through an emotive journey with Celeste and loss of friendship isn't talked about enough in books and plots. It was really touching to read to read that Celeste wanted to honour Hannah and keep some memories alive so connecting her self and completing the list was a way to bridge that gap and come to terms with some of her feelings and emotions.
So opening up to new possibilities, opens a few doors for Celeste and I am glad she got a happy ending!

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Hannah and Celeste have been best friends since they were eighteen, when they made a pact to spend every New Year's Eve together.

From Dublin to London, the two are inseparable: that is, until tragedy strikes.

When Celeste discovers a list of Hannah's New Year's Resolutions, she is determined to make her way through them and honour her friend's memory.

With the help of an old friend, Patrick, Celeste kickstarts her life one adventure at a time.

But the biggest adventure? Falling in love again . .

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I enjoyed Emily Bell’s first book, also set around the festive season, when I read it last year and was looking forward to seeing the author’s style mature in subsequent novels. This one, however, feels like it might have been a previously drafted story, and not just because it’s set four years ago. I found the main characters less relatable and the jumps between their present and past a little less polished. Having said that, I liked the basic idea of the story and the descriptions, particularly those of the main locations in London, Dublin, and Suffolk were very vivid. My favourite parts of the story were definitely those that centred around the friendship between Celeste and Hannah, even though that was pretty much all told in flashbacks, as well as in conversations between Celeste and those of her friends who also knew Hannah.

Celeste, a management consultant in London, first met Hannah at an Irish summer camp, but they only really became friends six months later, when Hannah invited Celeste to her New Year’s Eve party as the 1990s became the 2000s, and both girls were preparing to move from school to university the following summer. Two aspects of this part really resonated with me: the vague paranoia around the Millennium Bug potentially causing mass computer crashes, and the breaking up and re-establishing of friends’ groups in one’s late teens. Not that the two coincided in my case, of course.

Following that first party, Celeste and Hannah spend every New Year’s Eve together, even as their other friends pair off, and not even Hannah’s newly serious relationship is going to get in the way of their tradition. Then Hannah dies in a skiing accident, and Celeste is left facing her mid-thirties alone. She stays close to Hannah’s bereaved partner and reluctantly accepts his invitation to spend New Year with the rest of their friends’ group at the country house he was planning to renovate with Hannah and is now working on alone. While there, Celeste finds herself repeatedly thrown together with Patrick, whom she has known almost as long as Hannah, although he was always peripheral to their group before Hannah died.

When Celeste comes across the list of Hannah’s New Year resolutions from the previous year, she decides that tackling all twelve of them – one for each month of the coming year – will be the perfect tribute to her dead friend. Her attempts bring her into contact with Patrick again, and he offers to take part in the challenge Celeste has set herself. The two grow closer, but the course of true love never seems to run true in fiction, and the pair find themselves at odds – and back in Dublin – when the next New Year rolls around. But fear not, this is a holiday story and there’s bound to be a happy ending.

As I implied at the start, I found Celeste and Patrick difficult to warm to, although I did like Hannah’s boyfriend, and kind of hoped he and Celeste would end up consoling each other away from all their more annoying friends. Not my favourite holiday book of the year so far, but not the worst either, in my opinion.

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I really enjoyed Baby It’s Cold Outside, Emily Bell’s previous book and was really looking forward to reading what she did next. This Year’s For Me and You sounded exactly like the kind of book that I enjoy and it lived up to my expectations.

Celeste loses her best friend Hannah unexpectedly after a freak accident. At a lose of how to live her life without her she starts to shut herself off from those nearest to her, and Hannah. At New Year she uncovers the resolutions Hannah had made the previous new year and was unable to fulfil and takes this as a way to feel close to her friend once again by completing the list for her. As she sets out to do this and completes the items on the list, she rediscovers how fun life can be.

I loved this story, how the heartbreak of losing her best friend and her need to still feel close to her, sets Celeste on an ‘adventure’ completing Hannah’s resolutions and in doing so rediscovering herself and her joy for life.

I found Celeste a lovable character, as I did those that she embarks the journey with; Vik, Patrick, Mel and Shib.

As with Emily’s previous book, it is such an easy heartwarming read to get lost in on these dark and cold days, and perfect for the start of the year to provide some inspiration for your own resolutions.

I can’t wait to read more from Emily.

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I unfortunately didn’t like this one at all and I really loved the authors last book. I knew the story dealt with loss but I had no idea how long it would stay in that part of the story and just how sad it would be. This absolutely is not for me and definitely not what I look for in a Christmas book. The author is a really lovely writer and I still really look forward to seeing what her other work will be like.

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Sometimes a book affects you and this was one of those books for me. I cried, felt sad, felt nostalgic, felt every season, emotion, friendship and romantic feeling. I was so engaged with Celeste and her journey to self discovery and love. Just fabulous

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