One December Day is a lovely emotive read that makes you feel warm inside and gives you lots of feels. Great book to curl up with with on the sofa with a cup of tea or a glass of wine in the bath.

One December Day by Rachel Marks

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Penguin and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

One December day, Laura meets Luke...

Luke's in a band. He's going places. But what good is success if you have no one to share it with?

Laura's a summer girl. But, on this winter's evening, has she found her soulmate in funny, sexy Luke?

Under the Christmas lights, something magical begins. But will they still feel the same on this day next December? And the one after that?

Finding love at Christmas is wonderful. But is staying in love - year after year, through the joy and heartbreak - the real miracle?

Luke and Laura are about to find out, one December day at a time...

My Opinion

This book takes place on the 16th December, set over different years - Rachel Marks lovingly tells the story of Luke and Laura whilst swapping perspectives. At times I found myself getting frustrated with these characters, I just wanted them to pay more attention to each other's feelings. This is emotional in places but it was such a lovely read. Whilst set in December, this wasn't overly festive so whilst best read during the festive season it could be read at any time of year.

Rating 4/5

Even though it has December in the name and not Christmas, I was expecting more of a festive read than I got. But I still found myself hooked when reading this.
It's equally heartbreaking and heartwarming. I also found it to be really engaging and had me hooked from the very first to the very last page.
It does feel similar to One Day In December in some ways. So, if you liked that book, I have a feeling you will enjoy this.
I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what Rachel Marks does next.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely book that goes through all the emotions and tribulations that people experience as they go through their twenties and become real grown ups!

⭐️ 3 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I enjoyed One December Day but didn’t like or connect with any of the characters at all, not a single one.
 
It’s well written, and the characterisation is good; it’s just that none of the cast are particularly likeable.
 
I loved the idea of the story, but I did think it became slightly repetitive at times.
 
Overall, an entertaining (albeit not particularly festive) read.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I loved it! I wasn't expecting it to be such an in-depth story of love and heartbreak. I was expecting a warm and romantic festive read but it was totally over and above what I thought it would be.

It is more about December than Christmas specifically and it took me a while to get into it but I loved the characters and their interwoven stories which were created so perfectly.

Highly recommended. I will be looking out for future books by Rachel Marks.

Great book, cute storyline which was what I expected.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I’ve read all of Rachel’s novels and admire her skill for bringing something different to each couple’s story. It’s a real skill to take the romance genre and make the reader feel like it’s a new and individual story. I think Rachel manages this and brings in real life issues like alcoholism or blended families to explore modern relationships with some of the challenges they can face. This novel takes a structure like David Nicholls’s One Day but adds the beautiful warmth and hope of Christmas. We visit Luke and Laura on 16th December each year and as each year passes we become more invested in their story. We get to know their characters and quirks. As I read I became almost protective of their fledgling relationship. What brings even deeper meaning to the novel is that this book carries on where others finish. It doesn’t finish at the ‘happy ending’ where this couple get over a few small obstacles and stay together. Rachel takes us beyond this into the reality of long term relationships, where situations change and difficulties arise. People change as they get older and a couple can feel out of step with each other on choices like where to live or whether to start a family. Life challenges like illness, bereavement, work difficulties and opportunities come and go over the years. Couples argue over how to deal with these changes and may not be able to find common ground any more. Here Rachel challenges the couple with revelations and mistakes, even people who love each other can hurt each other. In their early relationship Luke is hopeful and enthusiastic about the band he plays in. He really thinks it could go somewhere, but seems oblivious to how much it worries Laura who fears his potential success might take her away from him.

However, from time to time I wanted to give them both a slap. Whether it’s being much older than them, but I was very aware there were miscommunications and Luke seemed deliberately obtuse sometimes. Despite this I did desperately want them to work and found myself willing them on. I also really enjoyed their friend Sarah, who loved the couple to pieces and they are buoyed up by her support and strength of character. She’s also incredible brave when facing her own difficulties. I was really impressed with how well the structure worked. Rachel had written her couple so well I felt like I knew them, so when we jumped from one year to another I automatically picked up where I left off. She never left me wondering what on earth had happened. It was almost like having an old friend who you don’t see often, but when you meet you’re able to pick up straight away and carry on as if no time had passed. I read this over the Christmas period, but it’s not so overtly festive that it would feel strange to read at any other time of year. Rachel’s managed to create the tension of a ‘will they - won’t they’ romance, with a couple who are already together. That’s really clever.

The story follows Laura and Luke on the 16th December every year for 15 years, starting with there first date to having a teenage son. A great book with lots of emotional sub plots. I really enjoyed One Day In December.

One December Day by Rachel Marks . Luke loves Christmas, Laura not so much, they really could long be more different but they met at a gig that Luke is playing at and there story begins from there, are they meant to be together or not? This wasn’t the greatest book, it was ok, but I wished I had picked something else, however at times it felt like it had potential. I say this simply because it simply felt like, each chapter set a year apart on Laura and Luke’s sons birthday, was just on big continued argument, that despite the arguing was always going to end in one way. I felt like it had potential because part of the plot (a small part) was that Laura’s friend had breast cancer and it very briefly explored the friends relationship around this and the effect it had on her friend. This part of the book for me although a very sad part, was a break from the repetitiveness of the will they won’t they of Luke and Laura and gave the heart much need heart and emotion. With each coming year of Laura and Luke, it was like what are they arguing about now, why are the denying they still love each other again! Don’t get me wrong early on I did feel sorry for Laura and her relationship with Luke but I just got fed up hearing about it. I was simply drawn to this because of the lovely cover, I will say that despite Luke being mad on Christmas and each chapter being set on December 16th, I wouldn’t class it as a Christmas book. There are far better Christmas books and other books to be read however at the moment if you wanted to add this to your TBR or it’s in your TBR pile then it’s only 99p on kindle. I’ve given it ⭐️⭐️⭐️and the only reason for that is the part about Breast Cancer, as this part is sensitively written, written with a heart and it really tugs are those heart strings. 📚📚

On Dec 16th 2004 Laura and Luke fell in love under the stars, when life felt exciting and unknown. Fast forward a year and Luke's band is taking off, meanwhile Laura is giving birth to their son, Dylan.

We catch up with their story every Dec 16th up until 2018, with all the trials and tribulations they go through. There's happiness. There's frustration. And there's heartbreak. But there's also friendship and festive joy and an unbreakable bond.

This is a beautiful romance but it's not sickly sweet. It reflects how messy life can get and how hard it is even when you love someone. But it's message is that it's never too late if you just dare to be brave. Truly magical.

This is my fourth book by the author and the fourth book that I’ve fallen in love with
This author has a unique writing talent. Taking a group of people in a book and introducing them to the reader and the reader becoming immediately invested in their lives, feelings and experiences. With every book I’ve read by this author, you instantly feel a connection to the characters and for the time you spend reading about them, I feel like they are actually part of my life.
I felt like Laura and Luke were people that I knew and like I was invited every year to Dylan’s birthday
The story is told on 16 December every year over a 12 year period. Each year throws a new dilemma into Luke and Laura’s life. The storyline with Sarah broke my heart. I could literally feel the pain through the pages.
This book is an easy 5 star for me and is highly recommended as with all the authors books
Looking forward to the next one

Full disclaimer, I went into this headfirst expecting a full blown Christmas romance, sparkles and warmth. It’s more about the time of year (December) than what’s actually happening in terms of festivities and holidays though. Once I got my head around that…wow. It’s a heavy book in many respects, and too a while to properly get going, but once it did I was hooked right up until the end.

The characters irritated me so much. So. Much. I was constantly frustrated with them. Almost doing the equivalent of shouting at the TV when they repeatedly seemed to do ridiculous things. But you know what? They were human. That’s what made this book so good in the end. This is an emotional read, and if you’re looking for festive cheer it’s not the one, but it’s absolutely worth adding to your TBR list and bumping it up when you’re ready for an emotive, flawed-characters with heart-warming elements.

Luke is in a band and has every girl after him. Laura has works in a travel agents and has quite a low opinion of herself. They have not been going out for long at the start of this story. It is set on December 16th over a period of fifteen years and is about how their relationship develops during this time. The story is set in December showing the couple’s different attitudes to Christmas. Luke is totally addicted to anything to do with Christmas including wearing Christmas themed jumpers and anything else which represents the season. Laura finds the whole thing a waste of time. This point is made to highlight their differences which are part of the storyline. The second year Laura gives birth to Dylan and Luke proposes to her. After the birth Luke and Laura’s relationship starts to hit a rocky patch and Luke’s career really begins to take off. I loved this story and reading about the characters and how they develop over the timeline of the story. I also loved Sarah, who was Laura’s friend but became very fond of Luke too. One December Day is the sort of book which grows on you as you become invested in the characters. I really liked it. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

I LOVED One December Day. It tells Laura and Luke's story from just one day a year - December 16th - for 15 years, and it is amazing how much emotion Marks is able to squeeze into the single day each year.

The format took a little while for me to get used to and I'll be honest and say I wasn't sure at first. However, once I got into the rhythm of One December Day, I just couldn't stop reading. The annual snap shot into their lives and minds kept me reading long past I should have at night to know what had happened in the next 12 months.

It made it smile and it made me cry. In fact at one point it made me sob. Rachel Marks has delivered a story which is so much more than a festive romance and I loved every page.

I loved this book. The date is 16th December and we read about what is happening to both Laura and Luke on that exact date for 15 years. They meet; fall in love; and this is the story of the next years of the lives. I really enjoyed this book and was invested in the story.

Luke, the lead singer in a band, loves Christmas. The decorations, music, snow it's his favourite time of year, then he meets Laura, a travel agent at Thomas Cook, and a literal grinch. They hit it off, and within a year, they're having a baby and getting engaged, but how well do you really know someone in a whirlwind romance? Will they manage to get through every test? As Lukes band takes off and Lauras left to deal with everything at home, will they still feel the same next year?

This was a very enjoyable read. We follow Luke and Laura on December 16th for 15 years and its also dual perspective, which was done very well. This was warm and fuzzy while also being heartbreaking. The characters deal with so much between themselves and each other while also dealing with friendship matters and bringing up a child. I loved seeing them grow as people and really work on their issues. Highly recommend.

Wow this was an emotional one! I had an incline that it would be but I didn’t realise just how much it would hit me in the feels 🥲

The book focuses on the timeline of Laura and Luke’s relationship over the course of 14 years, from those first heady days in their early twenties to 14 years down the line as separated parents of a teenager. Each chapter visits them on the 16th December of each year - a date that ends up being significant for them as not only is it the date of their very first date, it’s also the day their son Dylan is born, just a year into their relationship. It’s a tumultuous ride - an absolute rollercoaster of emotions, and I found myself wanting to scream in frustration at both of them at times. They needed their heads banging together!!!

The emotions were raw and the author portrayed them so amazingly that I felt everything the characters felt. Sarah’s story was particularly heart wrenching yet heartwarming at the same time. The whole story really did tug on my heart strings, and I cried with Laura and Luke at times. For an author to evoke such emotion requires real talent.

I liked how Luke’s career rise and fall was explored, as I think the ‘fall’ part for musicians isn’t often written about in books. I liked how Laura found her passion - she was made for that job!! Luke’s relationship with his Dad was also a lovely addition.

This is a very emotional, touching book with lots of depth to it, and some lovely festive moments thrown in too. Would definitely recommend it 😊

I don't think any review I write can do this book justice, but here goes...

Rachel Marks does not miss. An absolute gem of an author with original storylines, emotional intelligence and three dimensional characters which all add up to equal beautifully crafted stories.

One December Day is a snapshot of Luke and Laura's relationship, told on December 16th every year for 15 years, from both Laura and Luke's perspective.
It's an emotional one, no doubt about that. I particularly loved Sarah's story, which was delicately handled, with the author clearly having had some experience with this subject.
I'll never stop recommending her books. Also shoutout for the cover design, which is super cute, festive and all around adorable.

This is a love story spanning fifteen years, riding the emotional rollercoaster that relationships sometimes do. I thought this was a very clever idea and the characters developed beautifully. I liked them all and they worked together brilliantly. I would recommend buying this book.