Always, in December
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- Create Date：2021-11-06 08:51:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Emily Stone
- ISBN：1472279603
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Summary
Heartbreaking。 Life-affirming。 Truly unforgettable。 Always， in December is the timeless， stay-up-all-night love story we all need right now。
If you loved One Day in December， Me Before You and the hit movie Last Christmas， this is the perfect book for you。
Every December， Josie posts a letter to the parents she lost one Christmas night， many years ago。 She always writes the same three words: Missing you， always。
When Josie accidentally collides with a stranger at the postbox， she is unaware that Max has his own reasons for trying to avoid the season…or that their chance encounter is set to alter both their lives – and their hearts – in the most unexpected and beautiful of ways…
Set in London， New York and the gorgeous English countryside， Always， in December is the love story everyone will be talking about this year。
If you loved One Day in December， Me Before You and the hit movie Last Christmas， this is the perfect book for you。
Every December， Josie posts a letter to the parents she lost one Christmas night， many years ago。 She always writes the same three words: Missing you， always。
When Josie accidentally collides with a stranger at the postbox， she is unaware that Max has his own reasons for trying to avoid the season…or that their chance encounter is set to alter both their lives – and their hearts – in the most unexpected and beautiful of ways…
Set in London， New York and the gorgeous English countryside， Always， in December is the love story everyone will be talking about this year。
Reviews
Ania
，
4。5 ⭐️ but this is not a romance
Dalia
，
😭3。5 stars
Amber
，
This story follows Josie and Max in December around Christmas。 They spend some wonderful days together before Max just disappears。 Fate has its own plans however， by reuniting the two multiple times over the next year。 I loved that Josie's character was strong， and still figuring things out in her life。 Her character was developed well and was able to learn and grow throughout the book。 The story was predictable in some ways but surprised me in others。I loved the part where Max takes Josie to se This story follows Josie and Max in December around Christmas。 They spend some wonderful days together before Max just disappears。 Fate has its own plans however， by reuniting the two multiple times over the next year。 I loved that Josie's character was strong， and still figuring things out in her life。 Her character was developed well and was able to learn and grow throughout the book。 The story was predictable in some ways but surprised me in others。I loved the part where Max takes Josie to see a friend of his and they stop and take photos in a field。 It was such a sweet and beautiful moment that had me smiling and wishing I was taking photos in a field。This is a very romantic （not smutty）， bitter-sweet， and beautifully written love story that will tug at your heart strings and linger in your thoughts。 Keep your tissues handy。 。。。more
Chelsea
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I just couldn't connect with this one。 I know its me as everyone else seems to adore it， I just cant。 I've tried to go back about four times and as happens occasionally me and this book just don't mesh。 I promise its just me。 Lovely premise 。 Lovely writing。 I just can't connect with it。 I just couldn't connect with this one。 I know its me as everyone else seems to adore it， I just cant。 I've tried to go back about four times and as happens occasionally me and this book just don't mesh。 I promise its just me。 Lovely premise 。 Lovely writing。 I just can't connect with it。 。。。more
Julia
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I have been in a reading slump since the end of summer， but Emily Stone's "Always， In December" pulled me in so effortlessly I finished it in two days。 I'm a year-round Christmas enthusiast， so this book could be read at any time of year but， as the title suggests， it is indeed the perfect December read。 In fact I feel like I will read this book every year around Christmastime now just to get those warm fuzzy feelings again。 One of the very first scenes takes place at a Christmas fair and I felt I have been in a reading slump since the end of summer， but Emily Stone's "Always， In December" pulled me in so effortlessly I finished it in two days。 I'm a year-round Christmas enthusiast， so this book could be read at any time of year but， as the title suggests， it is indeed the perfect December read。 In fact I feel like I will read this book every year around Christmastime now just to get those warm fuzzy feelings again。 One of the very first scenes takes place at a Christmas fair and I felt like I was there myself。This book is great for fans of books like One Day in December by Josie Silver or This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousins。 I loved not only the core relationship but also the strong friendships with the side characters too。 Highly recommended to get you back into a cozy， Christmasy， reading mood！ 。。。more
Suzanne （The Bookish Libra）
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Always in December by Emily Stone is a somewhat difficult book to classify。 Even though it does feature two people who are attracted to one another， I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a romance。 And in the same vein， even though December and Christmas are both featured in the story， it’s not what I think of when I think of a holiday read。 At its heart， Always in December is a story about love and loss。The story follows a young woman named Josie whose parents were killed on Christmas night years Always in December by Emily Stone is a somewhat difficult book to classify。 Even though it does feature two people who are attracted to one another， I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a romance。 And in the same vein， even though December and Christmas are both featured in the story， it’s not what I think of when I think of a holiday read。 At its heart， Always in December is a story about love and loss。The story follows a young woman named Josie whose parents were killed on Christmas night years ago。 Still struggling with such a huge loss， Josie tends to avoid most of the Christmas festivities， only clinging to one holiday tradition。 Every year she writes and mails a letter to her parents， letting them know how much she misses them and still thinks about them everyday。 She has no idea when she ventures out to the post office that she is quite literally going to run into someone who will change her life forever。Enter Max， the handsome stranger Josie runs over with her bicycle。 Like Josie， Max is avoiding the holidays for his own reasons。 We don’t know exactly what is going on with Max when we first meet him， but he definitely seems a bit out of sorts， although Josie wins him over pretty quickly and they decide to spend the holidays together。 It seems to be going splendidly and Josie starts to envision a future for them， but then Max disappears without saying goodbye and her hopes are dashed。 That is， until they keep randomly crossing paths over the course of the next year。 It feels like so much more than just coincidence， although Josie can’t understand why Max keeps pulling back from her。 It’s an emotional roller coaster for them both and I found myself frustrated with Max at times， although when we ultimately find out the reason for his reluctance， it’s a truly heartbreaking moment and I cried my eyes out。I adored both Josie and Max from the first moment we meet each of them。 Josie is so sweet and vulnerable， and it crushed me to think of how lonely she must have been to grow up without her parents。 The loss has clearly shaped her and I was so happy when she and Max seemed to hit it off so well during that first meeting。 I was just as frustrated and heartbroken as Josie when he disappeared and then elated each time they crossed paths again， only to be heartbroken all over again each time they parted ways。 Max was a sweetheart too， although he clearly has some things weighing him down， and those things are in the way of him finding happiness with Josie。I really loved how the author has Josie and Max’s relationship unfold。 The fleeting happiness， followed by heartbreak and confusion each time they met felt very authentic， and I also loved the idea that they were destined to keep finding each other， to force each of them to be brave， live in the moment， and embrace love since we never know what the future holds。Always in December is a quietly beautiful story about how our lives are shaped by love and loss。 It’s a poignant story that I won’t soon forget。 。。。more
Nadine
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Do not let this pretty winter cover or title fool you。 This is not a lighthearted Christmas read。 It was beautiful and I loved the story and all the characters。 But I was bawling and the book is so heartbreaking。 I wasn't quite expecting that， as I believe this book was categorized as "romance。" I don't think it could quite be called that， more of women's lit or something。 There is definitely a lot of depth to the story。 We deal with grief， friendship， love and finding yourself。 I read this pret Do not let this pretty winter cover or title fool you。 This is not a lighthearted Christmas read。 It was beautiful and I loved the story and all the characters。 But I was bawling and the book is so heartbreaking。 I wasn't quite expecting that， as I believe this book was categorized as "romance。" I don't think it could quite be called that， more of women's lit or something。 There is definitely a lot of depth to the story。 We deal with grief， friendship， love and finding yourself。 I read this pretty fast， because the story definitely grabs you and you want to see where it goes。 I am just saying I wish I would have known that it wasn't your typical lighthearted， cheesy Christmas romcom。 Though， the book did have a few funny moments that had me smiling。 Bottom Line: Read it。 With a box of tissues。**I received a copy of Always， in December from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 All opinions are of my own。** 。。。more
Kristy Pinkley
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I'm going to start with this is not just a holiday read。 It covers different months throughout the year。 I like the idea of how Josie & Max instantly connect when they first run into each other （Or I should say when Josie runs Max over with her bike）。 It's a bit unrealistic that they formed such a tight bond over the few days in December when Josie was still getting over a long term relationship， but that's what books are supposed to do sometimes。。。suspend reality。 Max leaves without saying good I'm going to start with this is not just a holiday read。 It covers different months throughout the year。 I like the idea of how Josie & Max instantly connect when they first run into each other （Or I should say when Josie runs Max over with her bike）。 It's a bit unrealistic that they formed such a tight bond over the few days in December when Josie was still getting over a long term relationship， but that's what books are supposed to do sometimes。。。suspend reality。 Max leaves without saying goodbye which sets up the rest of the book to have crazy connections that bring them back together months apart。 When you read this book， be prepared to laugh & cry & sometimes scratch your head in wonder。 Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review 。。。more
Sally Hanan
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This was beautifully written， and it felt as if it had been worked on for a long time to get it just right because the execution was great。Except。。。The cover makes this look like a HEA。The first 90% makes this sound like a HEA。It is not a HEA。I think if I'd at least had some warning， it would have been okay， but there wasn't one bit of foreshadowing to hint at the blast of disappointment I felt so close to the end。 So yes， as long as you're prepared， I recommend this one。 The writing is gorgeous This was beautifully written， and it felt as if it had been worked on for a long time to get it just right because the execution was great。Except。。。The cover makes this look like a HEA。The first 90% makes this sound like a HEA。It is not a HEA。I think if I'd at least had some warning， it would have been okay， but there wasn't one bit of foreshadowing to hint at the blast of disappointment I felt so close to the end。 So yes， as long as you're prepared， I recommend this one。 The writing is gorgeous， and the meet-cute is adorable。 4。2 。。。more
Melindeeloo
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I thought this was a romance when I requested it from the library。 Probably partly due to the cover - the one with a couple embracing， not the one with the envelope。 The beginning of always in December was the cute start of a romance。 Max and Josie are both at low points and both going to be alone at Christmas - him because his flight is canceled and her for more complicated reasons - when Josie literally runs into Mac on her bike and they end up spending the days up to and including Christmas t I thought this was a romance when I requested it from the library。 Probably partly due to the cover - the one with a couple embracing， not the one with the envelope。 The beginning of always in December was the cute start of a romance。 Max and Josie are both at low points and both going to be alone at Christmas - him because his flight is canceled and her for more complicated reasons - when Josie literally runs into Mac on her bike and they end up spending the days up to and including Christmas together。 But then he leaves。 This first part is told from Josie's POV。 The next is told from Max's and I got this feeling about Max's secret so I went hunting through the reviews for spoilers（view spoiler）[and saw mentions of this being touted as a romance when it wasn't and comments that there is no HFN or HEA ， and lots of mentions of tears and then someone mentioned Me Before You。。。 So I jumped to near the end of the book and confirmed what I feared - actually worse because it's a surprise to the leading lady。 If you are going to lure in romance readers this gut punch is worse than just breaking the minimum contract that a romance gives the reader at least a HFN。 And I am really trying to avoid sad these days， （hide spoiler）] so I initially DNF'd this。 But I ended up with in a sitch with no other book readily available and time to kill， so I did read the rest - although not in order。 And this would have been a decent women's fiction - since Max is not Josie's HEA but he is her catalyst for growing into what will be a fulfilling life - if the story had been told in order （view spoiler）[and the author had not gone for maximum tears （hide spoiler）]So as a romance this gets 1*， but as a women's fiction it gets more around 2。5*， （so pretty good but with a tic off for shock and tears。） 。。。more
Melanie
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I could not put this book down。 Not until I was finished。 Beautiful。 Heart wrenching。 Driven by love。 Must read。
bren
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I just finished this book & i can’t stop crying。 I am completely & utterly heartbroken。 I initially picked this book thinking it was going to be a sweet Christmas love story & though it is…。。it’s also a heart wrenching love story that will have you crying uncontrollably once you have finished it。 Max & Josie made me believe in soulmates & how sometimes the universe helps guide you to meet the love of your life。 I wish this book had a happier ending but I’m glad i read it because it made me reali I just finished this book & i can’t stop crying。 I am completely & utterly heartbroken。 I initially picked this book thinking it was going to be a sweet Christmas love story & though it is…。。it’s also a heart wrenching love story that will have you crying uncontrollably once you have finished it。 Max & Josie made me believe in soulmates & how sometimes the universe helps guide you to meet the love of your life。 I wish this book had a happier ending but I’m glad i read it because it made me realize i need to start living my life & not let fear control me。 Please read this book！ It’s a beautifully written with a bittersweet ending。 。。。more
Rumi
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2。5
Becca Scammell
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Emma Stone's debut novel took me in a journey full of love， laughter， heartbreak， loss， gain， celebration， family， opportunity， second chances， faith， friendship， traditions， living in the moment and chasing your dreams。 I loved the， 'Will they？' 'Won't they？' aspect of the story between Max and Josie。 How we seem to get real insight into Josie's life and history。 But Max kind of remains an enigma with the suspense and intrigue into his story always at the edge of every chapter。When I first star Emma Stone's debut novel took me in a journey full of love， laughter， heartbreak， loss， gain， celebration， family， opportunity， second chances， faith， friendship， traditions， living in the moment and chasing your dreams。 I loved the， 'Will they？' 'Won't they？' aspect of the story between Max and Josie。 How we seem to get real insight into Josie's life and history。 But Max kind of remains an enigma with the suspense and intrigue into his story always at the edge of every chapter。When I first started reading the story， you automatically expect the whole boy meets girl。 Boy falls for girl and they live happily ever after。 But Emily writes so incredibly well that keeps you guessing right up until the very end and then swoops in and turns any and all pre conceptions and expectations upside down！An excellent read that will restore your faith in true love， the inevitably of fate and just how powerful it can be。 Mixed with the ability to inspire you to reach out and grab the opportunities and second chances that life always seems to find room for。If this is what Emily produces for her debut novel， I can't wait to see what she does next！ 。。。more
Rebecca
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Rounded up to 3 stars。 This book ended up being more depressing than I anticipated and I felt like Max and Josie's relationship should have been built up more to warrant the reaction at the end。 Rounded up to 3 stars。 This book ended up being more depressing than I anticipated and I felt like Max and Josie's relationship should have been built up more to warrant the reaction at the end。 。。。more
Jody
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I had to take a few days to let this story sink in。 This is most definitely not a Hallmark type HEA holiday read。 It is， however， an all consuming， emotional， love story。 For those of you that cry， have your tissues ready！ I was immediately drawn in to Josie （can I just say how much I love that name） and Max’s story and stayed up way to late to find out the next chapter in their destiny。 This bittersweet book reminds us that we are all stronger than we think， and that friendship， family & love a I had to take a few days to let this story sink in。 This is most definitely not a Hallmark type HEA holiday read。 It is， however， an all consuming， emotional， love story。 For those of you that cry， have your tissues ready！ I was immediately drawn in to Josie （can I just say how much I love that name） and Max’s story and stayed up way to late to find out the next chapter in their destiny。 This bittersweet book reminds us that we are all stronger than we think， and that friendship， family & love are the foundations of happiness。 I hope there is a second book coming！ 。。。more
Jennifer
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Having read numerous cheesy， happily ever after， holiday books， I found Always， In December refreshing。 Will this make you cry？ Probably。 Is it a sweet， refreshing contemporary set during December and the holidays？ Yes。 I really enjoyed this book， and I recommend it to readers looking for something a little different to read this holiday season。
Mariah Cooke
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 “A devastating， romantic， life-affirming love story”This book！！ I don’t know whether to love it or be so mad。 Throughout the whole thing I had an inkling that Max was sick or something was wrong with him。 But there were so many things that just made me mad。 While I completely think you can create a strong connection with someone and fall in love from only a few encounters I don’t think max owed Josie an explanation。 I also don’t feel like the 3 encounters they had were long enough to create such “A devastating， romantic， life-affirming love story”This book！！ I don’t know whether to love it or be so mad。 Throughout the whole thing I had an inkling that Max was sick or something was wrong with him。 But there were so many things that just made me mad。 While I completely think you can create a strong connection with someone and fall in love from only a few encounters I don’t think max owed Josie an explanation。 I also don’t feel like the 3 encounters they had were long enough to create such a strong bind between them。 It felt a little unrealistic。 I also can’t imagine his parents and sister at the end being okay with Josie being the one to be with him when he passed。 It just seemed so wrong！ The book is very cute and romantic but just felt a little unrealistic。 I also felt like because it skipped so many months I didn’t feel like I was getting the whole story。 I don’t want this entire review to put the book down because it was very cute and sweet。 I liked the authors writing style and I liked the book。 I just wish it wasn’t so sad and unrealistic。Thanks Netgalley for letting me read the ARC ebook。 。。。more
Courtney O'Leary
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Super easy to read， couldn’t figure out the end of it。 But it was a satisfying ending。 All in all a solid easy to read romance。
Ky
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•Let me just start by saying I thought this book would be a light， fluffy holiday centered read。 It’s definitely not that！！•This one was a TEARJERKER！ A beautiful story of loss and heartbreak， sprinkled with friendship and finding the strength to carry on。•The meeting between the two MCs is iconic and hilarious， had me hooked from the start！ While this one is definitely emotional， it has its cute and funny moments between the two that make it all worth it 💛•I did like this one but I don’t recomm •Let me just start by saying I thought this book would be a light， fluffy holiday centered read。 It’s definitely not that！！•This one was a TEARJERKER！ A beautiful story of loss and heartbreak， sprinkled with friendship and finding the strength to carry on。•The meeting between the two MCs is iconic and hilarious， had me hooked from the start！ While this one is definitely emotional， it has its cute and funny moments between the two that make it all worth it 💛•I did like this one but I don’t recommend it for a light and cheery holiday read if that’s what you’re searching for！Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review ✨ 。。。more
Leann Barrie
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This books was amazing。 Its twisted in ways I never thought it was going to
Nina Craig
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Josie is delivering her letter， the same as she does every year when she collides into Max。 This collision sets off a chain of events that will leave Max finding hope and take Josie on a journey to discover herself。 This book absolutely broke me！！ Not in a way that I was crying but in a way that left me slightly numb。It's split into 6 parts and spans over the space of a year。 Stone takes your heart through a journey of love and excitement， she surrounds your heart with hope to break it into tiny Josie is delivering her letter， the same as she does every year when she collides into Max。 This collision sets off a chain of events that will leave Max finding hope and take Josie on a journey to discover herself。 This book absolutely broke me！！ Not in a way that I was crying but in a way that left me slightly numb。It's split into 6 parts and spans over the space of a year。 Stone takes your heart through a journey of love and excitement， she surrounds your heart with hope to break it into tiny little pieces and puts it back together again， leaving a little bit out to stay with this book。 I 100% could not guess this narrative。 I have never known a romance leaving the reader in suspense。 Stone really does lead you down a certain path to then lead you in a different direction。This book is not your stereotypical Christmas romance novel， but it will definitely leave you feeling grateful。 I could write so much more in my review but I won't， because I am trying not to give anything away。 This book is beyond beautiful and heart-wrenching; my advice to any reader is to be prepared for the unexpected。 。。。more
Marc
，
The pay off is almost beautiful at the end…。but the journey to get there， at times， is verbal diarrhea！ The interactions between characters was terrific， the character build ups were masterfully done…。。but there was too much bs getting on with the story at times…。to the point of getting bored。 Whoever edited this did so great in a grammatical sense， but not in a story telling keeping up the flow sense。 The dragging was too much…without it， perhaps a 4。5…worth it though， I was generous because of The pay off is almost beautiful at the end…。but the journey to get there， at times， is verbal diarrhea！ The interactions between characters was terrific， the character build ups were masterfully done…。。but there was too much bs getting on with the story at times…。to the point of getting bored。 Whoever edited this did so great in a grammatical sense， but not in a story telling keeping up the flow sense。 The dragging was too much…without it， perhaps a 4。5…worth it though， I was generous because of the last 50 or so pages being touching…but this was a 2。5 I bumped up to 3 stars。 I wouldn’t recommend this simply because to enjoy it you’d have to skim pages at a time。 。。。more
Carmen Liffengren
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This has a beautiful holiday cover， but way way too sad for something I was hoping was a Hallmark movie in book form。
Shelbe Rene （ReneReads）
，
Delightfully heartwarming and full moments that make you stop and think， Always， in December is truly a wholesome read that captures your mind and soul。 It's a story of friendship， love， and mostly of a woman discovering that she is stronger than she believes。 It will make you laugh， cry， and feel。。。 like any great book， it captures your mind and soul。 Delightfully heartwarming and full moments that make you stop and think， Always， in December is truly a wholesome read that captures your mind and soul。 It's a story of friendship， love， and mostly of a woman discovering that she is stronger than she believes。 It will make you laugh， cry， and feel。。。 like any great book， it captures your mind and soul。 。。。more
Lani
，
Not a romance！ And not really a Christmas book either！ I should have read the reviews， but I don't like having books spoiled for me by people who say too much。 But this is actually more of a fictional account of grief - the way it becomes part of who you are and what you do。 Really enjoyed the first part of the book。 I liked Josie and could feel for her。 Found the supporting characters to be interesting and well thought out。 Max's POV was less enticing and didn't really add to my knowledge about Not a romance！ And not really a Christmas book either！ I should have read the reviews， but I don't like having books spoiled for me by people who say too much。 But this is actually more of a fictional account of grief - the way it becomes part of who you are and what you do。 Really enjoyed the first part of the book。 I liked Josie and could feel for her。 Found the supporting characters to be interesting and well thought out。 Max's POV was less enticing and didn't really add to my knowledge about him， which I think was a missed opportunity to take the reader more into who he was。 I get so frustrated when reading about characters who don't communicate which always ends up being the reason everyone misses out or spirals with too many thoughts going around in their heads。I had no idea where this was headed and was unprepared for this to be a tearjerker。 So take the warning that this is not a light and fun Christmas book。 It's good， but it's heavier than expected and left me feeling more sad and unhappy which is not at all what I thought I was getting into with this。 Too real for the holidays， but I still liked the story。 。。。more
Laura
，
This was one of the times that my policy of not reading reviews ahead of time came back to bite me。 I was reading enthusiastically， biding my time for the happy ending。。。
Dawn
，
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy Always In December in exchange for my honest review。I must say that I enjoyed this book。 The story was interesting and definitely grabbed me from its opening pages。 The only criticism I have is that a lot of the sentences were disjointed and ran on quite a bit。 I know this is the author’s first book， so I’m not judging too harshly。 It was definitely something that ruined the flow of the story at times。That being said， it was a good first effort。
Anjie Emeka
，
loved it！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Always, in December
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Always, in December&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Always, in December&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0