“Death is inevitable, my girl.  So all we can do is choose how to face it.” – Love, Holly.

Oh Emily Stone.  

You always make me cry!!  This is NOT your typical “holiday” book but it is a tear jerker, so have the hankies ready.  This is a truly lovely story about navigating grief, forgiving yourself, and finding a way forward.

The story follows an unlikely friendship between two women generations apart but drawn together by the grief they share, the art they love, and the letters they write as part of the “Dear Stranger” program to help them not feel so alone during the holidays. 

“Some people you know for a lifetime, but they never really make an imprint on your soul – and some people you only have to know for an instant, to know they will be a part of you forever.” – Love, Holly.

This is the perfect book for this season, as we all try to navigate family and difficult relationships as the holidays draw near.  The story has a way of making you feel hopeful that situations can change, that healing can happen, even when things have been fractured for years. But the focus is the relationships and healing, not the holidays so it can be read any time of year. 

The audio was FANTASTIC. I loved the narrator’s accent, the way she was able to make each voice unique, and how the phone calls were distorted.  It really set the whole tone. 

Thank you @PRHaudio for the listen! 

Next Steps!

You can pick up a copy of the book here.  To read more of my reviews, check out the rest of my blog.  To enter the latest giveaways and see what I’m currently reading, head to my Bookstagram account in IG.  And to listen to me chat all things bookish and share my latest reviews, head to my Booktube Channel. To try the book on audio go here!