Josie Silver, One Day in December

Laurie has just left university and is living in London with her best friend, Sarah, as she pursues a career in magazine publishing. One December evening, she’s sitting on a bus crowded with Christmas shoppers, when she looks out the window and spots a man standing across the street. Their eyes meet, and Laurie feels a deep, instant connection. She could swear he feels it, too, but the bus drives away before she can get off and speak to him. For the next several months, Laurie searches for “bus boy,” convinced that they’re meant to be. But when she finally does meet him, there’s a catch: he just happens to be Sarah’s new boyfriend, Jack. The book follows Laurie and Jack over the next several years, as they experience career achievements and setbacks, tragedy, love, and heartbreak; but will they ever be able to act on that moment of connection they experienced even before they met?

This book caught my eye because of the adorable cover, and I was interested to read a cute holiday rom-com. In fact, this is much more of a drama than a comedy, and I have mixed feelings about it. I think it’s very well written and executed. The premise made me nervous — I was skeptical about a romance that would presumably end in betrayal of the innocent best friend. But the book managed to make me sympathetic to both Laurie and Jack. I liked that Laurie sincerely tries to put her own feelings aside, not to spend time alone with Jack, and to move on by dating other people. I believed that Laurie and Jack really do become friends who care about each other, regardless of whatever does or doesn’t happen between them. But I’m not sure we needed to follow their story for so many years, especially since the expected confrontation between Laurie and Sarah doesn’t happen until almost the end of the book — and then it’s rushed to a resolution. As a skeptic of love at first sight, I also didn’t buy that both Laurie and Jack would be so affected by their initial brief moment of attraction. Despite my quibbles, though, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to people who are interested in the premise.

Sophie Kinsella, I Owe You One

Fixie Farr comes by her nickname honestly: she’s an extreme people-pleaser who can’t help trying to fix every problem in her family and friends’ lives. She is the manager of the family store, and while her brother James and sister Nicole are also supposed to help out, Fixie often finds herself picking up their slack. Now James is determined to turn the modest store into a trendy, upscale shop, and Nicole wants to get rid of merchandise and replace it with a yoga studio. Fixie is horrified by these changes but struggles to stand up for herself. She also faces trouble in her personal life, when she’s torn between her childhood crush and a handsome stranger whose laptop she rescues, kick-starting a chain of IOUs and possibly a new relationship.

I generally enjoy Sophie Kinsella’s books, and I had fun reading this one as well, but I must admit that I was bothered by several aspects of the book. The biggest problem is Fixie herself; she’s such a doormat, and it’s incredibly frustrating to see her constantly giving in to her awful siblings. I know that many people, especially women, are people-pleasers and have trouble advocating for themselves, but I couldn’t understand why Fixie was such a pushover. I also hated her obsession on childhood crush Ryan, who is obviously 100% terrible from the moment he’s introduced. Fixie’s deluded belief that he wants a relationship with her just made her seem stupid. I did like her relationship with the stranger, Seb, but even that has some weird pacing issues and questionable logic (why does he go back to his ex-girlfriend?). Despite my complaints, I did find the book an enjoyable experience overall, but it’s definitely not one of Kinsella’s best — try I’ve Got Your Number instead.

Lindsey Kelk, One in a Million

Annie Higgins is a master of social media, and she co-owns a digital marketing company that manages the social media accounts of various internet content creators. Unfortunately, the company isn’t doing so well, and Annie’s getting desperate for a way to turn things around. Then a conversation with her office landlord turns into a bet: she has to make a random stranger Instagram-famous in 30 days, and if she wins, she doesn’t have to pay rent for a month. Annie jumps at the chance — until she realizes that winning the bet will be a lot harder than she thought. Historian Samuel Page, PhD, is stiff, socially awkward, and absolutely hates social media. But the more time Annie spends with him, the more she genuinely enjoys his company, and the less important the bet seems.

This was a cute, enjoyable chick-lit read with more than a few nods to My Fair Lady, but I liked that the makeover wasn’t all one-sided. Annie helps to give Sam a more marketable public persona, but he also helps her to realize that there’s more to life than the perfect Instagram selfie. (Come to think of it, Eliza Doolittle also changes Henry Higgins in a much more profound way than he changes her.) The central romance is adorable, and I love that Sam is an unconventional hero with his awkward, slightly too formal demeanor. I also enjoyed Annie’s funny first-person voice. I didn’t love all the emphasis on social media; at times the book reminded me of those thinkpieces about whether technology is ruining our lives, which I found tedious. But overall, I liked this fun and breezy rom-com, so I’d recommend it if you’re into that kind of thing!