This Year's For Me and You

by Emily Bell

Fall in love with the most heartwarming and uplifting story of love and second chances set between London and Dublin, from the author of BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

When Celeste loses her best friend Hannah, she'll do anything to keep her spirit alive.

So when she uncovers her friend's old list of New Year's resolutions, Celeste vows to complete them all.

One adventure at a time, she rediscovers how wonderful life can be.

But when one resolution leads her to someone from her past, Celeste can't help but wonder . . .

Could the biggest adventure of all be falling in love?

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Holiday, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Fiction, Adult

378 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 18, 2022

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I knew that Emily had written another book I was super excited as I really enjoyed Baby It’s Cold Outside, and this one didn’t disappoint either! It was such a warm hug in a book.

The whole story was just so beautiful, friendship and love. Super heartwarming and it was the book I didn’t know I needed! 🥰

It touches on grief throughout this book as Celeste has lost her best friend Hannah - and both of their friends / partner is within this story so to see how grief has affected these characters, it was written so well and realistically- and it was so lovely seeing the support they gave each other.

Really enjoyed reading about Celeste taking on the New Year’s resolutions and just stepping out of her comfort zone to really find herself and what she deserves.

I liked the addition of romance and it was just the right amount as I really thought the story being more based on friendship was perfect.

It has a nice festive feel to it however it can be read all year round as it’s set over various months and has the Christmas / New Year celebrations within that. Loved how it was set between London and Dublin - two places I’ve visited and enjoyed.

Definitely recommend this book, a nice cosy and poignant read!

[Jennifer (Jaye) (I was on a roll, now struggling to add comments - why???) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Heartwarming*

This captivating tale explores the profound themes of friendship, grief, and love.

The protagonist, Celeste, is an ambitious Irish businesswoman residing in London. Despite her success, she cherishes the annual New Year’s Eve tradition with her best friend, Hannah. Tragically, Hannah’s life was cut short in a freak accident.

Hannah’s partner decides to host New Year’s Eve at his Suffolk home, leaving Celeste with a mix of emotions. However, she decides to attend, finding solace in the familiar surroundings. Upon arriving, she discovers a to-do list of Hannah’s cherished memories and dreams. Regrettably, she realises that she may never have the opportunity to fulfil them.

Celeste, known for her meticulous nature and love for planning, decides to take on Hannah’s list. This unexpected endeavour brings out a different side to her, revealing hidden aspects of her personality.

Family holds a significant place in Celeste’s heart, and she frequently travels to Ireland whenever possible. She often feels a deep connection to her Irish heritage, but London remains her home.

Hannah’s list presents Celeste in a new light, prompting her to step out of her comfort zone. This journey of self-discovery surpasses her wildest expectations.

The story intertwines with the lives of various characters, showcasing how they navigate the challenges of grief and the enduring power of friendship and love. An unexpected romantic element adds a touch of warmth and emotion to the narrative.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read. I liked the characters. Hannah seemed like a great character. Celeste is good character too.

[Antonia Lege · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75

[LianaReads blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Celeste is facing the grief of loosing her best friend at such an young age, she decides to change something in her life. After finding Hannah’s New Years resolution, she decides to take it upon herself to make those happen in the memory of her friend.
I enjoyed this story. It’s heartbreaking and follows so many topics that are close to everyone’s heart. I loved that Celeste wanted to make something for her friend and tried within year to make it all happen. And soon enough, she’s discovering a new world for herself. The romance story was on a slow burn side but one that grows on you when least expected.
Beautiful writing and romance story.

🆓📖Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley

[Bookworm Blogger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Michael Joseph for approving me for an ARC of this book. I read Emily Bell’s debut, Baby It’s Cold Outside, and really enjoyed it last year so I was excited to see what her latest one would be like.

The story starts with a tragedy and from their I knew this would be a story about grief and healing. A year after the tragedy Celeste is very much living the quiet life. Lonely with her social life in destitute she reluctantly goes to spend New Years Eve, a difficult time in itself, with her friends. Whilst there she realises just how distant she has been and the discovery of her best friend, Hannah’s, resolution lists gives her the perfect opportunity to get her life back on track.

From hot yoga, to rock climbing, swimming in open water and visiting a Christmas market Celeste finds herself opening up to new opportunities and flourishing as a person. Celeste’s grief and difficulty at the start of the story was understandable but seeing the progress she made was undeniably beautiful. There were even a few things on the list that I wouldn’t mind trying, the Christmas Market in Belgium is at the top of my list.

Patrick is a swoon-worthy heart throb. His support for Celeste and Vik was unwavering, his ambition to change his future, despite the risks was also admirable. Whilst the chemistry between him and Celeste may not have been obvious at the start I enjoyed seeing the romance slowly bubble away.

This story beautifully explores the depth of grief, lasting friendships and ones ability to open up to the world. It teaches us not to be scared of the challenges life brings and sometimes taking the risk can be worth it.

[Ari♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt like a hot chocolate with marshmallows on a rainy day. It was very cosy and a comfort book. Unfortunately the resolutions felt a bit basic and the romance a bit thin for my taste. Also there were a lot of names and specific places mentioned, which was a little confusing at times. The conflict at the end felt a bit forced and was resolved way too quickly with few words. The ending was very emotional and went well with the main topic of grief, which this book covered very well.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another lovely book by Emily Bell. Similar to her last story this book is also set between London and Dublin. It tells the story of Celeste who grieving the death of her best friend Hannah, decides to honour her list of resolutions from her last New Years Eve. Taking her out of her comfort zone Celeste discovers more about herself than she could’ve ever thought.
A poignant heartwarming story this will give you all the comfort of a hug in a book. I loved it, and would give it 4⭐️ Many thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinRandomHouse for my ARC of this book.

[Ellie (bookmadbarlow) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. A tale of two halves.
Celeste is struggling after the death of her best friend, but on going to her first NYE without her she finds a list of things her friend wanted to do, so decides to do the list instead. This opens up her world more and starts to change her.
This first half of this book I found very slow, to the point I wasn't really sure whether to continue, but once Celeste starts carrying out the tasks the book picks up and was quite enjoyable to read about her taking chances.

[Wendy(Wendyreadsbooks) Robey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming story full of emotion. I loved the idea of Celeste trying the ideas from the New Years Resolution list each month. Each one seemed to take her out of her comfort zone and make her think about her life and future.
The other characters were great additions- I especially liked Vik and Mel and their relationship with Celeste was so supportive and understanding.
The friendship between Patrick and Celeste was definitely one of those slow burning relationships - with friends and history in common, I really enjoyed seeing them get to know eachother. A particular highlight was the sound of the Ghent Christmas market - just idyllic.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celeste has thrown herself into her career after losing her best friend Hannah. She has put her relationships with family and friends on the backburner, and is struggling to come to terms with her unimaginable loss. She is dreading the first New Year's Eve without Hannah - NYE was their thing, they celebrated it together every year no matter what else was happening. Celeste learns of Hannah's final list of Resolutions - would completing it give her some closure?

While there is an element of romance to this book, I would say it's much more about grief and learning to live again after a huge loss. Celeste was a really lovely character, and I loved her friends and family. Vik, in particular, I really felt for. I cried more than once as he spoke about losing his partner. The resolutions themselves were okay - I don't know if we all needed to read Celeste's birth chart, but I liked how as the months went on, she found new ways to remember Hannah through the list.

Once again you can immediately tell that this author has a real grá for Dublin, the descriptions of different places are so beautiful. The Christmas market scenes were gorgeous too.

It's not all hugely Christmassy, as it does take place over the course of a year, but I do think it would be best enjoyed in the Wintertime. It's published on October 27th. In the meantime, if you're looking for a Christmassy read, try this author's first book, "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse and @michaeljbooks for granting me early approval via @netgalley.

[Abbie Luck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exactly like the feeling of sitting in a cosy pub at Christmas time, with people you love most, next to a roaring fire, fairy lights twinkling, Christmas music tinkling in the background. I adored the characters though Celeste's constant self criticism and sabotage kind of annoyed me. I love the friendships, the storyline. Have only given four stars because it felt slightly anti-climatic at the end. I wanted more, I wanted meet the family, I wanted Celeste telling everybody she's moving back to Dublin, I wanted the reveal to Vik and their friends. There was so much character development throughout this book and it just kind of fizzled out at the end! This book however completed enveloped me at a time where I've struggled with my mind and it gave me a source of distraction and warmth and for that I am grateful. It is the power of a good book to transport you out of your mind and into the shoes of a fictional character.

[Jennyh · Rating 4 out of 5]

New Year has always been their special time for best friends Hannah and Celeste. When tragedy strikes Celeste is left bereft and struggling to cope without her friend. When she discovers Hannah's New Year resolutions, she finally has a purpose and a way to keep Hannah's memory alive.
Although dealing with very emotive issues, this is a heartwarming tale of friendship and moving on.

[Vincenza 🐄 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very cute read I really enjoyed it :)

[Chloe Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts with best friends Hannah and Celeste celebrating New Year’s Eve, a tradition that they have been honouring since 1999. I really enjoyed this part of the book, and the flashbacks to the past. But then sadly, Hannah suddenly passes away following a skiing accident, and Celeste is left to navigate life without her best friend. We learn that Celeste has fallen into a bit of a rut since Hannah’s death and she’s stopped enjoying life. So when Hannah’s partner Vik unearths Hannah’s resolutions for the year, Celeste decides to honour memory and complete them for her. What Celeste doesn’t realise is that completing the resolutions will spark a major change in her own self, as she falls back in love with life again.

The book takes us through Celeste tackling a resolution in each month of the year, and whilst it was lovely to see her grow as a person, I found the actual activity parts to be overly descriptive and quite boring at times. To me, it felt as though there was nothing else to fill the book with, so the author spent a long time going into unnecessary detail.

I, unfortunately, didn’t connect with Celeste. I found her to be quite a hard, stoic character, and also a bit bland - I didn’t feel like her personality particularly shone through, and I just found her quite cold. Even at the end when she had found her zest for life again, I still just didn’t connect with her. I also thought the consummation of the relationship with Patrick was really out of the blue 🙈

This is a nice story about working through grief and the loss of a best friend, and how to go on when you feel like your world has crumbled. It symbolises hope and positivity. For me, it just missed the mark a bit and I found it to be a little bit too lacking.

[Ellie Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

5*

I’ve tried writing this review twice but something messes up and I lose it so I’ll keep it brief.

I loved it, reading it in the first few days of the year was perfect timing because it made me rethink how I want to approach the year ahead. It’s easy to live in the cracks of routine and the mundane especially when they are your comfort zone. But doing one new different thing each month can make such a huge difference to your life and how you think and cope with different scenarios and this book reminded me of that.

The only downside was that I loved the characters so much I wanted more, I want a second epilogue where I find out about how everything goes for them all.

It’s the loveliest feel good book that dealt with grief so beautifully. There’s a quote ‘it’s like throwing a stone into the water - the stone disappears but the ripples will be seen for a long time, probably forever.’ And I just thought it was such a beautiful way to think of a relationship with someone you’ve lost.

I really loved it and highly recommend reading especially around the new year.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love my lists, and when I find a story written around a list it always appeals to me. While this book's list catalyst is New Year's resolutions, the story and the list tasks span across the year - one each month.

While fairly predictable, the slow burning romance bubbling in the background is lovely to read. However this story is really about grief and how using that list helps our main character deal with her healing, change, and opening up to new experiences.

The author does a great job of discussing a painful subject while also bringing us hope and many light-hearted comedy moments too. This is most definitely helped by the story having a great group of supporting characters, the main characters friends, showing how important important it is to have that support network.

I would recommend for readers looking for a thoughtful cozy romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher / author for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was a lovely book to start December with! I will state that it isn't actually a Christmas book, main themes are more around New Year and resolutions, but as the book takes place across a year, there is a nice cosy moment in there!

We start as Celeste's best friend Hannah's life is tragically cut short. To get a bit of purpose back into her life, Celeste takes on the challenge of completing Hannah's twelve resolutions, throwing her completely out of her comfort zone.

I really enjoyed this and read it in a day without really putting it down at all.
I predicted the romance aspect very early on, being thrown off a bit during the middle... I'll admit to being a little sad when one thing in the story didn't quite work out, but overall I was happy with where things went for Celeste.

[Daniela Torresi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting 2023 with this very charming book and the perfect new year's-weekend read.

This is a great "romance" for people like me who prefer a layered story with a bit less focus on the actual romance (hi, PS I love you and Me before you) and more emphasis on friendship and self development. Set between London and Dublin it follows 35 year old Celeste who is mourning the death of her best friend, Hanna. Realizing she is stuck in her grief as well as her life, she decides to complete Hanna's new year's resolutions during the span of a year.

Featuring a great group of characters, the english countryside, christmas markets and a good dose of self reflection I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cosy, winter read.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a flipping lovely book!!

This story has some many different elements and somehow they fit so perfectly together. Grief, friendship, high powered jobs, adventure and romance, this book has it all.

There’s the perfect amount of Christmas and new years vibes that this still feels like a festive book, even if the plot spans the whole year. This is differently a book I recommend picking up.

[Karen Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book had me gripped from the very first word, from the unexpected tears streaming down my face to the inadvertently smiling, followed by the thought of silly girl, when (in my opinion) wrong decisions were made.

Totally enjoyable even if the plot line was predictive, I will definitely be following this author and searching out more of her books.

[Rosie Greener · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was everything I wanted it to be - A harmless and atmospheric festive read. Perfect to read in December and a pleasure to pick up.
It wasn’t the next literary classic but that wasn’t what I needed it to be.
Highly recommend as an easy read over the festive period and into the new year. Lots of sweet take homes.

[Trijntje · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect entertaining read! 3.5/5 would have been better, it was a tad predictable, but I did enjoy reading it. And dinner will be late tonight, because I wanted to finish it first. ;)

[Emily ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one was super lovely and wholesome. I thoroughly enjoyed every page. the best book to start the new year with! I really enjoyed the journey Celeste went on and how she adapted and embraced change, as well as coming to terms with her guilt in her own way. really recommend! 🤍

[Nat Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely concept. I really enjoyed the developing friendships and the experiences Celeste took part in. The self evaluation of personal growth also resonated.

[Kelly Weidner-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, such an easy read. Will definitely be buying more from this author ☺️

[Ellie Parsons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very slow and there wasn’t much of a plot tbh but wholesome nonetheless

[Maddie Hourn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Summer Ridley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so cute and the way it all times together is perfect. Celeste is an icon 😌🫶

[Bethany Dear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay so cute book. Advertised as a romance which really it’s not. And the ending kinda was funky but anyway !