WHEN LOVE GETS HOPELESS

ONE DAY IN DECEMBER, BY JOSIE SILVER, IS A FUZZY NOVEL ABOUT LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

First of all, to enjoy this book, you have to set aside your skepticism and common sense. You have to embrace your inner romantic, and you have to believe, just for a few hours, that love at first sight is a reasonable thing and that we all have a soul mate.

If you can do that, then you will find Josie Silver ’s One Day in December a sweet, entertaining read. If you can’t, then you will spend a lot of time rolling your eyes.

The main character and narrator, Laurie (not me), makes eye contact with a handsome stranger one afternoon as she boards a bus. He is sitting on a park bench, wearing a peacoat and a scarf and reading a thick hardback book, the epitome of the perfect man. Their eyes meet, the bus pulls away, but by then Laurie is in love. She is certain the handsome stranger feels the same way.

She tells her best friend, Sarah, about him. She spends a lot of time looking for him, to no avail. And then, after she has given up, he shows up — as Sarah’s new boyfriend.

What follows is a touching story about a woman trying to do the right thing, trying to be a true friend and get over a man she loves even as he becomes a huge part of her life. One Day in December follows the three characters for 10 years, and while it has a happy ending for all, the book isn’t just empty romance fiction: The fully formed characters grow and change, and over time they each learn they have to leave their comfort zone — and one another — in order to grow up.

If you’re heading out of town anytime over the holidays, this would be the perfect airplane read.