Counting Down to You by Emily Stone

We can "count" on Emily Stone to provide a twist on the usual Christmas romance tropes.  Counting Down to You is traditional fake relationship story, but it’s also the story of friendship that is too important to lose, even when it is gone

Ali and Robyn have been best friends forever. Each year, they create a special Advent type calendar for each other, with both serious and whimsical challenges for the year. The idea is to complete them by Christmas, but at before the year is up.

 

Then Robyn dies and Ali is faced with a future without herAs she works through the last calendar she will ever have from Robyn, she finds herselfIt’s a lovely and heartwarming novel and frankly, a great idea for a gift

Counting Down to You will be published on October 6, 2026, by Ballantine/Bell. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.