Ringing in arguably the jolliest month of the year is Rosie Curtis’ We Met in December. This week, I’m using our unmistakably British protagonists as an excuse to enjoy an aromatic brew: the London Fog.
Another book about a London flatshare? It seems I’m falling into a pattern…
The "No Relationships" Rule
Jess is craving a new path after a huge life change, and follows her dream job in publishing to the enchanting cobblestones of London. There, she finds a shockingly cheap room in an old Notting Hill home with her friend Becky and a few flatmates. On her first December night in the house, Jess immediately hits it off with new flatmate Alex, and sparks fly. The only hitch: Becky has established a strict policy on roommate relationships in order to maintain civility in the house. After a brief Christmas holiday away, Jess is prepared to break the rules and confess her feelings, returning to find that Alex is not only seeing someone else - he’s now secretly dating their other flatmate, Emma. Best course of action? Pretend she never liked him and continue to be his friend as if nothing happened the night they met.
Over the course of one year, Jess and Alex develop an intense friendship, exploring London together and bonding over past relationship woes. Both have abandoned the comfort of their past careers or homes to land in this flatshare, and this common choice connects them, despite Jess’ attempts to deny their chemistry. Jess, of course, endeavors to forget that fateful December housewarming party, throwing herself into her work and enduring terrible (but hilarious) Tinder dates. After all, Alex is with Emma, and they're happy together.
Swapping chapters, the two narrate a classic case of miscommunicated feelings and discover all that can go unsaid when life gets in the way.
"The thing about being addicted to a certain kind of romantic movie is that you're always half-expecting that your life might just suddenly take a turn for the better."
Romance Steeped in Tension
Some elements of this narrative felt like a veritable tonic for the soul. The opening pages instantly captured the sparkly, festive feel of Christmas that I love so well, and Curtis’ attention to detail and imagery carried throughout the novel. Jess and Alex’s adventures in London made me want to visit the city and find a similarly gorgeous British nurse to give me a personal tour. And Jess’ dynamic with her roommates felt so cozy and warm, helping me feel right at home in Notting Hill. But the quiet pining and unspoken feelings between two grown adults living in a flatshare together, however realistic, can grow infuriating. I love a slow burn romance, yet this novel somehow managed to draw out the tension too long in such a short (one-year) timeframe.
Now, forgive me if I’m off the mark, but Jess and her roommates didn’t read like characters bordering on their 30s. This could be because I haven't yet reached this age range, but their refusal to communicate or understand one another’s relationship statuses felt, well, juvenile. Like something I’d have done in college. Yes, there was a living situation at stake so the risk is inherently greater, but the scenario just felt like it was immature, or at least in need of further development. It didn’t help that Jess and Alex were both written and characterized in very similar ways. Taking this weak characterization into account, it was difficult to understand why Alex didn’t want to be in a committed relationship, or his motivations to be with Emma. As much as I wanted to like Alex, the dialogue, his choices, and his lack of dimension made it challenging to root for him as a protagonist, much less as Jess' love interest.
I can’t help but compare this novel to The Flatshare (also published in 2019), mostly because the parallels are too numerous to ignore. In both, the female protagonist is pursuing her dream career in publishing and the male protagonist is a nurse who doesn’t believe he has time for a relationship. Frankly, I found that the swapping POVs in The Flatshare were not only more unique, but far more believable. Jess and Alex, while relatable and loveable in some moments, were somewhat bland in their mirrored narration, and we lost some needed nuance as a result. Their voices and storytelling felt identical at points, which inherently detracted from the novel's pacing. I have to wonder how this novel would have read from exclusively Jess' perspective; I wish I could have seen Jess stand on her own without Alex’s jealousy quickly clouding her experiences. And because I enjoyed Jess’ encounters with her other flatmates, I’d have loved to see the narrative explore their relationships more and thus advance our understanding of Jess. Like, give us even more interactions with Nanna Beth, Becky, and Rob!! (Hello, Bechdel test?) But I guess emotionally unavailable men make the world go round. Sigh.
This is definitely a lighter read for fans of slow burn romances. While it doesn’t have as Christmassy a vibe as I originally assumed, it’s still a charming, cozy novel to enjoy with a hot cup of tea during the holiday season. I give Rosie Curtis’ We Met in December 3 stars out of 5; I’d have loved further character development and more differentiation in Jess and Alex’s POVs. I recommend this book to fans of the film Love Actually, and to readers who liked The Flatshare or Beach Read.
The London Fog
Is there such a thing as love at first sip? I was introduced to the titular London Fog latte at the Kai Iwi cafe in Grenoble, and instantly fell. Even the scent of this latte is magical. Aromatic, floral, and impossibly warm, the latte is pretty widely available at the average cafe - including at Starbucks. This brew is the perfect addition to the cold wintry season in England; the latte might not have originated in the capitol city, but it could certainly drive that traditional London fog away! And it totally gives me the same cozy vibes as Jess' initial narration during Christmastime.
Recipes typically involve some form of vanilla (sugar, syrup, or essence), sugar (cane or brown), frothed milk, earl grey tea, water, and some form of lavender (tea leaves, buds, syrup, or essence). The bergamot flavor from the early grey is essential, and I haven't found a recipe which doesn't include it.
For my attempt at this brew, I used Jee's recipe from Oh, How Civilized. She's a tea sommelier, which I didn't know was a career, but I would now like to train to become one ASAP.
Jee's London Fog recipe:
¾ cup water
2 teaspoons earl grey loose tea or 1 tea sachet or 1 tea bag
¼ teaspoon dried lavender + extra for garnish
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup milk (any kind)
I substituted the dried lavender buds with a drop or two of my lavender essential oil. (It's safe for ingestion!) I assumed that this drink was so much more difficult to make because the flavors are so complex and lovely, but this recipe took only a few minutes more than my usual tea prep time. And there are plenty of variations of this brew, like with lavender tea, maple syrup, or yerba mate.
I won't say that this latte is the most Christmassy drink ever, but I'm not not saying it...
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