One Day in December audiobook vs book: which should you choose?
Laurie glimpses a man through a bus window, then meets him again as her best friend’s new boyfriend, and the story follows ten years of Decembers.
Short answer: for the One Day in December audiobook vs book choice, we say either works (53% confidence, close call). Eleanor Tomlinson and Charlie Anson read it for Penguin Audio, 10 hours 27 minutes, unabridged; listings do not say who reads which character. Library Journal praised the narrators and the paperback runs to 464 pages, which favour audio. The story is told in yearly snapshots across ten years, which favours print.
Either works
Praised narration and a 464-page book favour audio, while a decade told in yearly snapshots favours print.
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Confidence 53%, which puts it in the close call band. Bands run from close call at 50 to 64, through leaning at 65 to 79 and clear at 80 to 94, up to clear cut at 95 and above.
The audiobook at a glance
| Recording | UK edition, our verdict (Penguin Audio) | US edition (Random House Audio) |
|---|---|---|
| Narrators | Eleanor Tomlinson and Charlie Anson | Eleanor Tomlinson and Charlie Anson |
| Length | 10 hours 27 minutes (10h 27m) | 10 hours 27 minutes (10h 27m) |
| At 1.5x | about 6h 58m | about 6h 58m |
| At 2x | about 5h 14m | about 5h 14m |
| Abridged or unabridged | Unabridged | Unabridged |
| Audio publisher and year | Penguin Audio, released 23 August 2018 | Random House Audio, 2018 |
| Print length | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Both stores credit the same two narrators at the same length, which suggests one recording, but that is not confirmed. With the two tied, the UK edition is named as scored. No listing we read says which narrator reads which character.
Lengths checked 23 October 2026 (OverDrive UK lists 10:27:17). Speed times are calculated.
One Day in December
Josie Silver
- Genre
- Romance; a love story told over ten years
- Published
- 2018
- On audio
- 10 hrs 27 mins, Eleanor Tomlinson and Charlie Anson
- Debut
- Josie Silver’s first novel
On this page
Why we reached this verdict
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions. They are based on research into what most people find easier to follow in each format, not on whether the book is any good.
Listening: award-winning or praised narration (6), long book (3), 9 points. Reading: jumping timelines (8), 8 points. The points split 53% listening to 47% reading, which is too close to favour either format, so the verdict is either works at 53% confidence (close call).
The recording in detail
- Scored
- Eleanor Tomlinson and Charlie Anson, Penguin Audio, 2018, 10h 27m, unabridged
- Casting
- Who reads which character is not stated
- Critic review
- None found
- Alternatives
- None found
- What you miss
- Possibly year headings and Laurie’s resolution lists, not confirmed
What this book actually is
One Day in December is Josie Silver’s first novel, published in 2018. On a snowy December day, Laurie sees a man through a bus window and is sure he is the one; then the bus pulls away. A year later her best friend Sarah introduces her new boyfriend, Jack, and it is him.
The novel follows Laurie, Sarah and Jack across ten years, and Publishers Weekly notes that the chapters are divided between Laurie and Jack. Who ends up with whom is not covered here.
The case for reading it
The case for reading is the timeline. The book moves through a decade a year at a time, which a blogger describes as snapshots, with Laurie’s New Year’s resolutions opening each year. In print you can glance back to see where you are. On audio you have to remember it.
Whether print marks each year or each narrator with a heading is not confirmed.
The case for listening to it
It is one love story with a strong pull: Publishers Weekly calls the narrative “propulsive”. The recording has two narrators, Eleanor Tomlinson and Charlie Anson, for a book whose chapters alternate between Laurie and Jack. Listings do not say who reads which, but if they split by character, you hear a different voice at each change of chapter.
The unabridged recording runs 10 hours 27 minutes, about 7 hours at 1.5x.
The audiobook in detail
Eleanor Tomlinson and Charlie Anson read the Penguin Audio edition, released on 23 August 2018 at 10 hours 27 minutes (OverDrive lists 10:27:17). Random House Audio published it in the US the same year with the same narrators and length, which suggests one recording, though that is not confirmed.
No cast beyond the two narrators, and no music, was found. Speed times: about 6h 58m at 1.5x and 5h 14m at 2x (calculated).
Who should ignore this verdict
Lean towards Kindle if you like to keep a timeline straight by flicking back. The book moves through a decade a year at a time, with Laurie’s New Year’s resolutions opening each year, and in print you can glance back to see where you are.
Lean towards Audible if you want one love story that keeps you listening: Publishers Weekly calls the narrative “propulsive”, and Library Journal praises the two narrators for voicing characters of different ages, genders, nationalities and social classes.
Anyone wanting a Christmas book above all should know that the key meetings fall in December across the decade, but how much of the book is set at Christmas is not confirmed.
Audiobook
- Read by Eleanor Tomlinson and Charlie Anson
- 10h 27m, or about 6h 58m at 1.5x
- Unabridged
Read differently from most people? The app, coming soon, will let you switch off any of the thirteen checks. Get notified →
Related verdicts
Me Before You
A contemporary love story with several narrators.
Normal People
A love story told in time-stamped jumps, where either format works.
People We Meet on Vacation
A decade of summers with printed time markers, with a Listen verdict.
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Questions people ask
Who narrates the One Day in December audiobook?
Eleanor Tomlinson and Charlie Anson read it for Penguin Audio. No listing we read says which of them reads which character.
How long is the One Day in December audiobook?
10 hours 27 minutes, unabridged; at 1.5x about 6 hours 58 minutes and at 2x about 5 hours 14 minutes (calculated).
Is the One Day in December audiobook abridged?
No. OverDrive lists the Penguin Audio edition as unabridged.
Should I read or listen to One Day in December?
Either works, on our checks (53% confidence, close call). Praised narration and a 464-page book favour audio; ten years told in yearly snapshots favour print.
Is One Day in December a Christmas book?
Partly. The key meetings fall in December across ten years, and it opens on a snowy December day, but how much of the book is set at Christmas is not confirmed.
Do you agree with this verdict?
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How this verdict was reached
Every book on this site is checked against the same thirteen questions, set in advance and applied identically to every title. They are based on research into what readers and listeners generally find easier to follow in each format, not on personal preference, and they are published in full so you can check the reasoning yourself. Verdicts are never paid for, sponsored or influenced by affiliate partners.
- The criteria: read the thirteen questions in full.
- What we checked for this book: OverDrive’s UK listing, Audible’s UK and US listings, Libro.fm, Publishers Weekly’s review, a book blog, Love Reading, and Open Library for the cover.
- Verdict last reviewed: 23 October 2026. Editions and narrators change, so verdicts are rechecked annually.
- Prefer different criteria? The app, coming soon, will let you change which of the thirteen questions matter to you.
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