When you discover a new to you author with a book you absolutely love and can't put down.
First off, that cover. Gorgeous and so eye catching. It says cold and hot at the same time.
I knew this would be a love story but without having read the author yet, I thought it would be your typical romance. It was so much more. I haven't read a romance this emotional in a while.
I just loved the concept of "Cold World" an indoor fun world bringing the outdoors inside. Cold World has all the cold fun you could want with an indoor skating rink, falling snow, a magical snow globe, frigidly cold temperatures and more. I thought it was a pretty neat concept and it's set in Florida as well.
The romance is hot and steamy. A friends to lover's romance. Coworkers that have worked together a long time begin to see each other in a new light.
The book felt very realistic, each of the leads has insecurities they need to work through and with the other person they receive emotional support.
One of the leads is bisexual and has been estranged from his family for most of his adult life since his forced coming out.
There is an unexpected family reunion with our hero and his family.
There is a strong sense of transparency with our main characters they put themselves out there and open up to each other leaving themselves vulnerable if the other wanted to take advantage of them.
They each have an important back story which helps to explain why they have the insecurities they do. There are some trigger warnings that the author makes a note of. I really loved how even while going through so many personal things the author portrays a united front with our two main characters and the support, they give each other. Definitely an author on my radar that I'll be reading more of in the future.

Pub Date: 01 Aug 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Hi and welcome to my blog stop for Alicia Thompson's With Love, From Cold World! A big thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

That exciting moment when you find a new author whose book you love…

Alicia Thompson’s With Love, From Cold World masters that mix of components in my favorite reads: emotionally striking, great tension between leads, & (a bit rarer) moments of humor/eccentricity that make the book distinctive.

I adored this book for many reasons, including:

❄️the enemies to lovers arc, which felt realistic given how seemingly different each lead is & their various insecurities/challenges/personality habits.

❄️a locked in scene, where both MCs are locked in at their attraction & where things really progress emotionally & physically in their relationship!

❄️ found family rep. Talk about getting to your heart…I love how friendship is portrayed in this book & Lauren’s efforts to put herself out there more.

❄️bisexual rep. I’ve only read a few books where the hero is bisexual & the other lead is a female. Asa has a backstory that I think will be meaningful to many readers. (Please check out trigger warnings).

This book has steam and poignancy, & I had such a great time on the journey. Love these characters—do I relate to the self-conscious heroine or do I relate —& the happiness they find with each other.

5⭐️. Out 08/01.

CWs: references to foster care experience, parental drug use. Asa’s parents made him leave their home when someone outed him without his consent. He is estranged from his parents for much of the book.

ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a beach hat and a red vintage-style bathing suit, holds the ebook while standing in front of some palm trees.

An adorable story set in a winter wonderland with the biggest tongue twister name - Cold World. Even though the cover art kinda gave the love story away, I enjoyed the build up.

Read if you like:
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ Rep
🏳️‍🌈 Bi MMC
😬 Rivals to Lovers
❄️ Workplace Romance
💋 He Falls First
👦🏼 Foster care plot points

This was such a good sophomore release!!! I absolutely enjoyed this one so much as it has some of my favorite tropes with rivals/enemies to lovers and workplace romances. There also was a bit of forced proximity too with the workplace and working on a project together for their boss.

I also really liked the love triangle vibes where Lauren has the hots for the bosses son purely based on looks because let’s be honest he is an ass and she knows that deep down.

I loved how both her and Asa had faced adversity in different ways as they grew up, foster care for Lauren and not being accepted as bisexual by his family and being cast aside because it truly provided so much depth to these characters and made them feel real.

I also loved the plot points of foster care with Lauren being a guardian for parental visits for a Forster kid so you can really understand the impact that foster care had on her and her relationship with Asa through this plot point.

All in all, such an enjoyable romance and I will definitely be reading what Alicia writes next! Thanks so much Berkley for my ARC of this one in exchange for my honest review!

I really really enjoyed this! I read the e-arc and listened to the audiobook thanks to PRH audio. The narration was fantastic and kept me engaged the whole time.

I loved the concept of Cold World as an entertainment attraction in Florida. It sounded like a delightful little slice of holiday year round. Lauren is Cold World’s bookkeeper and seems to keep herself separate from most of the staff. Despite thinking he doesn’t like her, she’s thrown into a project to help revive Cold World with Asa, who has worked there since he was out of high school. They had several great interactions when they’re just starting the project (like the snowball fight!) Asa and his story particularly stole my heart. As a parent, it’s heartbreaking to see parents that don’t love/support their children because of their sexuality. I adored Asa and his found family of roommates. I also loved how his relationships with his family developed along with the story. I really enjoyed this one and how it wrapped up! I can’t wait to read more from Alicia Thompson.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an advance copy of this!

I became a fan of Alicia Thompson's writing after devouring her debut in one sitting last year and did a re-read of it earlier this year and still loved it. So when the opportunity came to read her follow up, I was super psyched!

This book EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS AND MORE!
I absolutely loved everything about this book. It gave me everything I could ever want in a romance.

"Pull my hair anytime."

I am such a fan of enemies to lovers and throw them being co workers into the mix and having to work together - such a perfect recipe! Asa was such a great MMC and I love the fact that Thompson gave him blue hair, tattoos and he is a bisexual king. The reader could tell that he had some sort of crush or feelings for Lauren from the start. The playful banter, the small gestures and just the way he kept wanting to be a part of her life. I love that we got to know Asa throughout the book and see his personal journey with his relationship with his family and how he established those boundaries with his parents.

Lauren was such a great FMC. She was messy but not so much that she is unbearable. She likes things a particular way and is a rule follower. We also learn about her background and why she is the way she is. There was a moment where she gets drunk to try to be a "Fun Lauren" to which she thinks people will like her and it really hit home for me. I think we all have times where we think we need to be a certain way for X reason and for some they think by drinking or taking substances makes them "cooler" when really it doesn't. She just wants that feeling of belonging that she lacked growing up and my heart just went out to her.

"It was just hard for me, keeping it a secret. I want to be able to talk about you, to touch you in public, to go out together without worrying someone is going to see us."

The setting in this book was such a cool concept!!! My brother lives in Florida and I know this is something he would definitely go with his family possibly all year long. The way Thompson describe the different activities I could picture them so clearly.

The friendships in this group were amazing! I love how they created their own family unit in their apartment and just are a solid group for individuals. Kiki was such a great middle person between Asa and Lauren. She was so welcoming for Lauren and bringing her into their group even if she was hesitant at first.

Compared to the debut, this one delivers with being more of an open door romance. There were so many scenes that made me blush in all the best ways!

Once again I have no clue if I am rambling or if I expressed enough to show how much I have loved this book.
I am so excited to see what Alicia is working on next & I know she will continue to get better and better with time.

A new feature for romances I am doing is a Swoon Meter & is karaoke featured (my favorite niche trope):
Swoon - 12/10
Karaoke - YES

Lastly, THIS COVER IS ONE OF THE BEST COVERS OF 2023!!! IT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!

PS - I should have expected such a wonderful acknowledgement section from what I know of Alicia's writing in her substacks but seeing a shout out to Harry's House made me squeal!

PSS - If you don't already follow Alicia on IG, what are you waiting for?! She has the best stories & also a great newsletter/substack.

A workplace enemies-to-lovers romance with a quirky setting and more depth than this trope generally delivers. Very enjoyable and entertaining read!

Cold World is a year round winter wonderland tourist destination in Orlando. But compared to other more famous tourist destinations in Florida, it is not as successful. That’s why Lauren, Asa, and the boss’s son Daniel are tasked with coming up with fresh ideas that will help the business. But here’s the twist - Lauren and Asa don’t get along at all AND Lauren has a massive crush on Daniel who doesn’t seem to know she exists. But through this process, Lauren and Asa seem to actually enjoy spending time together.

This book was so good. From the fun tourist destination and learning all about Cold World (this was exactly where I wanted to be as it was literally over 100 degrees outside when I was reading it) to the incredible characters, this book brought me so much joy. I loved Asa and Lauren and the incredible people they were The way they each used their trauma to better the world and help children was beautiful - Lauren supported children in the foster care system by being a guardian and advocate and Asa volunteered taking calls for a LGTBQIA+ youth crisis line. With all they had gone through, seeing them slowly open up to each other was especially heartwarming and I was rooting for them from the beginning.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

With Love, from Cold World is a book I thoroughly loved from beginning to end. With a workplace rivals to romance - the tension! - Thompson's sophomore book is about seeing someone. The joy and fulfillment we get from being with someone who supports us and sees us for who we are. For Lauren, she's grown so used to her isolation and is experiencing this deep longing for a sense of place, of belonging, of a soft place to land. Through each other, they find that this life of uncertainty, cruelty from others, and difficult days can be made a little less lonely together.

Lauren and Asa work together at Cold World, a just-like-it-sounds theme park, only it’s located in the depths of balmy Florida. But their common workplace is where the similarities between these two polar (wink) opposites end. Where Lauren is buttoned up and shy, Asa is go with the flow and outgoing. Naturally, they butt heads, but also prefer to stay off each other’s icy roads.

So when their boss suggests they actually put their heads together to save the struggling amusement park, neither is too hot for the idea. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Lauren then realizes her workplace crush is also part of the equation, and things start heating up. But as the trio (really, the duo) work hard to impress their boss, they are surprised to discover they’re equally concerned with impressing one another. Now the unthinkable has happened and Cold World has frozen over. Who knew working with your rival could be “snow” much fun? 😃

Although not her first novel, this is the first time I’m reading Alicia Thompson’s work. I quickly warmed up to With Love From Cold World for its enemies to lovers vibe, complete with a Christmas in July backdrop. But as the story began to unfold, I found myself growing less invested in the characters. For starters, I felt the first time Asa and Lauren hooked up, the readers had yet to work hard enough for the moment. As an extension of this, the moment itself felt out of character based on what we knew about them up to that point.

And speaking of backstory, I felt Asa’s bisexuality felt false- as if it was placed there to check a box rather than create a three dimensional character. It’s a plot device I see being used more and more these days, despite its often lack of overall relevancy to the story itself.

With Love From Cold World is still a fun escape that will no doubt please many romance readers, despite some elements of cold comfort.

I enjoyed watching Lauren and Asa realize that they misjudged each other and their journey to come together. This is a soft and sweet romance that’s also full of spice. I love a MC that will stick up for their partner and I loved that we got to see Lauren do it to Asa’s bigoted parents.

I absolutely loved this book! The whole setting of Cold World was completely captivating and as someone who has lived in Southern California her whole life, I wanted it to be real! But more than that, I loved the dynamic not just between Asa and Lauren, but between all of the members of their found family. The found family vibes were so strong and done so well, it just made the romance all that much sweeter!

Rating: 4/5
Warnings: parental drug addiction (in past), foster care, death of a parent (in past), religious intolerance, involuntary outing, difficult family dynamics, biphobia
Steam: 3/5
Tropes: workplace romance, holiday, enemies to lovers

Thank you to Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Alicia Thompson was an author I was intrigued about since her debut last year, like the first this is majorly quirky, in the most delightful way.

What I loved: I loved the found family. unique setting. give me all the, "we are stuck at work overnight together vibes". some Christmas magic in July. I really related to and understood Lauren. this book dealt with some heavy topics with care. the friend group. Christmas movies.

What I didn't: the pacing was off and the transition from work enemies to lovers did not fully work for me. The book was both slow and way too fast at the same time.

Overall, I really just loved how I felt listening/reading this book so it's a four star for me!

Let me say that no one other than someone who lives/is from Florida writes a book set in Orlando and it was very very accurate. Cold World gives me all the major vibes of every cold theme park like attraction that has been tried over the past 30 years. Including Blizzard Beach and the Gaylord Palms year exhibit.

I enjoyed this so much 🥺

It was funny and well-written, tender AND spicy. I loved the characters and the world that Thompson built, and it was truly a story that I wanted to get lost in. I was rooting for Lauren and Asa from page one, and loved watching their relationship--and their individual storylines--develop. It was thoughtful in its representation and just extremely, extremely readable!

(Also, as a pop culture girlie, I loved all the nods to music, movies, and institutions. So fun.)

A thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. WITH LOVE, FROM COLD WORLD is out 8/1/23!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

With Love, from Cold War is a fun romcom about Lauren, a bookkeeper at the amusement park, Cold World. She unfortunately has to work with her nemesis, Asa. When the owner asks Lauren and Asa to come up with an idea to increase foot traffic, it takes their rivalry to the next level. Will the rivals finally find some common ground?

This was a cute read with a bit of holiday cheer. I enjoyed the banter and the deeper themes. Overall, an entertaining romcom full of complex characters.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"I happen to like you exactly as you are." There is something beautiful about falling in love over conversation. Not all love stories are easy and it definitely wasn't for Lauren and Asa. These two started out during their first meeting at work three years ago with Lauren criticizing one of Asa's ideas without realizing it was his. Ever since, they have not exactly been enemies but also haven't particularly gotten along. Now, they find they are both working on the same project to come up with an idea to rejuvenate Cold World - the winter wonderland they work at in Florida.

Both Asa and Lauren have some serious vulnerabilities that they hide. Asa does so with his constant jokes and easygoing personality. Lauren sticks to rules, regulations and a sense of order. As they slowly get to know one another, their inner truths slowly come out. This is a slow build romance with big payoff in the end. I loved Asa's innate goodness and loyalty. I could relate to Lauren's constant questioning of herself and whether she misreads situations, always worrying that she has done something wrong. I fell in love with the friends and roommates in this book. I both laughed and teared up while reading. The writing and story really got to me in a way that no book has done in a long time.

I highly recommend this read if you're in the mood for something witty, soulful, and fun. Thompson includes content warnings at the start of the book and I encourage you to read those in order to protect yourself as there are some tough topics in this one. I fell in love with Asa, Lauren and Cold World and will be sure to revisit them in the future. A solid 5 stars!

This book had all the bones of being cute but the pacing felt a little off for me and dragged a bit in some places. Perhaps I just wasn’t in the mood for this book when I read it because there’s no real reason it should have taken me this long to finish it. However, I loved both MCs, the bisexual, always ready with a joke to avoid talking about his true feelings Asa and uptight, rule following Lauren, a former foster kid abandoned by her drug addicted mom who can’t seem to believe in anyone sticking around for her. They both have rough family histories, get along like oil and water, work at a kitschy place called Cold World in Florida, and when their animosity suddenly turns to attraction, they have to deal with their past in order to fight for their future.

ARC from publisher, review is all mine.

Content warnings, reference to child abuse, parental abandonment, foster kid, homophobia, toxic parental relationships

Lauren Fox is a bookkeeper for a Cold World, a winter themed tourist spot in Orlando, Florida. She likes her job and the people except for Asa Williamson. Asa likes to tease and provoke Lauren. Think of it as the guy who pulls a girls pig tails because deep down he likes her. But I find those kind of guys really annoying. The owner Delores talks to Lauren, Asa about coming up with ideas to increase revenue and they can work together or separately. Of course they end up spending time together thinking of a way to help their work home.

The back stories for the leads help show how they react to things around them. Lauren was a foster child and everything feels temporary to her. Asa is Bi and was thrown out while by his conservative preacher father while still in high school. He relies on his found family and doesn’t like change.

I’m probably in the minority by I didn’t get her attraction to him. He’s a nice guy and at first I was getting The Hating Game, enemies to lovers vibe. But ultimately their lack of communication frustrated me. There are many positive things and I still recommend the book. I especially like when she stands up for him at a baby-shower and the friend group. The cover is also very memorable. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review. (3.5 Stars)

First, lets talk about this cover!!! WOW

In this enemies to lovers romance, two co-workers at Cold World, a icy attraction in Florida, must develop a plan to save the facility from being sold. Its cozy atmosphere is outdated, and now they must adapt to a new audience. Lauren, a known ice queen, and Asa, bi-sexual, lovable and blue haired, are forced to let down their guards for the greater good including their hearts.

Their frosty connection melts slowly as they learn not to judge a book by its cover. They are opposites in every way but perfectly warm-up together in trust and understanding. The cast of employees and friends are an absolute blast. This is not your typical romance novel, and a small heart will grow three sizes at its conclusion.

Thank you Berkley Publishing/Berkley Romance for the complimentary copy.

I listened to this audiobook and the narration is just fantastic. I adore the idea of a cold wintery theme park in Florida, although a challenge to pull off, and the creativity in how to make it even better. This book just fed my soul with love and kindness. The representation for Lauren and Asa is just beautiful and I love how they eventually connect and support each other in the best ways despite their initial misunderstandings. The humor is the best, the story so well-written, and the overall message: love is love.