Quality Christmas books are always in short supply, and I'm so glad I found this! The story was sweet and it felt like a warm hug.

This book was just a little too "heart warming" for me. Which means, I was sad. I dont think I was in the right place to read an emotional book so for me it was more sad than anything. Thank you for the book, though!

One Last Gift by Emily Stone. Pub Date: October 11, 2022. Rating: 3 stars. When I started this book, I thought it was going to be a fluffy Christmas story but needless to say it was the complete opposite but in a good way. Based around Christmas time, this is the story of a woman who finds out her brother has died. Through his death, she discovers things about him and finds a way to reconnect with him and his acquaintances. In the process, she goes through her own self discovery with a little bit of romance sprinkled in. I enjoyed this book, but found it to be slow at times. Overall, solid read. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley #onelastgift

read the synopsis of One Last Gift, knew what I walking into but was still taken on an emotional rollercoaster. Emily has a way of making her characters so real; it seems at times that you share the same brain. Her writing consistently articulates the types of thoughts and emotions we grapple with. This book broke my heart but equally put it back together.

Stone’s characters have great depth, and I enjoyed the varying degrees of closeness the characters shared. The settings quickly came to life and made me feel like I was in the UK.

Stone masterfully weaved lessons of love for one’s family, friends, and self and how love can persevere when someone is no longer there (death or distance).

Sidenote: I particularly enjoyed her use of letters because it reminded me of her first novel, a book that destroyed me.

One Last Gift is Cassie's story, but it is also Tom's story. Cassie and Tom are siblings with Tom being the oldest. Sadly, they lose their parents at a very young age and are sent to live with an aunt. Being that Cassie is younger she doesn't want her aunt but her mother, which is of course understandable. Tom is Cassie's buffer, her so to speak protector in life, comforting her during sad times when he himself is going through turmoil but he doesn't show it. As you could imagine the siblings are close in their relationship. For quite some time Tom and Sam have been best friends, nothing they wouldn't do for each other. You know what they say about wanting to date your brother's best friend, but Cassie doesn't heed this and makes her feelings known to Sam during a skiing trip. Sam seems to reciprocate these feelings, but he brushes off her feelings and she is really hurt. With how nice of a guy Tom is you really become attached to him and then to find out he passes away in an accident is devastating. Understandably Sam is beside himself with grief with his best friend gone and Cassie blames him for not being able to help him and that just piles on the guilt. I enjoyed seeing the witty banner between Sam and Cassie when they aren't at each other's throats. The one really neat thing is each year at Christmas time Tom sets up a treasure hunt for Cassie to solve and the clues get harder each year. It was such an emotional time reading as she goes through the clues and solves them. The clues take her to places outgoing Tom knew she would have never gone on her own and they have her doing things she wouldn't have had the courage to do. The book is very encouraging but yet very emotional. In a way it's as though Tom is still here in a small way giving Cassie the encouragement and pick me up, she needs. Such a fabulous book. I recommend this to everyone needing a quiet moment of reflection and a dose of encouragement.

Pub Date 11 Oct 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

4.5/5

This book was wonderful. I didn’t want to put it down. The story is so beautiful. My heart broke for Cassie and then I continued to cheer her on throughout the book. She is a great character with such a great comeback.

Excellent story!

I really liked this book so much. The story was great and the characters really touched me.
Every year, Tom put together a scavenger hunt for his sister Cassie. After his death, she finds his final scavenger hunt. As she finds the clues over the next year, she learns more about her brother and it helps her get past her grief.
I highly recommend this book, 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

A lighthearted feel good motivational romance that will make you smile. A delightful read around the holidays. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The storyline for this book was decent, and I really enjoyed the scavenger hunts. Unfortunately, I feel like a lot was drug out which made it hard to keep my attention. Some parts are definitely emotional, and it has a good vibe of finding your way after tragedy. I think if this book was slightly shorter and more fast-paced, it would’ve kept my interested!

I’ve tried to read this one 2 different times now and it has bored me to tears both times, so I will not be continuing. I love Christmas stories and romances but for whatever reason this is just not working for me at all. Thanks anyway for the ARC!

A sweet friends to lovers romance that revolves around a Christmas treasure hunt. A bit predictable but in romance that’s not a bad thing. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

Cassie and Tom were the closest siblings after losing their parents at a young age. But 20 years later, Cassie has also lost Tom and feels incredibly alone. When she finds an envelope with her name on it, she knows it was meant to be the first clue in her annual Christmas gift scavenger hunt from Tom. A gift he had been telling her for months would be the most epic hunt he had ever done. As she goes on the adventure finding the clues Tom left her, Cassie also reunites with his best friend and her former crush, Sam. Throughout the hunt Cassie begins to heal and really starts to find herself and maybe even love in the process.

Wow. This book hit me in all the feels. Grab a box of tissues and prepare for an emotional and heart-warming journey. I loved this story and how we saw Cassie really work through her grief and begin to start over after so much loss in her life. I loved the support system she had and how her friends became a chosen family for her. This was such a beautiful story of grief and new beginnings.

Thank you to Ballantine Books for the advance copy.

This was a quick holiday read that I wasn’t expecting to be such an emotional ride. I enjoyed it. It dealt with grief and death in a thoughtful way but I loved the friendship and personal growth throughout. My first book by Emily Stone but it won’t be my last!

Heartwarming but also real - following the main character as she works through grief and finding herself. I found this to be a lovely holiday read.

Okay this book was an emotional journey. I felt so bad for Cassie and Sam, and the grief they went through and at the same time I wanted to so badly shake some sense into them. It was a rough ride for my romantic heart. lol As soon as I thought they would be good, the universe (Emily Stone) was like nope. Although from reading her other books, I should have known she wouldn't make this easy for the readers. lol Still I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to crying at her next book.

In ONE LAST GIFT by Emily Stone, Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age. Tom has always looked out for Cassie and tried to include her in everything, including activities with his best friend, Sam. One thing that Cassie always looked forward to were the scavenger hunts her brother created for her every Christmas. Until one day when Cassie gets the phone call we all fear, informing her that she has lost her brother, Tom as well. Now she totally feels alone. Keep the tissues close by! You are going to need them!

Switching between the thoughts of a young woman and her brother’s best friend, across multiple years, there is a romance storyline you will be routing for, but I will definitely say ONE LAST GIFT is going to pull at your heart strings throughout the story! Be prepared for Emily Stone to rip your heart out! She will do a nice job of putting it back together as well! Although her brother Tom is gone, Cassie discovers one last Christmas Scavenger Hunt adventure he organized before his tragic passing. Through flashbacks and letters, I love how the essence of Tom is still very much alive. In a way, ONE LAST GIFT is his story too.

I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving away all of ONE LAST GIFT but once I started reading this beautiful and heart breaking story, I could not stop! Everyone should have this unforgettable book on their reading list if you don’t already. The dialogue between Cassie and Sam, is just hysterical. There is so much pain in this story and in Cassie’s heart that I was crying like a baby while reading but mostly when I was finished! I was instantly emotionally invested in all of the characters from page one and I can not wait to read more by this wonderful and heart tugging author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a very cozy, emotional holiday read. There were things I liked about it: the setting, the dialogue, the pacing, however I couldn’t fully connect to the main characters. I thought they lacked the chemistry to really set their romance over the edge. That said, it was a great story about grief and healing.

This story covers family loss along with a slow burn romance. I thought the treasure hunt was a fun way to engage readers. The struggles with Cassie and Sam seemed to drag on at times and I wasn’t really invested in them both. I really found Cassie’s friends so funny and interesting. I’d like to see the author do a story on Josh or Hazel.

This one hits you in the feelings. One Last Gift by Emily Stone is a master class in grief. I appreciate the opportunity for the ARC.

I can't believe it took me this long to write this review, apologies for being past the publication date - I read this over the holidays while out of town and forgot to submit my review. In any event, I loved this touching, heartbreaking AND uplifting novel by Emily Stone. I found the story to be charming and heartwarming.