4.5⭐
PG for a closed door romance

Okay y'all I thoroughly enjoyed this book but WARNING this cover and title are totally misleading. This isn't really a holiday romance and major content warning for death of a sibling (and death of parents years preceding the book). This book is for those looking for sad girl energy and one of those really cathartic books that still promises that romance happy ending.

If you love Mhiari McFarlane or Josie Silver or the movie PS I Love You, I think you will enjoy this one. Cassie is trying to grieve the death of her brother Tom when an unexpected letter and clue to a scavenger hunt arrives. And so off she goes to hunt down clues and linger over his letters... while also avoiding Tom's good-for-nothing best friend Sam.

The sibling bond between Tom and Cassie is so poignant throughout the book. I thought there were several wonderful lines on grief that transcend the novel. But instead of being sad the whole book, Emily also brings the upside and joy as Cassie slowly heals and finds her way in the world... a world that could include Sam? While Sam and Cassie desperately still need some therapy, I was on their side by the end of the book and truly appreciated how they both grew together and apart.

I just really enjoyed this lovely, satisfying, sad book of two people finding their way through grief and finding love and overcoming themselves. Would recommend if your heart is up for the journey!

Also I am totally a Jessica!

I enjoyed this despite how sad it was (although maybe less so than the author’s previous book.)

I loved the friendship that Cassie and Tom had. I was originally rooting for her and Sam, but it was hard to see how badly he treated her and how he changed as he grew up.

I loved Tom’s treasure hunt and clues for Cassie to follow. I think I would’ve liked more of a reconnection between Cassie and Sam, especially when he saved the bar, but kept his identity a secret. Overall, I still really enjoyed this one! I listened to the audiobook and the narration was fantastic.

Every Christmas, Tom plans a special treasure hunt for his sister, Cassie. This year, he’s planned the biggest treasure hunt yet!

While on a climbing trip in Argentina, Tom meets an untimely demise. Now Cassie is left picking up the pieces and trying to complete the treasure hunt without the usual hints from Tom.

This was a gut wrenching story about loss, grief, learning to move forward and find happiness. I enjoyed the story, from the treasure hunt to the twists and the friendships and setting. My biggest issue with the story was that it takes place over a long span of time and read very slowly. Like very slowly. Had it not been for buddy treating with a friend,, I’m not sure I could have gotten through it! Thanks for sticking with me to the end!

Rating:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for
providing a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

TW:
-accident
-death of a parent
-death of a sibling
-abandoned engagement

I enjoyed this book. I liked the twists and turns it took. I also liked the personal growth experienced by each character.

ONE LAST GIFT - Emily Stone

A LOVELY TEARJERKER - 5 stars

Plot - 5 stars - Cassie and Tom have grown especially close as brother and sister after the death of their parents when they were young. Now that Tom is also gone, Cassie must deal with her feelings and learn to cope. What helps is the last annual treasure hunt that Tom left for her.

Writing - 5 stars - Stone writes in a way that really touches me. She is able to build wonderful characters that have problems but also provide an underlying sense of hopefulness.

Characters - 5 stars - Cassie is a strong woman, but she doesn't actually realize it. She is pretty much a people pleaser, and she tends to shy away from confrontation. She loves to repurpose old things, give them new life, and provide continuity and history. She is definitely not a risk-taker, however, like her parents and brother were. Actually, we discover that perhaps they weren't quite as daring as she imagined them to be. Sam is another complex character. He has his own baggage about his father and his mistakes, tending to internalize them, especially now that Tom isn't available to talk things out with. But he's always been a steady friend to Cassie, and I enjoyed watching them struggle to find each other again--at the right time and place.

Title - 5 stars - The obvious gift is the treasure hunt that Cassie follows, even after Tom's death. But the hidden gift is the feelings of love and caring that she finds in the actions of the treasure hunt as well as the people she comes in contact with.

Cover - 4 stars - A beautiful blue/teal color that catches the eye, with an understated design.

Overall - 5 stars - Stone writes in a way that really touches me. Even when the story is sad (and this one is definitely a tear-jerker), she is able to instill the hopefulness of tomorrow into the words. Her characters are kind and down-to-earth--definitely people I'd want to hang out with. But each of them struggles with decisions, with moving on, and with opening their hearts. Cassie is particularly nervous about moving forward, mostly because she's on her own now, worrying about making a life for herself that is "right." As she moves through the clues that Tom left her, she begins to rely on herself more, although she does also recognize that she has supportive friends who want the best for her, as they allow her to become more independent. I could definitely relate to her concerns and was rooting for her success. Sam is a consistent factor in Cassie's life, and I found myself sympathetic to his issues and hoping he could find his way to forgiving himself and moving on. Both characters might have been frustrating to some readers, but I found them endearing and always with a measure of hope that kept them moving forward. The book slowed down a bit after the climax of discovering the final gift. But the ending was satisfying and sweet and provided closure.

In a sea of spooky season thrillers, this little gem is an endearing feel good book that is perfect to get you into the winter holiday spirit. I really enjoyed that the focus is not completely “Christmas” themed. While it does feel a bit like a Hallmark movie and leans more toward romance than a rom-com, there are still so many sweet moments and perfectly crafted relationships between the characters. While it sounds like a sad story, it reads very light and would be perfect to curl up with in front of a fire!

Today, I finished my second holiday book!

Whether or not you’ve read Emily Stone’s first book, “Always, in December”, you’re in for a treat!

It pulls just enough at the heartstrings + shows the true power + strength that comes when we stop being afraid + allow ourselves to love + take the leap + follow your heart - in all ways, not just romantically. 🎁

I can’t wait to recommend it to shoppers at Thunder Road Books. Yes, folks are already snagging things off our holiday cart!

Read if you love:
✉️second chances
✉️time jumps
✉️brother’s best friend
✉️scavenger hunts
✉️strong brother/sister bonds
✉️friends to enemies to lovers

This was such a roller coaster of a book! I felt all the emotions while reading this story and found myself tearing up several times. I loved the time jumps. I felt they really gave us an overall picture of the important relationships in this book — Tom and Cassie, Tom and Sam, Sam and Cassie. It really made the difficult moments so impactful and full of emotion.

I loved the brother/sister bond between Tom and Cassie and how it lived on even after Tom’s untimely death. The scavenger hunt is the show stopper of this story. It really brings everything and everyone full circle. It made the ending so satisfying. Noah!! 🥹

Sam and Cassie’s relationship was tumultuous at best. I was swooning so hard for Sam in the beginning. His feelings were written on his sleeve, but then he did some things and I’ll just leave it at that. To see him and Cass go from friends to enemies was heart wrenching. The way they took their grief out on each other was simultaneously gratifying but also broke my heart. Ultimately though, I love how these two found their way back to each other. Even more so, I love how they found themselves in the process.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced copy. My thoughts are my own.

This is almost a five star book but two things bugged me. First, that's it's closed door. The relationship takes YEARS to develop and there are some steamy kissing scenes, things start to heat up and then BAM the door is slammed in our face. It's jarring and I don't like it.

The second thing I didn't like is that the whole will they or won't they end up together went on too long. It was traumatic each time and felt unnecessary.

Now with all that being said, I really liked this novel. It's not a straight forward romance. It's about grief, mainly, about learning how to live after you lose someone you love. The characters in the book who are left behind handle it in different ways and each need to heal before they can trust enough to be together.

I liked the settings of England and Wales, the writing is vivid and I got a real sense for the scenery. This not a rom-com or a light read at all, have your tissues nearby! But it is a beautiful story and I highly recommend it.

I had heard great things about Emily's books but had not had a chance yet to read one - but Wow did I enjoy this book One Last Gift - it was a fresh story that was a great page turner and holiday hug on the pages.

MC Cassie lost her mom at a young at and she was raised, with her brother Tom, but their Aunt Claire. Cassie and Tom were close, acting as each others lifelines, with Tom's friend Sam always around too. This story follows the siblings through their lives ups and downs, and gives us reminders that we are strong than we ever know

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

Perfect holiday romance for those looking for that heartwarming and emotional second chance love story! As always with Emily Stone, there may be tears involved, but they are balanced by warm, aww-inducing moments. So get your eggnog and fire ready for this Hallmark-esque romance.

One Last Gift by Emily Stone is a heart-wrenching yet ultimately uplifting story about love, loss, and how to move forward after the death of a loved one. Stone’s last novel Always, in December was one of my favorite reads last year so One Last Gift was a highly anticipated read for me this year.

The story follows Cassie and Sam, who are both mourning the unexpected death of Tom, who was Cassie’s big brother and Sam’s best friend. Cassie and Tom were extremely close because their parents died when they were kids and they basically raised each other. Cassie is absolutely devastated by Tom’s death and doesn’t know how she’ll be able to go on without him in her life. Sam is also devastated and overcome with guilt over his friend’s death, especially since the fatal accident took place on a trip Sam should have been on with him.

What makes their grief even worse is that Cassie and Sam can’t even turn to each other to mourn Tom’s death because their own relationship has been strained to the breaking point. Years ago, Sam was Cassie’s first crush and in recent years, she thought they had come to care for each other as more than friends. This leads her to make a move that Sam then awkwardly rejects, creating tension between them that they’ve never fully moved beyond. Cassie is angry and embarrassed, so when she learns that Sam should have been on the trip with Tom, she holds him responsible and lashes out at him. This part of the story just broke my heart for both of them because it’s pretty clear that they have feelings for one another, so it just hurt to see Cassie freeze Sam out and I longed for them to reunite and for Sam to redeem himself in Cassie’s eyes.

While the loss of Tom makes for a heartbreaking read, his last gift to Cassie is what makes it such an uplifting one. Tom had a long-standing tradition of creating a scavenger hunt for Cassie every Christmas. She would have to solve and follow all his clues in order to find her gift from him. It was great fun and Cassie looked forward to it every year. Even though Tom dies just before Christmas, it turns out he had created this year’s scavenger hunt for Cassie before he left. At first Cassie doesn’t want to do it, but once she finally feels like she’s ready, the hunt offers Cassie a way for her to have Tom in her life one more time and a way to finally process her loss and move forward, and to open her heart to the possibility of love where she least expects to find it.

One Last Gift is a beautiful and poignant story about love, loss and family that will have you reaching for the tissues along the way but that will ultimately leave you with a smile on your face.

I loved Emily Stones Always in December last year and when I saw she was coming out with another, I knew I needed to read it.

One Last Gift is reminiscent of P.S. I Love You…but make it siblings. I adored this. I loved Cassie and Toms relationship so so much. The story repeatedly pulled on my heartstrings and kept me rooting for Cassie & Sam throughout the whole thing.

If you love second chance romance, friends-to-enemies-to lovers or want a good segue into holiday stories (but not too heavy on the holiday), this is it! 👏🏼✨

Emily Stone can write one heck of a heartbreaker. The beauty of her work is that you know it going in. But by the last page she has managed to put all the pieces back together and left you with more hope than you had before!

As with her first book, Stone writes about love being the only remedy for loss. Both books take place during the holidays, but I wouldn’t categorize them as Christmas books per say. She uses the holiday as a catalyst for dealing with some of life’s biggest struggles.

The plot of One Last Gift revolves around Tom, Sam, and Cassie. The three of them forge a special bond early on in life that goes beyond siblings and friends. This is in large part due to their adolescent needs not being met by their blood relatives. Thus, they create their own make shift family to fill what has been missing.

It is easy to forget that Stone is a new author. She does a fantastic job of character development. We truly see the main characters at their highest highs and lowest lows. It is only through these multidimensional characteristics that the characters come to life and are not only relatable, but realistic.

In the same way, she is a master of building emotional connection. My biggest pet peeve in romances is the characters are immediately in love with one another. Stone establishes a love over time. She does not rush happily ever after. It takes miscommunication, lack of vulnerability, and the fear of losing one another before Sam and Cassie can even admit their feelings. In the end, it is a love that is earned and authentic!

With this being only her second book, Stone establishes herself as breakout author who has staying power. I highly recommend this book! Special thanks to NetGalley.com and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

P.S. Can we all just agree that Tom wins “book brother” of the year!

Thank you to the publisher for a free Netgalley.

After loving this author's previous Christmas book, I was in for this one. Loved the premise and the scavenger hunts. Though a heavier Christmas book, I loved that we are watching two characters deal with the loss of a brother/best friend because that part was well done.

But other than their shared grief, Cassie could be one of the most annoying characters. Cassie acts like a small child, constantly walking away when she does not like what she hears. She constantly belittles Sam's behavior while acting worse than he is. Every time Sam would try to speak to her, she would cut him off and run away. Exhausting. The time jumps were fine, but there were many of them.

Though I enjoy the plot Stone has come up with here, I struggled to get past the annoying habits of our main character. I saw little character development.

After losing their parents as young children, Tom and Cassie are as close as brother and sister can be. Every year, Tom creates a Christmas scavenger hunt for Cassie. When tragedy strikes, Cassie is left to complete the scavenger hunt on her own. As Cassie seeks to uncover each clue, it leads her down a path that may change the direction of her life.

Despite the heavy loss throughout the book, it still managed to be heartwarming, hopeful, and absolutely charming. It had all of the warmth of the holiday season that I seek in a holiday read, yet spans many seasons and years.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the lovely ARC!

I really enjoy this author's writing style. This is the second book I've read by her and both have been well done.

One Last Gift is a sweet and meaningful story that definitely tugs at the heartstrings. It touches on many real human emotions such as pride, embarrassment, guilt, grief, jealousy and most importantly love. The story focuses on a brother and sister who lost their parents when they were quite young. As the oldest sibling, Tom naturally felt it was his place to watch over Cassie. The other significant person in their life was Tom's best friend, Sam who Cassie harbors a secret crush on - - until she doesn't.

As the story progresses, misunderstandings occur, emotions run high, secrets are kept and feelings are hurt. Basically people make mistakes and others aren't sure how to maneuver the outcome from some of those decisions. The sad thing is there are times that I can see some of these things happening in real life. If someone rejects you, then you put up a barrier to protect yourself and they may never get back in again. It can change everything in the blink of an eye.

One of the things I do like about this author is that she isn't afraid of dealing with tragedy or uncomfortable subjects. It's real. Life doesn't always give us rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes it's crappy and you have to find a way to navigate through it anyway. Another thing she does well is give the reader hope and a beautiful ending so you finish the book feeling positive.

Even though One Last Gift is set during the holidays, I definitely wouldn't call it a holiday read but I would definitely encourage you to read it. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗚𝗜𝗙𝗧
….
5 STARS
⠀
Thank you @randomhouse and @netgalley for a e-arc of this. Officially out now!
⠀
I. AM . NOT. OKAY . What did I just read! This was my first book by @em and it will not be my last. ALWAYS, IN DECEMBER here I come 🏃🏻‍♀️
⠀
I loved everything about this book! I loved how realistic this was. Cassie and Sam are officially one of my favorite book couples. They’re character growth > ability to communicate > working through grief of a loved one> living life to the fullest >.
⠀
Must read:
•Christmas-ish setting (and other weeks/months as well
•Emo romance read
•Friends to Enemies to Lovers
•Loss and grieving over a loved one
⠀
Highly recommend, if you’re looking for an emotional roller coaster romance but filled with the most beautiful resilience as we grieve a loved one.

One Last Gift was a heartbreaking story about grief and the loss of loved ones. It was extremely sad, but it was very realistic and was written very well. This book is also about hope and learning how to fall in love again. I really enjoyed this book and the scavenger hunt part was great. I loved following along with the main character all throughout England. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the advanced copy of One Last Gift by Emily Stone.

I went into this thinking it was going to be a cute holiday romance. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of this story and its characters. My heart hurt for them in their grief, mistakes, and self doubts. But cheered for them through miscommunications, second chances, and their own healing.

Cassie's closest family is her brother Tom, who always looked out for Cassie and created elaborate scavenger hunts for her each year at Christmas. Cassie relied on her brother growing up, but also relied on his best friend Sam. When tragedy hits, and friendships have broken, Cassie is on a journey of not only her own self-discovery, but discovering even more about her friends, Sam, and her brother Tom. Tom sends her on one last scavenger hunt that could change her life completely, if she lets it.

I truly enjoyed this book! It had all the Christmas feels and a long term storyline with the characters. It was heartwarming and emotional. Friends to enemies to lovers, second chances, grief, friendship, personal growth, and new beginnings. I absolutely recommend reading this book this upcoming holiday season! (or anytime!)