I think the beauty in Emily Stone’s debut, Always In December, was lost in her sophomore novel. This novel also tied the lines in grief, heartache, and falling in love, but it really wasn’t as compelling and it felt really lost. I often was confused on the direction the book was taking. It was entertaining, just didn’t live up to my expectations.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Another touching, heartbreaking, and heartwarming story from Emily Stone.

Cassie and Tom were very close given the loss of their parents at a young age. Though he was not much older than Cassie, Tom attempted to fill that void. One of the most wonderful family traditions he started was the Christmas scavenger hunt with rhyming clues that sent Cassie searching for her present. Tom passed away shortly before Christmas, and Cassie was wrecked and lost. She thought there would be no more hunts, but he had left her one last gift. Me -> 😭

This. This was the part of the story that owned me. Tom left this one last scavenger hunt for his sister, and it was as epic as he promised. He was no longer of this world, but he left behind tasks to guide Cassie. This hunt gave her purpose and helped her work through her grief. She began to live again and even took a chance on love.

This was a very lovely story about family, loss, grief, and healing. This “epic” scavenger hunt took Cassie to many destinations, and as she searched for the next clue, she learned things about Tom and herself as she began to move from grieving her brother to celebrating the life they shared together. I laughed, I cried, there were all sorts of tears. It was an emotional roller coaster, as expected, and I was grateful for the ride.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! It's the perfect holiday romance. I love how the timelines shifted so seamlessly, and how much I was rooting for the characters to make their relationship work. Normally I need alot of steam in a book but this one was perfect the way it was. It's such a cute story, and emo to boot! Great book!

What a beautiful novel about hope, loss, and finding your way. I can't say I didn't shed a tear... This book follows Cassie as she learns to navigate loss and overcome fear after her brother dies in an accident. While I found the romance not as compelling as it could have been, I genuinely enjoyed the characters who felt realistically flawed and human. Will definitely recommend.

I can't say I connected with any of these characters, but I did find the story much more moving than Stone's first novel.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60323954-one-last-gift

I love Christmas stories and this one was a feel good happy one! I love curling up with a book and a glass of wine by the fire! This story is so cute and will warm your heart right up!

Tom, Cassie's brother always made her a Christmas scavenger hunt, at least he has every year since their parents died. It was his way of making the day special for his little sister. Unexpectedly, she finds herself holding his last scavenger hunt envelope as he has now lost him, too . Will she take the chance to go on this one last hunt that may uncover truths, changer her life plans, and lead her to lifelong love?

This was such a different Christmas read that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster!

This book started pretty slow probably because it jumps timelines quite a bit. As it went on, I really enjoyed it. The treasure hunt is the piece that pulls together all the characters introduced in the first third of the book.

I'd classify this as Christmas adjacent. It delivers a good story with some of those Christmas magic and wonder but in the springtime.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.

I found this book to be flat in every way-flat characters, flat storyline, just flat everything. There are many better Christmas books out there for you.

Every Christmas, Cassie's gift from her brother Tom was found at the end of a treasure hunt with clever clues to it's hiding place. This Christmas, Tom has died in a tragic accident miles from home. After the funeral, what should turn up but the first clue to this year's treasure hunt. Cassie doesn't open the clue, too overcome with grief to even entertain the thought of completing this last link to her brother. Almost a year passes before she begins this last hunt. Friends of theirs are complicit and hold more of the clues.
At the end of this journey is a new beginning for Cassie and perhaps an old love.
I enjoyed taking this journey with Cassie and would recommend this book.

One Last Gift by Emily Stone is a story that leaves you weeping yet wanting more. Emily Stone's writing is something unlike any other. Her books leave you thinking about the story long after you finish. There is no comparison in her books as the writing just gets better. This book is a romance, but it was also about grief and life in general. LOVED everything about it and look forward to more from this author!

I’ve seen this book classified as general or women’s fiction as well as contemporary romance. While the romance in this story is very prominent and there is an HEA, I didn’t feel it was central enough to classify this as a contemporary romance. Again, the romance is a huge part of this book. I just felt Cassie’s journey had more to do with learning how to make herself happy and finding her path, same with Sam. He had to find what he truly wanted out of life and find his inner peace.

Throughout the first part of this story, I thought Sam didn’t deserve Cassie and she was better off without him. As she sets off to solve the scavenger hunt her deceased brother left behind for her, she reflects on many issues in life that Sam was there for her. It helped me to see what she had seen in him in the first place. I still think Sam was extremely immature in how he handled his growing feelings for Cassie and definitely feel he was growing more and more into an insufferable idiot the older he got. Once Cassie’s brother, his best friend, Tom died, Sam couldn’t help but reflect on where he was in life and the mistakes he had made.

Seeing Tom through Cassie’s eyes through the majority of this story, it’s obvious how special he was to her. Losing their parents at a young age brought the two of them together and they had a tight bond. As Cassie goes through the steps of the scavenger hunt, she starts to realize her brother wasn’t as perfect as she thought. Not that he was a bad person, but Cassie needed to be able to see Tom as a fallible human to have more forgiveness when it came to others, namely Sam. She had to be able to see that the bar she set for all men was a bit too high and not even her beloved brother could keep up that level of perfection. Actually, the same could be said about Sam. While he saw more of Tom’s faults, he still held Tom up on a pedestal and was far too hard on himself.

This story broke my heart over and over. I was rooting for both characters to find their way, to each other and to themselves. There is a lot of sadness in this book, but there is also joy and it ends with both Sam and Cassie finding happiness.

A heartbreakingly real tale of love, loss and everything that comes before, in between and after through multiple perspectives set mostly amongst the Christmas holiday.

Emily Stone delivers a passionate and heartbreaking love story that will leave you running for the tissues before you finish this book! It’s simply not adequate for me to describe this solely as a love story, because it’s truly so much more. Childhood friends Cassie & Sam (cue brother’s best friend trope!) miss their first chance at love and when tragedy strikes seemingly grow apart forever. Will fate intervene and give them the second chance they both deserve?

Please check TW prior to reading as this does deal heavily with loss and grief. I absolutely loved the character growth throughout this book! My favorite second chance romances are when each character focuses individually on themselves prior to establishing a relationship and this definitely delivered there. I loved Cassie as a character overall and it was so great to see her come into herself and push her boundaries. Sam wasn’t my favorite at first, but he grew on me and I thought his journey was well thought out. This was a sweet romance with one closed door scene and was plot and emotionally focused. Cassie’s family Christmas “treasure hunt” was magical and sweet and the ending really did tie everything together with a beautiful Christmas bow!

Emily Stone's storytelling is superb. There is something about it that leaves you weeping yet wanting more. I was wondering if this one could live up to her debut novel and I think this one was just as good if not better.

Cassie loses both of her parents very you and it's just her and her brother all throughout their lives. Then her brother abruptly dies. As she's going through the last treasure hunt, she's fulfilling her brother's last wish, getting some answers to some questions we always have when a loved leaves us unexpectedly, and also gets to fulfill her ultimate goal.

Sam has 1 goal in life to not be like his father however, his choices make him so unhappy that he covers it up by drinking. The death of his best friend led him to ultimately face his demons and maybe realize that our parents are only human and do deserve forgiveness.

This book is a romance, but it was also about grief and life and its many trajectories. I loved it, I devoured it in 1 day.

Thank to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review, as always, all words are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine/Dell for gifting me the sophomore novel by Emily Stone - 4.5 stars rounded up! I loved Always, in December and this one is just as great!

Cassie and Tom lost their parents at an early age and were raised by their Aunt Claire, who took care of their physical needs but wasn't especially close emotionally. But they had the best of friends - Sam and Hazel - who were always there for them. Cassie always had a crush on Sam and thought it might be reciprocal until an eventful vacation. Then when Tom dies, Cassie is afloat and devastated. Tom had always made Christmas special for Cassie, leaving her clues to a treasure hunt before finding her present. Then she finds his last gift to her - one more scavenger hunt.

I loved this book and these characters! While my reading taste tends to be on the darker side, I am a sucker for a good romantic story like this one. This one has the substance I need in a romance book and covers the difficult subjects of grief, moving forward, conquering our fears, the friends we make family, and lots of second chances. Emily Stone has become a must-read author for me and I am here anxiously awaiting her next book!

4 stars! "One Last Gift" by Emily Stone took me by surprise!

Cassie and Tom lost their parents in a tragic accident when they were younger. Tom has tried to be a sort of father figure to Cassie and has always had her back. His best friend, Sam, has always tagged along for their adventures. As they get older, the attraction between Cassie and Sam grows. She eventually admits her feelings for Sam, and though she assumes he feels the same way, he rejects her, causing a rift between them. Years pass, and tensions rise. Every Christmas since they lost their parents, Tom makes a Christmas scavenger hunt for Cassie to follow so she can find her present. When Cassie gets the news that her brother tragically died in a climbing accident, she must be brave and finish Tom's last scavenger hunt to find her final gift.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish! It runs the gamut of emotions. It has sadness and happiness, rock bottoms and successes, and heartbreak and long-running passion. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and their journey. It has a terrific commentary on grief and what it means to heal after an unspeakable loss. Sam goes about his grief one way, drowning his sorrows in liquor. He makes every possible lousy decision there is to make, and still finds a way to screw something else up. Cassie stews in her sorrow, channeling her gloom into a job she loves for a boss she hates. She has both big outbursts of emotion and moments of quiet, reflective sadness. Both are destructive in some way, so they must both learn how to heal from their pain and move on to have better, more enriching lives Tom would have approved of. Throughout the story, we see Cassie, Sam, and even a post-mortem Tom mature and become better versions of themselves.

This book has a decent amount of banter and some humor, but it's mostly a drama with a decades-long romance thrown in for good measure. It's not the typical Christmastime subject matter, Emily Stone finds a way to seamlessly blend the sadness with the holidays to make something truly splendid! I can't wait to read her other books!

Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Stone, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

Get a cup of tea, some tissues, and a cozy blanket/pajamas and slippers, maybe a nice warm fire (or electric blanket!) and enjoy One Last Gift. Emily Stone's new novel has something to offer a lot of readers: sibling relationships (always a topic I engage with), friends to lover themes (also a trope that hooks me), emotion holiday vibes, and a scavenger hunt for puzzle/game fans (woven in nicely to move the story forward/add connection and depth).
Don't let the themes on sadness/grief prevent you from reading a story that is filled with love and joy and hope, the sadness is part of the journey that Cassie goes on with the loving gift her brother Tom left her. Let the cozy winter holiday reads include this one!

Great for fans of Emily Stone's earlier book and for Josie Silver fans as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Emily Stone for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.75 stars. This is a light-hearted feel-good type of book. There was a lot of growth in this book. There were so moments when I felt myself tearing up, but there were a lot of moments where I felt myself smiling. The one thing I didn't like was the miscommunication. But other than that I would recommend this one!

I know - just knew! - that this book would make me cry. Always, in December made me SOB, so I was prepared for the worst when I started One Last Gift. And by prepared, I mean stocked up on tissues and water to replenish my tears. Like Always, the writing is superb. You feel all the feelings, feel like you know the characters, and take this emotional roller coaster ride right along with them. We go from loving Sam, to hating him, to feeling sorry for him, and back to loving him. We’re always cheering Cassie on and wanting to give her a big hug. It was like being right by your best friends side when she’s finally getting together with her first love, only to feel your heart break right along with her moments later, followed by the devastation of losing her brother. And then wanting to lend her the strength to carry on as she begins to navigate a new normal. Can’t wait to see what Emily Stone writhes next. But maybe wait for me to rehydrate first!

I loved this book so much and didn’t want it to end. One Last Gift isn’t your typical holiday romance it had so many other layers. Yes, it’s a romance but it is so much more it’s about finding strength and courage when your afraid, grieving or making major life decisions. It’s about loss and love and grief and hope. It’s about friendship and family. It’s about moving on but still remembering the memories.

Synopsis

Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age and relied on each other—as well as a community of friends—to cope. They were especially close with Tom’s best friend, Sam, who always made sure that Tom and Cassie were surrounded with love. But, twenty years later, Cassie has lost Tom as well. And in a way, she’s also lost Sam; over the years they’d drifted apart, and now the man she always had a crush on is someone she doesn’t even recognize anymore.

She’s never felt more alone.

Then Cassie finds an envelope with her name on it, written in Tom’s terrible handwriting, and she knows immediately what it is. It’s the first clue in the Christmas scavenger hunt that Tom made for her every year; he’d promised her for months that this year’s would be the grandest one yet. At first, she’s too scared to open the envelope—what if she can’t figure out the clues without his help? Or what if she does figure them all out and her last connection to Tom is gone?

Tom’s present sets Cassie on a heart-wrenching and beautiful journey that will change her life—if she lets it. And as she travels from London to the Welsh mountains to the French countryside, she reconnects with old friends, rekindles a lost love, and, most important, rediscovers herself. But once she’s solved the final clue, will she be brave enough to accept the gift her brother has given her—and the love it’s led her to?