A truly heartwarming romance with engaging characters.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Always, In December and was excited to read another book from the same author. I was even hoping for some more tears. In general I read rom-coms with the hope of an angst and butterfly filled storyline. This was not one of those stories, but if you love a classic Hallmark movie, this could still be for you

What worked for me:
The P.S.I Love You vibes (with a twist), a scavenger hunt to encourage personal growth and the day trips that entailed.

What didn't work for me:
The characters choices, romantically speaking, didn't make sense to me. I felt like many aspects were forced because of the needed progression of a rom com. There was unnecessary, added drama - more added emotional response - that didn't make sense or work for me.

Always, In December made me fall in love and broke me. It was such a great emotional read. I felt like this book tried to follow in those big footsteps but didn't quite fit the shoe.

TW: loss, grief, death of loved ones

This is my first book by Emily Stone, which is a closed door romance that uses the brother’s best friend and friends to lovers tropes. There were also quite a few time jumps throughout the story.

Tom and Cassie lost their parents at a young age, then Cassie unfortunately also loses Tom. This is the story of how Cassie and his best friend, Sam deal with the loss of Tom and how they both learn to move on and ultimately find their way back to each other, given that they had been harboring feelings for each other for a long time.

I appreciated the interesting themes it portrayed - dealing with grief, moving on, overcoming your fears, and finding the right path for yourself that makes you happy.

I also found the supporting characters to be interesting and felt that they added more depth to this sweet story.

The last scavenger hunt that Tom created for Cassie as an annual Christmas tradition to enable her to push herself out of her comfort zone was fun and gave me P.S. I Love You vibes.

I am completely and utterly shattered by this book 😭 whoever was advertising this is a cute christmas romance novel LIED to me!!!! I was out here crying in the club!!!

there was so much I absolutely loved about ONE LAST GIFT - from the heart wrenching story, to the lesson I (and so many others) desperately need this season of overcoming grief during the holidays, and of course, a second chance love story for the ages …

and all of this should be goals for five stars, except I hated the MC cassie 🫠

I didn’t connect with her at all, and honestly, I thought she was self-centered and going through her life using her grief as an excuse. as someone who is currently going through the worst grief imaginable, I can relate to the concept of denial, anger, sadness, the whole nine yards. BUT, cassie refused to change, refused to accept what was happening, and basically was a total bitch to anyone who actually wanted to help her.

what rubbed me the wrong way about all of this is the promotion that it’s normal to use grief as an excuse - oh, I shouted at my friends and said horrible things to them? I didn’t mean it, I was grieving … like that’s not okay 🥴

sam, on the other hand, was a precious bean who deserved better than cassie 😅 after shutting him down literally three times and calling him a coward because “grief” - he still is in love with her and says it’s all okay and I’m crying

sam was a good representation of grief, on the other hand. he did some questionable things, had a quarter life crisis, and immediately rethought all of his decisions because his perspective on life changed 😭😭

aka relatable

this was such an emo holiday read, and while I didn’t necessarily love it, I’m so happy that I was able to read it, especially during my own grief-filled holiday season

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: tavel rosé

After the death of their parents when they were children, Tom had always found a way to make the holidays special for Cassie. His signature scavenger hunts were the highlight of her Christmas, something she looked forward to every year, each clue leading her one step closer to her gift. Now as grown adults Tom has promised Cassie this year's hunt will be the most epic one yet but when something unexpected rocks Cassie's world she is unsure how she will carry on without him. Without Tom's help to guide her through the clues solving this year's hunt seems impossible and Cassie is unsure she even wants to get to the end of this hunt, just one step further from Tom. But once she starts Cassie is put on a path to discover what dreams Tom had in store for her and just how much he believed in hers. Reader, Emily Stone books should come with a warning label. May rip your heart out, stomp on it and return it to you wrapped in a Christmas bow. This is the second book I've read by Stone and both of them are heartbreaking, beautiful and emotional. If you are looking for something festive to read but aren't into the factory rom-com you sometimes get in a holiday read give "One Last Gift" a try. Here's hoping for another Stone read this time next year. Thank you to Random House - Ballentine & NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so beautifully written and dealt with such heavy topics in a very relatable, vulnerable way. This book was emotional, introspective, insightful, and deep. If I could give it 6 stars, I would. So glad I was able to read this story.

I read Emily Stone last Christmas (Always, in December) and if my memory is correct I sobbed through most of it. I went into this one hoping for a happier read and while I LOVED this one as well, Stone does not seem to do happy holiday stories. Keep the tissues handy for this one as well. Maybe next year I'll learn my lesson, but at the same time I will continue to read anything she puts out because though heart wrenching, they're so good.

This is a book about grief, and family, and picking up the pieces after a loss. If you are dealing with any of those things this might be a difficult book to read around the holidays but also could be super cathartic as well so proceed with caution.

I would most definitely recommend this read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

Maybe don't read this in public though to avoid the ugly cry :)

Ok, well I didn't expect a sad Christmas story!! I also wouldn't really call this a Christmas book. The Christmas vibes were not there. But I would call this a tragic love story??

I enjoyed Cassie's character, but man that girl has gone through some tough things. I was waiting the whole book for her and Sam to get together and it finally paid off. Sam's character was great, but he deserved to get slapped into reality at some points. I thought Tom was a great brother to Cassie and I liked how all his clues tied in to get Cassie her happy ending.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

Second change romance and brothers friend? Sign me up! Two of my favorite tropes. Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. I liked Always, in December better. This was marketed as a Holiday book but wasnt? If you're looking for a fun christmas read this is not it.

The first 30 percent or so was really solid and I was really into it. Then it dropped off and just got so unbelievably slow. It was a nice ending, but the road to get there was long and arduous. I needed the middle to just be stronger and it wasn't.

After losing both of their parents at a young age, Cassie’s brother Tom creates a scavenger hunt for Cassie each Christmas as a way for her to find her gift. When Tom passes away during a tragic accident right before Christmas, Cassie is surprised to learn that he has set one last scavenger hunt for her.

While I really enjoyed Stone’s debut ALWAYS IN DECEMBER and felt it struck the exact right mix of heartbreaking and heartwarming, her follow-up novel did not draw me into it in the same way. The book starts off slow but does pick up around the hallway point. Cassie and Sam both come off as young and a bit immature and that prevented me from fully investing in their story. The book never struck the same emotional cord with me as ALWAYS IN DECEMBER did – even though Cassie was dealing with unimaginable loss, it was all very surface level and never got very deep.

Like with ALWAYS IN DECEMBER, the story isn’t quite as Christmas-y as I would like. Yes, the scavenger hunt is Cassie’s Christmas gift, but the story takes place over many years and is more of a story of family and friendship, and how to process and move on in the face of grief; it is the story of Cassie’s journey to being brave and living life to the fullest. The general theme resonated with me but it left me wanting more.

I really liked Emily Stone's debut novel, Always, in December. I remember it wrecked me a little reading it though. It was so sad. Stone's 2nd book, One Last Gift had a similar theme of grief to it. But in more of an overcoming and conquering the grief kind of way than Always, in December.

I read this book in a day. Stone's writing style is wonderful. Clear, well-written, and well-developed characters. Every character in this book truly had a purpose along the journey for Cassie to overcome the grief she was dealing with throughout the book. I also liked that her relationship throughout the book wasn't Hallmark-y. She and Sam both had to really work through their personal issues to figure out what kind of relationship they might be able to have. Very realistic and sweet story. Though there is a bit of predictability to the story, I always kind of knew what was going to end up happening. But in a way, that was comforting. In reading a story about grief, it was kind of good to have a sense that all was going to end up ok. (I guess that might be a spoiler. LOL!)

Since two of her books have been centered on grief in some way, I really wonder if Emily Stone experienced some major grief in her own life that leads her to write these stories. It seems maybe her writing is cathartic for her. She certainly writes about the process as if she truly understands it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for providing an early copy of this to read. It is greatly appreciated. All opinions are my own.

Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age. Tom has always been Cassie's support system since they grew up with an emotionally distant aunt. Tom's best friend Sam leaned on him, too due to having an absentee father. Unfortunately, Tom dies at an early age and at a point where Cassie has also lost Sam's friendship. At a particularly low moment in her grieving process, Cassie is handed the envelope containing clue number one for her brother's annual Christmas scavenger hunt. She is hesitant to start it since it will be the last link to her brother. This story is pretty sad in places but it's a gentle story about love, loss, establishing a 'found family' and finding oneself.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.

LIKES:
📝 clear, emotional, relatable writing
🐆 quick read
🇬🇧 British setting
👥 multi-pov (Cassie & Sam)
👱🏻‍♀️ Cassie is a creative, caring events planner
⛹🏻‍♂️ Sam is a loyal lawyer (but also a playboy)
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 examines family dynamics
🗺️ scavenger hunt
🎄 wintry & Christmas vibes
💞 second-chance romance (closed-door)
👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 + brothers best friend
♾️ + it’s always been you
🖤 themes of grief, betrayal & loss
🌱 + personal growth
🥺 emotional & sad
🥹 but also heartwarming
•
DISCLAIMERS:
⚠️ dm me for TW!
🤩 none for me!
•
VERDICT: an incredibly emotional closed-door second-chance + brother’s best friend romance deeply exploring grief, loss, betrayal, family dynamics, & personal growth with just enough holidays vibes to make it seasonal! Get your tissues ready!

Emily Stone has mastered the craft to creating head wrenching holiday reads. If you’re in the mood for a heavy hearted holiday story, her work is it.

One last gift tells the story of Cassie, and events manager who lost her parents at a young age. Through the years she has always had her older brother, Tom, to rely on. He even makes the holidays special for her by creating a scavenger hunt filled with riddles for her to solve in order to find her holiday gift. Tom meets a tragic end and Cassie is left on one final hunt as she battles her grief.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Always, in December by Emily Stone last year, I was extremely excited to get the opportunity to review her newest book One Last Gift. While I still believe Always, in December was a bit better, I did enjoy the premise and the story itself. In One Last Gift we're introduced to Cassie and Tom, siblings who are living in the aftermath of losing their parents at a very young age in a tragic accident. They make their way with Tom's best friend Sam. While Cassie and Sam are close, they share a moment that has been a long time coming, but Sam isn't willing to take the plunge with his best friends sister. When Tom tragically passes, however, Cassie and Sam are forced to be together and the story follows their relationship as it ebbs and flows.

Stone does a fantastic job of developing the characters of Cassie and Sam, but my favorite part of the book was learning about Tom. Through her descriptions, it felt like I really knew who Tom was as a person, and appreciated his voice woven through the book. I did really enjoy the premise of the book, I just felt that unfortunately it felt choppy in places. The reader is forced to jump forward several times in the story to catch up to seemingly relevant events. I felt like it killed the tempo of the book some. I did like the story, and I love how Tom's Christmas scavenger hunt played a part throughout the book, but it wasn't necessarily a Christmas story either. I appreciate what Stone did, just felt like it was missing the magic of her previous book.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

While there are some Christmas aspects to this book, this is not a Christmas story. This is a book about handling grief and getting through that awful first year after losing someone dear to you. There is a romance thrown in, but I did not care for the male in the relationship so that did not work for me. Not a bad story, but I did enjoy Always in December quite a bit more.

Beautiful! Emily Stone is now my go to author if I need to weep uncontrollably. What a wonderful, immersive story. I loved it. Somewhat predictable, just like her first, but overall incredibly moving and tender.

𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀: One Last Gift
𝒜𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇: Emily Stone
𝒢𝑒𝓃𝓇𝑒: Christmas Romance
𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
𝒫𝓊𝒷 𝒟𝒶𝓎: October 11, 2022

We can always count on Emily Stone to deliver some heartbreak on a silver platter ✨Christmas style ✨ each year. I do not, however, this this book reached its full potentional. Always, in December wrecked me last year. And I can tell that Stone wanted this book to deliver the same essence, but it just didn’t for me. Nevertheless, Emily Stone will remain an auto-buy author for me. I love her redemptive love stories and they give me warm cozy vibes each Christmas season! Thank you Random House Publishing for a copy of this novel for an honest review!

Cassie and Tom lost their parents when they were very young and have relied on each other growing up. Now as adults, they remain extremely close and are always there for one another, along with their best friends Hazel and Sam.

I enjoyed this one but found the pacing to be extremely uneven. This book started off so strong - I was completely hooked for the first third of the book and literally cried myself to sleep reading it. After that, however, it lost its steam and slowed down a lot. The middle of the book dragged a bit and picked back up slightly towards the end but never fully regained its addictive quality that the beginning had. Overall I liked it but I just wish the pacing was a bit faster in the latter half of the book.

This is marketed alongside the fluffy holiday books but it is anything but! Yes it takes place around the holidays in the beginning but is a tear jerking, heart wrenching novel - tread carefully! Definitely don't read the first 30% in public!

3.5 stars rounded down to 3.