This was such a fun rivals to lovers coworker romance set in a rundown Florida amusement park that's in need of some saving. Full of found family, a unique workplace setting, great emotional depth and strong main characters.

A stellar second book from a new favorite author and good on audio too! Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review.

Recommended for fans of Courtney Kae, Alison Cochrun and Beth O'Leary's The wake-up call. Like The wake-up call, this one also takes place over the holidays but isn't super "Christmas-y."

CW: biphobia/homophobia, toxic parental relationships, parental abandonment, foster care, forced outing

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
- Workplace Romance
- Sunshine x Grinch
- LGBTQ+ Rep
- Dual POV

With Love, from Cold World absolutely blew me away and will give you the cozy winter feelings all year long.

Asa and Lauren have been working together for sometime and while Asa is the sun shiniest employee at Cold World, Lauren is the company Grinch. This makes the perfect recipe for an opposites attract, steamy and banter filled relationship.

I greatly enjoyed learning about Asa and Lauren's background - the relationship heats up quickly but it was always believable because of their shared history.

I feel like I say this with every book but Asa has climbed up my ranks of book boyfriends because he was a breath of fresh air! His blue hair and tattoos are such a stark contrast to how sweet and caring and lovely he is to everyone he comes in contact with. I love love loved his bi-visiblity.

Lauren might be more like Grinch compared to Asa but that doesn't undermine the fact that is super relatable and incredibly strong.

With Love, From Cold World will have you laughing, smiling and crying - which is everything I look for in a great contemporary romance!

I loved this book! The romance was so soft and sweet. Asa and Lauren were ADORABLE together. This author writes the BEST book boyfriends and I fell in love with Asa possibly even more than Sam from Love in the Time of Serial Killers, which is saying a lot. The characters were both so well fleshed out and watching them fall in love was just...a warm hug. A warm sexy hug! I absolutely cannot wait to read Thompson's next book.

Lauren Fox is the bookkeeper for Cold World, a tourist destination that's always a winter wonderland despite being located in Orlando, Florida. Her coworker Asa Williamson, on the other hand, is all about finding ways to enliven his days at Cold World--whether that means organizing the Secret Santa or teasing Lauren. When the owner asks Lauren and Asa to propose something (anything, really) to raise more revenue, their rivalry heats up as they compete to come up with the best idea. But the situation is more dire than they thought, and it might take these polar opposites working together to save the day. If Asa thought Lauren didn't know how to enjoy herself, he's surprised by how much he enjoys spending time together. And if Lauren thought Asa wasn't serious about anything, she's surprised by how seriously he seems to take her. As Lauren and Asa work to save their beloved wintery spot, they realize the real attraction might be the heat generating between them.

This was an enjoyable read, but I felt it would have been better suited for a winter release since it revolves around Christmas and a winter themed attraction in Florida. I just don't enjoy reading about winter in the summer. But besides that the book was really fun. Both characters had a lot of depth and a really interesting back story. We get a classic opposites attract /grumpy sunshine romance tropes and it was really well done. I enjoyed that Asa is a LGBTQIA+ character and the tumultuous backstory with his family was a great secondary plot. I really related to Lauren (not only because I am also Lauren) but because her struggle to open herself up to friends and love and to just let loose is something I also struggle with. Overall this was a fun, sweet rom com with a little bit of added spice. I'll definitely be waiting for more books by Alicia Thompson in the future!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 8/1!

So cute! A workplace, rivals/enemies to lovers, opposites attract rom com set during Christmas time in Florida at a (kind of run down) tourist attraction called Cold World.

I loved the characters! Lauren was a very practical and organized cardigan wearing “wet blanket” and Asa was a laid back, everything comes easy, go with the flow, Christmas cheer joker with blue hair. He ruined Lauren’s bitter coffee with his super sweet Keurig pods in the break room many mornings and that wasn’t even the start of the animosity between them. When the boss gave out a Cold World brainstorming project to Lauren, Asa, and the boss’s big idea/small effort payroll drain of a son, David, the two of them end up having to compete or work together after realizing David was going to be a completely waste of time.
There was so much chemistry and angst and drama, but there were also great friendships, serious issues, and a little childhood trauma to contend with as well, making it such a well rounded yet still so much fun romance.
I really enjoyed this one and I’m stoked to have gotten an early e-galley from Berkley! This is definitely one you don’t want to miss!

I wanted to love this. I really did, but it just wasn't for me. I thought since I loved this era that I would be into this storyline but turns out I was wrong.

Thank you none the less for letting me review this Berkley. I know it will be in the right hands and loved by many!

With Love, From Cold World is (ironically) a heartwarming romance.

The found family vibes and queer representation are strong in this delightful love story, including a bi male love interest, a lesbian bestie, and a non-binary roommate.

Some very tough subjects are tackled, including parental rejection and parental abandonment, addiction/substance abuse by parents/family members, and the foster care system. But the overall theme of finding your people and making your own happiness shines through like a joyous beacon.

If you've ever wanted to get your flirt on in a life-size snow globe (and honestly, who hasn't?) With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson is the book for you!

I'm a bit shocked by all of the glowing reviews on this one. The summary of this book is basically: Man-child negs sweet, shy woman into dating him. Also there's a vague "save the theme park" plot that's mentioned a few times.

I'll keep this short. Asa, or hero, likes his coworker Lauren but recognizes she's way out of his league. So instead of getting his shit together so he can impress her, he decides to bring her down to his level by mocking her until she thinks badly enough about herself that he starts looking good in comparison. For the first hundred pages of this book, it's just Asa "teasing" Lauren, pushing and pushing her until she finally snaps, then playing the victim card and acting like a hurt baby so SHE feels bad and apologizes to HIM. What? We're told over and over that his teasing isn't mean-spirited and he's doing it to make people feel included, but I'm sorry. Mocking someone for not having many friends isn't funny. He even makes fun of her because *checks notes* she has her life together. We're somehow supposed to believe that being shy and taking your life seriously is as equal of a fatal flaw as being a loser who tears down others to make himself feel better about his life. At one point, she finally tells him to knock it off and leave her alone, so what does he do? He plays the victim card yet again and gives her the silent treatment. Real mature. I could not ship these two because I felt like he was emotionally manipulating Lauren, and she should run.

The middle of the book was tolerable though, and I liked Lauren, so it's not a total bust. But the third-act miscommunication was so silly, even other characters were pointing out how ridiculous it was.

⭐3.5 rounded up to 4/5 stars⭐
this brought back all the heartwarming vibes I got from reading Love in the Time of Serial Killers! while I didn't love With Love, From Cold World as much as the former, I still enjoyed it immensely! I related to both Asa and Lauren at different times throughout the novel and busted up laughing at Lauren's dry humor. these two didn't sell me on their relationship at first but by the end, it was so obvious how dorkily in love these two are. I think the only issue with this book for me is that I didn't feel as connected with these characters as I did with Phoebe and Sam. Asa's Christmas present to Lauren though, did have me shedding a tear. Overall, this was cute, Christmassy, and made me laugh which is all I can ask for! I'm looking forward to Alicia Thompson's next book!

Christmas in Florida with a fictional attraction in Orlando and a workplace romance? Say no more! Asa and Lauren were such great main characters and you could really feel the slow burn in this one. There was a great amount of steam, and our two main characters were both overcoming some family trauma individually throughout the story. It was interesting to see their strengths and weaknesses. There were also a great amount of side characters that really added to a found family aspect. Cold world is a fictional Florida attraction that should clearly be a real place! Such a fun romance that will have you grinning from ear to ear.

DNF I could not connect with the characters; the love story was flat and mean-spirited at times. They do not seem to work well as a couple.

Theme park books might be my new favorite romance subgenre. Add in the winter theme and you get a subtle Christmas in July story with a bit of steam. I liked watching Asa and Lauren go from rivals to friends, and then to lovers as they work to revamp Cold World. Plus any plot involving a Secret Santa exchange is like catnip to me. It reminded me so much of the roadside attractions from my childhood, giving a bit of sentimentality to the book. I wish there had been a bit more focus on the foster care angle and Lauren's residual trauma though. I really enjoyed Asa's storyline with his parents, especially in that he gets some closure.

Overall, this is a nice holiday book for those of us who want just a bit of holiday cheer without it becoming a whole ass Hallmark movie.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Get ready to fall in love with Cold World and wish you could visit this winter wonderland!

Lauren Fox is the strait laced, type A bookkeeper at Cold World, a wintery attraction in sunny Florida. She gets along with most of her colleagues except for Asa Williamson, the laid back employee who has worked at Cold World for years and sees it as a kind of second home. The two are asked by the owner to present ideas of how to keep Cold World fresh and start bringing in more business, and what starts as a competition slowly shifts as they spend more time together and sparks begin to ignite.

I adored both of the main characters. They are complete opposites at first, with each having qualities the other admires. Lauren wishes she could be more adventurous, and I laughed so hard when “Fun Lauren” came out at the holiday party. Asa is completely endearing. His pastor father was unaccepting of his coming out as bisexual, and he has not seen his family in years. His roommates are his found family, and the moments showing their friendship and connection were special to read. The characters both try to do some good in the world, stemming from negative things that happened in their pasts. I wanted happiness for each of them, and loved that their happiness also came with killer chemistry!

Cold World was such a fun setting, and I loved the contradiction of this cold, snowy place being in hot and humid Florida. A place like that would definitely draw in visitors in the winter months, and I loved the descriptions of the various attractions and future plans.

I really enjoyed Thompson’s writing style and the overall tone of the book. I typically don’t love a third person POV and have trouble connecting to it, but found that the author was skilled at giving me enough of the characters and their emotions that I wasn’t bothered by the POV at all. The dialogue was realistic, the conflicts felt authentic, and I loved the strong character development.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Lauren and Asa are both employees at the same small time tourist destination. While she is all formality and structure, he is all fun and games. When the owner asks them to brainstorm ways to revive the once beloved park, they are forced to at least be near each other, if not work together. But then again, maybe they don’t hate being around each other after all..

When I saw this gorgeous cover on a workplace, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, with inclusivity.. I knew I needed to read it. And while there were plenty of parts that I did enjoy, the parts that I struggled with really fogged up the rest. I feel like there needs to be fantastic evidence in the writing for me to connect with characters when written in third person. At times I felt that was present here but overall I struggled with it. I loved the idea of it all but the execution was hard for me. And the pacing of their relationship felt off. All of that being said, I did enjoy the read for the most part and it was a quickie.

3/5

Whether you picked up this book because of the author, the concept, or even the cover, what lies inside With Love, From Cold World might surprise you. This book follows Lauren who works at Cold World in the front office, doing the books and she’s your typical Type-A personality.

Of course, she doesn’t mesh with Asa, the attraction’s long-time employee yet things quickly develop between the two. Maybe it’s because of them being paired up for a project together or her realizing that Asa isn’t so bad. Regardless, these two have a romance that would melt the snow in Cold World.

As great as the romance is, I feel like Lauren is one of those romance characters we can all relate to. She’s just trying to do her best and play with the hand she’s dealt while also trying to heal her inner child. Maybe it was just me, but I loved Lauren’s character and her growth throughout the novel.

As for Asa, he was just such a fun time and a rarity in the romance world as he’s bi. He had blue hair and a love for Cold World that almost usurped the owner. These two couldn’t have been more unlikely, but they ended up being such a force together that upon finishing this book, I wanted to go back and read it again.

Aside from the romance, Lauren and Asa have a lot of struggles. Lauren is trying to heal herself after being put in foster care and losing her mother. She even ends up being a mentor for Eddie who is in foster care due to his mother being in an abusive situation. Asa even ends up helping her to connect with Eddie, too.

Meanwhile, Asa is trying to connect with his sister while still struggling amidst his parents kicking him out for being bisexual. While the story might seem like a lot is going on, Alicia Thompson balances everything so well. Considering that it’s set amidst Christmas too, this is just a fun and wintery read that’ll thaw your frozen heart this summer.

My only small complaint about this book was that it felt like Lauren sort of got railroaded by Asa’s friends about her role in the third-act breakup. I just wish we could have seen Asa get a little bit too because that bothered me. Either way, this ended up being such a fun and engaging romance that I know I’ll be revisiting it this winter.

Thompson has done it again! I loved Love in the Time of Serial Killers, so I was thrilled when I saw her next title was coming out this summer. She continues to create believable characters in Asa and Lauren. Their rivals to lovers story is a fantastic read to pick up this summer!

I liked it even more than Love in the Time of Serial Killers! I wish there had been more closure on Asa’s relationship with his sister but I understand given the time frame of the plot why there wasn’t more there. Fun and charming workplace rivals to lovers with a good cast of secondary characters and a quirky setting!

This is quite possibly my favorite romance ever. Lauren does the books for Cold World, a cold weather-themed attraction in Florida, and Asa has worked there doing odd jobs for a decade. Both of them have backstories that have heavily impacted them, and what's so stunning about these two is how their experiences make them kinder, both of them taking the time to try and help others who were in similar situations. Despite both of our MCs being the best of people, they start off as rivals of sorts-- Asa calls Lauren robotic and unfeeling, and Lauren keeps suggesting they cancel Cold World's Christmas party, which Asa loves.

They're thrown together when their boss Delores asks them for help to revamp Cold World, and with a little time, they start to realize they aren't so at odds. This was such a perfect slow burn building to such a sweet love story that was as emotionally satisfying as it was visually described--I can imagine these two at Cold World so vividly, that's how amazing the writing is here.

I simply loved everything about this story. How our characters grew with each other's support, how their friends steered them with kindness, the way the author handled tough situations with care, the humor, the spice, a Bleachers reference--I'm going to reread this for Christmas, I've decided. And I highly suggest you read it before then! All my stars!

They’re work rivals, polar opposites, and working against each other in a competition to make the best work proposal... yet the more time they actually spend together the more they’re starting to realize they might have not known each other as well as they thought and that love might just be brewing in this Cold World. Lauren Fox and Asa Williamson both work at Cold World, a winter wonderland tourist place in Florida. Cold World’s business has been declining and as Cold World’s main bookkeeper, Lauren has definitely noticed the lack of business. Lauren wants to help Cold World but she also wants to keep to herself and she strongly dislikes Christmas. Asa has worked at Cold World for a long time, he’s kind of involved in everything and absolutely adores Christmas. After a bit of an awkward run in at a party, both Asa and Lauren have kind of had it out for each other. Lauren thinks that all Asa cares about is having fun while Asa thinks Lauren is so uptight and a bit of a wet blanket. Both of them don’t really get along but when the owner of Cold World gives them the opportunity to come up with a business proposal to change Cold World this might be the chance for a promotion or something else for either of them. This competition has both Asa and Lauren actually talking to each other for once, actually spending time and getting to know each other and realizing that they never really knew each other... and that the more time they spend together the more they might be falling for each other in this winter theme park.... yet both of them have their own pasts and hurts that make it hard for them to open up... are they willing to risk it all for love? Lauren was a child of foster care, she had a rough childhood and is a bit of a loner, she’s afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing, of being rejected. Asa grew up in a religious household that kicked him out when his pastor father discovered him kissing another boy and when he came out as bi. Lauren and Asa both have to grow and open to each other if they want a relationship to work between them. If you like a theme park-esque themed romance about two opposite work rivals then give this a go. The romance is pretty light and instead it focuses on both character’s journey of growing and their work relationship expanding.

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I almost didn’t read this book, mainly because every time the cover popped up I read cold war instead of cold world and it kept throwing me off. Also, let’s be honest, it’s always chancy going into a book by a new-to-you author that also has a cutesy cover. I’m glad I finally picked it up, because not reading this lovely enemies to lovers, workplace romance would have been a tragedy. With Love, from Cold World might even end up being one of my favorite reads of the year.

Lauren Fox works for Cold World as a bookkeeper. She genuinely enjoys her job and the people she works with at the fun tourist destination. That is except for Asa Williamson. While Lauren is orderly and reserved, Asa tends to be open and friendly. They didn’t start out on the right foot with each other, and now Lauren can’t stand the way he constantly seems to be making fun of her. They verbally spar on a regular basis. When their boss tasks them with a project, during the holidays no less, it will either turn them into competitors or bring them together.

I really enjoyed this book, and while I thought I was going into a relatively light, comedic romance, I was once again surprised to find that this book contained deep subject matter and each of the main characters’ backstories was laden with trauma. But, it also has a cool workplace environment, secondary characters who are really more of a found family, and lots and lots of chemistry between the main characters. I also really appreciated that the author took extreme care in her approach to sexuality, dysfunctional families, anxiety, and foster care.

While this may be an enemies-to-lovers romance, there is never any real malice behind the bickering. More misunderstanding and preconceived notions. When they are trapped together overnight in Cold World, all of those misunderstands and preconceived notions come tumbling down. The two get to know each other, they talk, they play, and they get sexy. They are more alike than they are different- both of them reaching out to help others in ways they didn’t get in their childhoods. Lauren by working with a child in the foster care system and Asa by helping out on a LGBTQ+ youth crisis hotline.

The romance between them blossoms into something quite lovely. There is even a scene when Lauren confronts Asa’s (terrible) parents, that gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling. The HEA was just about perfect and now I’m kind of hoping we see more of the secondary characters in later books. Maybe they’ll get their own HEAs.

Grade- B+

Content notes- Involuntary outing of a character, foster care, off-page parental drug addiction, off-page mentions of death by overdose, and religious intolerance to sexuality