This book is a hard one for me to rate. The FMC, Lexie, inherits half of her father's travel agency after he passes away. The problem is... she was estranged from her father for many years and doesn't want to have anything to do with running the business, especially since she'll have to share those ownership responsibilities with Theo, her father's annoying exec.

Lexie definitely has her own issues of feeling abandoned since her dad walked out on her and her mother years ago. And while this has a bit of "enemies to lovers" aspect, I never really understood why they were enemies and the "lovers" seemed like of forced and I never really felt any chemistry between Lexie and Theo. Throw in the "miscommunication trope" towards the end and I was ready to DNF the book with only about 10% left to go.

Things I liked:
- the trips and itineraries for the travel agency. I could picture myself in France and Madrid. Listening to the descriptions of food, buildings, and the local people really made me miss my time spent in Europe. When Theo described a recon trip to Bruges, I could almost smell the waffles and chocolate that are seriously unlike anything anywhere else.

- Lexie developing a friendship with her half-sister, Rachel. I liked seeing their relationship as half-sisters slowly turn into a friendship, but I just wish we ended up with more of the two of them together

This book has a little more of a serious and somber tone because the holidays aren't always holly and jolly in the real world. Lexie is thrown into the life her father had with his second family after his death. She has a lot to unpack and work through. She's been living her life through one narrative and it's hard to see other sides. I liked how she was able to open up and let other people help her.

I enjoyed the addition of international travel to the typical unexpected inheritance trope. This gave the characters the opportunity to interact in new locations and with new challenges. Overall this was a very enjoyable book.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this.

This was an enjoyable enemies to lovers romance but I do wish there was more tension and build up between the main characters. I would say this is a light weekend read.

If you enjoy British contemporary romance, with the grit and heart that gets past the basic tropes, this one is for you. Lexie's deceased father's attempt at post-grave reconciliation is genuine and heart warming. The male love interest, Theo, is moody and cautious with Lexie and helps her see the man her father became after he abandoned her. All this emotional growth is lightened up with scenes of travel and celebration around Europe over the course of a year. There are a few lovely side characters and the villainous step-mother is off the page and even given a bit of a reprieve by the end. Emily Stone writes page turners with great pacing and delightful narrative and banter.
Pick this up anytime of year, not just during the winter festivities, for a travel-dotted homecoming story.
Thanks so much for the ARC!

A Winter Wish by Emily Stone. 4.25 stars!

I can be honest, I have never read an Emily Stone book but now she is most definitely on my radar. I really liked A Winter Wish. It was full of emotion, grief, honesty, yet equally balanced out with laughter, joy, and beauty. The build up for Lexie and Theo all the way to the very end is absolutely worth it. Also, Ange & Fran are incredible supporting characters, adding so much depth. A beautiful story with many layers that had me in tears from time to time. Definitely recommend.

I normally really enjoy Emily Stone books. This one was not my favorite. The overall concept using the travel company is what really peaked my interest and that part was enjoyable. It's a great setting/premise. But there were problems with the romance element. It felt a bit forced and there was a spark missing between the two main characters. I think this would be have been a better story overall without the addition of romance. Dealing with the complexities of grief of losing someone you had a complicated relationship with while showing growth and development is better without the addition of a lukewarm romance.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this book to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Winter Wish by Emily Stone is a tender and heartfelt holiday romance that beautifully explores the layers of a father’s love.

Set against a cozy, wintry backdrop, this story weaves together family secrets, second chances, and the magic of the season. Stone’s gift for emotional storytelling shines as the characters navigate love, loss, and the joy of new beginnings.

With its warmth and depth, The Winter Wish is the perfect read to curl up with this holiday season. Thank you, NetGalley, for this moving and memorable story!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for granting access to this book and to prh audio for the audiobook alc.

If I am being honest, for whatever reason (I can't quite put my finger on it), Emily Stone's books have been either hit or miss for me. I would say this book is somewhat middle of the road in my opinion. I enjoyed the story, but unlike some authors where I can read any book by them and absolutely love it, I haven't yet found this with Emily Stone. And like I said, I don't understand quite why this is. Perhaps its because her books are set in the UK and I live in the USA? Or maybe her books are either slow or depressing at times for me. This book is definitely one of the better ones and I am glad I requested this book. If anything Emily Stone proves that just because you didn't like a certain book by an author, doesn't mean that you will dislike all of that authors books.

I would give this book a 3.5 or 4 star a rating as it still is a lovely novel to curl up with this winter.

A Winter Wish by Emily Stone

I love love loved it. All you three star-ers can fight me.

If you’re expecting sunshine-y Christmas, you won’t find it here. If you want some hard topics about forgiveness and coming to terms with difficult relationships, slide right up.

Christmas vibes are mild despite the cover. I know this about Stone’s work already and it never detracts from my enjoyment.

I loved the theme of two sides to every story that appeared throughout the book. And the romance was my cup of tea. That first kiss 🫠

Content: death of a parent, explicit language, two bedroom scenes

4 stars.

If Emily Stone writes a Christmas book, you know you're about to get punched in the gut with emotions. "A Winter Wish" is another excellent entry in her fine catalog of work. I always enjoy reading her stories when I need a good cry. This enemies-to-lovers romance involves traveling, found family, seeing the world, shattered expectations, and not letting life pass you by while enjoying new experiences out of your comfort zone. As with all of Stone's books, the main character starts out one way and completely does a 180 by the end of the story. Lexie's dad has just died and left half of his niche traveling company to her. She has to learn to get along with her estranged father's co-worker, Theo, since he now owns the other half of the company. Lexie wants to sell the business and get the heck out of there, but this is Theo's life's work, so he wants to keep it open for the foreseeable future. They agreed to give the business one year to flourish or sell and split the profits. In the meantime, they decide to go on expeditions together to see how the tours run and get an inside look at the business from a ground level. On their many traveling adventures, Lexie and Theo eventually end up seeing more than just the sights...if you catch my drift. There is a lot of good banter between Lexie and Theo in this story, but at the end of it, I was left wondering if they would truly make it as a potential couple. Their enemies-to-lovers background leads to a lot of miscommunication, and it seems they fundamentally disagree on a lot of "big" life things. One thing they don't disagree on is s3xual chemistry, and while there are brief wisps of something more than just s3x, this aspect still landed a little flat for me. They're both trying to process their grief about Lexie's father's death, which makes matters more murky. If I had to put it in words I would say I liked Emily Stone's other two books better than this one, but it is still a solid Christmas read. Just don't go into it expecting something heavy on the romance because it is very much a drama first kind of book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Stone, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Book Review
Book Title by Author Name
⭐️⭐️

I was hoping for a different kind of Christmas read, but unfortunately, this one didn’t hit the mark. It felt slow, repetitive, and much heavier than I expected. The tone was more serious and somber, which just didn’t match the cozy, feel-good vibe I was looking for.

I’m not typically drawn to overly sweet, lighthearted romances, so I thought this might offer a nice change of pace. However, it ended up being too heavy and drawn-out to keep my interest. While it might resonate with some, it wasn’t the right fit for me.

I love Emily Stone and she will always be an auto buy author for me! Unfortunately this wasn’t my favorite of hers. Out of all her books, this is my least favorite. I wasn’t hooked on to the story line. I didn’t feel the chemistry between Lexie and Theo. I wasn’t invested in their relationship. Despite of not enjoying this book, I will absolutely read whatever Emily Stone writes.

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this book.

This was my first Emily Stone book and although I didn’t love it I enjoyed it and it will not be my last book from her.

I found the main character Lexie to be both relatable and also incredibly frustrating at the same time. Her feeling for her father were so relatable for anyone who has gone through it. You can understand where she is coming from and why she feels the way she does.

But she also makes a lot of decisions that I found frustrating. Her constant running and avoiding conversations made me think incredible frustrated at the same time.

I think the side characters in this book were great. I loved her mom, Racheal, Ange and Harry.

I also found the romance and the enemies to lovers troupe move so quickly. It one minute they hated each other and then poof…they didn’t. It happened a little quickly for me.

Overall, it was a cute book. And I will definitely be going back and reading her other novels.

3.5/5 stars rounded to 3 for this review.

Review will be posted on 12/6/24

Lexie's father has unfortunately died and Lexie is processing this differently than expected as they haven't talked in ten years. She finds out her father left her half of his travel agency company. At first, Lexie feels resentment and doesn't want anything to do with this, especially after meeting Theo, the executive, who owns the other half of the company. As more time passes, Lexie learns more about her father through her interaction with the company, its employees, and of course, Theo. As she processes all this, she starts to understand her father in a way she couldn't before and feelings start growing for Theo. Emily Stone delivers a heavy holiday tale in A Winter Wish.

My favorite aspect of A Winter Wish was all the gorgeous holiday settings. The travel agency specializes in holiday trips to beautiful European destinations, so hearing all about that and the different traditions was my favorite part of the novel. However, I feel that the relationship between Lexie and Theo fell a little flat at times. It didn't have that spark that I was hoping for. I know that Stone's holiday novels are always a little heavier than the usual fare, but this one felt especially heavy at times. Many triggers in the novel, such as cancer, difficult relationships with a parent, death of a family member, etc. It weighed down the story at times. If you like a heavier story during the holiday season to balance out all the fluff, give this one a try.

Emily Stone can do no wrong when it comes to holiday romances! Her stories always pull on my heart strings and makes me FEEL, I love her ability to write a moving story during the holiday times that will make us readers feel grateful and happy, I definitely recommend

This was a cute winter novel. It explored the themes of grief, especially in complicated family dynamics. It was a bit slow moving and had a lot of miscommunication but had some nice moments. I particularly liked the travel descriptions.

Emily Stone knows how to write the cozy feel good books! I can always count on her for a beautiful Christmas read! I loved Lexie and Theos banter and was so excited to receive an early copy of this book!

Thanks NetGalley!

Another amazingly written novel by Emily Lord. The plot was unique and didn’t go where you would’ve thought it’d go. The characters tension was spot on and had you wanting more. Perfect winter read.

Such an emotional book, Emily Stone really knows how to hurt me. The MCs began as enemies then proceeded the force proximity in the workplace all the while Lexie struggled with her father’s abandonment.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for my copy of A Winter Wish by Emily Stone in exchange for an honest review. It published October 15, 2024.
Since 2021, Emily Stone’s winter books have been an absolute highlight of my Christmas reading. My heart gets absolutely crushed, and I just adore how the characters go through really tough things. This was shaping up to be along with its predecessors, grief at Christmas is not easy—I’m experiencing it for the first time. However, it didn’t hit like the other books did.
I found that I didn’t love Lexie and found it hard to root for her. The romance seemed forced, and honestly, I would’ve loved if the book itself was more about the sisters’ relationship and falling in love with getting to know each other. I know that most holiday books are about falling in love, but I am here for a good sisters book, relationship between friends, parents, siblings, etc.
I did enjoy the traveling, and the writing is solid as ever, and I’ll be first in line to read the next book.
I will mention that there is a lot of strong language and one sex scene that can easily be skipped over if you’re sensitive to things like that, as I am.