I’ve read Emily Stone’s past holiday books and while not favorites, I enjoyed them. For whatever reason, I could not get into A Winter Wish. The characters were not particularly compelling and even when I was 75% in, I still didn’t feel an attachment to them or a curiosity about where their stories were going. This one just wasn’t for me.

While rom coms are my go-to holiday reads, I also love a more emotional holiday-themed story that makes me reflect on family, love, and loss. Emily Stone is my absolute favorite author when it comes to those kinds of reads and her latest novel, A Winter Wish, did not disappoint!

Lexie and her father had been estranged for years, so she doesn’t know how to feel when she learns he has passed away. Her feelings become even more conflicted when she learns he has left her half of his holiday travel agency, a successful niche business that specializes in trips that explore holiday traditions from different cultures around the world. Not only that but he left the other half of the company to Theo, a handsome young executive who worked with her dad for years.

Lexie is not a fan of Theo’s at all, but the terms of the will stipulate that the two of them must run the company together for a year before they can do anything else with it.

As Lexie settles in and starts to learn more about the company and its mission, she realizes that she actually enjoys being a part of it. Not only that, but she realizes that Theo isn’t as bad as she originally thought either. In fact, she actually quite likes him.

As I mentioned, Emily Stone’s books are always on the emotional side so there is a lot of Lexie exploring those conflicting feelings about her dad and trying to make peace with them. Lexie’s emotional journey is beautifully written and made me cry a few times.

I recommend A Winter Wish to anyone who enjoys an emotional, heartwarming holiday story with just a hint of romance.

I love the idea of a wish jar and I love to travel so when I saw the synopsis of this book, I thought I would love it. Lexie inherits half of her estranged father's holiday travel company and throughout the year she gets to go test drive some of the trips? That's my dream!

Although the theme of the book was something I was extremely interested in, I do feel like this fell a little short for me. The timeline jumped around to tell the story over the span of the year and I felt like the parts I was most enjoying or engaged in, were cut short or glanced over and more time was spent in the in-between.

The story was entertaining and I did find myself wanting to see how it ends.

I would definitely recommend to those who love holiday romance!

This was cute! I love the idea of the travel agency- especially one focused on Christmas.

It had more romance than some of Stone’s previous work, which was fun. And I love how she’s able to write about grief- but this wasn’t a huge stand out for me.

Thank you to Ballantine for the advance reader copy and to Random House Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

A Winter Wish features a travel company that organizes trips to learn about culture through holidays and festivals. Does this actually exist? It sounds like my dream travel. And I especially want to start with the described trip to Iceland for Christmas. (who else is planning to celebrate Christmas Eve with Jolabokaflod this year?)

On to the story...
Though this novel starts with the death of a parent, I did not find it a heavy book. Lexie did not have a close relationship with her father, so her journey is one of processing and growth, more than one of grief. She and Theo meet when the both jointly inherit her father's company, and they must make a profit from it.

I found all of the trips and destinations fascinating. In that way, this book was just the transporting escape I have been seeking.

I wasn't as keen on the romance but didn't really feel it was missing. It just didn't feel especially notable to me in light of the more interesting stories of travel and character growth.

Meg Travers narrated the 10 hour audiobook quite well with a variety of accents the covered all the characters.

CW: death of a parent, parental neglect

Charming story of two people who get pushed together due to the circumstances of a will left by Lexie's father. Lexie's relationship with her father was distant since he left the family and then started a new one. Feeling abandoned Lexie's relationship with him and his new family hasn't been exactly warm and fuzzy over the years. When she is summoned to see what is going on with her father's travel company after he passes she discovers Theo has been running the company since he passed. Theo and Lexie need to work together to keep the company afloat for one year or else neither gets what they want. What could go wrong?

I give this 3.75 stars. It was cute with the travel planning aspect, just a little slow to get going.

Your family splits when you are young, and your dad has been fairly absent from your life. You discover that he has died and has left you to run his company - with a few stipulations. What follows is a discovery of self and healing in the most beautiful of ways. While there were portions that were slow developing, the overall story is a hit! Thanks to NetGalley for the read!

to say this book took me by surprise is an understatement.

it was a slow start and i thought the premise felt a little farfetched to start but the things i was skeptical of weren’t the focus of the story as a whole and the story focused so much more on the grief and growth fmc Lexie worked through.

this book was set in europe and follows Lexie who loses her estranged father and inherits his travel company. this book takes you all over europe through Lexie’s experiences.

there was some romance and you grow to love the MMC, there is a touch of christmas but subtle enough that this could be read any time of year.

i just loved Lexie and i think that grief was represented well in this story <3

One of my first holiday reads for the holiday season. I was excited to check this one out as my other Emily Stone read really got me emotionally. This story starts with Lexie who's attending her father's funeral and finds out she's been left half of his travel agency business. Lexie meets Theo who has been left the other half. They don't seem to get along - but can they manage working together? This was an easy read and I liked the travel aspect of this story. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It took me forever to finish this book. I just couldn’t connect with the characters. There was no chemistry between the two and it was hard to be invested in their love story. I am happy I was able to complete this book instead of sending it to the DNF pile.

A Winter Wish is a poignant holiday story that explores the complexities of family relationships. When the protagonist learns of their estranged father's death, they are surprised to inherit half of his travel company. However, there's a catch: they must work for a year alongside their father’s grumpy business partner. As they navigate this challenging partnership, unresolved emotions, and tensions come to the surface. This heartfelt tale highlights the struggles of reconciling with the past and the potential for healing and connection during the holiday season.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i think emily stone is my favorite author around the holidays. every book she has is focused on holidays but it always feels fresha nd new, not redoing past storylines and unique characters.

As with all Emily Stone books this one is also heartwarming and deals with complicated subject matter.

3/5

Lexie is estranged from her father, so when he passes and leaves her half the company she has to deal with her emotions surrounding him. While also working along side her father’s coworker on the company.

This book lacked chemistry for the romance between Lexie and Theo. I wanted to gush over them more than I was.

Overall, while I think Emily Stone’s book are good they are never amazing to me. Maybe because they always deal with deeper subject matter than I want in a holiday read.

This is my fourth winter now that I’ve spent reading a Christmas novel by Emily Stone - and her stories touch a part of my heart and stay there every year.

When Lexie unexpectedly inherits half a business from her recently deceased, estranged father, she wants nothing to do with it. She wants to cut her losses and continue with her life. But as she is bound by the will her father left, she is half owner of the business for a year and must work with Theo to keep the company profitable if they ever hope to be able to sell come one years time. What unfolds is a beautiful story of grief - and how grief isn’t just for those who have died, but sometimes for the living too.

Emily Stone has always been able to capture the human condition and write it so beautifully and eloquently. I have never read a more endearing story that unpacks grief - and there were so many times where my heart would just break for Lexie while simultaneously feeling healed by the way the story was unfolding. This is a beautiful tale, and watching Lexie and Theo’s slow burn unfold while they both muddle through their relationship with her father, his death, and each other was incredible.

I will just say if you’re looking for a story that will fill your heart and you’re okay with crying, pick up this one next.

Thank you, Dell and NetGalley, for my eARC of A Winter Wish by Emily Stone.

I am a huge fan of Emily Stone, so when I saw she had a new Christmas story coming out, I was super excited and clicked that request button immediately. While I liked this story, I didn't like it as much as her previous novels.

I typically love the enemies-to-lovers trope, but I think this one was just missing *something*. I didn't feel like there was a connection between the two MCs, Lexie and Theo, so the romance element felt a bit forced.

Her writing didn't feel like it normally does. There was more out-of-place cursing than usual, and while I don't care about cursing in my books, in a rom-com Christmas book, some of it just felt jilting.

There was also a lot of family trauma surrounding her dad and it seemed to get muddled with the romance being a big component as well. I'm not sure both needed to be as big a part of the story as they were.

Besides all of that, I did find parts of this book interesting. I loved the premise of the travel business and experiencing different holiday traditions for different cultures. There were also well-written characters, like Rachel, for example.

I'll be on the lookout for Stone's next holiday book.

I enjoyed this lovely, holiday season story- I especially resonated with the theme around the scripts we live. About how we cling to the stories we tell ourselves about the past as opposed to accepting the truth that where family is concerned, the truth is rarely black and white.

Romance isn’t even in my top three of favored literary genres because they so often lack the depth that I look for in a good story. This, though, had a sort of depth that both surprised and moved me.

I’m giving it 3.5 stars because there were some glaring plot holes that I couldn’t ignore, and I felt like the rhythm faltered somewhat in the middle, but overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who loves stories about family, loss, and unconditional love.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy of this to read! Emily’s books are perfect for a large glass of tea on a winters day. Expect some of the same winter tropes you would in seasonal tales, but Emily has a way of weaving them together in a wonderful way that makes them feel fresh and enjoyable.

I enjoyed this book but there should be a warning for those who have recently lost a parent or loved one. A Winter Wish is not really a "Christmas" romance but more of a "it starts and ends at Christmas time - one year apart". I liked the the storyline but her dealing with the death of her estranged father throughout the entire book definitely takes the rom-com aspect out. It was a good book with lots of great interactions between all the characters, but don't expect a meet cute or a lot of funny situations.

Anything Emily Stone writes, I will read! Get some tissues and get comfortable! This novel brought so much more depth than I expected from a holiday read.

Lexie leads a nomadic lifestyle but finds out her estranged father has passed away, leaving her his travel business.

Before leaving his family for his mistress, Lexie’s family traveled quite a lot. It became a Christmas tradition to travel the world. The abandonment she felt left her feeling angry and confused. Not only did he leave her his travel business, but he also stipulated that she run the business with a co-owner, Theo. Despite some push back on Lexie’s part, she and Theo grow closer together through a lot of deep conversation and travel.

Definitely add this one to your list! Also, if you haven’t read Always, In December by Emily Stone you should also add that to your TBR this holiday season! Thank you to Dell Romance and NetGalley for this advanced copy!

I love Emily Stone's writing, but this one just did not do it for me. I LOVED the travel company idea - how unique? - but I did not feel the chemistry throughout the story.