This is my first book from Emily Stone and it was heartfelt and cute.

If you love: opposites attract, holiday (Christmas) romances, grumpy x sunshine, heartfelt/heartwarming, enemies to lovers and self discovery types of books then I would recommend this for you.

What I loved:
Lexie and Theo had great chemistry (the banter!) and I loved that it was a slow burn type of romance.
Emotional rollercoaster as Lexie goes through the emotions/coping with her father's death (even though they are estranged).
Loved the workplace setting- holiday travel company.

I look forward to reading more from Emily Stone

Thank you Net Galley and Dell Romance for the opportunity to read in advanced.

Thank you to @@prhaudio for the gifted ALC. Book Review: A WINTER WISH Author: Emily Stone Publisher: Dell Romance @dellromance Thank you Dell Romame for gifted books and to @netgalley for the ARC. TROPES; Opposites Attract Workplace Enemies to Lovers Christmas Travel Family Drama Self-Discovery Heartwarming I am such a sucker for Christmas holiday romance, and this one did not disappoint, even though it wasn’t just only set at Christmas Lexi is in Europe working at a ski resort. She gets a call that her e Background strange father has died. Lexi comes back to the US for her father’s funeral and ends up finding out that she’s inherited 1/2 of his travel agency. Theo is the other half owner of the travel agency as he was her father’s protégé. Lexi coms with a lot of baggage and disappointment when it comes to her father. Theo does not understand this as her father was always talking about her and her half-sister. Theo and Lexi have to work together for a year and if things don’t go well then they can sell if they want. Lexi works at the agency awhile and then ends up leaving after a few months. As Theo and Leslie work on and off together throughout the year, they slowly become more friendly. Leslie does return to the business and the two of them learn to communicate with each other/ Theo and Lexi are learning to understand each other. They both have versions of where they can take the business. Lexie now being part of this company also gets know her father and understand him more. Lexie is able to get to know her younger half sister too. The chemistry between Lexi and Theo is just fabulous and how the book ended was perfect, I really enjoyed this book. I alternated between reading and listening to the book and it was fabulous. #WinterWonderland #FrostyAdventure #WinterMagic #ChillyWishes #CozySeason #WinterVibes #FrostedMornings #IceKissed #bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #currentlyreading #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms

You know, I really enjoyed this. It won't be a new favorite, but it was sweet and promised on what it offered. I also like how in Emily Stone's romances, even though it's something as cliched as romance at Christmas, there's always a slight heaviness to it. In Love, Holly, there was also an estrangement and why it was justified but also why maybe the person should have listened to their family member, without like, being too judgy? Idk I really appreciate the multi-faceted ways the issue is handled.

But also while the love interest ended up being delightful, WHEW was he a struggle for the first bit. He came off as really childish (which ends up making sense?) but also like dude - you also had family issues. Maybe you could imagine someone might have some of their own??

But overall, a really sweet romance that delivers exactly what is promised. Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for a chance to read and review.

My first book of Emily Stone! I enjoyed the holiday read, but be warned that this is not a all around cheery holiday romance- and does deal with grief and trauma.

Confusion seemed to reign in this book. First an unexpected inheritance from the father of Emily who had very little contact with for many years, and now he leaves her his company, only with a stipulation that included running the company for a year with his loyal right hand man, Theo. They do not get along at all. How were they going to achieve this? Emily did not want anything to do with Theo or the company.

We learn how they will achieve getting along, through their grief and new duties.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the copy of this book. It was not a favorite and it was a disappointment to me as a Christmas book. I would not really recommend it to others.

This is such a cute fun romance that will make you want to travel. I loved how Stone transports you to exotic vacation destinations for ultimate bucket list goals.

Lexie inherits half of her fathers travel company and his loyal employee Theo gets the other half. Lexie wants nothing to do with it but a quick pay day and Theo wants to protect the company and all they built. When they have to work together and experience the customer lens Lexie finds this is a job that is important for its customers and employees. Lovely winter read.

I enjoyed this read involving two strangers who are thrown together and must run a business for a year. It’s not a traditional Christmas set story as it takes place all year. It has enemies to lovers, found family, and traveling as some of the troupes.

This was a cute winter read. It was actually over an entire year so it wasn’t as Christmas themed as I would have hoped but the author keeps the title and theme of the book throughout to try and keep it more holiday related.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've been lucky to read a few of Emily Stone's books and I will always pick her books up. I love that this author can bring out the emotions in her books. The few that I have read have had strained family relationships that tug at the heart. This book was no different.

Lexie grew up with a father who was rarely in the picture after he and her mom divorced. After he moved on and had a new family, Lexie rarely had contact with him. When her father died, she was given half of his travel company. Along with his employee, Theo, who seemed to hate her for some reason. The two co owners have one year to make a profit before they decide what to do with the company which caused a lot of grief between the two.

This was a sizzling enemies to lovers book. Although, this was targeted for Christmas (which the author's books usually are) this could be read anytime.

This was a good read. The storyline sounded intriguing, but I must admit that it did not connect with me as much as I would have liked. Also, I really didn't care much for Lexie. Still, overall, this read kept me entertained.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I couldn’t connect with the characters and I felt like with it being written in third person, it was hard for the storyline to flow. I will be reading other books by this author, as I have read some great reviews about her other books. This one just wasn’t for me.

Lexie is shocked by the death of her estranged father and the subsequent inheritance of his travel business. A travel business that specializes in holiday traditions around the world. A business that she is to co-own with Theo, her father's younger good-looking partner, oblivious to their relationship.

While I loved many aspects of the book it wasn't my favorite by the Author. The characters needed more development, especially Lexie and her "love" interest. There were times I could feel Emily Stone weaving the characters together but it fell short.

Very much a fan of Emily Stone and look forward to her next title.

Thanks to NetGalley for advance copy. All are my opinions alone.

First off, the cover is absolutely adorable. As we inch closer to holiday season, I always crave light-hearted Christmas reads as opposed to dark thrillers, but this one fell flat for me. The premise was intriguing, Lexie must successfully co-run her late father's company for a year with the opportunity to jointly decide the future of a very successful company. Lexie of course, does NOT get along with Theo, the man she must co-run the company with. This one just didn't hold that Christmas cheer for me.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc, all opinions are my own

I typically really enjoy Emily Stone's writing and books, but there was something missing from A Winter Wish. Overall it wasn't bad, I really liked Lexie and Theo's characters and loved their enemies to lovers dynamic, but the book just didn't hook me like I had hoped.

This book was good. Not great, but good.

I found my mind wandering quite a bit while I was reading as I got bored now and again. That said, it was still somewhat enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another great hall am Camry. I enjoyed the Christmas vibes and also just the vibe of coming home in finding your one. The characters both had great stories to tell in the Author really did them justice with how she developed them, and wrote out their story. I found that I was entertaining laughing but also at times I just wanted to give them a hug.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Emily Stone for an ARC of this book!**

Lexie doesn't really know how to feel when she learns her father has passed away...is it grief, shock, or something else entirely? After all, she hadn't spoken to her dad in almost ten years, after his choice to remarry and start a new life with his 'new' family. Lexie has been trying to focus all her energy into manifesting her own life, and hasn't even really interacted with her half sister Rachel...until this shared tragedy brings them together. Amidst all of THIS inner turmoil and confusion, she is hit with some big news that could change her life forever: Lexie's father has left part of his company, R and L Travel, to her. And since this company specializes in holiday-themed travel, where guests get to experience some of the world's most beautiful and unique holiday traditions, it seems like this COULD be a dream come true.

But there's also some fine print...if Lexie can successfully CO-run the company with one other owner for one year, the two of them can then jointly decide the future of the company. This doesn't sound too bad, until Lexie finds out who owns the other half of the company: her father's grumpy yet somehow-still-frustratingly-attractive exec, Theo. The two begrudgingly agree to put their initial snappiness toward one another aside and attempt to see how the year goes, while they take this opportunity to explore the world together in the honor of Lexie's father and the company he spent so many years building. But when what first seemed like frustration starts to feel more like uh, a different kind of frustration, and their relationship moves into different 'territory', has fate brought them together for ANOTHER reason? Could her father's last wish have led Lexie to find a new kind of wish fulfillment all on her own? Or will Lexie's grief and conflicted feelings about the dad who abandoned her keep her from truly taking a leap and keep her firmly stuck in the past...and TRULY on her own?

I've been hearing about the fabulous Emily Stone for quite a while now, but have been hesitant to pick up any of her books because from what I had heard, they normally mixed two elements I don't EVER voluntarily want mixing: grief, and Christmas. Not only are these two ideas diametrically opposed in any normal situation....throwing in a ROMANCE on top of all of that seemed like a bit of a mish mosh in my mind. But nevertheless, I was intrigued and anxious to check out the strong writing and enticing holiday stories I'd been hearing about from trusted reviewer friends for years...so much so, that when I was offered an early copy of this one, I broke my OWN rule and read a holiday themed book prior to December 1st. (Gasp!)

And as sad as I am to confirm it...there's a reason I don't pack away boxes of tissues with my Christmas ornaments: this particular Christma-romance Latte with a heavy dose of Grief Sprinkles on top was NOT exactly the kind of early holiday beverage I'd hoped to have...and I just wasn't a fan of the flavor.

The reason to me is simple: this book didn't need to be a romance...at all. I understand the premise of a holiday story (particularly in the context of the business that REVOLVED around holiday traditions!) but there was just something about the whole Lexie-Theo relationship that just felt completely off...you know, like a busted Christmas light that makes the whole strand go dark. (At least, back in the old days!) I know this is supposed to be a enemies-to-lovers romance, but these two just didn't really fit as a pair in any respect from the first page on. Their initial interactions didn't have that 'spark' that felt more like banter, and they didn't even have that much in COMMON aside from family trauma, which to be honest, doth not a romantic relationship make. It's hard for me to think of anything LESS romantic than that, honestly. Not to mention, having crappy or unsupportive parents doesn't really make up for you acting like a man child. (One guess who I'm referring to...and I hope that's all you'd need!)

And another part of the reason I had SO much trouble with buy-in in regards to this particular relationship was simple: you just SHOULDN'T. DATE. YOUR. COWORKERS. Not mixing business with pleasure is more than just good advice; it's HR POLICY at companies all over the world, Not only does it feel like bad form, in this particular situation it was FAR more complicated, since these two strangers essentially went from not knowing each other to running a company together...but there was FAMILY involved. Seriously, I don't think the author could have created a messier situation for these two if she'd tried. Even if these two felt like they just HAD to be together (or even just to hook up), the fact that they couldn't see the forest for the trees and keep things professional sort of pointed to the fact that perhaps they WEREN'T really ready to run the company together...or at all.

But the main reason this book felt like such a holiday downer (and where it missed the opportunity to grow, breathe, and develop) was that SO much of it was focused on the family trauma that sort of got these characters where they were in the first place. Lexie needed to deal with her abandonment issues, and this alone would have been fodder for its own novel. Making the 'antidote' to her daddy issues a man-child of sorts just seemed like a strange choice. Lexie also meets Rachel, her half sister, who is definitely a more likable and complex character, but even this budding sister relationship is forced to take a back seat time and time again...so we can fit in long descriptions of the various holiday trips. As someone who would quite willingly give R and L Travel ALL my fictional money in the also-fictional scenario where I am a millionaire and can afford it, I expected this to be my favorite part of the book, but I felt like I was being told about the traditions more than really FEELING them, and amidst all of the grief and strife, there was a large disconnect between the holiday joy I'd hoped to feel and the grim reality of this holiday hodgepodge.

And while I don't completely regret the chance I took by having an early 'holiday horchata,' you'd better believe I'll be WAITING for my first delicious Peppermint Mocha read until that perfect, snowy, sweater weather day...you know, the one that is 'Always, in December.'

3.5 stars

Lexie has inherited half of a travel agency from her estranged father and she has to work with Theo, who made a horrible first impression. They have a year to work together before they can sell.

This is the first Emily Stone book I have read. I really enjoy her style of writing. This book is a singular POV from Lexie with one chapter from Theo's standpoint. Enemies to lovers with a tiny bit of spice.

Lexie was a good FMC. She is obviously struggling with her father's death as they didn't really speak for many years. Lexie does seem to scare easily on things due to her past. Theo is sort of a mysterious MMC. I think the book does focus on the romance but it is really Lexie's story to tell. I felt a good connection to the other characters as well such as Lexie's half sister, Rachel, and her friend, Fran.

All in all, this book was a nice delightful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for the ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.

Emily Stone is my favorite Christmas romance author and I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to read A Winter Wish months prior of being published. A Winter Wish was absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking story, I could not stop reading. I was instantly emotionally invested in all of the characters and I cannot wait to read more by Emily Stone. Thank you once again NetGalley and publishing company for this amazing opportunity.

This book just wasn’t for me! Nothing I fell in love with. The characters weren’t relatable to me and I have a really hard time reading in 3rd person pov. Personal preference that is hard to sort out when requesting books on here.