I had read One Last Gift by Emily Stone and was excited to receive an ARC of her newest release.

Lexie has always felt abandoned by her father. He left her and her mom to marry a younger women and start a new family with her. Lexie drifted from him and never put much effort in when he would reach out. She is startled by his unexpected death and even more shocked to discover that her father left her half of his travel business.

This is a book that has some meat on its bones and isn't just a pure romance story which is not a bad thing. Just don't let the cover sway you.

Possible triggers: Sudden loss, parental loss, parental abandonment

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed Lexie and Theo's story. Loved all the travel and scenery aesthetics. The complicated family moments were a bit tricky at times or felt a bit too much when the characters were grumps. However, I appreciate the real and relatable story. An enjoyable holiday season read that takes place over the year. Great character arcs.

I really enjoyed many aspects of this book. The complexity of family, the traveling/sites, and the banter between the main characters were very well written. The relationship between Lexie and her Dad brought up many emotions and allowed me to connect more with the story. While this isn’t what some would consider a typical warm, cozy, “Hallmark” type story, it is a really great book that will allow the reader to feel a range of emotions. If you’ve ever had a strained relationship with a parent or loved one, the story helps provide a bit of comfort and relatability to know you aren’t alone.

I loved every sizzling page of this holiday romance! There is a depth to this book that is often lacking in holiday romance novels, as complicated emotions and relationships drove this story. Lexie and Theo both have deep-rooted issues regarding their parents, but it’s each of their relationships with her father that are at the heart of it all. I loved these two, and felt like the air crackled with electricity every time they were near each other. Their feelings were so raw whether they were antagonizing each other, making each other laugh, or opening up to each other, and my own heart wept and celebrated with them. This also isn’t a holiday romance that takes place over one Christmas season; their story is a full year of love and heartache and mistakes and vulnerability and complications, and, of course, love. I’m grateful to the publisher for providing and advance reader copy of this book.

It's romantic and lovely, and you get to feel almost every feeling. I liked this heartfelt Christmas romance. This story is worth reading because of its captivating characters, close knit families, and great descriptions of the scenery around them.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the romantic read!

Another adorable holiday romance. This one was really sweet and both Lexi and Theo were great main characters. Since it starts as a bit of a workplace rivals to lover, I knew I would enjoy it. The audio was wonderful and the story was quick moving and a bit emotional. Definitely a good one to read for the holidays.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

What an emotional, heart tugging book! Lexie's father abandoned their family for another woman and started a new family. After years of disappointments, Lexie finally gave up on the relationship. Now her father has unexpectedly passed away and she finds out she has inherited his holiday travel agency. The catch, she must share the business with Theo, who worked (and was close with) her dad.

There are so many complicated layers to this book! And so many different perspectives to take into consideration. While Lexie was estranged (with good reason) from her father, her half-sister had a loving, close relationship with the man. Theo also had a special bond with him as his own parents were lacking in their support and love.

So much of this book was crushing with unbearable sadness, justifiable anger, and the lost chance to make amends and grant forgiveness. The emotional strain and depth of feelings was so real

While I enjoyed Lexie and Theo together, the building of the sister relationship with Rachel touched me just as much. The girls lost so much due to their father (and Rachel's mother's) selfishness. The book does manage to come full circle with a satisfactory happy ending after just the right amount of angst. :)

4 stars

I enjoyed this story. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. Following Lexie and her struggles with losing her dad who she wasn't very close with by the end, gaining a business that she knew nothing about and a sister she wasn't too sure if she wanted to be around all while her co owner hated her and dealing with the cards that had been dealt was a ride. I loved watching love slowly bloom, watching her come to terms and accept everything that's went on and really watching her character grow and learn. I wished there were more Christmas elements within the story but other then that it was a good time.

The setup for this story felt like something I've read many times before. Unfortunately, this one came with a lack of depth or emotion and a largely unlikable FMC. I ultimately DNF'd this around the 50% mark - which earned this 3* because I don't feel like it's fair to rate a book lower than that if I didn't see it through to the end.

This was a sweet book! I need to remember that this author’s books are always emotional, and read them with that in mind. But for someone looking for a moody Christmas read that’ll hit you in the feels, give this a try!

A Winter Wish
By: Emily Stone
4 stars

Having read Love, Holly earlier this year, I was so excited to get the ARC of A Winter Wish! Emily Stone does an amazing job of writing winter-time books without shoving Christmas down your throat. Winter is just a subtle background to the overall story and for that, I am grateful!

The story follows Lexie, a late 20’s traveler who doesn’t settle down in one place for long as she learns of her father’s death. She has an estranged relationship with her father who left her and her mother when she was young to remarry and have another child with. All her life, Lexie has struggled with her feelings on her father, this man who was once the world to her who left her feeling less than when he left for his new family. After his funeral, she learns that her father has left her his traveling company, R&L Travel, but she has to split it with his associate, Theo. The catch is, she has to stick to it for a year or she loses any potential income, forcing her to take a step back from her traveling lifestyle and stay put to try and make a go at his company her father started. The problem lies not only with staying put, but with this man Theo who she doesn’t know, but clearly doesn’t like her.

Lexie grapples with the version of her father that she knew, while learning who he was to not only Theo, but her half sister, Rachel. She battles with loving this company her father made, that mirrors her own values while trying to truly process that her father is now dead and they had so much unresolved between them. I loved that throughout the story we learn more about Lexie and Theo’s backstory, and through their forced relationship, they begin to work through their grief and learn to trust one another. Their chemistry was at first very prickly and eventually they heat up over the course of months until they’re unable to resist one another.

While the blossoming romance was a wonderful part of the story, I wish we got more from Lexie’s evolving perspective of her father and he relationship with her half sister. At times I felt bad for Lexie for being forced into this position, being told as a grown woman that she HAS to do this for a year while also being manipulated into situations by his assistant, Ange, such as her booking a trip and not telling her Theo was there. Sort of forcing her hand at times. I guess for the overall plot it worked but in real life I would be furious?

It’s a wonderful read for anyone looking for:
-Overcoming a parental loss
-Reconnecting with yourself
-Slow-burn romance
-Travel
-Wintertime reads

(Heavy) love story set during Christmas time. Story revolves around the female main character losing her father. Then having to work with someone else figure out to do with the half company her dad left her.

A Winter Wish was a good enemies to lovers Christmas time novel. This book did resonate with me more than I thought it would because of the fact that Lexi's father had unexpectedly died of cancer. She hadn't spoken to her father in years as he left her mom and her for another woman and was not as present of a father as he should have been. My own father died of cancer and also passed away without me having seen him in a couple years. My relationship was better with my father but he also left my family for another woman. With all of this going on I could relate to some of the emotions Lexi felt in this novel. There were some parts when I was a little frustrated with Lexi and her inability to see the other side of things especially when it came to her half sister. I was rooting for her and hoping things would turn out well.

Loved this book! It was a cute, cozy read for the winter. Perfect for Christmas time or just winter in general. It had all the vibes I was going for.

Lexie just learned her Dad passed away. She distanced herself long ago after he disappointed Lexie. She didn’t want to be hurt. Now, she owns 1/2 her Dad’s travel company with his protege, Theo.
Theo is antagonistic from the get go with assumptions about Lexie that just aren’t true. They have a year to work things out or sell the company. Lexie and Theo both have a history or running away from commitment so this relationship is a series of romance and disappointments. They both need to let their pasts behind and set a new path.
This book is a typical enemies to lovers troupe. I was hoping for more of a Christmas read which is what the cover lead me to believe. It was fine but predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this! Emily Stone always balances the holidays with heartbreak, growth, and finding your own warmth in a cold season of life. I usually love her works, so I was excited for this, but unfortunately was not my fav of hers. Lexie is grieving and processing the death of her estranged father while also in the typically beloved enemies to lovers trope. I ADORE this trope, but felt like this one was missing something unfortunately. Lexie showed personal growth in her own journey which was relatable and real, but feel this book was missing something to make it amazing.

I really liked this book! It was a little slow at first but once it got going it was hard to put down. I love the different travel set ups, it felt like a vacation for my brain.

I finished this book quickly and it was pretty engaging. However, I had a hard time relating to the main character Lexie. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t want her father’s travel company and she was frustrating at times with the decisions she made. The relationship between Lexie and Theo felt a little forced and underdeveloped. It felt like they went from enemies to lovers quicker than it should have which contributed to the novel’s lack of depth. Also, this story takes place throughout the year so I thought the title was a little misleading.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm tired of Lexie.
I'm tired of reading about runners.
People who don't wanna listen to others when things don't go the way they expect.

I can usually count on Emily Stone's book to provide a dose of holiday hope, though often with a hint of melancholy. The vibes of A Winter Wish, however, were more trauma-aggressive. If it were Women's Fiction, the exploration of daddy issues, abandonment, guilt, and grief could be compelling. However, it was categorized as Romance, and for that genre it was very unsatisfying.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for gifting me with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.