This is not my favorite Emily Stone. I had a hard Time believing in the romance part of the promised-enemies to lovers. I didn't feel the chemistry. I'll be looking forward to next year's release.

Reading Christmas romances is something I look forward to every year and I'm happy I was given the opportunity to read Emily Stone's newest release. While I enjoyed experiencing wanderlust reading about Lexi as she traveled around Europe, I felt that the romance lacked some depth and development. The interactions we see with the main couple was lacking the banter I like in a "hate to love" romance, and although I enjoyed reading about Lexi and Rachel's relationship, I felt that the side characters could have been more involved. While this one wasn't a perfect read for me, I look forward to reading Emily Stone's next holiday release next year!

This was a cute read. Emily Stone always manages to incorporate deeper topics into her romance books. This one deals with Lexie after inheriting half of her estranged father’s travel company. I’d say it’s about 75% women’s fiction and 25% romance. Much heavier on Lexie’s growth over the course of the story rather than the romance story. But still an enjoyable read.

Rounded up from 3.5

ARC Review
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone
368 pages
Pub date: October 15
Romance

Thank you so much to Dell for an eARC of A Winter Wish in exchange for an honest review. A Winter Wish got me out of a recent book slump, and I’m grateful for that! The novel explores complicated family relationships, grief, travel, growth, and love.

Lexie likes living a traveling lifestyle, never putting down roots in a spot for too long. She finds out that her estranged father has passed away and comes back to Bath to find out he has left her half of a travel company he started. The catch is she has to own it and operate it for one year before selling with an annoying man, Theo, who had a great relationship with her father and had a grudge against Lexie for how she acts in the face of this news. But, Theo and Lexie get to know each other, traveling to beautiful locations, and well, you can probably guess what happens.

I really enjoyed the character growth in this book, and I smiled and cried at various parts. I think that A Winter Wish is a great read if you want a romance with depth and want to travel! I recommend it.

Wow. I absolutely LOVED this one. I've come to the realization that I have a soft spot for books that talk about grief, especially when it's grieving for someone that you once loved but didn't necessarily have the best experiences with toward the end of their life -- a complicated sort of grief. Not that grief isn't already complicated, but it adds a layer when you're conflicted on whether you have the authority to grieve a person you don't know anymore: are you grieving the person they no longer are? What happens if you grieved them before they were gone, and what happens now now that they are gone? It's a special kind of grief, not the ones that you can find much beauty in, when you have to grieve someone who still could be part of your life. It's another to lose them completely and not know if you're allowed to grieve them anymore.

Reading about Lexie's confusing relationship with her father reminded me so much of January in Beach Read by Emily Henry, which was such a big reason in loving that book. I loved the added layer of Lexie's choice of whether or not she could enjoy being a sister and the dynamic that plays in the relationship she had with her dad and the one she still has with her mom. I loved the way it's insinuated (at least to me) that if she could open her arms to Theo despite learning that he was a father figure to him in the same way her dad was to Rachel, it makes it easier for her to understand Rachel's perspective and become more open into inviting Rachel into her life.

There's so much that this book makes you feel, it might be in the running for one of my favorite books. It's got a mix of Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley, Beach Read by Emily Henry and You, With a View by Jessica Joyce -- all books that revolve around the complicated feelings of grief and what it means to still love someone and forgive them when they probably don't deserve it all that much. What a beautiful, beautiful book this is.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the copy. Unfortunately I DNFed A Winter Wish. I found myself bored for the first couple of chapters. I also didn’t realized that Emily Stone is Welsh, which led to a different vocabulary that I am used to.

Is it close to Christmastime or is it Emily Stone season?

This is the 4th Emily Stone book I’ve read. This has a lot in common with her other books. A story that deals in grief, that takes place over a year, featuring Christmas in a way. But I think this is her most contemporary romance-like and least heart-wrenching book. It feels like she’s melding her own style with what we usually expect from romance books and I LOVE IT!

👍
+ I loved the chemistry between the two lovebirds the whole book. From the first moment of brushing past one another at a door to the last page, I felt the tension, curiosity, yearning, denying of feelings, chemistry… And their banter!! It sizzled and at times was hilarious too.

+ Emily Stone is amazing at having her characters deal with grief, in various forms. This tackled grief with complicated feelings. The main character struggles with her feelings for the loss of her dad that she was mostly estranged with. Remembering the good days, feeling guilty for not really grieving, seeing others’ relationship with the person that failed you, trying to untangle the yarn of it all, and finally coming to terms with it… it was just done so well.

+ I also loved the side characters, they each had their own quirks and flaws but they were also all very sweet. The main character has a habit of pushing others aside, which makes a lot of sense considering her past. Seeing how her relationship with the side characters transform over time as she lets herself let others in was beautiful. I especially loved her and her sister’s journey.

+ I loved loved loved all the travel involved in this. Her childhood family tradition made me want to implement it too. And my new goal in life is to find a travel agent company that works like the one in this book. I want to go to all the places they went to and experience it all.

+ You might at times be frustrated with the main characters’ actions. They don’t always say the best thing and make the best choice, but it’s always authentic to their characters and sets up a place of growth for them. Even the third act breakup, which I usually really don’t like in romances, is something necessary in this book for them to be able to truly come together without regrets or second guessing. I loved seeing these two grow from the scars their parents left them with in very different ways and how they were (eventually) there for each other to heal.

👎 If there’s anything I would change in this book, it’s that I wish the reconciliation at the end was a bit more substantial so we could bask in their happiness for a bit longer.

Thank you so much to the publisher Dell and NetGalley for the ARC!

Overall rating: 4.5 ⭐

This book made me want to travel for holidays! I enjoyed reading Lexie’s journey regarding her thoughts about herself and her relationship with her father! Her relationship with Theo was of course my favorite part, though. The evolution of enemies to lovers felt more adult/realistic than you sometimes see in other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for an advance copy!

It’s an enjoyable read for the most part. While this could’ve been an “all the feels” book given the topic, Lexie (MC)’s immaturity drove me crazy. She’s 29-years-old and wants to run away from everything because she’s not willing to TALK! I really hate when miscommunication is part of the trope.

I did love that the book involved a lot of travel and I love the premise of the travel company. Ange & Rachel were probably my favorite characters. So there’s enough redeeming qualities to make this a decent read.

A Winter Wish, by Emily Stone, is yet another of her signature evocative Christmas time stories that showcase deeper issues, relationship drama, and family dynamics.

In A Winter Wish, Lexi inherits half of her estranged father’s travel business when he suddenly passes away. The other half goes to a young man who worked closely with her father. There is friction, tension, and romantic angst between the two, and we see them grow and change as the story encompasses a full year, not just the holiday season. The characters are a bit difficult to love at times, which can be off-putting, but all-in-all, A Winter Wish is an impactful, heartfelt, contemplative story.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
4th book by this author and her books just hit the right way around the holidays. Each set of characters are adorable and charming. Lexie and Theo didn't disappoint in A Winter Wish.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ARC!

I love me some sad girl romance and Emily Stone is tried and true for this niche! This book had loads of grief, self discovery journey, complicated characters and relationships and heavy family dynamics. This was a true sad girl book and I lived for it!

The relationship with Lexie’s father from her and Theo really touched my heart since I’m such a daddy’s girl.
I absolutely love Christmas and a Christmas romance is just brilliant. Great.
The banter, the love, I just loved it. I enjoyed needing to get to the next page. The next chapter. It’s my first book by this author but if she needs to send her books anywhere for safe keeping, I volunteer as tribute.

Love a Christmas romantic company with high stakes 🤗 love the stakes and appreciate how the author treated the disruption to the mc’s life

Emily Stone always knows how to break my heart and then piece it back together. This one had more romance than some of her previous novels, and was centered on the romance building.
Luckily, Lexie and Theo's "enemies" to friends to lovers was so perfect and entertaining to read. The way they built a bond after getting off to a rocky start was inspiring. I loved the way they learned to recognize what each other needed and grew separately, and then together.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
Lexie's estranged father dies, and he leaves her half his holiday travel company with the other half going to one of his employees, Theo. There are lots of conditions. Lexie is sure Theo hates her, plus she's conflicted about the inheritance, not talking to her father before his death, and the differences she sees in the close relationship he had with Lexie's half sister.
This moved a little slow for me. It's a good story, and both Lexie and Theo grow a lot and turn out to be likeable characters. For a travel related book, I didn't feel swept away to other locations. There was a little bit, but even those times, it felt like the story was totally focused on the interpersonal interactions above details about the locations and events they were at. I enjoyed watching Lexie's realizations about her father, her relationship with her mom, and how she developed a relationship with her half sister.

𝗔 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗯𝘆 𝗘𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★★★

This was a sweet story about two individuals who inherit a travel company and slowly develop a connections. Lexie who’s estranged father gives her half of the company and Theo who is an employee, gets the other half of the company. The two must come together to successfully run the business for at least a year before they can try to sell the company or decide if they would like to keep it. I enjoyed the enemies to lovers vibes between two and the challenge to prove one wrong. I also enjoyed the talk of travel and seeing other countries. I found the whole travel part of the story fun and intriguing.

While this was a cute story that had me invested at times, I do have to say this did not feel like a holiday/wintery book. Most of the story took place throughout the year and the only time it focused on the holidays was discussing trips and during the time when the father died then at the very end of the book. Also Lexie was a bit of a frustrating character. She was one of those characters that you want to shake and tell them to snap out of it on numerous occasions. Lastly, I really did not feel any deep connection with these characters or any spark to the story. I feel like this was a sweet story and some may truly enjoy it, it just wasn’t my favorite.

4 Stars

Admittedly, I’ve been in a weird reading funk and this took me quite a while to get into—about 30% honestly. I blame this on myself as once I got into the story I really ended up loving it.

First off, I don’t think this book is overly holiday-esque despite the cover (so cute) & title. It didn’t fully take place at Christmas-time and spanned a chunk of time really. I think you’d be fine to read it not during the holidays!

I really enjoyed A Winter Wish! It was romantic & gave me actual butterflies in my stomach which is such a rare delight. But, it wasn’t just a romance and had a lot of other elements to the story. If you have daddy issues (it me) proceed with caution!

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group— Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Winter Wish is Emily Stone’s latest stand-alone Christmas romance. Her stories are set in England, and they are more character-development stories than romance
Lexie’s parents split when she was eight years old, and she later learned that he had fathered a child with another woman. Lexie always felt awkward around her seven-years-younger sister, Rachel, and resented her because their father stayed with her mother for most of her childhood. Although Lexie has a college degree, she primarily works at seasonal jobs in various countries because she doesn’t like to stay in one place for more than a few months. Her latest job is as a nanny for a wealthy family staying at a ski chalet in Austria, and she spends her free time entangled in a relationship with a handsome ski instructor, Mikkel.
When Lexie is informed of her father’s death, she returns to her hometown in England for his funeral and discovers that he has owned a successful travel agency for the past five years. She is shocked to learn that her sister, Rachel, has inherited his cottage, and she (Lexie) will be half-owner of the travel agency if she participates in managing it for one year. This news greatly upsets Theo, a handsome but grumpy young man who inherited the other half-share and has been running it alongside Lexie’s father.
The tropes that are used in A Winter Wish have been used so many times before, but they feel fresh when skillfully woven by this author. Lexie experiences significant character development in this story, exploring her past relationships with her father and Rachel and forging new and better relationships with her mother and Rachel. Interestingly, neither of Lexie’s parents lectured her about settling down and getting a steady job, seemingly content to allow her to live a wanderlust life. This positioned Lexie to be able to take on assignments for the travel agency and be engaged in their mission. The descriptions of the scenery made me want to book a trip to Spain!
On the romance side, Lexie had to decide that her fling with Mikkel was meaningless, and she needed to invest in real men who are interested in a future. Theo had good reason to resent Lexie’s nonchalance about her father’s death and inheritance, and it took a little while for his grumpy façade to fade. The reader knew all along that her father engineered this whole thing.
I enjoyed this emotional Christmas romance. It’s what I call a British cozy romance due to its slow pace and low angst. The interesting characters, family dynamics, and beautiful descriptions of scenery make this a story worth reading!
I received an advance review copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine/Dell Books for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What makes me love Emily Stone's books is that she usually has a head-turning plot twist. Just when you think you're getting a happy ending, boom something happens. This book didn't have one of those and I missed it. This wasn't a bad book by any means, I just never got invested. I found myself wandering away from the book. I didn't get invested in the characters until pretty deep into the book.

While this is labeled as a Christmas read, I didn't think that was necessary. It is a small part of the book. This book takes place over a year, whereas most of her books have been centered remotely around Christmas so it felt very secondary to the story.

I enjoyed the focus on traveling, getting to see multiple location settings, and seeing these two characters get put in difficult situations abroad. One of my favorite side plots was Lexie finally getting to know her step-sister away from all the other family's preconceived notions. I also liked how Lexie looked back on her past with her dad in a new light and saw her parents as flawed adults, not just mom and dad.

Read if you like enemies to lovers, holiday, travel romance. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book is out now.