QUICK GLANCE-
My format- ebook
Other formats 📖Physical (368 pages)🎧Audio (9 hrs 55 min)
Spice: 🌶️🌶️(skip chapters 21 and 26 for closed-door modifications)
Language: moderate🤐🤐
CW: ⚠️grieving the loss of a parent

MY THOUGHTS A Winter Wish is a story of grief, complicated relationships, finding yourself, and forgiveness. It was done beautifully. If you want a feel-good yet deep emotional read, check this one out!

🧲Opposites attract
💻Workplace romance
✈️Traveling
🔥 💗 Enemies to Lovers
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Complex Family Dynamics
🎄Holiday romance
😂Witty banter

Thank you so much to @emstonewrites @netgalley for the advanced reader copy.

This book was so. freaking. good.

Lexie has a complicated relationship with her dad. He was her idol from her early childhood until he left her mom when she was 8 years old. While she loosely spent time with him and his new family, she felt increasingly pushed out and then when he flaked on her 21st birthday, she cut all contact with him. Now she travels for a living, working as a nanny and ski instructor abroad and makes a habit of ignoring any time her father reaches out. When her mom calls to let her know her dad passed away, she can't decide how she feels about the time she missed with him, especially as he leaves her half of his business and she quickly learns from her new business partners and associates that the father she knew was not the person they knew. With the condition that she and the co-partner need to keep the business afloat for one year, she embarks on a year long mission to unravel her complicated feelings about her dad, her feelings about family, discovering what she really wants out of life and who she wants with her for the ride.

This book was so sweet. It made me want to travel, it made me want to shake both characters, it made me love both MCs and many of the side characters. It was a great travel read.

#arc
#netgalley
#awinterwish

Do not let the cover fool you, this is not just a winter book, nor is it a "Christmas-y" book.Yes, the book starts and ends in the winter but it takes place over a year. Lexie has to return home to take care of the travel agency her (estranged) father left her in his will. She wants to sell it at the end of the year but the co-owner has no interest in that. Also, they fundamentally disagree on what kind of person Lexi's father was.

This is a cute romcom that I enjoyed a lot. Beyond that, there were conversations about difficult parental relationships for three of our characters- one was abandoned, one isn't accepted for whom they love, and one feels they'll never live up to their parents' expectations. It's also a story about learning to chase your bliss and realize that it's okay for what you want in life to change as you grow as a person.

It made me want to see the northern lights, which was a little hard because people in the US saw the northern lights just this past weekend. For those who are into spicy books, this book has one scene that isn't very spicy (which I appreciated as I am not a fan of super-steamy books).

My favorite part of this novel was watching the friendship grow between Lexie and Theo. Both brought so much hurt and pain from past family relationships that it made trusting others difficult and it made falling in love seemingly impossible. Both Lexie and Theo were victims of miscommunication by family too that immediately set them off as not liking each other.

I enjoyed "traveling" to places in Europe I've never been and liked the idea of the travel business Lexie and Theo inherited in which customers could experience the local businesses and cultural celebrations.

I never felt the chemistry between Lexie and Theo. I felt they made better friends than lovers. At times the pacing slowed and felt redundant and the events felt stilted and forced and sometimes just didn't fit. Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lexie was a nanny to Brea and Mikkel and she was kind of a free spirit but she got a call that her Dad had died. Even though he wasn’t with Lexie’s mom anymore or his latest wife and for that matter really didn’t have much communication with her. She finds out that her Dad had left his house to his daughter Rachel from last marriage and 1/2 of his company to her and her father’s coworker Theo. Theo and Lexie didn’t hit it off at first due to Theo being ill informed. It was funny watching the banter between the two.

I received this ARC from Netgalley, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really like this story about learning to trust in someone again. I understand how hard it was for Lexie to trust anyone after her father left her and her mother. But it isn't until her father died that she meets Theo and that Lexie was able to understand her father and why he left her a travel agency and wanted her to meet Theo.
Both Lexie and Theo are similar people, in that they never stay in one place because they both learned to not trust themselves or others. It's not until they start sharing each others story and working together that they start opening up and trust each other, but it's a bumpy road getting there, but it's worth it.
I felt connected to Lexie because I understand not trusting people who are suppose to love you and after many disappointments, you close off to any type of relationship with others and have doubts about any new one, but I'm glad that Lexie keeps trying with Theo and ends up in a relationship that real and open and loving.
I really enjoyed all of the secondary characters Rachel, Fran, Ange and Lexie's mother they are essential being a sounding board and catalysis for Lexie to look at her life and see where she wants to make changes and try again to make all her relationships better. They made me feel secure that Lexie had someone looking out for her whenever she doubted herself.
This is a wish that does come true and at the perfect time. Christmas.
I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for an advance story about opening up and trusting again and that in this story it comes true.

This was a really cute holiday read and I liked the enemies to lovers trope, but overall this didn't feel like Emily's usual emotional writing, something was missing for me to make this an unforgettable read - like Always, in December was.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! Stone's holiday novels always make me emotional and this was no different. Her writing and characters she creates are always so compelling and layered. I enjoyed the travel company aspect of this story and reading about our main characters navigating their grief. I am looking forward to Stone's next novel!

I enjoyed reading A Winter Wish by Emily Stone. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

This was such a sweet story with a dose of loss, and grief weaved into it.

Lexie had a complicated relationship with her father. After he dies he leaves her half of his company along with Theo the grumpy but very handsome man who owns the other half now. She has been living a nomadic life that suits her love for traveling.

Throughout the story we see her struggles to accept the different versions of her Dad she never knew. She feels left behind and unsure she wants to be part of a company who at their core thrives on giving families the vacations of their dreams when hers never came true.

I got lost in this story that had the perfect mix of heartfelt moments as well as funny and of course a romantic interest. This is a must read Christmas story.

Emily Stone writes the most delightful holiday romances. This one has a lot of holidays in it, but could be read and enjoyed any time of year. There's some enemies to lovers vibes. Lexie and Theo have some difficulty understanding each other and communicating. Their relationship is very sweet in the end. They have excellent chemistry and banter throughout the book. The travel in the novel offers excellent escapism for the reader. One of the main themes of the story is grief. I think the grief element was handled very well and represents the complexities of life.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell and NetGalley for this eARC!

More than just a romance between Theo & Lexie, this was a beautiful story about grief, finding yourself, and understanding that life is almost always unpredictable. As someone who struggled with her own father before and after his death, I absolutely loved Lexie and her journey and the people who eventually surrounded her. A perfect heartwarming holiday story.

Lexie is currently a nanny for two girls for the winter in a ski town in Austria. She enjoys the skiing and getting with friends. She gets a call from her mother saying that her father has died. Lexie’s first reaction is that she doesn’t care. The man left her mother and her when she was a young child. Afterward, all she got was a Christmas card from him. Her mother requests her to go to the funeral and she agrees to fly home. She soon learns that he had a business called R&L Travel which specializes in travels to areas where celebrations occur. It turns out he left half of the business to her and half to a man named Theo who had been working with him in the business. Theo is quite rude to her and when told that they two of them must manage the company for a year at a profit, she turns the job it over to Theo while remaining a silent partner as she has no interest in the business and even less interest in working with him.

Back in Austria, she gets a request to travel to Menton France for the lemon festival. As it’s just a few days and all expenses are paid, she agrees. She enjoys the food and other entertainment but doesn’t care to interact with Theo as he is his usual snarky self. But she soon changes her mind and decides to return to the UK and work alongside Theo as they manage the company. Of course, togetherness begins to make them see one another in a different light. Could they possibly be attracted to one another?

This is my third book by this author and I enjoyed the first two. However, this book was just not for me. First, it was simply too long and needed to have some duplicate scenes deleted. I did not like Lexie at all. She is so flighty and immature. I didn’t feel like I could connect with the other characters either. As much as characters wanted to make Richard out to be a good man, I didn’t feel he qualified for that. Overly long books and shallow characters make it difficult to like a book. Sorry.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A 3-3.5/5 holiday romance.

I waited a little bit until I got some fall weather outside to pick up this book because it seemed like a cozy read that I could curl up with. While it was super cozy and I actually enjoyed the plot and felt emotionally invested in the stories surrounding the romance, my main problem was a lack of connection to the characters. I just wasn't feeling the chemistry and emotion between them, and that could partially be because I wasn't feeling connected to the FMC. I actually liked Emily Stone's writing style, and this is my first book of hers. I'll definitely give her another shot. I think these characters will find the people that connect with them, I just wasn't one of them!

Lexie inherits half of her estranged father’s holiday travel company and must run it alongside Theo, his attractive yet bad-tempered executive. As they work together over the year, sparks fly between them during a trip to Spain, but navigating both business and their growing attraction proves challenging.

I always look forward to reading Emily Stone’s winter novels in the fall. While I thought A Winter Wish was a good story, it wasn’t my favorite of hers. The book is told entirely from Lexie’s perspective. I wish we could have seen Theo’s side as well especially to gain insight into his interactions and memories with Richard, Lexie’s dad. I loved the enemies-to-lovers trope between Lexie and Theo—it fit well with the circumstances they were in. While both characters had moments of immaturity, it was understandable given the emotional situations they faced. Overall, I’d rate this 3.5 stars, but I rounded it up to 4 stars on Goodreads.

Lexie and Richard are thrown together to run her late father's travel company. However, they have met before and have very different perspectives on the life of her father Richard. Each is grieving in their own way and it seems like they are grieving two different people. To Lexie Richard was an absent father much of the time, often canceling at the last minute. To Theo he was a substitute father figure and encourager. How can they reconcile their views of him along with their grief? Lexie is also keeping distance from her half sister, Rachel, who she believes was always more important to their father. I loved the character, Ange, and can just see all her big dangly earrings. Harry is a bit of offbeat character but I believe Theo sees something in him similar to what Richard saw in Theo. Harry's holiday ties give him a nice personality quirk to ponder. All of the characters are dealing with some type of loss in their lives though the story is not dragged down by it; there is much hope and wishes for a happy future.

I really enjoyed this book. While a romcom it was also serious. I loved all the characters and the interaction. It was just an all around good book. Thank you for the opportunity.

My first book by Emily Stone and it certainly won’t be my last. Loved the European settings and the holiday story built around a travel agency. A bit deeper than the usual RomCom but still very uplifting. The pacing was great and I enjoyed the slow burn between Theo and Lexie. Great side characters too.

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for the ARC.

I wanted to love this book but it just wasn’t my favorite. I felt there was no spark between our FMC and MMC and I struggled to want to pick up my kindle to read this. It really all just felt a bit forced.

I wanted so much more from this book, especially as it's my first Emily Stone book. While I didn't hate it...I unfortunately didn't love it. It really boils down to the MC's both lacking substance. Lexie was "abandoned" by her dad when she was younger and has made it literally her entire personality. The amount of whining and complaining and blaming literally EVERYTHING on her dad not being there for her was annoying to the point that I almost stopped reading. Like...seriously. It made her come across very immature and bratty.

Theo was a little bit better, but not by much. I was so desperately hoping for a resolution with him and his parents - like, maybe his mom opening her eyes and leaving his dad but no such luck. I didn't really get the romance connection between him and Lexie, but here we are.

Overall, the book was quick and easy to read. I've heard great things about other Emily Stone books, so I'll give those a try and see what I think.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to review this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.