A Winter Wish is my first book by Emily Stone. Lexi has inherited half of her estranged father’s travel agency along with Theo, the handsome young executive she now must work with.

This book did have holiday vibes which I enjoyed but it does take place over a year and not just one holiday.While I can see the travel agency/company aspect to be dated- I thought it was a fun backdrop to the story. As far as the romance goes, it was there but I wasn’t captivated by it. What I really loved was the themes of grief and making space for different perspectives and life experiences.

People are complicated.

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4. Ahh, okay. This was cute and all but not my favorite I’ve read recently.

I thought the travel agency piece of this book was great and provided interesting settings. We got to see lots of different events in different places around Europe which was cool! And I liked that this romance blossomed while exploring the beauty of travel.

Unfortunately the romance fell flat for me in the second half of the book, the chemistry just wasn’t where it should’ve been.

I did find Lexie to be a tad immature at times. It felt like we were rehashing the same things over and over and over again with her and she didn’t learn anything or change until the very end of the book. I wish I could’ve seen more gradual growth from her.

I also feel like we could’ve had a great secondary character found family situation but we never got that far. None of the secondary characters had enough depth that they added anything really interesting to the story.

Overall though this was definitely cute and I’d still recommend it for some holiday fluff if you have room on your holiday TBR, especially if you’re a wanderlust person!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing- Ballentine for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

“There was something cathartic about writing a wish down and putting it in the jar—like she was letting the wish go, setting it free.”

I absolutely loved Emily Stone's book Love, Holly (5⭐️!) and I was SO excited to get an early copy of A Winter Wish.

Unfortunately, A Winter Wish lacked the magic I found in Love, Holly. I didn’t feel connected to the characters or drawn into Lexie’s story. In fact, I didn’t get to know Lexie as well as I needed to in order for her story to truly make me feel something.

Lexie and Theo’s enemies-to-lovers romance lacked the maturity and depth I needed to really root for them. Both characters acted quite young and showed very little character growth. However, by end, I had started to warm up to them a little bit.

Though A Winter Wish didn’t reach my heart in quite the way I had hoped, it still contained some great messages and featured complex familial relationships to which readers might relate.

Fans of Just One Taste by Lizzy Dent will probably enjoy A Winter Wish.

3 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of A Winter Wish by Emily Stone, out on October 15, 2024. All opinions are my own.

Book Review: A Winter Wish by Emily Stone
Rating: 4/5 stars

If you’re craving a feel-good holiday romance with a touch of wanderlust, Emily Stone’s A Winter Wish hits all the right notes. This novel is a delightful blend of opposites-attract tension, emotional healing, and travel that will transport you into the warmth of the holiday season, even if you’re reading it mid-July.

The story follows Lexie, a woman with a strained relationship with her late father. When she inherits half of his niche travel company, which specializes in holiday-themed trips across the globe, she’s thrown into an awkward partnership with Theo, the brooding, hot-headed executive who inherited the other half. The catch? They must run the company together for a year before deciding its future.

The dynamic between Lexie and Theo is where the novel truly shines. At first, their interactions are fraught with tension—Lexie’s free-spirited nature clashes with Theo’s more structured, sometimes prickly personality. But as they explore holiday traditions in places like sunny Spain, their chemistry begins to sizzle, leading to moments that are both sweet and steamy.

I particularly loved how the book explores not just romantic love, but also the complexities of family relationships and personal growth. Lexie’s struggle to reconcile her feelings toward her father, while also navigating her budding relationship with Theo, adds depth to the story. It’s not just a holiday fling; it’s about two people learning to heal and let go of the past.

While the romance and travel elements are wonderful, the pacing could have used a bit more energy in the middle, where the plot feels like it stalls briefly. However, the charm of the setting and characters pulls the reader through to a satisfying conclusion.

In short, A Winter Wish is perfect for anyone looking for a heartwarming holiday read with a side of globe-trotting and slow-burn romance. It’s the kind of book you want to curl up with while sipping a hot drink by the fire—just don’t be surprised if it gives you the urge to book a holiday trip of your own!

Lexie is a wanderer, never staying in a job (or country!) for more than a few months. All that changes when she finds out she has inherited half of a travel company and needs to work there for a year before she can sell it. The other problem? The owner of the other half. Theo is handsome, doesn't want to sell, and doesn't seem to even like Lexie that much.

If you have a Dead Bad Dad (welcome to the club) you might want to tread carefully, because a large part of the plot dives into how different people have different experiences with the same person—in this case, her dad who left and let her down, and yet became a good dad, boss and friend to other people in his life. Lexie has some inner child work to do and Theo has some assumptions to reevaluate, but they get there in the end.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.✨ (4.5 stars)

Ohhhhh what a good sloooooooowwwww burn (🔥🔥🔥), enemies to lovers holiday read A Winter Wish by Emily Stone was. Lexie is never in one place long, and loves to travel the world doing odd jobs here and there. That is, until she gets a phone call from her mom that her father (who she doesn’t speak to and has a very complex relationship with) has passed away and left her half of his travel agency – with his business partner Theo getting the other half. At first Lexie is very reluctant to have anything to do with the company and Theo, but as she starts to question things about her relationship with her father and half-sister she starts to come to many realizations about herself and her relationships.

I’m a sucker for a well done slow burn, and Emily Stone really milked the slow burn out of this book – I just love when you can see two characters come together at the right time and see the relationship develop. The animosity between Lexie and Theo was palpable and boy did they explode when the enemies finally became lovers – lots of squealing because man I’m pretty sure I have said this already but it was a slow burn. Overall, I really liked this book. It’s definitely not just fluff, and dealt with some bigger issues like parental abandonment and expectations, but in a way you could really see growth in both Lexie and Theo. Also, all the “holidays” they went on throughout this book really made me want to get on an airplane and go somewhere 🛫!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Emily Stone and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

This was delightful and heartfelt!

Opposites attract, enemies to lovers, and globe-trotting around Europe blends with more profound issues like grief and complex family dynamics to add more depth to the story. Lexie has wounds from childhood and had not spoken to her father in years before she inherited his business. She has quite a bit to work through, and I enjoyed her journey of healing and self-discovery, which played a significant role in the book. I also found Lexie's dynamic with her half-sister Rachel to be very compelling. Theo was a charmingly grumpy MMC, and I enjoyed his chemistry and banter with Lexie.

This was well-written, and the travel aspects and setting changes were a lot of fun. The destinations were all vividly depicted. The pacing was slow for me in places, especially in the beginning, but it picked up midway and maintained momentum through the end. This was my first book by this author, and I'm interested in exploring her backlist. Overall, an enjoyable read and I love the cover!

Thank you to Random House Group Publishing Ballentine and Netgalley for the gifted book!

A dramatic enemies to lovers romance. The story line was intriguing but overall I had a hard time getting through this as I didn't find the characters particularly likeable.

Emily Stone has done it again and I feel like she will continue to write magical books that are swoony but so real. I loved Theo and his story. The father-daughter relationship was heart breaking yet beautiful. I was enchanted the whole time. LOVED IT!!!!

This was a good read, but I found I did not enjoy it quite as much as previous books from this author.

Lexie, who prides herself on her nomadic way of life, spends her life flitting from one far-flung temporary job to the next...settling is not in her vocabulary. When she is called home for her estranged dad's funeral, she learns he has left her half of his unique travel agency. She is to work alongside her father's young protege Theo for a year. If the business turns a profit following that year, they can determine whether to continue or sell.

Obviously, the steadiness of running a business for a year is not in Lexie's plan, and she decides to be a "silent" partner and allow Theo to run the day-to-day. However, as she learns more about the unique niche the business fills and more about her absent father and his second family, she feels pulled into trying her hand in the business. Meanwhile, Theo, who starts out on the wrong foot with Lexie, cannot understand her antipathy toward her father, his beloved mentor.

This is a story about coming to terms with your past, forgiveness and working toward a steady goal. I think that my hesitation in whole-heartedly loving this book was with the character of Lexie. As an older protagonist (around 30), I found myself not having a lot of patience for some of her immaturity in dealing with some aspects of her life. Yes, there was a growth arc, but I felt it took entirely too long to reach.

I did enjoy the slow-burn romance and the banter, but overall, I just didn't get the "feel" as I have from the author's backlist.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for providing the free early arc of A Winter Wish for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Stone is one of my favorite authors. She invokes strong emotions with her reads, and her books never disappoint for holiday romances.

A Winter Wish is my favorite trope, enemies to lovers, workplace romance. Yet, it goes much deeper than a lover story. It addresses absent parents, the struggle with self-worth and grief. The holiday destinations are astounding, and I think I'd like to hire their company to plan my travels.

While not my favorite by this author, it is still a sweet, grab your tissues read.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and Emily Stone for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lexie seeks adventure and new experiences. After her father left her and her mother to start a new family she feels abandoned and doesn’t allow herself to get close to others, moving every 6 months for another temporary role.

She has avoided communication with her dad, Richard, for several years and is shocked to hear of her father’s passing. The only thing that surprises her more is to learn he left her half of his travel business. However, there is a condition…she must help run it for a year before it can be sold.

Theo is heartbroken when Richard dies, he was the first person who took a chance on him and took the time to push him to be the best he could be. He is confused when he learns he was left half of the company he has been working so hard for and doesn’t understand why his seemingly absent daughter is part of the deal.

Cue all the misguided assumptions, hurt feelings and tension.

The book was an easy read and fun. It makes me want to travel!

I liked that it showed how one person (Richard) could be so different to different people and that humans are flawed. It stayed pretty surface level on this idea but it was fine for this story.

Overall a cute story I think many would enjoy, 3.5 rounded up.

Lexie learns of her father's death and doesn't know how to feel since they haven't spoken in ten tears. She's confused when she finds out he left her half of his holiday travel company. Will she be able to get along with the brat he left the other half of his business to? There is some chemistry but is mixing business with pleasure a good idea? Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this cute book.

Lexie is off skiing in the Alps when she learns of her father's death. They've been estranged since he walked out on her family when she was 7, leaving behind a wish jar, and promises of Christmas in Iceland. When she returns to Bath for his funeral she finds herself inheriting half of his travel company which specializes in adventure holiday experiences.

The other half of the company is left to her father's mentee, Theo. They must find a way to work together for a year as per her father, Richard's, last instructions.

Both of them carry their baggage into the arrangement but the enemies to lovers here is SOOOO good. I really did not think it would work between them but it did. The travel/adventure aspect was my favorite part but that was to be expected.

Had to DNF, the writing style was not for me and I didn't really buy into the story. The FMC's way of thinking didn't make sense to me really. Sort of slumping now, so that is likely my problem.

This was a warm and fuzzy read. I liked the character’s although Lexie’s anti-commitment issues drove me crazy. Why did nobody call her on it?!? The premise of R&L was fun. But I think I would have liked for there to be more Rachel moments and had that relationship explored more. Or a climax moment with Jody and Lexie!!!
*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

Lexie inherits half a travel copy from her estranged father passed away. Theo, a long time employee, inherits the other half. They are forced to work together for at least a year before determining what to do with the company.

Unfortunately, this holiday book was a miss for me. I felt like this book dragged on in some area, and it was not flowing with the rest of the book. The chemistry between was just meh and seemed kind of forced.

3 stars

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a quick holiday-themed book. I was looking for something fun and lighthearted. The characters deal with grief, family dynamics, and are in the process of figuring out who they are which is always a good storyline. . However, I appreciated the journey on which the author takes Lexie because I think it is reflective of a lot of people. Thanks for the advanced copy.

A Winter Wish was a charming, heartwarming and at times heart-wrenching story about two lost souls trying to find their way. There are so many wonderful dynamics not only in storyline but in the great character development. The story did trudge on a little at times but overall was a wonderful story that I'll not soon forget. A very worthwhile read .

My thanks for an ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group—Ballantine, Dell. I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Spicy Romance, Contemporary Romance
Language: Lots of profanity

A WINTER WISH is a fun holiday romance. It is definitely swearier and spicier than I expected.

This is pretty light-hearted and will fit the bill for spicy-loving readers.

Happy reading!