One Last Gift by Emily Stone 🎁💌❄️☃️

🎁 genre: women’s fiction & romance
💌 fav tropes: xmas vibes, travel, quest

🎧 song pairing: Christmas Song by Phoebe Bridget’s
🤩 star rating: ⭐️⭐️💫

Beware: This is not your classic Christmas romance! Your heart will be broken and many tears will be shed. 😢

Unfortunately, this was not my favorite read. Although I was so captivated by the premise — a childhood best friends to lovers/enemies to lovers romance brought together by a mutual connection and love of a recently deceased character — I really didn’t find the book delivered! 😬

For me, I think that the biggest failures of the book were its many, often confusing timelines. With another edit and a refresh of POV or perspective, I think that this would bump up to a three or four star read! ⭐️

I was also really taken back by the romance. They got back together in one chapter after being enemies for the whole book. It was one of those ~fated from the start~ types of romances. Major eye roll there. 🙄

Would I recommend this book? Not really…

[Thank you to @netgalley for sending me an eBook ARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Another gem by Emily Stone. & another reason she’s becoming an auto buy author for me. This was such a sweet and emotional story. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Reading her books can always be an emotional journey, but there are also small life lessons intertwined into her writing which I love. One Last Gift is no exception as we read about these character’s lives and the difficult life moments they go through. Some decisions made by these characters were frustrating for me, but I think that’s just a part of their past life experiences. Overall, I think this is a sweet read for the season. Bring tissues!

This was a great holiday read. Though it didn’t quite have the magic of AID it’s still well written and thoughtful.

One Last Gift by Emily Stone is a heartwarming tale about grief and surviving the holidays. It's a romance, but not a romcom...so more serious than I typically read. Still really liked it. Perfect for those who love watching those Hallmark channel shows.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars!!

This story had so many elements that I liked. Although it was sad that Cassie and Tom grew up without their parents, they had each other and a relative as well as family friends that made their life fuller. I really adored how Tom was there for Cassie, his friendship with Sam and how he always followed his dreams as well as pushing others to do the same. I couldn't
I liked how Cassie knew what she loved but like many people in reality, she stayed at a job that she enjoyed but in the end realized she was holding herself back and Tom helped her pursue what she always wished for as well as gifting her. I have mixed feelings about Sam, he pursued a career he didn't want for money and ended up miserable and lost. His choice of career was surprising but I did love that he worked with kids.

I know the story had to be over a course of time, I love the build ups, however I didn't like the time jumps that were made and I felt like if it wasn't for this or that happening the characters were too stubborn or set in their ways to at least be there for one another. I have mixed feelings about Cassie, Sam, Claire and Linda. I love the other side characters, Cassie's best friend and co-worker but I don't know why I couldn't connect to certain things.

Overall I enjoyed the story and the character development of all the characters. It was deeply moving, hopeful and sweet. Look forward to reading more of Emily's work.

You would think the biggest literary crime this book commits is yet another Christmas death, especially one that happens in the middle of the narrative when the blurb makes it seem like it's a before book events kind of death. Or maybe it's the surprise secret baby fathered by the dead guy! Or wait maybe the crime is neither main character being willing to listen or talk to the other one and instead choosing to be angry at each other all the time (very romantic).

While all of those are bad, the real crime is that at the end of the book the dead guy - who was into sustainability and the environment - is celebrated by his sister and his best friend (the two main characters) with littering. These two British people climb a mountain in Argentina where the dude died and put photos on the ground and leave them there. Litter! For the environmentalist!! What ever happened to leave no trace. The dead guy would NOT approve of this nonsense.

Anyway, if you ignore all the many book crimes and know going in there will be very little Christmas fluff, yet another Christmas death, a prolonged funeral, and the subsequent grieving process on page, it's a competenly written and bittersweet book.

One Last Gift by Emily Stone is tearful and joyful. It was written with a deep understanding of sibling love.

💭Thoughts:
This was much more emotional of a read then I was expecting for a holiday romance. It definitely had me ugly faced crying a few times.

The book is told from the POVs of Cassie and Sam, her brother Tom’s best friend. The first third of the book moved a bit slowly for me as the characters and setting are introduced. Then a tragic event happens and it really moves the story along.

The scavenger hunt that Cassie’s brother sends her on each year to find her Christmas gift was my favorite part of the story. Each note she found had me feeling more and more invested in her and her story. I found myself really rooting for Cassie and her character growth throughout the book.

I loved how the author ended the book. I don’t want to give to much away because I feel like this is a great story to go into a bit blind. Highly recommend if you are like me and you enjoy an emotional read!

This was a middle of the road just okay book for me. I loved the first 30% and then felt like there were too many things happening while simultaneously moving really slow for the meat of the story. It picks up again for the last 30%, but then skips large chunks of time with very little explanation of those missing months. I felt like everyone was floundering in the story and would have liked to see MORE detail of the resolution in the end instead of having those big gaps. Overall I would say I was super invested in the book from the beginning but the middle and end left me wishing for more.

Emily Stone is the queen of taking stories laced with sadness and turning them into holiday novels filled with hope. One Last Gift is no different. It doesn’t shy away from grief, but shows how we can still find love and happiness!

Cassie’s only true family is her brother, Tom, so when he dies in a tragic accident it sets her adrift. The only piece of him left behind is the first clue for his annual Christmas treasure hunt. When she finally takes the leap, she finds he’s given her exactly what she needs.

Truly a standout Christmas novel. Cassie and Tom lost their parents rather young. Tom remembers them because he was a bit older and through life helps Cassie with their shared pain. Their best friends Hazel and Sam all grew up together doing almost everything together. This story follows Cassie’s grief as an adult and is truly unlike any other Christmas novel. You’ll feel their pain and truly be touched by this story. This story has a beautiful flow along timelines and between the romance sparking with Sam and Cassie and Hazels whit it’s truly a great well written book. Thank you NetGalley for the copy!

Sweet, light-hearted story. It gave me such Hallmark Christmas Movie vibes. Loved it! Emily Stone ripped my heart out and pieced it back together again!

Thank you so much @RandomHouse & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 11 October 2022)

SYNOPSIS | Cassie & Tom lost their parents at a young age forcing them to rely on each other as they grow up & face each milestone of life. They become the best of friends, but Cassie's world is turned upside down when her brother unexpectedly dies. As she is grieving she receives a handwritten letter from him for their annual Christmas scavenger hunt... this is the last one that she will ever complete.

WHAT I LIKED:
- the idea of a scavenger hunt pushing Cassie outside of her comfort zone

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- the inconsistently spaced time jumps really pulled me out of the story as I felt like all of the character growth happened off the page
- the format would have worked better with alternating chapters between current day Cassie on the scavenger hunt & flashbacks to relevant moments
- I wasn't invested in Tom as a character so his death didn't hit me the way it was probably intended too
- Cassie & Sam didn't have enough on page time together for me to root for their romance

If you read Emily Stone’s Christmas book from last year, Always in December, then you know her books are heavy on the sad for this time of year. This book is no exception.

2/5 ⭐️⭐️

Cassie and Tom are siblings who lost their parents at a young age and now they only have each other. Every Christmas Tom plans a scavenger hunt for Cassie to get her present. Tom’s best friend, Sam is also a prominent character who Cassie has a crush on. As the story continues Sam makes some bad choices and we watch as Cassie and Tom navigate life.

While this book is marketed as a romance I think it’s more of a women’s fiction. Even so I did not enjoy the story. For one it’s sad, which is okay but I didn’t find very many redeeming happy moments. Also Sam is not a good person and the majority of the book was spent showing us how bad of a person he was only for it to be quickly swept aside. I didn’t feel like I could root for the romance when the majority of the book I wanted to yell move on!

Also, I found Sam and Cassie very immature and exhausting. Their decisions were strange and naive so often.

Overall, I’d say skip this book and pick up a different Christmas option.

This book is everything.
SO many moments. So many emotions.

I feel like the relationships in this book are really a highlight. The brother and sister relationship between Tom and Cassie was beautiful.
The relationship between Cassie and Sam was so many things. The highs and lows were definitely there.

A scavenger hunt takes place in this book that is really fun on page.

This book does a lot of "looking back" at different times.
The relationships are strong.
The tropes are second chance/brother's best friend/friends to enemies to more.

Overall this book was a major rollercoaster, and such a gorgeous seasonal read!
4.5 stars.

Cassie and Tom were brought up by their Aunt Claire after their parents died, becoming very close. Cassie loves her job as an events planner but is sruck in a job with a horrible boss. The third person in Tom and Claire’s circle is Sam, Tom’s best friend and someone Cassie has always felt she could love. When a tragedy occurs, both Sam and Cassie turn on each other and have a hard time moving forward. Tom has always given Claire a treasure hunt for Christmas, filled with poems as clues. As Claire embarks on the treasure hunt, she hopes to find her way. I really loved the story, and appreciated all the secondary characters, such s Hazel, Claire’s best friend, and Linda, who played a huge role in Tom and Claire’s lives. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Cassie and Tom were young when both their parents died in an accident and were taken in by their aunt. Lost in her grief as well, their mother's sister didn't know how to treat them and Cassie and Tom grew up feeling as if they were each other's only family. With this they have also relied on close friends including Tom's best friend, Sam. Cassie always had a crush on Sam and when they were old enough she tried to convince him that Tom wouldn't mind but in the end Sam pushed Cassie away and their friendship fizzled after that. When Tom decides to go on a trip to South America right before Christmas, after a fight with his girlfriend and promising that this year's gift hunt will be the biggest yet, Cassie is never expecting the outcome of that fateful trip. Cassie had been looking forward to their annual traditional gift hunt which Tom prepared for her every year as her big brother. Instead, Cassie is informed that Sam did not accompany Tom on his trip as he was too hungover to get up in time for the flight and that Tom died while on the hike that he decided to go on. Cassie spends months in her grief until she remembers the gift hunt and starts on it to feel her brother still close to her. The hunt eventually has Tom guiding her to let go of some of her fears that developed as a result of the loss of her parents and her brother in similar incidents and allow her to take control of her life. Ultimately, it leads her back to Sam and it shows her that he always loved her just like she loved him but his fear of losing their friendship, both hers and Tom's especially, kept him from going after his heart while Tom was alive. It was a very moving read and very mired in grief and hurt. I would warn that people who are sensitive to the loss of a loved one might not particularly enjoy this but otherwise I would highly recommend it.

This book is a warm hug, perfect for the holidays. Heart breaking and emotional, a story of second chances and finding romance. Well written and evenly paced. Enjoyed it.

This was a good holiday read. I loved the Christmas scavenger hunt. And while this one is definitely a little sad, the scavenger hunt did end up turning it a bit lighter and fun. I didn’t love Sam, which is why the rating is a little lower. He was definitely hard to like for most of the book. If you are looking for a holiday read this is definitely a good option, but beware it is on the sad side and addresses death of a parent and sibling.

🎁 One Last Gift 🎁

This book is very much on par with the whole holiday romance (but also a ton of other stuff is going down) genre that seems to be very popular lately.

It's not a cutesy, hallmark, type of read.

Although a bit slow at times, it is a very well written and a pretty emotional book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️