This book is a warm hug and a reminder that you are braver that you think you are. Cassie and her brother Tom have always been close, especially since they lost their parents so young. When Tom dies suddenly, Cassie feels her whole world split apart. Tom was the best version of her, adventurous, fun loving and brave. When Cassie finds the treasure hunt he left for her for Christmas (as is their tradition), she decides to follow Tom's lead one last time. Along the way, she has her friends and family to lean on, she finds new parts of herself and also finds love right in front of her face.

A bit predictable but an overall great book! Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC.

3.5 holiday scavenger hunt

Cassie and Tom are siblings with a strong bond. They lost their parents when they were children, so they’ve grown close to each other. Tom loves creating a scavenger hunt with clues to follow each Christmas for Cassie. Cassie has also grown close to Tom’s best friend Sam and thinks she might even be in love with him. However, Sam doesn’t seem to feel the same way, so the two become estranged.

Cassie’s life is broken again when Tom has a tragic accident. How much grief can one woman endure? Cassie discovers one more scavenger hunt from Tom and she slowly follows the clues as she fights her way through the grieving process. This scavenger hunt outdoes all the earlier ones and Cassie is even traveling to find new clues.

Can she find happiness again? Will she and Sam find a way back to each other? This one was a bit more serious than I was expecting and I did shed a few tears. I did enjoy an earlier book by this author a bit more, but this one touched me as well.

I just reviewed One Last Gift by Emily Stone. #OneLastGift #NetGalley I really enjoyed this emotional scavenger hunt between a brother and his sister. Every Christmas since they were kids, Tom set up a scavenger hunt for his sister Cassie. This book will take you through loss of loved ones and ultimately finding love where you least expect it.

Wow! This final Christmas treasure hunt is something! I love that all the important people in Cassie's life have parts in this treasure hunt, but they let her work her way through it all. Life sometimes gives us way more than we can handle, but we can navigate it with our friends and family by our side if we will let them.

I have rarely read a book that I absolutely hated to delete from my tablet. One Last Gift is rare in that it made the cut. Grief is hard to deal with but this books sends a message of hope to all.

I loved everything about this book! I had read Emily Stone's previous book, "Always, in December" recently and felt this one was very reminiscent of that -- they feel like they take place in the same universe for sure.

It's impossible not to fall in love with Cassie and Sam, and root for them and their dreams. All the side characters are so well flushed out, and I loved reading about Hazel and Linda and Josh as well.

This is one I would recommend going in to with as little knowledge about the plot as possible -- I didn't know what to expect and really enjoyed it that way. I am also a huge fan of any kind of puzzle and scavenger hunt, and reading along with Cassie and Tom's scavenger hunt was so sweet. Emily Stone's ability to create a sense of place is so great, I could visualize each location in the book and felt I was there with them.

This book, like "Always, in December" has some holiday themes so is the perfect fall book to read in anticipation of winter.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

I loved Emily Stone's last holiday book, so I was very excited to read this one early. It was so good, definitely a necessary holiday read. It felt realistic and relatable, some happy shiny moments mixed in with some heavy, real moments. Would definitely recommend!

I first found Emily Stone after reading an ARC of her debut "Always in December". I started that book when going to bed and didn't put it down until hours later when I finished it (so much for sleep!). I couldn't wait to see how it ended.

In much the same way, I read One Last Gift in a single sitting. Stone weaves in so much in a short span of time that you can't help but fall in love with her characters. Cassie and Tom's sibling relationship is beautiful, especially in light of the loss of their parents. They always have each other-- until they don't.

Cassie's journey of grief and love are beautiful, and the fact that Stone's characters have very real flaws only makes you love them that much more. The holiday aspect of the book is subtle enough you can read it year round and cozy enough that it will only beg you that much more to pull it out for re-read around Christmas.

Sometimes romance reads can be so light that there's no substance at all. Others are so drama filled that you feel like you have to slog through a bit. "One Last Gift" is the perfect balance of warmth and love and substance that you'll feel utterly pulled in to the book and not able to put it down until you reach the conclusion.

Emily Stone, I'll be picking up any book you write from here on out. If you're reading this review, you should too.

Last December, a debut novel caught me by surprise and made my favorites list! It was called “Always, in December” by Emily Stone.

This one wasn’t quite as good, but for my friends who love binging on “Hallmark” movies and Christmas reads, this one might still fit the bill.

This is a “romance” book but not a Rom-Com-no laugh out loud moments or witty banter here.

Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age, and were raised by an Aunt who provided care but not much emotional support. Fortunately, they had Linda who ran the local Pub, to help “mother” them, and each had a “best friend” to lean on, in Hazel and Sam, who they spend most of their time with.

Each Christmas, Tom sends Cassie on a scavenger hunt to find her gift, although the clues are often so cryptic that she may not solve the puzzle until well into the New Year.

When the book opens, Cassie is crushing on Sam-and thinks when he kisses her TWICE one evening, that it’s time to announce their true love to the others. 🙄 When he disagrees, their friendship is ruined. They are still estranged five years later, but then Tom is killed in an accident.

At this point, I am struggling a bit with this story, and Cassie’s immaturity.
And, then Sam does something inexcusable too.

How will I ever be able to root for these two to get together?

Around the 50% point, the book picks up.

It’s about five months later and a lot has changed. Cassie begins the scavenger hunt that Tom had already put together prior to his accident, and a couple of others in Cassie’s inner circle need her to help them with the things that they are struggling with.

We will fast forward another three months, then to six months and finally to the one year anniversary of Tom’s death and the conclusion of his last scavenger hunt.

Fortunately, Tom’s scavenger hunt will lead to personal growth for both Cassie and Sam, and there ARE a few really touching moments along the way, but this book didn’t touch me emotionally in the same way that the author’s first book did.

Despite the loss of Tom, this is actually a light read, as the book didn’t dive too deeply into the characters emotions. Conversations are very surface level, for the most part.

3.5 ⭐️

Available October 11, 2022 if you are looking for a Christmas read to add to your December TBR list. 🎁

Thank You to Dell for offering me an ARC, provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC. Cassie and Tom lost their parents too young and have only had each other. Tom created a treasure hunt for clues to her present every Christmas. He unexpectedly passes away but she had the first clue to this year's adventure. Tom's best friend Sam and Cassie try to heal through the clues and hopefully finally make their love official. Cute, cute story. #OneLastGift #EmilyStone #Oct2022 #RandomHouse

This was a very interesting story. This is NOT a light "beach" read. It is a glimpse into a part of a young woman's life, Cassie Rivers, and the blows life has dealt her and how she has survived them. The story draws the reader into Cassie's life and the reader takes the journey with her.

I feel that this is a well written story that delves into how a person handles loss at different ages and points in their lives; as well as different types of losses. The character development and storyline flow well. There wasn't any point where I felt the story had strayed or veered "off-course". As the reader I could feel Cassie's pain and her struggles to not be swallowed up with her grief and what she felt was betrayal by a life-long friend.

Just before Christmas, her parents died in an accident when she and her brother, Tom, were young. They were taken in by their aunt, Claire. She never felt particularly close to her Aunt as they were all grieving at the same time and no one knew how to handle the tragedy. Growing up she and her brother were close; their Aunt always seemed to be on the periphery. Cassie always relied on Tom; never going to Claire for solace or help. Sam Malone is Tom's best friend and Cassie has always had a crush on him. Sam comes from a "broken" family and is constantly disappointed by an absentee father. The three of them practically grew-up together and the owner of a local pub, Linda,
"mothered" them. They were inseparable as youngsters and teens until University came into the picture. Tom and Sam stayed close; but, Cassie didn't see much of Sam, or Tom, since they were living in London after University.

A major part of the story is the Christmas gift "treasure hunt" that Tom created for Cassie the year they lost their parents and continues to do so every year. This hunt helps in telling Cassie's story as well as broadening her horizons.

I enjoyed the telling of this story.

"One Last Gift" was a beautiful story. It has its sad and emotional parts, especially as much of the story revolves around the tragic death of a brother and best friend (Tom) and how it affects his family and friends, especially his sister, Cassie, and his best friend, Sam. Tom and Cassie lost their parents when they were young, and they were raised by their Aunt Claire. As children, Tom had started a tradition of a Christmas treasure hunt which Cassie had to complete. Cassie had loved the treasure hunts, and Tom had made them more creative over time. Following Tom's death shortly before Christmas, Cassie is given an envelope that contains a letter from Tom and the first clue in the treasure hunt. Tom had made this one particularly elaborate but also highly meaningful, wanting to push Cassie out of her comfort zone (of course, he believed he would be there to watch and assist). The story focuses on her efforts to figure out the clues and complete the treasure hunt, with the help of family, friends and strangers who have been enlisted to assist.

The story also details the friendship between Cassie and Sam, the missed opportunities for something more, the destruction of their friendship, and then Sam's redemption story. Multiple characters have had to deal with tragic events or difficult circumstances, which has impacted how they see themselves, what risks they are willing to take or not take, etc. Cassie is not the only one who must confront her past and her fears. The dynamic between the various characters is quite good, and some of the seemingly minor characters end up having significant roles to play. "One Last Gift" is well worth reading.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Cassie and Tom had lost their parents when they were really young. They are left in their Aunt Claire’s authority to raise. Tom was always protecting Cassie and making sure she was okay. Claire just was there financially but not emotionally. Sam was Tom’s best friend growing up, so the three of them were inseparable.
Tom loved leaving little treasure hunts for Cassie when she was little at Christmas time because Claire didn’t have anything to do with Christmas neither. Tom would put an envelope on the Christmas tree and Cassie had clues to figure out.

Cassie starts crushing on Sam as she gets older but the feelings are not there for Sam? Then there is an accident and things change forever. I couldn’t wait to see what the last gift was, even though it was emotional to say the least to get there. This author makes you think about life and relationships and how precious they should be to all of us.

I received this ARC for free from the author and Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I started reading “one last gift” because I loved a previous book by the author, Emily Stone. But I also knew that it had the possibility of being devastating, and we feel that so early on with the loss of Tom (it’s called one last gift for a reason). This isn’t a light read. There is a lot of grief but also a lot of growth, from both Cassie and Sam, left behind. And while some of that growth happens as Cassie does Tom’s last scavenger hunt for her, for one last gift, other aspects of the growth happen naturally over the main year of the story. I was happy to see the growth in Sam. I didn’t like him very much in the first third of the book, honestly — happy to say he grew on me and really improved. And Cassie - it was hard for me, not having experience similar loss, to not get frustrated with her at times. And Tom…ugh, the whole time I was hoping for a plot twist where we hadn’t actually lost him. Sigh. I was really happy to see how his story, through the scavenger hunt letters, resolved, though it didn’t make the tears flow any less. It took me a bit longer to get into this one, but once I got halfway through I was hooked and finished the rest in half a day (and that’s with taking a break to sleep!) it’s a novel that will sit with me for quite a while, just like Stone’s last one. Happy to have been here for the adventure.

Though this book mainly centers around the holidays, it focuses more on the characters and their emotional journey. Cassie’s story was both heartbreaking and moving. I love how the author used the magic of the holidays as a way of healing rather than a whimsical romance. This was a well written book that deals with grief and how to navigate a life that seems lost.

I went in thinking that this was a romance book, but I think this is more of a women's fiction with some romance. With the heavy theme, I didn’t have the right mindset and because of that there were brief moments in the book where the story felt slow to me and focused on Cassie and Sam’s individual journey. The beginning was so focused on them and their connection, but as the book went on, it lacked that initial tension and chemistry that pulled me in at the beginning. I think this is a good book to check out but know that if you are looking for a primarily romance book, I don’t think this is your book. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the e-arc. This book had all the feels and I am here for it. Stone made me love the main characters, then they annoyed me and then they made me sob like if I was back to being a teenager and it was not a pretty sight since I have allergies at the moment. I read this book in a 24 hr window while still adulting and motherhood so yeah I was really into it.

This was a lovely lighthearted yet serious story. Lots for the main characters to work through to find their way back to each other. Lots of puzzles which I loved!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "One Last Gift" and all opinions expressed are my own. I really liked Always, In December by this author. The blurb about One Last Gift got me interested, but the book did not hold my interest. I like the idea of this book but I could not get into the story or the characters.

Unfortunately, this book was another case of an amazing premise that couldn't quite deliver.

My biggest problem with this book was the pacing--there were 7 time jumps in this book, some spanning months, some spanning even years--and each time jump made me more frustrated than the last because they were so unnecessary. Adding time jumps can't be a shortcut for characterization--seeing the characters actually change and grow would've been so much more satisfying.

In my opinion, this book would've been best served in a format where the chapters alternated between the present, with Cassie completing this scavenger hunt in the wake of Tom's death, and the past, with relevant flashbacks/Cassie completing a scavenger hunt when Tom was alive. Instead, we started the book with backstory that really was only necessary for the writer to know and not as much for the readers (for example: what was the point of an extensive skiing scene, where Cassie was afraid the whole time, only for this scavenger hunt to revolve around Cassie facing her fears and never once going back to retry skiing?) and then jumped forward five years.

With that story structure, there could've been more relevant flashbacks that would've aided in each character's development, without needing to jump months or years into the future, and we could've gotten to know Tom better, which would've made his passing that much more emotional for the reader.

In the end, I unfortunately wouldn't recommend reading this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having devoured and loved Emily Stone's debut, Always, In December, I was eagerly awaiting One Last Gift. And much like Always, this one is filled with emotion.

Cassie and Tom lost their parents when they were quite young, so they always counted on each other for support. But twenty years later, Cassie's lost Tom as well. Until she finds a note for her in his messy handwriting. She knows what it is: her annual Christmas scavenger hunt, which her brother has always lovingly crafted. She's eager to get to work, to feel close to him once more, but also weary, because what is waiting for her at the end, when the connection between them is severed forever?

I always count a book that can make me cry as a five-star. I love the emotional pull of books that have the ability to wrench your saddest emotions just from their words. And I'm not ashamed to admit that while reading in bed I had to move to the bathroom so I wouldn't wake my husband from crying.

This is an endearing cast, led by Cassie (and Sam--loved both their voices), flaws and all. It's one of those couldn't-put-it-down novels as you race to the end to follow Cassie's journey, to find out whether she's brave enough to follow both her heart and her professional goals. And I know I'll be coming back for Emily Stone's next book.

Thanks so much to Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Dell for allowing me a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review through NetGalley.