Well this was just the most delightfully cozy read. A true heroine’s journey. One Last Gift was a beautiful reminder that it’s never too late to change your path, chase your passion, or begin again. This story was beautifully told and touched my heart deeply.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dell for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A charming story of loss, love, and the baggage we carry through life. Recommended. #OneLastGift #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

[book:One Last Gift|60323954] felt like <i>P.S. I Love You</i> and <i>Last Christmas</i> had a literary baby. There is no one in the world Cassie loves more than her brother, Tom. Yet, after a tragic accident, the only thing Cassie has left of Tom is the first clue of the annual treasure hunt he does for her each Christmas. Spanning over the course of a year and told in alternating perspectives, Cassie's hunt for her brother's last gift to her not only keeps her brother alive in spirit but forces Cassie to reflect on what she wants out of her life. There is a love story between Cassie and Tom's best mate, Sam, but I'd say the core of this book is one of grief, family, and self-growth. Tears were shed, people, tears were shed. In that way, I think fans of Mhairi McFarlane would enjoy [book:One Last Gift|60323954].

What kept this at a 3-star rating for me was the simultaneous realism and implausibility of the plot. At some points, this book felt so <i>real</i> in how characters dealt with grief and how the romance was portrayed (spoiler: it's far from perfect). But, I was always frustrated by how unrealistic a lot of the plot ended up being as well. <spoiler>Like, we are to believe that Tom went completely out of the tradition's norms by extending the hunt for months with added personal notes, just... because? While it made sense in <i>P.S. I Love You</i>, here, it just felt random and unlikely</spoiler>.

Either way, I'm glad I read this and it was a perfect was to celebrate the holidays in July :)

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group for an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Predictable rom-com, but a cute read overall. There weren't any shockers, and I felt like the things that should have been shocking were foretold quite obviously. However, the overall theme of the book was a good one, and I enjoyed reading it.

This was a lovely holiday book that had me in my feels the whole time. Cassie and Sam’s story was so sad and yet so hopeful at the same time. It was a fast read and I really enjoyed getting to go on Cassie’s last Christmas gift scavenger hunt. I wished I could have read this at a snowy cottage in Wales with a glass of red wine in front of a fireplace. This book should definitely be on your holiday wish list!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4801926689

“One Last Gift” is by Emily Stone. I will admit that the Publisher’s synopsis and the cover immediately made this book of interest to me. This book is about grief, grieving, friendships, and figuring out relationships and how they all work in ones life. While I liked the overall idea of this book, I found it difficult to enjoy as much as I had hoped to. I found the pacing to be a bit slow and wasn’t a fan of the wallowing and emotional angst, though I know that everyone deals with death (and stress!) differently. I found the scavenger hunt idea to be rather interesting. I liked how Tom always was looking out for Cassie - in a rather non-annoying big brother sort of way (for a change!).

I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Dell Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh my goodness I loved this book. It is one I read in one day because I simply could not put it down. Emily Stone’s style of writing is very positive and uplifting. She writes in a way that engages you at the beginning and keeps your interest for the entire story. This is a love story but it is so much more. It is the closeness of siblings struggling down life’s path after the death of their parents; it is the story of friendships, and it is the story of strangers and their impact on the life of others. If I could give this a ten star rating I would do so and I highly recommend it to all age groups. Do not miss this one, it is sure to be a hit. I love the scavenger hunt theme throughout the story.

I would like to thank Megan Whalen of Random House and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book as an ARC. Tom and Cassie Rivers were orphaned at an early age. They are cared for by their Aunt Claire( their late mother's sister) . Claire takes care of their physical needs, but is not a warm fuzzy caregiver. Linda, who owns the local pub, is a more maternal figure. She is there for Cassie and Tom, as well as their friends Hazel and Sam. Tom and Sam are best friends. Cassie and Hazel are best friends as well. The story takes us through the lives of Tom and Cassie from young orphans, to teenagers to young adults. The one constant is that Tom watches out for Cassie, and takes care of her. Every Christmas , Tom sends Cassie on a scavenger hunt with rhyming clues for her present. Then , one Christmas, Tom dies. Cassie feels completely alone. Until she finds an envelope with with one last set of clues for her scavenger hunt. I really wanted to love this book. The characters , for the most part, are like able and engaging, and the scavenger hunt concept was fun. The one non like able character is that of Cassie's boss- he is totally unpleasant. The book is set in England, but takes trips to Wales, France and New York. It seems a bit drawn out , and takes a long time getting to the main premise. It is also the saddest Christmas story I have read in a long while. There are long stretches with nothing but angst. It is about Cassie finding herself, and taking care of herself, but it is also about family, the family we are born into and the family we create from friends. The book has a good story and premise, but was too meandering and too maudlin for me to love.

So much angst and drama wrapped this story in a slow plodding HEA. I loved the idea, a yearly scavenger hunt and the love of two close siblings are at the center, with adapting to tragic loss. This is a long, slow, redemptive read and is good, just slow.

I read this book in less than a day. I really enjoyed the story and characters. I found all the characters likable, even when they weren’t. While it was extremely sad at times it wasn’t a depressing read at all . I was very happy with the ending.

Emily Stone knows how to write heart wrenching novels that are relatable. I loved her debut One Day in December and enjoyed this one as well. I do think it would be a cozier winter read, but it’s still enjoyable any time. I will keep recommending her debut and now this one as well.

One Last Gift surprised me in that I was expecting a typical romance but that was not what this book was all about. Instead it was more about overcoming obstacles in your life and finding the strength to persevere no matter what. There was romance, of course, but I found that there was so much more to this novel.

Cassie and her brother Tom were orphaned at a young age and had to live with their aunt. While their aunt was there for them physically she did not fulfill their emotional needs. Cassie's brother Tom and his best friend, Sam fill those gaps for her. Cassie is drawn to Sam and wants to be more than just his best friend's sister but Sam does not seem to reciprocate those feelings. Cassie carries on but then the unthinkable happens and Cassie does not know how she will go on. The only thing that gets her going is her brother's annual Christmas scavenger hunt. The hunt helps her put the pieces of her life back together and help her find who is important to her.

I really enjoyed this read and highly recommend getting cozy by a warm fire with a cup of hot chocolate and you immerse yourself in Cassie's world.

Thank you to Random House Books for this advanced copy for an honest review.

This was warm and comforting. I thought Stone did a lovely job of dealing with grief and the ways in which it affects different people, and the whole thing was thoughtful and easy to read, even though it dealt with pretty tricky subjects. I especially loved Hazel and Josh, but I did dock a star for a couple of reasons: Cassie wasn't a particularly memorable character for me and fell flat on multiple different occasions. I also wish there was a little more build-up around Tom's death. I knew it was coming, and I didn't feel the shock running through the book as I thought I should have. Besides that, this was a lovely, sweet, thoughtful holiday read.

The review will be published on Goodreads at this link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4876384632 and on Amazon on September 27th, 2022 as well as on my personal blog. I will update this with the links once published.

One Last Gift by Emily Stone is not necessarily a Christmas feel good novel, although many of its big events occur at Christmas. This is a excellent read for any time of the year. Tom and Sam are best friends from childhood and Tom's sister Cassie has always tagged along. Since losing their parents at a young age, Tom has done a scavenger hunt for Cassie every Christmas. When Tom dies suddenly, Cassie discovers he has left her one last hunt. Will this one lead to her future happiness?

Thank you to the author, Dell Publishing and Netgalley.com for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book! I went into it blind, and ended up devouring it in one day. I couldn’t put it down.

I loved the MC Cassie and her journey in this book. And Sam! All the heart eyes for Sam.

This is an emotional story- be warned- grief & loss of a loved one are present throughout the entire book.

This didn’t feel overly Christmasy and could definitely be enjoyed anytime… big moments in the book happen around Christmas.

All the side characters were unique and likeable. I would like to formally request a book for Cassie’s bestie Hazel!

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this advance copy.

Emily Stone has written a phenomenal book with One Last Gift.
Of a brother, sister and the brothers best friend growing up together, living life together.
The brother always had a special gift he gave to his sister for Christmas. Before he unexpectedly died, he had written out the next Christmas gift clues to his last gift.
Beautifully, yet heartbreaking mysterious and still yet lovingly written..
I throughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

I do not know what exactly I expected when I began this book, especially having never read Always, in December from Emily Stone. I really enjoyed this book though. It follows Cassie and Sam, two hot and cold friends tied together by Tom, Cassie's brother and Sam's best friend. The best part of this book was the character growth, with romance as more of an afterthought. Cassie and Tom's relationship was really sweet, and I would have loved to learn a little bit more about Hazel and how she fell in with Tom and Sam beyond what we saw in the book. The theme of grief was really well fleshed out and I really felt like the ending was satisfying. I would recommend this!

I loved the scavenger hunt idea and it roped me in from the first moment. While it was a good book, the pacing and the timeline was quite often off putting.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved the premise behind this book, and the cover was cute, but I just could not get into this book at all. The scavenger hunt was a great idea, and we got to tour the region a bit, but it was just....a little all over the place and didn't work for me.

Everyone likes a challenging treasure hunt and this book has two: one that is written down with actual clues and another that is invisible with a relationship. In life, we have to figure out the game.

There is something else: a love triangle. Cassie and her brother, Tom are close. Their parents died in a plane crash when they were young and they depended upon each other. Tom was “the big brother anyone could hope for.” Tom and his friend, Sam, were best friends since they were kids. All three spent a great deal of time together. Years later, Sam is found flirting with Cassie and she is secretly in love with him. Is this what she really wants? The book is about relationships with the parents, siblings and friends. Some parts are sad. Other parts make the reader smile.

It’s easy to read with surprises in the plot. While many of the characters could use a good therapist, it’s a book that opens up to real problems with trust, fear and insecurities. Each character can easily be visualized along with the settings in the story. All the pieces had to come together at the end which was nicely accomplished. She also adds "Questions and Topics for Discussion" which is a great benefit for book clubs.

My thanks to Emily Stone, Dell Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced book with an expected publication date of October 11, 2022.