The Last Gift, by Emily Stone, is a heart-rending story centering around Cassie Rivers, her older brother Tom, and Tom’s best friend Sam Malone. Cassie and Tom had been raised by their Aunt Claire, their mother’s sister, after their parents were killed in a car crash when they were quite young.

As Cassie grew up, her feelings for Tom’s best friend grew with her, although it seemed he never shared those feelings. Having witnessed his mother struggle raising him with his ne’er-do-well father flitting from woman to woman, Sam had convinced himself he wouldn’t do any better than his dad, so followed suit. This was a path he would not lead Cassie on.

However, when Sam carouses the night before a planned mid-December South American rock climbing trip with Tom and misses his flight, Cassie is livid that he would let his friend down like that. When Cassie gets a call from an unknown fellow climber of Tom’s in Patagonia to tell her there has been a terrible accident and Tom was lost in the fall, her life falls apart, and her anger toward Sam becomes hatred.

The only good thing left to Cassie is the traditional Christmas gift scavenger hunt Tom had set up and left behind. But Cassie isn’t ready to deal with anything at the time, not even her grief.

This is a story of love, loss, grief, forgiveness, and new beginning. Ms. Stone has woven an intricate plot bringing together endearing characters in a heartfelt story. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it.

This was a complex story with some great characters. The family storyline was the best part of the book and what made it the most endearing, in my opinion. The relationship storyline between Cassie and Sam seemed to drag on a bit, but perhaps that is what make the book so realistic.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title.

Wow, this was a tearjerker. I don't even have a brother and I was still crushed for Cassie losing Tom. My favorite parts of the book were their early scenes together and then the way she had to work through her grief and complete the scavenger hunt. The romance was just okay for me, I didn't totally love Sam but he grew on me more by the second half. Although marketed as a holiday story, could definitely be enjoyed anytime.

Emily Stone could write on a trash bag and it still be one of the best thing's i've ever read.

This is my second book by Stone I had the privilege to read and it was heart wrenchingly beautiful.

When Cassie and Tom were children, they lost their parents, so they relied on each other and their best friend Sam.
Later on in their adult life, Cassie has now lost Tom and years before she and Sam have drifted apart - so she's alone.
She finds an envelope from Tom, that turns out to be a scavenger hunt, that quickly ties her in with Sam.
If all things work out, Sam is her one last gift from Tom.


I just reviewed One Last Gift by Emily Stone. #OneLastGift #NetGalley

Ugh i really wanted more out of this one. The description sounded so goo but it was just ok for me. I feel like every Rom Com has been so predictable lately. Nothing really surprises me. I would say if your looking for a ok but predictable read this is what you are looking for.

This was pretty lovely, I wasn't sure if the romance would hold me throughout but there's enough interaction with both characters that I was invested. The treasure hunt was great fun and a good balance to the grief of the main characters.

If you are in the mood for a sweet, emotional, feel-good romance, then this is the book for you. Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age, and Tom always wants to be there for Cassie and protect her. He started a tradition of a Christmas scavenger hunt for her, leaving little clues that will eventually lead her to her Christmas present. Only this last scavenger hunt is the hardest, as Tom unexpectedly dies and leaves Cassie alone. In the picture is also Sam, Tom's best friend, and Cassie's long-time crush. Due to several misunderstandings, the timing was never right between Sam and Cassie, but since this is a romance, you know they will eventually find themselves together.

I loved the scavenger hunt and little clues that Tom left for Cassie. I loved Cassie becoming bolder and braver throughout the story and realizing that she was going to be ok. I loved the Sam and Cassie relationship and the back and forth that played out till the end. And while this is a romance, it had all the feels for friendship as well. Definitely would recommend checking this one out.

A cute story, but too sad for me. It was a bit slow at times and I think maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I read it around the holidays. I enjoyed the ending of the story as Cassie and Sam find their way to each other and the pace picks up a bit more.

Cassie and Tom are siblings brought closer by the tragic death of their parents and a Christmas scavenger hunt tradition that Tom puts together for Cassie each year. When Tom passes suddenly as well, she finds that he had put together one last scavenger hunt for her. As Cassie grieves, she also finds the strength to complete the hunt, finding renewed relationships, confidence, and love along the way.

A beautiful coming to age story that highlights the importance of embracing the ones that you love and taking chances on yourself. A sweet Christmas time story for anyone looking for a little hope.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

This was such a cute read and reminded me of a Christmas movie. I really enjoyed reading it. Thank you so much for the arc!

Cassie and her brother Tom lost their parents when they were young and were raised by their aunt. It wasn’t a warm fuzzy hone and they relied on each other greatly. Tom and his best pal Sam never left Cassie out of anything. As they grow up, things change, harsh words are spoken and she has kicked Sam out of her life and then tragedy strikes and Tom is lost to her as well. As Cassie is mired in grief, she finds an envelope from Tom containing the very last scavenger hunt he created. While along the path following the clues, she learns so much about herself, her brother, friends, relationships, love, loss, anger, grief and how to move forward with a happy fulfilled life. An emotional well written story that. Enjoyed this so much I've already preordered her next release due in September, Love, Holly

It was a slow start for me and the book continued to move along at the same speed. However, dealing with grief and finding our strength/resilience after won't be a brisk task. Ok to good enough story overall.

I swear, she always makes me cry. Every time without fail.

I loved this slow burn story of a beautiful friendship. The Christmas spirit was high in this one which I was here for. I loved the characters, as well. All around a great holiday read!

Not my usual choice but this book was perfect for the day when I was at loose ends and drifting. Love, loss, major screw ups, misunderstandings that go unresolved - just life in all its messy, unpredictable laugh one minute, cry a bucketful the next. It pretty much moved from high to low to high to low and back again. There are few surprises and you pretty much know how it is all going to go but it is all about the in between and there is a lot of that.

So, if your are adrift and need an easy read this works. If you don’t mind the obvious and the flawed, which we all are, this works. Thank you Dell and NetGalley for a copy.

Cassie and Tom have had a very close sibling relationship after losing their parents at a young age and rely heavily on one another and their incredible family of friends. When tragedy strikes and Cassie needs it most, a gift from her brother leads her on a path she never dared to dream of.

One Last Gift made me laugh and cry and wish and hope! This book is more than a cute cover and one that should not be confined to the holiday season as its story is one that captures the heart and encourages the soul no matter the timing. Full of hope and healing, this sweet story is one that will leave an imprint on you long after the last page is turned.

One Last Gift by Emily Stone was an entertaining read that I started over the Christmas break and finished in January. I initially thought this would be a Christmas story but was pleasantly surprised that Christmas only provides the backdrop for several time periods during the story. The characters are very interesting but I became a little frustrated with finding out more of their backstory. It sometimes seemed to drag and I was wishing for more details to get the story moving along. The details came in the end but by then it seemed it was an information dump and rushed. I would recommend this book as a good read but with the precaution that there is a lot of grief and little comedy so the reader should not go in thinking they're getting a rom-com or light read. The grief part of the storyline could have been addressed a little better too . As I have experience with this myself, it frustrated me that the characters did not talk about their grief and it wasn't explored at all. Books (and tv/movies) do a disservice by not addressing how people deal/cope with grief. They sugarcoat things and give people the impression it's not a big deal to be sad/lost for more than a month or two. after losing someone. I wish more writers were realistic with their characters dealing with death. Overall, yes it's a good story as long as you go in with an awareness of it's just fiction, not 100% realistic.

Okay, this was a hella slow burn. To the point where I’d get bored, put it down for days/weeks, take a break, and then force myself to jump back in. It’s also a closed door romance - so for my smutty friends, ehhh. But when I tell you that this book had me ugly sobbing, I meant full snot, tears rolling down my face and my neck. AND, you know it’s gonna happen because it’s the premise of the book.

Cassie’s parents died when she was young, so her and her other brother, Tom, move in with their aunt. Tom’s best friend, Sam, has always been in their life and it surrounds that friendship. Well, Tom does in an accidental fall while exploring Argentina. And for Christmas, he’s always given her a scavenger hunt with clues to her main present. WELL, even after he passes, his final one comes to be and it’s really fucking sad. But you get to watch Cassie grow, grieve, and even Sam - the book is written in third person and kinda has that dual POV we love.

This one didn’t wow me. It didn’t hook me. It was just okay. It did break my heart a million times, which is why I contemplated giving it 4 stars since it was able to pull such emotion from me. But at the end of the day, it took me over a month to read and the only reason I finished it was because I absolutely HATE DNF’ing books.

I originally shared this as a Christmas book, and it is a Christmas book at it’s heart. But it takes place over the course of a year and is really a love story between a brother and sister. Cassie and her brother Tom lost their parents when they were very young. They stuck together and included a small group of friends and people from the community in their homemade family. Every Christmas, Tom made a scavenger hunt for Cassie. He’s continued it into their adulthood. Unexpectedly, Tom passed away and left one last Christmas scavenger hunt for Cassie. Cassie has to make big decisions and Tom is with her the whole way through the scavenger hunt. I absolutely loved it! You can read it anytime in the year, but it was a great book to read right after Christmas.

This book is far less sadder than her first one, and believe me, by the end of the first book I was bawling my eyes out. I enjoy the little treasure hunt and how our main character grows and develops a new sense of herself.