If you are looking for a heartwarming and emotional Christmas book that will probably make you cry both sad and happy tears, do not skip on Emily Stone’s One Last Gift. I really enjoyed this book, and I love the idea of basing Christmas around a treasure hunt for a gift. But this last treasure hunt really was like they all knew it would be the last one. Exploring the topic of grief and forgiveness, there was a very soft, tender tone throughout.

Perfectly charming! Add it to your holiday reading list.

Many thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

4/5

Content Warnings: death of a sibling, infidelity, pregnancy and death of a parent

What an emotional, sweet, tender and powerful Christmas book! This book at its core is sad but it is beautifully written and leaves you feeling so happy for great endings. Christmas nostalgia is so strong in this book and I loved hearing about Cassie and Tom's upbringing.

You would like this if you enjoy:
-falling in love with brothers best friend
-Holiday books
-great side characters
-lots of character growth
-British setting

I read this in one sitting! 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I almost didn’t wanna finish it but I am so glad I did! It broke my heart 💔 and put it back together ♥️, and broke it again 💔 and put it back together again…. This is one of those books that kind of leaves you feeling empty afterwards, that almost bitter sweet feeling…

Eh. I wasn't a big fan of the author's other holiday romance. The characters were just too hard to connect with. I didn't like this one as well.

Emily Stone's holiday romance novels are guaranteed to make me cry. One Last Gift was no exception. This is a perfect read for cozying up around the holiday season and learning to be grateful for the friends and family you have to share the season with.

Emily Stone has once again given me a book with a beautiful story but filled with lots of heartache.

Cassie and Tom lose their parents at a young age. While dealing with the tragedy of their loss and an emotionally unavailable aunt, Tom and Cassie find support in their community including Tom's best friend Sam. Tom takes good care of Cassie as they grow older, going as far to come up with complex scavenger hunts each Christmas for her to have a memorable day. As adults, they are best friends who rely on each other for support. But now, Cassie has received the devastating news that her brother has died during a hiking accident. Cassie cannot forgive Sam who was supposed to go on the hiking trip but missed it because of a bad hangover. As Cassie comes to term with her losses, she finds an envelope that contains the first clue of the last scavenger hunt that Tom organized for her before his death. In the meantime, Sam is struck with grief after losing Tom and decides to move to the USA to find himself. As Cassie and Sam heal from their pain, their path will cross again.

I truly can't believe how talented Emily Stone is to write heart wrenching stories as beautiful as this one. I must say after reading One Day in December, I knew to expect this to be a tearjerker, but I wasn't prepared for the painful journey I went through with Cassie after she losses Tom. The truth is that one of my biggest fears is losing anyone in my immediate family. I cannot even imagine the pain Cassie was dealing when she received the news of Tom's death. Not only has she lost her brother, but she ends up losing Sam because of his own feelings for Cassie. Overall, I'd say this is not a happy love story. Sam and Cassie go through years of not talking to each other, a failed engagement, and countless misunderstandings before they give each other a chance. This book was amazing for some reasons but the fact that Cassie was able to finishing up the scavenger hunt and find her purpose after losing Tom was the best story line. I truly loved this book and can't wait for Emily Stone to give me more of these incredibly beautiful stories.

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!