You may not have read this particular book but you know how this story will go. It is comforting in that sense. It does not feel like a Christmas read even though pivotal plot lines take place at Christmas. I can't get over the love interest being named Sam Malone.

Unsurprisingly, this book was super fucking sad. It was also hopeful and uplifting, and a lovely story about friendships and found family. Cassie's treasure hunt was fun to follow despite the grief, and I enjoyed following her as she figured out the clues. Of course, readers can see Tom's plan way before Cassie figures it out herself. While both Cassie and Sam were frustrating at times, I enjoyed watching them find each other again.

This book started off so strong and goes on a very short list of books that actually made me cry, but unfortunately that strong start did not last through the whole book and it ultimately was a bit of a disappointment. I did really liked how the time jumps were handled and thought that the deceptions of grief were really well done. Around the 50% mark the story just started to drag and became a much slower story to read. I had to push myself to keep reading it because the story was no longer holding my attention. I cannot put my finger on if this was because of the flow of the plot which dragged on at parts or because of the slow character development, which was understandable considering what the characters were overcoming but something made the story drag on. This was really disappointing considering the strong start the book had and the really interesting premise that the story was built around.

This one ended up being a little heavier than I could handle right now. I will return to it at another time.

Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age and relied on each other—as well as a community of friends—to cope. They were especially close with Tom’s best friend, Sam, who always made sure that Tom and Cassie were surrounded with love. But, twenty years later, Cassie has lost Tom as well. And in a way, she’s also lost Sam; over the years they’d drifted apart, and now the man she always had a crush on is someone she doesn’t even recognize anymore.

She’s never felt more alone.

Then Cassie finds an envelope with her name on it, written in Tom’s terrible handwriting, and she knows immediately what it is. It’s the first clue in the Christmas scavenger hunt that Tom made for her every year; he’d promised her for months that this year’s would be the grandest one yet. At first, she’s too scared to open the envelope—what if she can’t figure out the clues without his help? Or what if she does figure them all out and her last connection to Tom is gone?

Tom’s present sets Cassie on a heart-wrenching and beautiful journey that will change her life—if she lets it. And as she travels from London to the Welsh mountains to the French countryside, she reconnects with old friends, rekindles a lost love, and, most important, rediscovers herself. But once she’s solved the final clue, will she be brave enough to accept the gift her brother has given her—and the love it’s led her to?

One Last Gift by Emily Stone grabbed me by the heartstrings and didn't let go. A bighearted Christmas scavenger hunt, travel, romance, and a final gift from her brother. So sweet.

Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age and always relied on each other and their friends to get through life. Tom's best friend Sam always made sure they both knew they were loved. Twenty years later Cassie has lost her beloved brother too. She's also somewhat lost Sam too, as they drifted apart, and she feels completely alone now. She finds an envelope addressed to her from Tom and knows that it is the first clue in the Christmas scavenger hunt he did for her every year. The scavenger hunt takes her on a journey that reconnects her with old friends, rekindles an old love, and finds herself again.
This was a great book and was easy to read. I liked Cassie's journey throughout the book and the ending was great too. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

3.5 Stars. This book was a bit heavy, thought there were hopeful and light moments to it as well. I didn't really love Cassie's character that much, she seemed kind of flighty and I had a hard time understanding some of her decisions. Overall though, this was a cute read. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

I'll be honest, I went into this one blind and let's just say I was totally caught off guard by one of the main plot points that happened early on in the story😅😂. I was also under the impression that this was going to be more of a romance storyline than it actually was. I would classify this one as a journey to self-discovery with bits of a friends to lovers romance sprinkled throughout.

With all that being said, I still found the story to be heart-felt and endearing! The sibling relationship between Cassie and Tom warmed my heart. I found the treasure hunt idea put together by Tom to be creative and sweet! I loved following the journey Cassie went on as she worked through her grief and was encouraged to try new things. The ending was absolutely perfect and I was rooting for it throughout the book, so I'm happy it worked out the way it did!

I'm giving this one 4⭐️s because although it wasn't what I was expecting going into it, I still found it an enjoyable read for the holiday season. It is filled with heart-felt emotion, the journey to finding oneself, and the daring challenge to try new things.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing me an eARC of this one in exchange for my honest review! It's out now!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the gifted eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review!

Ill started with what I loved about the book. The main character is very relatable and lovable. I adored her storyline with her sweet brother and the idea of the “last gift”, their tradition of a secret gift each year for Christmas. Her life was filled with tragedy and I enjoyed her journey from the beginning as she coped with grief.

What I did not adore was the love story. I felt like it was very forced and the male lead was both unlikeable and had little chemistry with the lead. While he had his own character development, it was very rushed and I still did not like him as a character nor did I like him for our lovely lead. I would have much preferred this story as a fiction versus forced romantic story.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book and while marketed around the holidays, can be read anytime of year. It was a cozy and quick read!

Overall this one was okay. It did seem a bit long and I was hoping for it to be a bit more Christmasy

Need a good cry? Read One Last Gift. While parts of this are gut wrenching, I had a hard time putting it down. The story spans several years, but the author transitions nicely as time passes. Readers get to watch the characters grow through their different stages of life and circumstances. The characters were lovable. Overall just a great story.

If you enjoy stories by Joise Silver you'll enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for this free book to read and review!

A story that is based around Christmas and keeping those we love alive in memory.
Even though this story takes place around Christmas-it is extremely sad and honestly was hard for me to get through.
Whatever you do, don’t read the synopsis because it tells you stuff that happens in the book-about 100 pages in. Big downer. Why ruin the story and give it away? Besides that this book just felt so sad and depressing and dragged on and on. Obviously predictable and just too slow and depressing for me. The only thing that saved this story was the likable and flawed characters and the sibling love.

Emily Stone does a beautiful job of allowing the reader to experience grief with her characters. I enjoyed many aspects of this book. It felt like a sibling version of ps I love you (the movie). I enjoyed the different character journeys and relationships explored.

I loved this book so much! Her writing is always spot on and this was no different! Such a great story and strong characters

Always, in December was not my type of holiday book. I was hesitant to pick this one up after reading that. However, this gave off more cozy hallmark vibes while still maintaining the intense emotional story you expected from Emily Stone. Still a little heavy for me, but over all it was a pretty good story.

Cassie and Sam go through so much during their relationship; grief, family, friendship, forgiving and finding themselves. This was such a lovely book. Absolutely enjoyed it.

What a joy! This is a book I wanted to read faster but held my horsies a bit to really enjoy the plot. The holidays can be so tricky for so many but that side of the coin isn't shared as much as it deserves.

This was the last book of my holiday reading marathon, and I was not disappointed! While this is not a Christmas book per say, it is definitely a winter book with all of those vibes. Last year I read Always, In December and that book absolutely CRUSHED ME, so I knew going into this book I was getting more than your classic romance! I enjoy the emotional roller coaster that Emily stone always drags me on, but inevitably it leads you to an important life lesson that I needed to hear at the time.

I've really got to start reading a book's synopsis before I dive in. I figured from the title that this one would have some sad elements to it, but I still expected it to be a sweet holiday romance. Instead, it stuck the knife into my heart and just kept turning it with every page. The grief felt so real, which is a testament to the author's ability to write, I just wasn't fully prepared for it.

Cassie and her brother Tom lost their parents when they were really young, and had to learn to rely on each other. Then Cassie loses Tom in a horrible accident and her world completely shatters.

One day she finds an envelope from her brother. It's one last Christmas scavenger hunt for her, like he's done every year since their parents died. Can she solve it without him here though, and figure out what last gift is?

As heart-wrenching as the story was, I enjoyed the way the characters were developed. I didn't really feel connected to the love story aspect though, and felt that it either needed to be developed more or left out entirely.

One Last Gift by Emily Stone is a different twist on a Christmas story. Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age and were taken in by their aunt that clothed and fed them but wasn't too involved emotionally with the two. Every year at Christmas Tom put together a treasure hunt for Cassie to complete. When her dear brother Tom dies tragically in a climbing accident in Argentina, she is beside herself. Her best friend Hazel, her friend who owns the local pub, Linda, and Sam, Tom's best friend are all there to support her. Tom has left her one last treasure hunt, not knowing it would be his last. Cassie plugs along at her job as an event planner, but dreams of bigger things. This time Tom's treasure hunt takes her outside of her usual boundaries and pushes her to do things she would not normally do. As she takes her time to complete the treasure hunt, Cassie discovers things about herself that help her to deal with the loss of her brother. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing House for the ARC of One Last Gift.