Ugh what a great story! It was a slow burn romance, but it really more focused on grieving and the relationship between Cassie and her brother. I really wished we could have seen more interactions between Sam and Cassie when they were younger to understand the connection. I appreciated the dual pov. This wasn’t just about Cassie’s journey, but also Sam’s. The time jumps were frustrating, but also very necessary to the story and for the character growth. Those letters/clues were everything, and I was so sad when it ended. Absolutely loved the ending of this! It was the perfect ending.

Thank you so much Dell Books and PRH audio for my gifted copy in exchange for a honest review

A well written story about grief and coming together with others to grow and evolve. Definitely surrounded by Christmas time but a great standalone novel to read any time of the year.

I just adored this book and the story! Although it was a light hearted read, it still tugged at my heartstrings. This was the perfect book to read on a cold raining day. It really was full of sun shine, love and family!

Emily Stone, you have gained a new fan!!

I will never forget the way Emily Stones debut novel made me cry like a baby, completely ripping at my heart. One Last Gift has somewhat of that heartbreaking pull as well.

Cassie’s best friends are her brother, and his best friend Sam. Cassie has been in love with Sam for as long as she’s known, but the timing has never been right. When tragedy strikes, Cassie gets sent on a “treasure hunt”. On this treasure hunt she learns to conquer her fears and follow her dreams.

The relationship between Cassie and Sam is a favorite trope of mine. Best friends to lovers, or more so brothers best friend to lovers. However, their relationship frustrated me. Why does everything have to be so complicated?! But it’s not a fiction romance without some frustrations.

At the end of the day this was another beautiful and heartbreaking story that will make your heart feel so strongly fornCassie and all she’d endured, but it also gives you hope that your loved ones will get you through your darkest days, and if you conquer your fears, only good things can come your way. Thank you for the ARC! 3.5 ⭐️

I’m not going to lie - this one felt like a punch to the gut. If you read Always, in December, you’ll cry just the same (more so in the beginning than end or maybe the end too…I’m an easy crier so I don’t judge) I needed a hot cocoa with extra marshmallows to recover.

I feel in love with the characters and couldn’t put it down.

Emily Stone is becoming a big name in Christmas books. This was a solid tale about how love can grow from great grief and loss. It was a very unique story and one I’ll remember for a while. I did struggle to connect with these characters but thought it was a good book.

One Last Gift is a gripping story about love, grief, family and dreams. Always in December broke me last year, but the way Emily Stone creates stories and characters is riveting, so I could not resist to this one.
I really liked it. Cassie was a very complex character and could understand her and felt for her. I loved the growth her character went through. I also liked Sam, although perhaps not all the time. And of course I liked Tom and how good he was as a brother. I liked the secondary characters too like Hazel, Josh and Linda.
I also enjoyed that the story had a good balance. It was not only about grief and it was not only about romance. There were moments that left a knot in my throat but there were others that made me very happy.
Overall, it is a lovely story and although I think it lacks a bit of Christmas (in my opinion); I do consider it a nice read for the holidays.

I expected to cry a lot with this book like I did with the authors first book, Always in December, but I didn’t. I got teary eyed a few times. I liked that I didn’t expect Tom to die when he did (I thought he was going to sooner). I started out hating Sam, but he grew as a person. I’m really glad with how it ended with him and Cassie.

This was a heartwarming and emotional Christmas story that involved love and loss and the rediscovery of ones self. This book might trigger some sad and happy tears, be prepared! But Emily Stone does a great job with her character development that truly wraps you up in “history” of Sam & Cassie. For two people that have lost “their person” and joining along on their journey of finding themselves with out Tom, Cassie & Sam stumble along the way but time is key! They grow post Tom, separately which I think is key that Stone wrote it that way. There are a lot of moments of misunderstanding/miscommunication which gets to be frustrating and I didn’t love but once you get past that, your heart warms to Sam and Cassie with their individual journeys and worth the wait.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A truly heartwarming romance with engaging characters.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved Always, In December and was excited to read another book from the same author. I was even hoping for some more tears. In general I read rom-coms with the hope of an angst and butterfly filled storyline. This was not one of those stories, but if you love a classic Hallmark movie, this could still be for you

What worked for me:
The P.S.I Love You vibes (with a twist), a scavenger hunt to encourage personal growth and the day trips that entailed.

What didn't work for me:
The characters choices, romantically speaking, didn't make sense to me. I felt like many aspects were forced because of the needed progression of a rom com. There was unnecessary, added drama - more added emotional response - that didn't make sense or work for me.

Always, In December made me fall in love and broke me. It was such a great emotional read. I felt like this book tried to follow in those big footsteps but didn't quite fit the shoe.

TW: loss, grief, death of loved ones

This is my first book by Emily Stone, which is a closed door romance that uses the brother’s best friend and friends to lovers tropes. There were also quite a few time jumps throughout the story.

Tom and Cassie lost their parents at a young age, then Cassie unfortunately also loses Tom. This is the story of how Cassie and his best friend, Sam deal with the loss of Tom and how they both learn to move on and ultimately find their way back to each other, given that they had been harboring feelings for each other for a long time.

I appreciated the interesting themes it portrayed - dealing with grief, moving on, overcoming your fears, and finding the right path for yourself that makes you happy.

I also found the supporting characters to be interesting and felt that they added more depth to this sweet story.

The last scavenger hunt that Tom created for Cassie as an annual Christmas tradition to enable her to push herself out of her comfort zone was fun and gave me P.S. I Love You vibes.

I am completely and utterly shattered by this book 😭 whoever was advertising this is a cute christmas romance novel LIED to me!!!! I was out here crying in the club!!!

there was so much I absolutely loved about ONE LAST GIFT - from the heart wrenching story, to the lesson I (and so many others) desperately need this season of overcoming grief during the holidays, and of course, a second chance love story for the ages …

and all of this should be goals for five stars, except I hated the MC cassie 🫠

I didn’t connect with her at all, and honestly, I thought she was self-centered and going through her life using her grief as an excuse. as someone who is currently going through the worst grief imaginable, I can relate to the concept of denial, anger, sadness, the whole nine yards. BUT, cassie refused to change, refused to accept what was happening, and basically was a total bitch to anyone who actually wanted to help her.

what rubbed me the wrong way about all of this is the promotion that it’s normal to use grief as an excuse - oh, I shouted at my friends and said horrible things to them? I didn’t mean it, I was grieving … like that’s not okay 🥴

sam, on the other hand, was a precious bean who deserved better than cassie 😅 after shutting him down literally three times and calling him a coward because “grief” - he still is in love with her and says it’s all okay and I’m crying

sam was a good representation of grief, on the other hand. he did some questionable things, had a quarter life crisis, and immediately rethought all of his decisions because his perspective on life changed 😭😭

aka relatable

this was such an emo holiday read, and while I didn’t necessarily love it, I’m so happy that I was able to read it, especially during my own grief-filled holiday season

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: tavel rosé

After the death of their parents when they were children, Tom had always found a way to make the holidays special for Cassie. His signature scavenger hunts were the highlight of her Christmas, something she looked forward to every year, each clue leading her one step closer to her gift. Now as grown adults Tom has promised Cassie this year's hunt will be the most epic one yet but when something unexpected rocks Cassie's world she is unsure how she will carry on without him. Without Tom's help to guide her through the clues solving this year's hunt seems impossible and Cassie is unsure she even wants to get to the end of this hunt, just one step further from Tom. But once she starts Cassie is put on a path to discover what dreams Tom had in store for her and just how much he believed in hers. Reader, Emily Stone books should come with a warning label. May rip your heart out, stomp on it and return it to you wrapped in a Christmas bow. This is the second book I've read by Stone and both of them are heartbreaking, beautiful and emotional. If you are looking for something festive to read but aren't into the factory rom-com you sometimes get in a holiday read give "One Last Gift" a try. Here's hoping for another Stone read this time next year. Thank you to Random House - Ballentine & NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so beautifully written and dealt with such heavy topics in a very relatable, vulnerable way. This book was emotional, introspective, insightful, and deep. If I could give it 6 stars, I would. So glad I was able to read this story.

I read Emily Stone last Christmas (Always, in December) and if my memory is correct I sobbed through most of it. I went into this one hoping for a happier read and while I LOVED this one as well, Stone does not seem to do happy holiday stories. Keep the tissues handy for this one as well. Maybe next year I'll learn my lesson, but at the same time I will continue to read anything she puts out because though heart wrenching, they're so good.

This is a book about grief, and family, and picking up the pieces after a loss. If you are dealing with any of those things this might be a difficult book to read around the holidays but also could be super cathartic as well so proceed with caution.

I would most definitely recommend this read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.

Maybe don't read this in public though to avoid the ugly cry :)

Ok, well I didn't expect a sad Christmas story!! I also wouldn't really call this a Christmas book. The Christmas vibes were not there. But I would call this a tragic love story??

I enjoyed Cassie's character, but man that girl has gone through some tough things. I was waiting the whole book for her and Sam to get together and it finally paid off. Sam's character was great, but he deserved to get slapped into reality at some points. I thought Tom was a great brother to Cassie and I liked how all his clues tied in to get Cassie her happy ending.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!

Second change romance and brothers friend? Sign me up! Two of my favorite tropes. Unfortunately this one missed the mark for me. I liked Always, in December better. This was marketed as a Holiday book but wasnt? If you're looking for a fun christmas read this is not it.

The first 30 percent or so was really solid and I was really into it. Then it dropped off and just got so unbelievably slow. It was a nice ending, but the road to get there was long and arduous. I needed the middle to just be stronger and it wasn't.

After losing both of their parents at a young age, Cassie’s brother Tom creates a scavenger hunt for Cassie each Christmas as a way for her to find her gift. When Tom passes away during a tragic accident right before Christmas, Cassie is surprised to learn that he has set one last scavenger hunt for her.

While I really enjoyed Stone’s debut ALWAYS IN DECEMBER and felt it struck the exact right mix of heartbreaking and heartwarming, her follow-up novel did not draw me into it in the same way. The book starts off slow but does pick up around the hallway point. Cassie and Sam both come off as young and a bit immature and that prevented me from fully investing in their story. The book never struck the same emotional cord with me as ALWAYS IN DECEMBER did – even though Cassie was dealing with unimaginable loss, it was all very surface level and never got very deep.

Like with ALWAYS IN DECEMBER, the story isn’t quite as Christmas-y as I would like. Yes, the scavenger hunt is Cassie’s Christmas gift, but the story takes place over many years and is more of a story of family and friendship, and how to process and move on in the face of grief; it is the story of Cassie’s journey to being brave and living life to the fullest. The general theme resonated with me but it left me wanting more.