Update 4/3: Sometimes books have the ability to stick with you, and this one has stuck with me. The depth of the characters and the intensity of the feelings evoked has me thinking back to this, two months later. I'm already looking forward to rereading it when it's officially published.

Review 2/16: Lauren Fox is a wet blanket, and Asa Williamson is a clown. An opposites-attract slow-burn story worth sharing. The plot was enjoyable and the pacing was done well. A great beach read for the summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of WITH LOVE, FROM COLD WORLD by Alicia Thompson through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thanks for the early look, and have a safe and happy spring!

This book!! So, so good from the beautiful cover to the oh-so satisfying ending. I finished yesterday and I’m still in my feelings, in love with Lauren and Asa.

Cold World, a winter-themed entertainment venue in Orlando, has seen better days. Lauren is the shy facilities bookkeeper and Asa is the tattooed, blue-haired, Jack of all trades, the bane of her work existence. She’s a rigidly self-controlled, former foster kid. He’s the easy-going, bisexual son of an unforgiving pastor. Together they are magic.

Alicia Thompson did a fantastic job of building all the relationships, the supporting characters, the entire Cold World vibe. There really is nothing not to like here!

Thank you to Shelf Awareness, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

❄️ It's such a cold, cold world (hello cold world)❄️

Well this was absolutely delightful!!! It was a giant mug of hot cocoa warm and cozy feelings. Asa and Lauren were the squishy marshmallows on top. I’m currently deep in the clutches of a Minnesota winter, so it was doubly impressive that I actually felt love for snow again…it’s been 84 years.

*Minor spoilers and/or plot things below*

With Love, from Cold World was such a good enemies to lovers workplace romance!!! Their banter really hit the spot, and I don’t think it really ventured into uselessly childish or cruel. They each had a lot of preconceived notions about each other, so it was really nice watching them…break the ice. (I couldn’t resist.) It’s dual POV (unlike LITTOSK), so I got a great sense of both of their misunderstandings and personal roadblocks.

It’s one of those books where the relationship and emotions escalate quickly but it’s incredibly believable because they already had that simmering passion, they just needed a little nudge… WHICH WAS BEING LOCKED IN COLD WORLD AFTER HOURS ALL NIGHT. I’M SORRY FOR YELLING BUT IT WAS SO GOOD. Everything about that scene!! And the conversations that followed and how they processed everything and worked together! UGH it was just so soft.

Asa and Lauren were lovely. The found family element of the book was my absolute favorite. The camaraderie between Asa’s roommates felt so real and frankly I’d die for John. Lauren was also working with a child in the foster system, while Asa volunteered with a LGBTQIA+ youth crisis line. They were both helping other where they received help and/or struggled in the past. Lauren was put in foster care as a child and Asa was kicked out by his parents in high school for being bi.

On that note, I love whenever an MC defends the other one, especially in front of shitty parental figures! I also loved how Asa wasn’t pressured into forgiveness. Not everything ended perfectly in that regard, because he wasn’t ready to repair those relationships. Lauren and Asa’s relationship felt so restorative and safe.

Overall, I wasn’t expecting to feel so invested in the setting of Cold World. It felt so nostalgic. I swear I could smell that cold rubber mat hockey player popcorn scent of ice rinks. Maybe I should go sharpen my skates just to feel something.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 🌶️🌶️.5*/5

*I wasn’t sure how hot this would be but whoo the snow was melting!!! We got a bit more than LITTOSK, but the writing in both was explicit. The scenes aren’t very long, but I could tell that Alicia is a romance reader and reads a lot of it. She has an excellent handle on how to craft a really hot scene in a short amount of space. Asa and Lauren had such great chemistry.

Oh. My. God.
The strained familial relationships. The dead parent. The found family. This story shows how important love (from both yourself and others) and healing and kindness is. How those three things can really change a persons whole entire world. I loved this book SO much!

Love in the Time of Serial Killers was one of my favorite books of 2022 and With Love, from Cold World was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

It felt very different from LITTOSK, but really showed what a skilled writer Alicia Thompson is. Cold World was a bit more melancholy with characters with gripping and harsh backstories, but who had both matured into incredibly intelligent, in-touch with their emotions adults. It made it so satisfying to watch their relationship shift from workplace annoyances to lovers. The physical chemistry between these two was so palpable and actively had me dying for them to get together and dreading that inevitable 3rd act breakup.

I'm so excited to put this one on my shelves and make all of my friends read it.

This was such a delightful romance. I loved how Lauren and Asa had fully realized arcs independent of each other and how those storylines complimented the other. Swoony and campy in the best way, this hit the spot!

This is a good addition to the romcom cannon, though I was hoping for a little more. The male protagonist was a charmer. The female protagonist was a little bland. The story was sweet and I'm glad that it didn't devolve into too much drama. However, I feel like the plot was disjointed and could have used some more editing.

I loved the concept of a *cold* theme park, and the main characters are charming and likeable. I just wanted a bit more! I wanted the setting to take up more space because it was so unique, and I think there was room to flesh out the relationship more. I did love the treatment of the hero's bisexuality.

This is one of those books I had to sit with for a while after finishing it. There are so many layers to these two people that were gently and lovingly unpacked through their tentative romance. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to share that every detail of how these characters love each other is a window into who they are and why they need each other. I loved how Asa fell for every piece of Lauren, even the parts she didn’t like about herself, while Lauren struggles to find the courage to love Asa despite being terrified of losing him like she’s lost everything else. The way they ultimately come together is so quietly and joyfully convincing that I know it will stay with me for a very long time. I absolutely loved it.

Having loved Alicia Thompson's previous book, I came into WITH LOVE, FROM COLD WORLD with high expectations--and they were exceeded. Lauren and Asa are fully fleshed out characters who have heartbreaking backstories that were treated with such care. Their love story was beautiful, unique, and one I will not soon forget. Thompson proves once again just how clever and thoughtful a writer she is. I really loved this book and I am such a fan of the author.

I've been anticipating this book since it first popped up on my instagram feed. I was a huge fan of LITTOSK and the way Alicia manages to create unique dynamics between characters while delving deeper into what makes them tick as individuals, and this one was no different.

In this book, we follow Lauren, the office bookkeeper for a small, struggling winter-themed Orlando theme park, and Asa, the goofy, upbeat employee who likes to poke fun at her every now and then. When their boss challenges them to compete against each other to come up with an idea that will bring more customers to the park, they're forced to face the things about each other that annoy them and endear them.

I could go on and on about everything I loved about the book, but I'll narrow it down to the top three:
— The relationship felt authentic. The characters were attracted to each other from the beginning, but they had to work through their very different way of approaching conversations to work through conflict and learn to understand what makes the other "tick" before they faced their feelings. It's a slower burn, but it doesn't feel like it was written to keep us "on edge". It just felt authentic.
— Asa is bisexual, and while there's numerous M/F books with a bisexual FMC, we hardly see any bisexual MMCs/love interests. I appreciated that Asa's attraction to men was a huge part of who he was without it being his only personality trait, and also that narrative never posed his attraction to men as a threat to his relationship with Lauren, a cisgender woman. Solid representation <3
— Lauren's struggle with accepting love is something that I feel will resonate with many readers. She went through foster care as a child, and as a result has difficulties putting down roots as a result. This extends to her relationships, and I think Alicia does a great job of having her work through these!

Everyone needs to read this <333

I'm not really sure where this one fell short. I'd been looking forward to it, but as I read, I slowly lost interest. By the 75% mark, I was forcing myself to read. I think my main problem was how will-they/wont-they Lauren and Asa were. I needed more of them together and less of the drama. I also wanted more of their backstories. Their bits of trauma and healing were done so well, I wanted more of them. Although I wanted to love this one, I just wanted a bit more depth from it.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

This novel deals with a lot of complicated issues in a really beautiful way. Lauren grew up in the foster system and lives a very structured, if monotonous, life in Orlando, Florida. She's an accountant at Cold World, an amusement park with dwindling attendance records and has butted heads with Asa for the duration of her time with the company. Asa doesn't hold an official title, but has been working at Cold World for over ten years. Asa found himself there after his father found out he was bisexual (and kicked him out of the home) a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday. Lauren and Asa both feel passionately about the causes dear to their hearts and I love this depth to each character. The peripheral characters are fully-imagined and bring humor and a voice of reason to the story.

Asa has an enthusiasm for Christmas that Lauren just can't match, and a knowledge of the business that no one but Delores, the fun-loving owner, possesses. Delores calls Asa, Lauren, and Daniel (her son, Lauren's crush) into her office and gives them a task: they each have until the end of the year to come up with a proposal to revitalize Cold World. Of course it isn't long before Asa and Lauren end up working together and finding that there's likely more to this task than a little creative revitalization. This romance is sweet with a lot of honesty. It feels extremely realistic, though it's possible that no person is as great as Asa is in the story. It's a bit of a Christmas book, but can be enjoyed year-round!

Love it when the content of a book is just as engaging as its beautiful cover, and that is absolutely the case here With Love, From Cold World.

Though Lauren and Asa have worked alongside each other for years, their relationship still remains just as chilly as Cold World's theme. But when the pair are tasked with brainstorming ideas that might breath new life into the Orlando attraction, they begin to orbit each other in ways they never expected. Having previously enjoyed Love in the Time of Serial Killers, Alicia's last title, I had high hopes for this next release and it delivered. Both the direction of the story and development of the two main characters felt clear and intentional. As both Lauren and Asa looked to heal past wounds and pave a new path with confidence, they became crucial to each other's journeys.

Still, there were a few elements that I didn't totally love. There is a storyline where Lauren becomes a guardian to a child in foster care. Unfortunately, this subplot felt wildly underutilized as it was only referenced or showcased a handful of times. In fact, if it had been removed entirely, the impact of the book would have remained virtually unchanged. Also, the third act breakup was not needed. In general, my feeling is that if a conflict can be resolved one chapter later, the characters should just have the difficult conversation and move on.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley and Alicia Thompson for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"With Love, From Cold World" is a fun, cute follow-up from author Alicia Thompson. Again, Thompson does a fantastic job at creating well-rounded memorable characters. It was so nice to see thoughtful representation of bisexuality through Asa's character.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved Alicia Thompson's first book, but I'm sad to say this one missed the mark for me. I felt like the relationship between Asa and Lauren was SOOOO cold to SOOO hot that it felt forced. They did not have any chemistry and I really had a hard time finding Lauren to be likable. She was very closed off (for good reason) but it made it difficult to relate to her, but not to root for her. Plenty of inclusivity and diversity which is always a good thing! But the dialogue felt forced and the relationships just didn't have that "spark" I was looking for. Overall, it was a 3 star read for me, but I'm sure it will be a hit with others. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I’m so thankful to Berkley Publishing for sharing these amazing ARC copies with me, making my entire year and putting a permanent smile on my face! But especially, I want to thank Alicia Thompson for writing this poignant, beautiful story and introducing me to these amazing, extremely lovable, and huggable characters!

This is a heartfelt holiday story that blends enemies-to-lovers and sunshine-meets-the-grump (or Grinch in this case) with a sensitive approach to foster care, abandonment, sexuality, dysfunctional families, and social anxiety issues.

Lauren Fox has worked as a bookkeeper for Cold World, a winter wonderland and tourist attraction, for two years. Even though she finds her job boring, she plans to get her master's degree to achieve her freelance business plans. After being abandoned by her mother at a young age and raised by foster parents, she forms a coping mechanism by building high-security walls around herself, scared of getting abandoned again. She’s quirky, extra nerdy, has a lack of cultural references, enjoys organizing her clothes, reading prized books highly mentioned on Goodreads, and updating her status on the app. She doesn't have many friends and isn't a big talker, but she’s not a robot who doesn’t care or feel what people think about her either, like her arch-nemesis Asa Williamson thinks.

Asa is an unconventional hero, with blue hair, tattoos, carefree, and social. He’s been working in the same position for ten years without higher career expectations. He’s bisexual, the son of a pastor, and was shunned and kicked out from his family house at the age of 18 because of his sexual orientation. He is living with his tight-knit group of friends, including Kiki, who may be the only person called a friend to Lauren.

Despite his friendly, easygoing personality, he cannot get along with Lauren. He calls her a wet blanket, and she calls him a clown. They rub each other the wrong way, making hostile comments, bringing out the worst in each other, until one day their boss, Dolores, wants them to work on a presentation teaming up with her son, Daniel. In Asa’s opinion, Daniel is a privileged, pretentious marketing guy he hates the guts of, and for the worst, Lauren seems like a long-time crush for him, which irritates him even more.

Making the presentation and beating Lauren at her own game seems like a big win, but what if Lauren is not the uptight ice queen he’s thinking of? After a lock-in at the work premises incident that results in spending the night together, both of them realize they have a huge palpable, ripping-your-clothes-off kind of chemistry. After that night, both of them may have second thoughts about giving their friendship a chance and teaming up together for the sake of their company, which has financial problems. But what if they want more than friendship, and they are afraid of opening up about their feelings?

Overall, I know the publishing date will be in August, but just like Die Hard, which was released in the summer and turned into my favorite Christmas movie, it seems like this book is also going to be one of my favorite swoon-worthy, feel-good holiday romance books!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this wonderful book's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I sat down expecting to just start it, and I read it in under four hours. This is bisexual hug full of fake snow and the sweetest couple who deserve everything. Sexy, sweet, teary, and did I say sexy?? Cannot recommend this enough! Go preorder!

I saw the cover and was immediately attracted to whatever was going on here and it also helped that most it's pretty highly rated and reviewed. Thank you NetGalley and Berkeley for this, dare I say it, (nearly) perfect story?!?! Stoked to buy a final hard copy and will have a more thorough review after I’ve read it again closer to publication (gaaaaah, August, really?!?!) If the cover does not draw you in (how could it not though) read it for the joys of growing through trauma and finding much needed love and support from found and chosen family. *swoon*