❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️ 𝙰𝚛𝚌 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
♡𝚆𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎, 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝙲𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍♡
𝙰𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚊 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚜𝚘𝚗
4.5/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

•𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
•𝙴𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜
•𝙳𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝙿𝙾𝚅
•𝙻𝙶𝙱𝚃𝚀+ 𝚛𝚎𝚙
•𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚢

Happy Pub Day !

Need a Christmas in July palate cleanser? Look 👀 no further! Thank you to Netgalley and for a copy of this consumable read 🫶🏼

Y’all! This book! The cover drew me in instantly, but I could not put it down once I started reading.

Asa (easy breezy, passionate bi MMC) and Lauren (over meticulous robot FMC) have never quite gotten along at Cold World. But when the nostalgic theme park is in trouble, their boss has them collab on a project to turn things around.

Basically, Cold World is in for some heat 🥵

Being a native Floridian in the Orlando area had me completely bias going into this one but it was WAY more than I expected. The struggles I’ve witnessed for mom and pop theme parks have gone through growing up made this book’s reality even more real!

The romantic comedy traumedy (is that a thing?) had me in my feels with the journey of these two MC’s. Revealing traumatic pasts and working together to have a hopeful, helpful future was just 🥹🥹🥹

With Love, From Cold War by Alicia Thompson is an opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers workplace romance, which combines the fun tropes of a romcom with the realism of difficult pasts. These characters have been coworkers for years at a struggling holiday entertainment park, which was the definition of cuteness with snow globes, ice skating & gift wrapping galore. In some ways, it reminded me of a holiday TV movie, but it also went beyond that with serious real life struggles, childhood traumas, some family drama mixed with the perfect amount banter & spice.

I really appreciated that this book had a really cool concept in terms of a setting with the winter based theme park. I thought it was also enthralling that both leads had complex histories, which shaped them into the people they are because they both had very valid & important stories to tell. It showcased grief, loss, the struggles of family estrangement as well as personal growth. I loved that both characters volunteered & gave back to their community. There was just so much good in this book. Realistic pasts & storylines always heighten the experience for me & I feel like they create important depth & just bring the book to life.

I highly recommend reading this if you’re like me & enjoy these things…
🩵Opposites Attract, Grumpy/Sunshine
🩵Bisexual hero
🩵Found family friend group
🩵Realistic Storylines
🩵Forced proximity, workplace romance

I cannot wait to read more form this author!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted arc, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Content Warnings: Biphobia, loss of parent, childhood trauma, foster care, family estrangement & forced outing.

I will add to Amazon after publication & add links once I do!

(sent for review) solid 3.5? im feeling all over the place about this.

Lauren Fox is the bookkeeper at Florida's winter attraction/amusement park, Cold World. Lauren is shy, overly cautious, and is the person with a checklist for everything. Asa Williamson is Cold World's longest employee, doing a million jobs around the park (gift shop, managing the snow globe, supervising the skating rink). He is also Lauren's exact personality opposite. Free spirited and spontaneous. Asa and Lauren have a tendency to butt heads. His spontaneity irks her, and he tends to roll his eyes at her being a "wet blanket" (his words, not mine). Their boss gives both of them the challenge to come up with some innovative plan to save Cold World, Asa begs Lauren to work with him, she continually refuses, and they find themselves spending more and more time together, and liking the other more and more.

I don't know how to rate this exactly. I'm stuck because the middle section was really enjoyable while the beginning was slow and the ending was frustrating. Publishers and book marketing teams loooove to throw enemies to lovers out there when they really mean something else. That something else is just opposites attract.

The premise is so fun! And I love the representation we have with a bi male main character. Additionally, I found both characters really realistic, really convincing and endearing. The issue is the actual romance. First of all, the first 30% is a lot of this 'head-butting' which is more just Asa teasing Lauren beyond the point of funny sometimes (though he is a pretty sweet, golden retriever boy after that). They're physically attracted to each other but I think the love was lacking? Like it's clear they like each other, and they're attracted to each other but do they love each other? idk.

but it was fun! just not convincing enough to be a new favorite. plus so much of this book is these characters not being able to properly communicate w one another. blech too much miscommunication.

I loved everything about this book. Inclusion. Pronouns. LGBTQIA+ representation. Realistic relationship issues. Childhood trauma. PTSD. Trauma.
Found family is very dear to my heart - as I worked hard to find my family. I support books with this theme - supporting, encouraging, loving people who push you to be better.
Lauren and Asa both have issues - they still have issues at the end of the book. I loved that!
One of my best books of the year.

This is a fun read about 2 coworkers, Lauren and Asa, who have been playing pranks on each other until they have to work on a project together, and the sparks fly. They both have trust issues, Lauren was raised in foster care and Asa’s parents kicked him out when they found out he was bi.
It’s got one of the most unusual settings I’ve ever read, they both work inside Cold World, a giant snow globe and ice skating rink located in sunny Orlando FL.
I liked how the author delved into the foster care and LGBTQ coming out experiences.

I enjoyed this book, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This was a fun opposites attract romance set at the cutest fiction theme park called Cold World in sunny Florida.

Lauren is no nonsense, and lacks the flair for fun. When she ends up having to work closely with Asa, who seems to not have a serious bone in his body they clash at every step.

It's a rom com, so we know how this ends up. What I didn't expect is the endearing moments along the way. The most meaningful is when Lauren goes all mama bear protecting Asa from his family. Swoon.

There are so many great moments, and great characters, including Asa's roommates and the Cold World owner.

I really enjoyed this one, and definitely prefered it over her previous novel.

Although not technically Alicia's 2nd book, this is the 2nd with mainstream distribution and I will say she knocked this sophomore novel out of the park.

An incredibly solid story from an author who is establishing herself as a favorite! This slow burn romance is packed with an interesting plot and fantastic characters with detailed and complex backstory. The setting of a lesser but quite unique Orlando attraction was so fun, and I can't imagine how that cover isn't going to catch eyes.

You might expect a fun, trope-filled rom-com from the fabulous cover of this book, and you definitely get that with workplace romance, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, and grumpy/sunshine, but you also get a whole lot more. This packs an emotional punch. Thompson has written a heartfelt and quirky book with genuinely memorable characters, swoony romance, and a sensitive examination of some serious issues, as both MCs have traumatic backstories. And their love story is endearingly swoony, with great banter and steamy chemistry. I could not put this down!

The character development was excellent, with strong LGBTQ+ rep, including the MMC Asa, who is bi. And oh, how I loved the secondary characters! They were funny, charming, and vividly depicted, and the found family aspect was so heartwarming. The wintry theme park had a nostalgic charm, and having it set in sultry Orlando was just one of the ways the author cleverly played with the imagery of hot and cold throughout the story. Moving, funny, and feel-good (with some spice), this was thoroughly enjoyable!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkely Publishing for the opportunity to review this ARC,

When you discover a new to you author with a book you absolutely love and can't put down.
First off, that cover. Gorgeous and so eye catching. It says cold and hot at the same time.
I knew this would be a love story but without having read the author yet, I thought it would be your typical romance. It was so much more. I haven't read a romance this emotional in a while.
I just loved the concept of "Cold World" an indoor fun world bringing the outdoors inside. Cold World has all the cold fun you could want with an indoor skating rink, falling snow, a magical snow globe, frigidly cold temperatures and more. I thought it was a pretty neat concept and it's set in Florida as well.
The romance is hot and steamy. A friends to lover's romance. Coworkers that have worked together a long time begin to see each other in a new light.
The book felt very realistic, each of the leads has insecurities they need to work through and with the other person they receive emotional support.
One of the leads is bisexual and has been estranged from his family for most of his adult life since his forced coming out.
There is an unexpected family reunion with our hero and his family.
There is a strong sense of transparency with our main characters they put themselves out there and open up to each other leaving themselves vulnerable if the other wanted to take advantage of them.
They each have an important back story which helps to explain why they have the insecurities they do. There are some trigger warnings that the author makes a note of. I really loved how even while going through so many personal things the author portrays a united front with our two main characters and the support, they give each other. Definitely an author on my radar that I'll be reading more of in the future.

Pub Date: 01 Aug 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Hi and welcome to my blog stop for Alicia Thompson's With Love, From Cold World! A big thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

That exciting moment when you find a new author whose book you love…

Alicia Thompson’s With Love, From Cold World masters that mix of components in my favorite reads: emotionally striking, great tension between leads, & (a bit rarer) moments of humor/eccentricity that make the book distinctive.

I adored this book for many reasons, including:

❄️the enemies to lovers arc, which felt realistic given how seemingly different each lead is & their various insecurities/challenges/personality habits.

❄️a locked in scene, where both MCs are locked in at their attraction & where things really progress emotionally & physically in their relationship!

❄️ found family rep. Talk about getting to your heart…I love how friendship is portrayed in this book & Lauren’s efforts to put herself out there more.

❄️bisexual rep. I’ve only read a few books where the hero is bisexual & the other lead is a female. Asa has a backstory that I think will be meaningful to many readers. (Please check out trigger warnings).

This book has steam and poignancy, & I had such a great time on the journey. Love these characters—do I relate to the self-conscious heroine or do I relate —& the happiness they find with each other.

5⭐️. Out 08/01.

CWs: references to foster care experience, parental drug use. Asa’s parents made him leave their home when someone outed him without his consent. He is estranged from his parents for much of the book.

ID: Jess, a white woman wearing a beach hat and a red vintage-style bathing suit, holds the ebook while standing in front of some palm trees.

An adorable story set in a winter wonderland with the biggest tongue twister name - Cold World. Even though the cover art kinda gave the love story away, I enjoyed the build up.

Read if you like:
🏳️‍🌈 LGBTQ Rep
🏳️‍🌈 Bi MMC
😬 Rivals to Lovers
❄️ Workplace Romance
💋 He Falls First
👦🏼 Foster care plot points

This was such a good sophomore release!!! I absolutely enjoyed this one so much as it has some of my favorite tropes with rivals/enemies to lovers and workplace romances. There also was a bit of forced proximity too with the workplace and working on a project together for their boss.

I also really liked the love triangle vibes where Lauren has the hots for the bosses son purely based on looks because let’s be honest he is an ass and she knows that deep down.

I loved how both her and Asa had faced adversity in different ways as they grew up, foster care for Lauren and not being accepted as bisexual by his family and being cast aside because it truly provided so much depth to these characters and made them feel real.

I also loved the plot points of foster care with Lauren being a guardian for parental visits for a Forster kid so you can really understand the impact that foster care had on her and her relationship with Asa through this plot point.

All in all, such an enjoyable romance and I will definitely be reading what Alicia writes next! Thanks so much Berkley for my ARC of this one in exchange for my honest review!

I really really enjoyed this! I read the e-arc and listened to the audiobook thanks to PRH audio. The narration was fantastic and kept me engaged the whole time.

I loved the concept of Cold World as an entertainment attraction in Florida. It sounded like a delightful little slice of holiday year round. Lauren is Cold World’s bookkeeper and seems to keep herself separate from most of the staff. Despite thinking he doesn’t like her, she’s thrown into a project to help revive Cold World with Asa, who has worked there since he was out of high school. They had several great interactions when they’re just starting the project (like the snowball fight!) Asa and his story particularly stole my heart. As a parent, it’s heartbreaking to see parents that don’t love/support their children because of their sexuality. I adored Asa and his found family of roommates. I also loved how his relationships with his family developed along with the story. I really enjoyed this one and how it wrapped up! I can’t wait to read more from Alicia Thompson.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an advance copy of this!

I became a fan of Alicia Thompson's writing after devouring her debut in one sitting last year and did a re-read of it earlier this year and still loved it. So when the opportunity came to read her follow up, I was super psyched!

This book EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS AND MORE!
I absolutely loved everything about this book. It gave me everything I could ever want in a romance.

"Pull my hair anytime."

I am such a fan of enemies to lovers and throw them being co workers into the mix and having to work together - such a perfect recipe! Asa was such a great MMC and I love the fact that Thompson gave him blue hair, tattoos and he is a bisexual king. The reader could tell that he had some sort of crush or feelings for Lauren from the start. The playful banter, the small gestures and just the way he kept wanting to be a part of her life. I love that we got to know Asa throughout the book and see his personal journey with his relationship with his family and how he established those boundaries with his parents.

Lauren was such a great FMC. She was messy but not so much that she is unbearable. She likes things a particular way and is a rule follower. We also learn about her background and why she is the way she is. There was a moment where she gets drunk to try to be a "Fun Lauren" to which she thinks people will like her and it really hit home for me. I think we all have times where we think we need to be a certain way for X reason and for some they think by drinking or taking substances makes them "cooler" when really it doesn't. She just wants that feeling of belonging that she lacked growing up and my heart just went out to her.

"It was just hard for me, keeping it a secret. I want to be able to talk about you, to touch you in public, to go out together without worrying someone is going to see us."

The setting in this book was such a cool concept!!! My brother lives in Florida and I know this is something he would definitely go with his family possibly all year long. The way Thompson describe the different activities I could picture them so clearly.

The friendships in this group were amazing! I love how they created their own family unit in their apartment and just are a solid group for individuals. Kiki was such a great middle person between Asa and Lauren. She was so welcoming for Lauren and bringing her into their group even if she was hesitant at first.

Compared to the debut, this one delivers with being more of an open door romance. There were so many scenes that made me blush in all the best ways!

Once again I have no clue if I am rambling or if I expressed enough to show how much I have loved this book.
I am so excited to see what Alicia is working on next & I know she will continue to get better and better with time.

A new feature for romances I am doing is a Swoon Meter & is karaoke featured (my favorite niche trope):
Swoon - 12/10
Karaoke - YES

Lastly, THIS COVER IS ONE OF THE BEST COVERS OF 2023!!! IT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!

PS - I should have expected such a wonderful acknowledgement section from what I know of Alicia's writing in her substacks but seeing a shout out to Harry's House made me squeal!

PSS - If you don't already follow Alicia on IG, what are you waiting for?! She has the best stories & also a great newsletter/substack.

A workplace enemies-to-lovers romance with a quirky setting and more depth than this trope generally delivers. Very enjoyable and entertaining read!

Cold World is a year round winter wonderland tourist destination in Orlando. But compared to other more famous tourist destinations in Florida, it is not as successful. That’s why Lauren, Asa, and the boss’s son Daniel are tasked with coming up with fresh ideas that will help the business. But here’s the twist - Lauren and Asa don’t get along at all AND Lauren has a massive crush on Daniel who doesn’t seem to know she exists. But through this process, Lauren and Asa seem to actually enjoy spending time together.

This book was so good. From the fun tourist destination and learning all about Cold World (this was exactly where I wanted to be as it was literally over 100 degrees outside when I was reading it) to the incredible characters, this book brought me so much joy. I loved Asa and Lauren and the incredible people they were The way they each used their trauma to better the world and help children was beautiful - Lauren supported children in the foster care system by being a guardian and advocate and Asa volunteered taking calls for a LGTBQIA+ youth crisis line. With all they had gone through, seeing them slowly open up to each other was especially heartwarming and I was rooting for them from the beginning.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

With Love, from Cold World is a book I thoroughly loved from beginning to end. With a workplace rivals to romance - the tension! - Thompson's sophomore book is about seeing someone. The joy and fulfillment we get from being with someone who supports us and sees us for who we are. For Lauren, she's grown so used to her isolation and is experiencing this deep longing for a sense of place, of belonging, of a soft place to land. Through each other, they find that this life of uncertainty, cruelty from others, and difficult days can be made a little less lonely together.

Lauren and Asa work together at Cold World, a just-like-it-sounds theme park, only it’s located in the depths of balmy Florida. But their common workplace is where the similarities between these two polar (wink) opposites end. Where Lauren is buttoned up and shy, Asa is go with the flow and outgoing. Naturally, they butt heads, but also prefer to stay off each other’s icy roads.

So when their boss suggests they actually put their heads together to save the struggling amusement park, neither is too hot for the idea. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Lauren then realizes her workplace crush is also part of the equation, and things start heating up. But as the trio (really, the duo) work hard to impress their boss, they are surprised to discover they’re equally concerned with impressing one another. Now the unthinkable has happened and Cold World has frozen over. Who knew working with your rival could be “snow” much fun? 😃

Although not her first novel, this is the first time I’m reading Alicia Thompson’s work. I quickly warmed up to With Love From Cold World for its enemies to lovers vibe, complete with a Christmas in July backdrop. But as the story began to unfold, I found myself growing less invested in the characters. For starters, I felt the first time Asa and Lauren hooked up, the readers had yet to work hard enough for the moment. As an extension of this, the moment itself felt out of character based on what we knew about them up to that point.

And speaking of backstory, I felt Asa’s bisexuality felt false- as if it was placed there to check a box rather than create a three dimensional character. It’s a plot device I see being used more and more these days, despite its often lack of overall relevancy to the story itself.

With Love From Cold World is still a fun escape that will no doubt please many romance readers, despite some elements of cold comfort.

I enjoyed watching Lauren and Asa realize that they misjudged each other and their journey to come together. This is a soft and sweet romance that’s also full of spice. I love a MC that will stick up for their partner and I loved that we got to see Lauren do it to Asa’s bigoted parents.

I absolutely loved this book! The whole setting of Cold World was completely captivating and as someone who has lived in Southern California her whole life, I wanted it to be real! But more than that, I loved the dynamic not just between Asa and Lauren, but between all of the members of their found family. The found family vibes were so strong and done so well, it just made the romance all that much sweeter!