I adored Love in the Time of Serial Killers and was chomping at the bit to read more from Thompson. I can attest to the fact that she was no one-hit-wonder for me as I greatly enjoyed spending time in Cold World.

There's something special about quirky workplaces. They tend to be filled with great characters and provide the perfect backdrop for fun hijinks. Cold World was an attraction in Florida where one could enjoy cold and cold adjacent things - ice skating, hot cocoa, a snow globe. It sounded like that type of kitschy place that would be irresistible, but most of all, it was a welcoming place.

Asa was the son of a preacher who was not too pleased to learn that Asa had a boyfriend. Banished from his family home, he found a safe place to land at Cold World and was still working there a decade later. He was the heart and soul of this institution and loved by all, though he had been unable to win over Lauren.

Lauren also had a tough past. Due to her mother's struggles with addiction, she entered the foster care system where she learned to protect her heart and keep people at arm's length. The best part of this story, for me, was watching Asa and Lauren warm to each other. He slowly won his way into her heart, and it made me so happy that they now had each other as they made their way in, let's face it, this cold world.

Their romance was definitely front and center for me, but I also adored getting to know Asa's housemates. They were a fun and supportive group. They not only had each other's backs, they were so welcoming and fully embraced Lauren who never really had that level of connection in her life.

Overall, this was a warm and wonderful feel-good romance. The characters, the setting, and that early injection of Christmas combined to put a whole lot of sunshine in my heart.

This romance is set in Orlando, Florida at a worn down amusement park called "Cold World" -- I was immediately sold. I never read premises before reading books; I love to be surprised. Right off the gate, the dedication "to found family" and the content warnings had me immediately SAT.

I liked this so much more than Love In The Time of Serial Killers (and I enjoyed that one a lot)! It just *hits different* and I adored my cinnamon roll love interest, Asa. Obviously, I loved Lauren too & their dynamic was perfect! I would love to see this get adapted on screen as a lil 25 Days of Christmas romcom on Freeform haha.

tropes:
grumpy x sunshine
forced proximity
workplace rivals to lovers
found family
save-the-small-business
closed-off-main-character-believes-in-love-again
holiday/Christmas romance

cw: biphobia, bomophobia, religious bigotry, child abuse, domestic abuse, estranged relationship with parents

With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson
Pub day is 8/1 🎉

Lauren is a bookkeeper at Cold World, a winter wonderland tourist attraction in Florida, and even though she doesn't share the same year-round Christmas spirit as her co-workers, she enjoys working there. Her boss asks her and her work rival, Asa, to come up with ideas to help revamp Cold World and make it a more popular amusement park. While working on their project proposals, Lauren and Asa realize they've made a lot of incorrect assumptions about the other person, and discover a lot of sizzly chemistry, as well.

❄️ forced proximity, workplace romance, rivals/enemies to lovers
🌨 bisexual MMC with blue hair, tattoos, prankster/jokester with a big heart. I love this hero and his backstory!
❄️ Lauren is the grumpy to Asa's sunshine. I loved her so much. She's a bit awkward, which really charmed me. She was abandoned by her mom and grew up in foster care from a young age. Her fear of abandonment and detachment from making future plans made so much sense with her character arc.
🌨 I loved that both characters had given back to their communities in their own way after difficult upbringings and childhood traumas.
❄️ Found family - Cold World felt like it would make a cozy, comedic, workplace tv show.
🌨 Secret Santa, ice skating, mistletoe shenanigans. . . This didn't feel like a holiday read necessarily, but it would be a fun one to read in the wintertime!
❄️ Loner/lonely MC meets found family and HEA is always a win! I really enjoyed this book!
🌨 My only complaint is that it felt just a little bit long. I think the rival part in the beginning could have been a little bit shorter.

Stunning cover!!! One of my favorites this year!

Alicia Thompson never disappoints! The story follows Lauren and Asa trying to save Cold World and their dislike of each other makes this enemies-to-lovers so so entertaining! It is spicy, funny, and such a cozy read that will have you giggling, chuckling and blushing all the way through! Really recommend it!

This was such a fun rivals to lovers coworker romance set in a rundown Florida amusement park that's in need of some saving. Full of found family, a unique workplace setting, great emotional depth and strong main characters.

A stellar second book from a new favorite author and good on audio too! Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and @prhaudio for early digital and audio copies in exchange for my honest review.

Recommended for fans of Courtney Kae, Alison Cochrun and Beth O'Leary's The wake-up call. Like The wake-up call, this one also takes place over the holidays but isn't super "Christmas-y."

CW: biphobia/homophobia, toxic parental relationships, parental abandonment, foster care, forced outing

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
- Workplace Romance
- Sunshine x Grinch
- LGBTQ+ Rep
- Dual POV

With Love, from Cold World absolutely blew me away and will give you the cozy winter feelings all year long.

Asa and Lauren have been working together for sometime and while Asa is the sun shiniest employee at Cold World, Lauren is the company Grinch. This makes the perfect recipe for an opposites attract, steamy and banter filled relationship.

I greatly enjoyed learning about Asa and Lauren's background - the relationship heats up quickly but it was always believable because of their shared history.

I feel like I say this with every book but Asa has climbed up my ranks of book boyfriends because he was a breath of fresh air! His blue hair and tattoos are such a stark contrast to how sweet and caring and lovely he is to everyone he comes in contact with. I love love loved his bi-visiblity.

Lauren might be more like Grinch compared to Asa but that doesn't undermine the fact that is super relatable and incredibly strong.

With Love, From Cold World will have you laughing, smiling and crying - which is everything I look for in a great contemporary romance!

I loved this book! The romance was so soft and sweet. Asa and Lauren were ADORABLE together. This author writes the BEST book boyfriends and I fell in love with Asa possibly even more than Sam from Love in the Time of Serial Killers, which is saying a lot. The characters were both so well fleshed out and watching them fall in love was just...a warm hug. A warm sexy hug! I absolutely cannot wait to read Thompson's next book.

Lauren Fox is the bookkeeper for Cold World, a tourist destination that's always a winter wonderland despite being located in Orlando, Florida. Her coworker Asa Williamson, on the other hand, is all about finding ways to enliven his days at Cold World--whether that means organizing the Secret Santa or teasing Lauren. When the owner asks Lauren and Asa to propose something (anything, really) to raise more revenue, their rivalry heats up as they compete to come up with the best idea. But the situation is more dire than they thought, and it might take these polar opposites working together to save the day. If Asa thought Lauren didn't know how to enjoy herself, he's surprised by how much he enjoys spending time together. And if Lauren thought Asa wasn't serious about anything, she's surprised by how seriously he seems to take her. As Lauren and Asa work to save their beloved wintery spot, they realize the real attraction might be the heat generating between them.

This was an enjoyable read, but I felt it would have been better suited for a winter release since it revolves around Christmas and a winter themed attraction in Florida. I just don't enjoy reading about winter in the summer. But besides that the book was really fun. Both characters had a lot of depth and a really interesting back story. We get a classic opposites attract /grumpy sunshine romance tropes and it was really well done. I enjoyed that Asa is a LGBTQIA+ character and the tumultuous backstory with his family was a great secondary plot. I really related to Lauren (not only because I am also Lauren) but because her struggle to open herself up to friends and love and to just let loose is something I also struggle with. Overall this was a fun, sweet rom com with a little bit of added spice. I'll definitely be waiting for more books by Alicia Thompson in the future!

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 8/1!

So cute! A workplace, rivals/enemies to lovers, opposites attract rom com set during Christmas time in Florida at a (kind of run down) tourist attraction called Cold World.

I loved the characters! Lauren was a very practical and organized cardigan wearing “wet blanket” and Asa was a laid back, everything comes easy, go with the flow, Christmas cheer joker with blue hair. He ruined Lauren’s bitter coffee with his super sweet Keurig pods in the break room many mornings and that wasn’t even the start of the animosity between them. When the boss gave out a Cold World brainstorming project to Lauren, Asa, and the boss’s big idea/small effort payroll drain of a son, David, the two of them end up having to compete or work together after realizing David was going to be a completely waste of time.
There was so much chemistry and angst and drama, but there were also great friendships, serious issues, and a little childhood trauma to contend with as well, making it such a well rounded yet still so much fun romance.
I really enjoyed this one and I’m stoked to have gotten an early e-galley from Berkley! This is definitely one you don’t want to miss!

I wanted to love this. I really did, but it just wasn't for me. I thought since I loved this era that I would be into this storyline but turns out I was wrong.

Thank you none the less for letting me review this Berkley. I know it will be in the right hands and loved by many!

With Love, From Cold World is (ironically) a heartwarming romance.

The found family vibes and queer representation are strong in this delightful love story, including a bi male love interest, a lesbian bestie, and a non-binary roommate.

Some very tough subjects are tackled, including parental rejection and parental abandonment, addiction/substance abuse by parents/family members, and the foster care system. But the overall theme of finding your people and making your own happiness shines through like a joyous beacon.

If you've ever wanted to get your flirt on in a life-size snow globe (and honestly, who hasn't?) With Love, from Cold World by Alicia Thompson is the book for you!

I'm a bit shocked by all of the glowing reviews on this one. The summary of this book is basically: Man-child negs sweet, shy woman into dating him. Also there's a vague "save the theme park" plot that's mentioned a few times.

I'll keep this short. Asa, or hero, likes his coworker Lauren but recognizes she's way out of his league. So instead of getting his shit together so he can impress her, he decides to bring her down to his level by mocking her until she thinks badly enough about herself that he starts looking good in comparison. For the first hundred pages of this book, it's just Asa "teasing" Lauren, pushing and pushing her until she finally snaps, then playing the victim card and acting like a hurt baby so SHE feels bad and apologizes to HIM. What? We're told over and over that his teasing isn't mean-spirited and he's doing it to make people feel included, but I'm sorry. Mocking someone for not having many friends isn't funny. He even makes fun of her because *checks notes* she has her life together. We're somehow supposed to believe that being shy and taking your life seriously is as equal of a fatal flaw as being a loser who tears down others to make himself feel better about his life. At one point, she finally tells him to knock it off and leave her alone, so what does he do? He plays the victim card yet again and gives her the silent treatment. Real mature. I could not ship these two because I felt like he was emotionally manipulating Lauren, and she should run.

The middle of the book was tolerable though, and I liked Lauren, so it's not a total bust. But the third-act miscommunication was so silly, even other characters were pointing out how ridiculous it was.

⭐3.5 rounded up to 4/5 stars⭐
this brought back all the heartwarming vibes I got from reading Love in the Time of Serial Killers! while I didn't love With Love, From Cold World as much as the former, I still enjoyed it immensely! I related to both Asa and Lauren at different times throughout the novel and busted up laughing at Lauren's dry humor. these two didn't sell me on their relationship at first but by the end, it was so obvious how dorkily in love these two are. I think the only issue with this book for me is that I didn't feel as connected with these characters as I did with Phoebe and Sam. Asa's Christmas present to Lauren though, did have me shedding a tear. Overall, this was cute, Christmassy, and made me laugh which is all I can ask for! I'm looking forward to Alicia Thompson's next book!

Christmas in Florida with a fictional attraction in Orlando and a workplace romance? Say no more! Asa and Lauren were such great main characters and you could really feel the slow burn in this one. There was a great amount of steam, and our two main characters were both overcoming some family trauma individually throughout the story. It was interesting to see their strengths and weaknesses. There were also a great amount of side characters that really added to a found family aspect. Cold world is a fictional Florida attraction that should clearly be a real place! Such a fun romance that will have you grinning from ear to ear.

DNF I could not connect with the characters; the love story was flat and mean-spirited at times. They do not seem to work well as a couple.

Theme park books might be my new favorite romance subgenre. Add in the winter theme and you get a subtle Christmas in July story with a bit of steam. I liked watching Asa and Lauren go from rivals to friends, and then to lovers as they work to revamp Cold World. Plus any plot involving a Secret Santa exchange is like catnip to me. It reminded me so much of the roadside attractions from my childhood, giving a bit of sentimentality to the book. I wish there had been a bit more focus on the foster care angle and Lauren's residual trauma though. I really enjoyed Asa's storyline with his parents, especially in that he gets some closure.

Overall, this is a nice holiday book for those of us who want just a bit of holiday cheer without it becoming a whole ass Hallmark movie.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Get ready to fall in love with Cold World and wish you could visit this winter wonderland!

Lauren Fox is the strait laced, type A bookkeeper at Cold World, a wintery attraction in sunny Florida. She gets along with most of her colleagues except for Asa Williamson, the laid back employee who has worked at Cold World for years and sees it as a kind of second home. The two are asked by the owner to present ideas of how to keep Cold World fresh and start bringing in more business, and what starts as a competition slowly shifts as they spend more time together and sparks begin to ignite.

I adored both of the main characters. They are complete opposites at first, with each having qualities the other admires. Lauren wishes she could be more adventurous, and I laughed so hard when “Fun Lauren” came out at the holiday party. Asa is completely endearing. His pastor father was unaccepting of his coming out as bisexual, and he has not seen his family in years. His roommates are his found family, and the moments showing their friendship and connection were special to read. The characters both try to do some good in the world, stemming from negative things that happened in their pasts. I wanted happiness for each of them, and loved that their happiness also came with killer chemistry!

Cold World was such a fun setting, and I loved the contradiction of this cold, snowy place being in hot and humid Florida. A place like that would definitely draw in visitors in the winter months, and I loved the descriptions of the various attractions and future plans.

I really enjoyed Thompson’s writing style and the overall tone of the book. I typically don’t love a third person POV and have trouble connecting to it, but found that the author was skilled at giving me enough of the characters and their emotions that I wasn’t bothered by the POV at all. The dialogue was realistic, the conflicts felt authentic, and I loved the strong character development.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Lauren and Asa are both employees at the same small time tourist destination. While she is all formality and structure, he is all fun and games. When the owner asks them to brainstorm ways to revive the once beloved park, they are forced to at least be near each other, if not work together. But then again, maybe they don’t hate being around each other after all..

When I saw this gorgeous cover on a workplace, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, with inclusivity.. I knew I needed to read it. And while there were plenty of parts that I did enjoy, the parts that I struggled with really fogged up the rest. I feel like there needs to be fantastic evidence in the writing for me to connect with characters when written in third person. At times I felt that was present here but overall I struggled with it. I loved the idea of it all but the execution was hard for me. And the pacing of their relationship felt off. All of that being said, I did enjoy the read for the most part and it was a quickie.

3/5

Whether you picked up this book because of the author, the concept, or even the cover, what lies inside With Love, From Cold World might surprise you. This book follows Lauren who works at Cold World in the front office, doing the books and she’s your typical Type-A personality.

Of course, she doesn’t mesh with Asa, the attraction’s long-time employee yet things quickly develop between the two. Maybe it’s because of them being paired up for a project together or her realizing that Asa isn’t so bad. Regardless, these two have a romance that would melt the snow in Cold World.

As great as the romance is, I feel like Lauren is one of those romance characters we can all relate to. She’s just trying to do her best and play with the hand she’s dealt while also trying to heal her inner child. Maybe it was just me, but I loved Lauren’s character and her growth throughout the novel.

As for Asa, he was just such a fun time and a rarity in the romance world as he’s bi. He had blue hair and a love for Cold World that almost usurped the owner. These two couldn’t have been more unlikely, but they ended up being such a force together that upon finishing this book, I wanted to go back and read it again.

Aside from the romance, Lauren and Asa have a lot of struggles. Lauren is trying to heal herself after being put in foster care and losing her mother. She even ends up being a mentor for Eddie who is in foster care due to his mother being in an abusive situation. Asa even ends up helping her to connect with Eddie, too.

Meanwhile, Asa is trying to connect with his sister while still struggling amidst his parents kicking him out for being bisexual. While the story might seem like a lot is going on, Alicia Thompson balances everything so well. Considering that it’s set amidst Christmas too, this is just a fun and wintery read that’ll thaw your frozen heart this summer.

My only small complaint about this book was that it felt like Lauren sort of got railroaded by Asa’s friends about her role in the third-act breakup. I just wish we could have seen Asa get a little bit too because that bothered me. Either way, this ended up being such a fun and engaging romance that I know I’ll be revisiting it this winter.

Thompson has done it again! I loved Love in the Time of Serial Killers, so I was thrilled when I saw her next title was coming out this summer. She continues to create believable characters in Asa and Lauren. Their rivals to lovers story is a fantastic read to pick up this summer!