Genre: Holiday Romance

Format: Audio/E-book

4🌟 - I liked it!

Thank you @dellromance for the #gifted book, @netgalley for the e-book, and @prhaudio for the complimentary audio!

I love @emstonewrites’s holiday’s books! It’s been a staple in my holiday romance catalog over the past few years! This was a mix of complex family dynamics, dealing with grief, and a touch of enemies-to-lovers romance!

Although it has emotional themes, this was one of her lightest novels so far! She always has touching stories that tug on your heartstrings for the holiday season! I did a mix of audio and on e-book and really enjoyed the audio format of this one!

She continues to have a fan in me, and I will always keep reading her books!

I saved this book for Christmas but I really didn’t need to as it takes place over the course of a year. I liked this fine but I honestly got a little bored. I liked Lexie and Theo just fine, but found their relationship a little boring too. Overall, not a bad book by any means but just didn’t hold my interest a the time.

A story that explores grief in a magnificent way! Lexie was very relatable and it’s refreshing to read a story that explores real life consequences and emotions related to grief and loss. Even though it’s a heavy theme, the banter is fabulous and I’m always a sucker for enemies to lovers.

Thank you netgalley and Ballantine/Dell for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This read turned out to be a lot more emotional than I anticipated, but despite the strong anger I had towards many of the characters to start, there was such a strong sense of growth and development to the characters that I really came around on most, if not all. It was touching and, despite taking place over more than a year, a lovely holiday read.

4 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading Emily Stone books in the wintertime! This was a complicated one for me, it took me awhile to get into it, but then once I did, I ended up really enjoying it. The idea of traveling to different countries over Christmas to experience their traditions is so intriguing to me. Mix it with a little tension and spice, and that made a great read!

Lexie learns of her estranged father's death, and she then gets an even bigger surprise - He's left her half his travel company. The other half has been left to Theo - Now in addition to navigating grief, Lexie is navigating being a new business owner and new relationships. This one had a little bit of everything y'all, and with that, it was a lot of feels - It was Lexie making sense of her past with her dad, her new reality, a possible romance with Theo, and just figuring out what she wants in life. For me personally, I wish there would've been most Christmas feels. I did like the way the winter wish jar was sprinkled in, but I'm more of a full blast holiday romance reader. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this December 2024 release!

A WINTER WISH review

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5

🎄Merry Christmas Eve!! 🎅🏼💚 I can’t believe it’s already here! I’ve been squeezing in a few holiday reads and knew I wanted to prioritize reading Emily Stone’s newest release. Her books are the perfect blend of holiday vibes with an emo twist. 🥲🥹

🎄Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Lexie’s estranged father has passed away and left her half of his travel company. She must work with her father’s young executive to run the company side-by-side for a whole year. She knows she wants nothing to do with the company and can’t wait for this year to be over. But her feelings toward her coworker and the company start to shift as the year goes on.

🎄I enjoyed this one but it just didn’t feel very Christmas-y to me. 🥲 I liked the message/theme of forgiveness and discovering yourself by exploring the world. But I wanted more Christmas vibes from this one!! It also didn’t feel as emotional as her other books? Still enjoyed but not my favorite of hers!

🎄Thanks @randomhouse for my digital copy!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

I enjoyed the vibes and travel aspect of this Emily Stone book, but the pacing and third-act miscommunication trope lowered my star rating.

Emily Stone is the first writer I look for when it comes to making my annual holiday reading list. Her books have an emotional core like none other, and A Winter Wish delivers.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

My first Emily Stone read! I enjoyed the storytelling and depth of topics but this was a very slow burn for me. While I liked the characters, the storyline fell flat. Throughout the story I kept waiting for something to happen or a problem to arise but much of the book was day to day events. There was a lack of connection and spark between Lexie and Theo that I was hoping to see evolve as the story progressed and they got to know one another. However, I appreciated the sentiment of “the wishes” throughout the story and thought it wrapped up nicely.

. I think I would have liked this more if it were shorter and less repetitive. I liked the concept and the characters well enough, but it was just the same thing over and over which got pretty boring for stretches in the middle.

This was a heartwarming holiday romance that explores themes of grief, love, and the rediscovery of joy. The story follows Lexie, a woman navigating life after loss while learning how to run her father’s travel company. It’s a slow burn romance with Theo, her new business partner. The book is full of charming characters and fun settings (Madrid, Menton, and Ireland just to name a few). Lexie shows tremendous growth throughout the book. The romance is minimal, but sweet. It’s the perfect cozy, feel-good holiday read .

When Lexie discovers her father has passed away and left her half of his company, she’s thrust into an unexpected partnership with Theo, the owner of the other half. As they navigate the challenges of running the business, they must also confront the complicated emotions brewing between them. While the enemies-to-lovers trope offers some enjoyable banter, the lack of substantial character growth made it hard to fully invest in their relationship. I found myself indifferent to whether they ended up together or how the story concluded, as the emotional stakes never quite landed for me. While the premise held promise, the execution left me wanting more depth and connection.

Book Review :  A Winter Wish by Emily Stone. I usually like reading this author but this one fell flat for me. The characters and story were lack luster. Unfortunately I DNF this one.

Absolutely adored this holiday book about a woman whose estranged father passes away and leaves her a business she didn’t even know he had. Forced to run the business with her father’s prodigy, she begins to realize maybe her dad wasn’t exactly who she thought he was. Loved this one and already purchased it for multiple gifts!

A simple, everyday sort of formulaic story based on anger, misconceptions, family dysfunction. Throw in a very good looking guy with a chip on his shoulder, a girl with a million feelings of rejection and loss, a middle aged woman who arbitrates with keen sight, and a travel agency that bills its specialty as “celebrations. Not a bad idea, not a bad book, entertaining in places, sad and angry in other places, a bit of sizzle in there as well. It was worth the time I devoted to it.

Thanks to Dell and NetGalley for a copy.

This book had some heavier aspects but it still had great holiday vibes! Miscommunication isn’t my favorite story line but I still very much enjoyed this book and would recommend it to a friend.

This has some great holiday romance tropes – unexpected inheritance, enemies to lovers, one bed, kisses in the rain and snow! – and I really liked how it all came together in this book. It is especially great if you enjoy layered backstories, sweet Christmas traditions, and gorgeous European settings for your holiday reads!

This book wasn’t really what I was expecting for a Christmas romance, it was extremely sad and the two main character, didn’t have much chemistry or really anything in common. Also I understand people go through things in life, but I wish this book didn’t focus so much on the trauma.

I ended up not finishing this book. I couldn’t get into the plot and the characters had no chemistry.