Thanks so much to NetGalley and PRH Audio for granting me early access to the digital version and audiobook of Emily Stone’s new book—A Winter Wish!

I have loved Stone’s previous holiday reads and am always ready for an emotional holiday read! This new book didn’t top my faves of Always in December and One Last Gift but it’s definitely a lovely holiday read. It is not completely centered on Christmas and the holidays, so it’s a good read anytime of year—not only at Christmas/holidays.

The premise and plot are definitely your typical Hallmark style plot. Girl meets boy under less than great circumstances and while they seem to hate each other, they’re forced to work together. And of course, sparks fly.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Lexie—FMC. She has a lot of trauma and daddy issues that spiral into commitment issues. This isn’t shocking given her past. While I felt like these things needed to be discussed, I didn’t necessarily feel like her growth arc inspired much in me. Theo—MMC—was charming and fun but once again, his arc wasn’t as deep as it could’ve been.

All in all, this is a lovely 3.5⭐️ holiday read. It won’t emotionally wreck you but will definitely warm your heart this holiday season and beyond.

I have read 2 other Emily Stone books. One I gave 3 stars and the other I gave 4. This one I ended up in the middle at 3.5.

Let’s start with what I enjoyed about this book: the idea of a travel agency is so cool. I loved reading about it & the places they traveled were so fun. I loved the relationships that were built in the story and not just the romantic relationships. The cover is beautiful!

Now on to what I didn’t enjoy: I felt a bit confused in the timeline of this story. I understand it was to take place over a year of owning the business but I felt like the dates didn’t seem to match up. One day it was Christmas, the next it was Easter!?

I also really didn’t feel like the title or cover fit this book. The cover is gorgeous but the book itself barely takes place in the winter and the wish jar was mentioned a bit throughout the book but I was expecting more with the wishes. I understand the meaning and the connection but I just didn’t get enough of the wishes.

I actually did not enjoy Lexie much at all. She never seemed to let anyone share how they felt and when she did, she didn’t listen to them. I know she has trust issues but she just could not give people a break.

I loved Theo’s POV but within the last 4 chapters!? I would have LOVED it throughout the whole book.

I didn’t love how long it took to get Theo & Lexie together and the whole third act breakup was rushed & she did exactly what her dad did to her. I expected her to learn by this point.

Overall, I had a good time reading this book but to me it didn’t scream holiday or winter or really wishes but it was a good experience it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book.

After her estranged father's death, Lexie inherits half of her father's holiday travel company, along with Theo, her father’s business partner. Part of the will stipulates they must figure out how to run the company together for a year before they decide to keep it or sell it. 

This is marketed as a holiday story but can easily be read at any time of the year! It’s not too heavy on holiday themed references.

Lexie is a world seeking wanderer and has had a very complicated history with her father. This is a story of her journey towards healing, forgiveness, and self-discovery. Grief is not a finite process and this story focuses mostly on Lexie's experience with it.

This story tugged at my heartstrings as Lexie dealt with her grief and tried to learn how to forgive her father.  This story is heartwarming, emotional, and I loved the celebration of cultural traditions! This story brings you all over Europe including to the Lemon Festival in France and the Fiesta de San Isidro in Madrid.

However, I would say this was weaker in the actual romance and would have liked more chemistry between the two leads. I also would have loved to see more growth and reflection with her relationship with her sister as well.

I think at this point Emily Stone could write her grocery list on a napkin and I’d read it. I’ve eagerly devoured all her previous books and loved each one and A Winter Wish is no exception.

I love how she adds such emotion in her writing—this book isn’t fluffy at all; rather it’s quite melancholy. Lexie is feeling the hurt from her father’s abandonment throughout, but I’m left hopeful by the end. But overall I love the sadness; somehow I’m drawn to these types of books and Stone never disappoints.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.

Nothing short of a festive, romantic, adventurous Holiday read! I loved everything about it. I was immersed from the moment I started, with its charming prose and attention to detail. I embraced its emotional plot with sympathy and hope knowing these characters were destined for each other.

“A Winter Wish” for Lexie is just that, the wishes she wrote on a scratch piece of paper put into her “wish jar” were destined to come true…she hoped. From a little girl, to now a grown woman Lexie just got the news that her father has just passed away. He left his niche travel company to Lexie and Theo, an executive at
R & L Travel. To both of their surprise they must agree to work together for one year before deciding how to move forward.

Lexie & Theo are thrown together despite each of their resistance and end up traveling the world together to support and develop the company. Despite their initial hatred for one another, they realize there might be something between them.

Rooting for an enemies to lovers trope, I was not disappointed. Faced head on with their differences and misconceptions, Lexie & Theo keep you cheering them on.

From picturesque festive countries to small town charm, “A Winter Wish” is just that!

Thanks to @randomhouse @ballantine @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I fell in love with Emily's writing after reading her book 'Always, in December' and 'A Winter Wish' was no different. The pacing was a bit slower for the first half of the book, but the last half more than made up for it (especially when the playful banter between Theo and Lexie started). I was hooked! Their stories, both together and individually, are emotional and raw, and (as someone that comes from a split-family) easy to relate to. This book is perfect for anyone looking for a cozy, Christmas time, romance that explores complicated family dynamics in a beautiful way.

Lexie is one of those people who doesn't stick with one thing for very long. Waitress jobs here, Sky lift attendant there. Nanny someplace else. She's not a long term kind of girl. So when her dad does and leaves her half of his travel business based in Bath, England, she's pissed. He was an absentee dad who left her and her mother for a newer family, and doted on her half-sister, who now gets the house. It doesn't help that the other half of the travel company gets left to a snide SOB, Theo, who clearly disapproves of Lexie being anywhere near the business. But then, obviously, romance happens...

This book gives all the travel vibes. It hits a couple of Christmas time celebrations in a couple different countries (because the timeline of the whole thing start to finish is something like 17 months or so, at leasmt) as well as ad few 9other fun trips throughout the year.

I will say, though, that for the first quarter of the book, it was unclear whether Theo was to be an unknown, long lost brother, or if he was supposed to be the eventual love interest. With the Daddy issues both sisters had, and the loathing that came across during the intro of Theo's character, it was hard to nail down for a slightly uncomfortable amount of book.

Once roles were finally established, though, the book progressed nicely. I just wish authors wouldn't rely so heavily on a stubborn refusal to have an adult conversation about intentions and possible misunderstandings. That kind of all-or-nothing behavior feels much more teenager-ish than grown adult. Then again, I still sometimes see grown adults act ridiculously immature and wonder of they're stuck in high school...

The book is definitely a grief journey for Lexie. She works through a lot of her issues with her relationship with her dad, and by extension, her half-sister. I appreciated that aspect of it.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

It was such a cute and fun holiday book! Emily Stone writes perfect holiday books. I really enjoyed the main characters.
Overall, it was the perfect book for a cozy season!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of A Winter Wish by Emily Stone.

Emily Stone is one of my go-to authors for all things Christmassy and heartfelt, but towards the end of A Winter Wish I started to feel just “meh” about the storyline. It started off very strong with Lexie finding out that her estranged father has passed away and he has now made her co-owner to his travel agency R&L Travel. And of course, that comes as a shock and has a few speed bumps along the way. To me, it felt like that was the only storyline. I did appreciate that it was also a book about self discovery, but in the end the characters fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC copy!

Absolutely adorned every second of this! This is one of my favorite time of year for books. I just love Christmas books and the magic of the holidays! This book brought just that!

A Winter Wish was a good enemies to lovers Christmas time novel. This book did resonate with me more than I thought it would because of the fact that Lexi's father had unexpectedly died of cancer. She hadn't spoken to her father in years as he left her mom and her for another woman and was not as present of a father as he should have been. My own father died of cancer and also passed away without me having seen him in a couple years. My relationship was better with my father but he also left my family for another woman. With all of this going on I could relate to some of the emotions Lexi felt in this novel. There were some parts when I was a little frustrated with Lexi and her inability to see the other side of things especially when it came to her half sister. I was rooting for her and hoping things would turn out well.

Lexie is living a nomadic lifestyle. She is working as a nanny in Austria in December when she receives a phone call from her mother letting her know that her father as passed on. Lexie returns home to the UK for his funeral and finds out that she has inherited half of her father's travel company. Lexie grew up being disappointed by her father after he and her mother split up and he started a new family. Now Lexie has to work at the travel company with Theo, who worked for her father and is the other owner now. I found Lexie hard to like because of all her resentment towards her father but as the book progressed and Lexie saw situations from the past in a different light, she changed her attitude. During the course of the year she needs to spend working with the company, her half-sister Rachel wants to build a relationship with her. Interesting story.

4.5⭐️s Releasing 10/15!!! Can we get the audiobook asap because I need to have Theo’s Irish accent. Loved the banter and tension between Lexie and Theo. But also the growth for both characters.

Lexie’s estranged father has passed away, and left her half of his traveling company. The other half is left to his young executive, Theo. Like oil and water, it’s a rough start to the year they have to work together. The goal for Lexie: earn a profit and get out of there. Theo’s goal: get rid of this girl that wants nothing to do with the company.

However, as she is more involved, she sees the beauty in the niche market of holiday travel. Not just traveling to these places but immersing in the culture of these countries holidays. One night in Spain dancing might just change everything. Can Lexie find a way to plant roots. Can Theo trust her to stay. And what happens when it seems they will mix business with pleasure.

Thank you so much to @emstonewrites @netgalley and @dellromance for the advanced reader copy. #netgalley #awinterwish

Emily Stone has quickly become one of my favorite holiday authors. Not only does she capture the magic of the holiday season but also tackles realistic life events that make you think and feel! The chemistry between Lexie and Theo is on point reaffirming enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes! Make sure you pick up this bingeable holiday read!!

3.75 stars

This was a cute book, although not quite what I was expecting. The cover and title made me think that this was going to be a Christmas/holiday book and it's really not. There are a few scenes that take place during the holidays but that's definitely not the main focus of the book.
This book revolves around Lexie's very complicated relationship (or lack thereof) with her recently deceased dad and the way her view of him was very different from the other people in his life. I honestly felt so bad for Lexie. I felt like no one was sympathetic towards her situation, what with her dad leaving her and her mom for another family, and kept acting like she was heartless for not putting him on a pedestal. Some of them came around in the end but still, she didn't owe anyone an explanation for her feelings.
In the beginning of the book Theo was kind of an a-hole. It turns out it was all a misunderstanding ad he apologizes but I just felt like he didn't have enough character development to make up for it. Both he and Lexie were pretty bland characters and I didn't care about them all that much. The plot was kind of rushed and none of the scenes felt quite developed enough so it was hard to get invested.
There were definitely some cute scenes between the mc's, as well as some really heartfelt ones, especially between Lexie and her mom and with her sister. There just wasn't enough to make this book stand out to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC!

A Winter Wish is yet another charmer from this talented author. Emily Stone offers up a story of loss, love and simply finding your way when life seems to continue to throw you curveballs. Both Lexie and Theo experience the death of Lexie's dad in very different ways and yet when forced to work together as a requirement of Richard's will, what starts as a contentious partnership slowly develops into what will prove to be exactly what both needed.

There is plenty of push and pull from both Lexie and Theo as preconceived notions seem to drive their opinions and actions toward one another. Lexie is clearly a free spirit never wanting to truly put down roots, so her having to work at Richard's small travel agency in the town of Bath practically feels like a jail sentence. I could sense something brewing between her and Theo even when they only traded barbs at one another. There is zero trust as far as Theo is concerned, still scratching his head as to why Richard would make them business partners when Lexie most definitely had other plans for her life.

I will say that the trips this agency planned were wonderful and I loved being able to experience specialized vacations right along with them. The magic of travel is clearly an important component of this book as Lexie and Theo start to allow their walls to fall a bit as they meander through Europe together. The fact that Richard started this company after he would take Lexie and her mother for Christmas adventures before their divorce was a poignant part of Lexie's journey to accepting her father's faults and thus started her path to acceptance and even a bit of forgiveness for the presumed abandonment of his daughter.

Although I love a good slow burn like the next person, Lexie's penchant for constantly running away from any sort of conflict drove me crazy at times. I appreciated that Stone set the stage with respect to all Lexie experienced once her father was out of her life, the hurt that he left her to start another family ever-present in her mind. But she's not a little girl any longer and the almost torturous wait for her to finally see the light and recognize her feelings for Theo and her growing love of this new business venture went on a bit too long for my tastes. But the secondary characters like her bestie Fran, the beyond capable and nurturing Ange, her now-adult sister Rachel and Lexie's mom added to the numerous scenes when Lexie was still at odds with herself and the world around her. This reader very much appreciative for their role in all that Lexie endures.

Overall, this a sweet read with many touching moments that had me tearing up a bit. I was proud of Lexie at how far she had come. I just wish that she could've realized her "a-ha" moment a bit sooner. But the ending is a great one and the love that is abundant no matter how much she may have wanted to run yet again, would forever be Lexie's strength.

3.75 stars

This was my first Emily Stone book (though I’ve had several on my holiday tbr for years), and I can appreciate why she has become a go-to for so many. Lexie inherits part of her estranged father’s company and is forced to work aside Theo, a young company exec who inherited the other half of the company. They infuriate each other, have opposing views for the future of the company, and just generally clash. However, the romantic tension starts to build pretty quickly as well as Lexie feeling an investment and interest in her inherited role. Even more than the romance, the story delves into child/parent and sibling relationships. It had a lot of depth and heart. I didn’t totally get holiday vibes while reading, so I was totally okay reading it in the fall, but otherwise I really enjoyed it! Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Dell for the arc.

Emily Stone is a queen of the holiday read! A Winter Wish continues her streak of fantastic holiday themed reads who go far deeper than just a surface level Christmas book, while still being warm and uplifting!

A Winter Wish is the story of Lexi, as she grapples with the death of her estranged father with the help of his mentee (Theo) and ragtag group of employees at his small travel firm. Lexie is reluctant to take on the responsibility that has been thrown at her by her father's will, wanting instead to continue living her transient free spirited lifestyle. As she slowly begins to confront her feelings about her relationship with his father and his death, she begins to embrace and accept her new place in a community she never anticipated being a part of. All while finding unexpected love!

I loved this book, as a holiday read Christmas and holiday celebration is a central part of the story but not overwhelmingly so that it's predictable or boring. There's spice, tension, but there's also raw honesty and truth! Overall I highly recommend this as a go to 2024 holiday season read!

He used to say that you could never do anything perfectly, but if you at least tried, you’d have less to regret in the long run.
~
I’m not sure it would count as the Christmas season if I didn’t read a heart-wrenching, heart-warming Emily Stone book that made me sob, but maybe that’s just me. Anyway, A Winter Wish is no exception to this little tradition, and it was so much fun. The premise alone is enough to draw the reader in. A travel company? Left to a daughter with commitment issues by an estrange father with a yearlong partnership stipulation? And throw in the best personal assistant ever? You’ve got a recipe for success here. Watching Lexie on her journey of self-discovery as she struggles to come to terms with who her father was, how to reconcile it with her half-sister, deal with her own commitment and trust issues, AND play nice with the broody stranger from the funeral was such a ride and one I didn’t want to get off of any time soon. The traveling and trips abroad add so much fun and multiple layers to the book and Iceland? I can’t even talk about it, if you know you know. Theo’s own journey of self-worth and acceptance of things he can’t control or doesn’t understand is also a nice touch as he and Lexie grapple their self-control around each other and finally give in, just to be ripped apart and have to find their way back to each other. I would recommend this to ANY holiday romance fan that wants a Hallmark-esque feel and some heartstrings tugged on!

I do love a good inheritance story line and A Winter Wish was just that!
Overall a sweet and warm story perfect for the upcoming holidays.