After learning of her estranged father's death, Lexi found out she is now the co-owner of his holiday travel company with grumpy Theo.

Emily Stone strikes again with another amazing holiday read. Adored this one. Here's what I loved:

Lexi and her story: My heart really broke for Lexi in a lot of ways. She was really put through to ringer with her dad and his other family. I understood where she was coming from with not wanting to let anything related to him into her life. But last the book progresses, she starts to open up to new things and come to terms with others.

Theo: He starts off deliciously grumpy and starts to slowly melt as the story. goes along. He's an absolute book boyfriend.

The side characters and the business: I adored all of the side characters. They all helped the story move along but in a meaningful way. I also found the holiday travel business to be really awesome. The traveling sections were some of my favorite.

All in all, this was a really good emotional holiday read.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

Star Rating: 2.5

This book was very cute but I think I may be in a slump. I plan on rereading during the Christmas season! I want to say thank you to the publisher and author for letting me read the arc.

ARC REVIEW

A Christmas Wish
By Emily Stone

Rating: ⭐️⭐️/5 (2 out if 5)

Publishing date: 10/15/24

Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy it. It didn't hold my interest and I wasn't a fan of the characters. I was initially attracted to the summary, which made me want to read it, but it fell short and didn't put  me in the holiday spirit.

But like I always say....just because I didn't enjoy it doesn't mean you won't LOVE IT!

As always, thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the early chance to read it!! Always a pleasure!

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC Winter Wish by Emily Stone. It is my first book by this author. Lexie is shocked when she inherits half of her Dads travel company. He left the her and her mother when she was very young. The other half of the company was left to Theo who is a young executive working there. Lexie wants nothing to do with the company but Theo is all in. However, the Will states that they have to find a way to work together somehow for a year and bring a profit before selling it. Can Theo change Lexies mind? Or will she continue on the path to sell since she wants nothing of her Dads. Only time will tell how this journey will end.

Review posted to Goodreads 9/30/24.

A holiday romance with a surprising amount of emotion that shows the raw reality of grief. This is my first Emily Stone book and the whole time I was reading this, I kept thinking it was very similar to Emily Henry in the way that the story is rooted in very real human emotions. With that being said, the story does lack the humor, strong character development, witty banter, and extra oomph that a lot of other popular contemporary romances seem to have.

When Lexie attends her estranged father's funeral, she's shocked to find that her father has left her half of his company, a travel agency that specializes in sending clients to experience different traditions around the world. The caveat? She has to work with Theo, the grumpy other half owner, who has already made up his mind about her. In order to sell the company and be done with her father entirely, Lexie has a year to turn a profit on the company. Will she be able to pull it off? Or will her growing feelings for Theo change things?

My favorite parts of this book were the travel aspects and the detailed descriptions of each setting. The book has a lot of potential, and I will definitely keep Emily Stone in mind for any future releases, but it's missing a lot that would make it a truly stand-out and memorable romance book.

My rating: 3.75⭐️
Thank you for the ARC!

This fun enemies-to-lovers romance will brighten up your holiday season. Lexie has inherited half of her father’s holiday travel company – which is a shock because they had not spoken in over a decade. The other half of the company will go to her father’s partner, Theo, who is young, hot, and pissed he needs to work with Lexie for a year.

As Lexie and Theo work together to run the travel company, which specializes in trips to experience holidays and festivals around the world, Lexie struggles with the complex grief she has over the loss of her dad.

Why Kirsten loves it
This is less a Christmas book than a full holiday book – which is fabulous! The different celebrations I got to glimpse through the trips had my inner travel bug itching to book some incredible vacations!

This one did not pack the same emotional punch as Stone’s previous books – I didn’t cry reading this one – but I still enjoyed it. I did find the lack of communication between Lexie and Theo to be pretty frustrating at times though.

A Winter Wish fell a little flat for me. I struggled connecting to the characters. I thought the characters and relationships felt one-dimensional. I had a difficult time with Lexie's character. I didn't find her super compelling. I felt like her and Theo's relationship was lacking. I wanted more chemistry between the two. Theo was okay...he also could have used more depth. There was a random Theo POV chapter towards the end of the book. Although it was nice to see where his head was at, its randomness threw me off. I wish the author offered more consistent POV chapters throughout the book. There were some things I enjoyed. I found the dad storyline intriguing. I also liked the holiday aspect of the story. I thought the author did a fantastic job creating a detailed and cozy setting. Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the ARC.

This is a holiday book that sees Lexie and Theo pitted together to work in Lexie's father's business after he passes away. I enjoyed this story. It was a fun, predictable storyline and a good holiday read. I only wish I had connected to the characters more and felt their chemistry as this was the only thing that was really lacking.

I had high hopes for A Winter Wish, but there were too many things missing for me. Is this a cute holiday story? Sure ... but I found that it lacked depth in both he story line and the characters. The book started great and I loved the interactions between Lexie and the the girls (Bree & Bella), but once her Dad passed and she became involved with his travel company I started to lose interest. The chemistry between Lexie and Theo wasn't there - it seemed forced. Not the best enemies to lovers trope (and I like this trope)

I struggled to finish this book, really tried to push through and ended up stopping at the 70% mark.

Personally, the story was just missing something for me. However, if you like Emily Stone and enjoy fun Christmas reads this might be for you.
2.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Dell for providing an ARC in exchange for honest thoughts.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballanetine for the ARC.

I read 'Love, Holly' by Emily Stone last Christmas and found it average for the season. However, this book resonates more deeply while maintaining a similar vibe. Although not strictly a Christmas story, it beautifully explores Christmas family traditions. The enemies-to-lovers dynamic is both engaging and well-executed. That said, the conversations could have been more succinct, as some felt repetitive. I appreciated the main character's journey through trauma, though it would have been beneficial for adults to address these issues earlier for greater peace. Overall, I’d recommend this as a charming, light spicy romance perfect for anyone seeking a cozy read.

I was surprised to see that this had mixed reviews on Goodreads because I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm a diehard romance fan, and sometimes when romance novels are too cheesy or unbelievable, it can be a turn-off for me (even though I will still absolutely eat it up 😂). And I'll be honest, I thought that this would fall into that category and be a cheesy, Christmas-y rom-com, but it had a lot of depth in my opinion.

I liked Lexie's character arc a lot — not only her coming to terms with the relationship she had with her father after his death, but also just figuring out what she wanted out of life.

I liked the characters, I liked the setting, I liked the travel component — it was just a really enjoyable book overall. I'd absolutely recommend reading A Winter Wish, especially around the holidays!

This is it y’all. This is the one. Oh my goodness I ate this book up. I was hungry for some drama and Ms Stone delivered. I was blown away with how good this book was. I felt like this was very much a slow burn but once we got to the romance I felt like it had come at the right.time. I felt like this book is very much movie worthy so I hope one day someone picks it up. I would be there premiere day. I will be honest though that letter that letter that her dad left her was definitely sad but also needed for closure and to almost put her heart back together cause the situation Lexie was put in is hard. Either your daughter will understand or she will pent it all up and be so distant with you and obviously she had every right to feel that way. You could tell she needed to let go of that pain and disappointment she felt. And I understand that but honestly I was so mad about what he did. It’s not even my business but I just think about all the pain that situation causes and even more the trauma because he basically abandoned them. Anyways I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to buy the physical book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Upon her estranged father’s passing, Lexie discovers he left her half of his travel company. Now she has to try to stick it out and work with his grumpy business partner Theo or lose this last piece of her dad forever.

I read Love, Holly last year and loved it for its softness, angst and heart. I love A Winter Wish for all those same reasons.

If you know me, you know I love a good hate-to-love romance, and goodness was this a good one. I love Lexie and Theo and their little found family in Bath. This is such a sweet premise for a book - running a travel company focused on local celebrations, traditions, and festivals. This is one of those holiday books that can really be read year round. The plot takes the course of a year and often the characters are often out on trips with the company. It makes every moment and important scene especially festive and fun.

Read this book if you like:
🫙 Holiday vibes - even outside of December
🫙 Traveling abroad
🫙 Carrying on traditions from when you were a kid
🫙 Steamy interactions in hotel corridors
🫙 Lemon festivals 😏

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the early e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through NetGalley.
A lighter holiday romance with some deeper undertones. Lexie returns home for her dad's funeral. She has not had a relationship with him for many years after he left her mother and she to marry someone else. She is stunned to discover he left her half of his travel business as long as she works with the other owner. Theo has been part of the business for several years and is grieving the loss of the business owner/Lexie's father. After this rocky start, the two figure out a way to work together while learning to respect each other. I appreciate the way Stone builds up her characters and slowly lets readers see their inner wounds and scars. Each of the leads along with some of the secondary characters have been deeply hurt by past actions. And, though Richard is dead to begin the story, he plays an active role throughout.
A gentle read when dealing with traumas from the past.

A Winter Wish
3.75 ⭐️

Emily Stone always does a good job of blending together some deep emotions into a Christmassy feeling book. Per usual, this book has grief and mistrust woven into a traveling holiday story!

Lexie and Theo jointly inherit a travel company from Lexie’s late father, focused on holiday traditions around Europe. Both had very different relationships with Richard, who started the company and don’t see eye to eye on where it is headed.

I loved the traveling all over for various festivals and now I’m in the mood to check some of these out! The miscommunication during the third act was a little frustrating but I still enjoyed the storyline.

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

It was pretty cute, but I think not my style in the end. I get it is a romance book, but it felt far reaching. People can’t be forced into jobs, or given jobs, through last will and testaments. So for me the premise was just not it because it’s too unrealistic.

4 🌟

I officially have wanderlust and want to leave my family behind this holiday season.

I loved hearing about different traditions in different countries during the holidays for this book. I also enjoyed how Lexie got to know her dad differently through those who knew him at the end of his life. The third act breakup was a little 🙄 for me but this was a fun book to kick off the holiday season.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. Like all of Emily Stone's books, it has depth and heart.
The book itself takes place over a year, so it is not necessarily a Christmas book. The story centers on Lexi, who lost her distant father and learns he left half of his travel company to her and half to another employee at the company Theo. Lexi and Theo must work together across their differences and find more along the way.
Lexi's complex relationship with her father is the main focus of the book. The story also touches on finding your passion and your found family.
The pacing was a little slower than I had hoped, which is my only real complaint. The trips they took throughout the book were probably my favorite aspects.
If you are looking for a book with complex characters, lovely travel descriptions, and finding yourself as well as your person, then this is the book for you!.

Lexie father passes away and he leaves her his travel company. The only problem is, her dad also left the other half of his company to one of his workers. They have one year to make things work before anyone can sell or leave the company. A year isn't that long, is it? Lexie and Theo have to figure out how to build a successful business while learning how to deal with each other.
This was a cute story. I can't say anything earth-shattering happened. Cute characters that I would have been friends with, I would recommend A Winter Wish to anyone needing an easy book to read. Special thanks to NetGalley, Emily Stone, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 3.5 stars for me. #AWinterWish #NetGalley

Lexie finds out she is inheriting half of a small business that belonged to her late dad. She not one to stick around, but this comes with conditions, and that would be staying as co-owner with Theo who was her dad’s second in command. Theo was not a happy camper but I loved how these two started to love on each other and give each other a chance. I feel Lexie kept DRAGGING her abandonment issues with her dad, and what happened in her past when he left, and even when she found out the real truth about everything, it kept going on and on. I loved the other characters and the sappiness of the romance, travel and some of the Christmas spirit I love so much.