A Winter Wish is a delightful & emotional holiday read. I went into this thinking it was going to be another lighthearted holiday romcom, but this offered so much more. It handles the topic of grief and figuring out your identity while also being an enemies to lovers romance. I thought Stone handled the heavier subject matter with sensitivity while also making it feel genuine. Stone did a great job balancing both elements of the story.

Lexie was a complicated character. She's traveled a lot and has a difficult relationship with her parents. I found her journey to be emotional and relatable. I think a lot of readers will connect to her. Theo was a sweet man that I couldn't help but fall for. I liked how their relationship developed from enemies to friends to lovers. It was gradual and paced nicely. This is a slow burn romance filled with a plethora of swoon worthy moments in between (these are holiday themed of course!).

I enjoyed the side characters and the idea of the holiday traveling company. The company is totally something I would try.

A wonderful holiday romance filled with heart and humor. A must read!

A Winter Wish
By Emily Stone
Tentative Release Date Oct 15 2024

When Lexie finds out that her estranged father has not only passed away but also left half of his company to her she is at a total loss. He walked out of her life when she was 7 and pretty much never looked back. So why would be leave her part of the company?
She decides this just isn’t for her and she would like to get out. Unfortunately there is a one year clause with a possibility of up to five years that she has to be involved before she can sell. Too bad the other owner, Theo, seems to hate her from their first meeting.

I absolutely loved Love, Holly that came out last fall and was so excited the receive this book this year.

I didn’t have a quick connection with the characters and the story lulled at some spots but the ending wrapped everything up in a nice bow. Though the book does revolve around Christmas and wishes the entirety of the book isn’t only during the holiday season. You do get a full year through.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for this advanced reader copy!

A Winter Wish by Emily Stone was just kind of so-so for me. I didn’t feel like there was much plot or that much of anything happened. There didn’t seem to be much chemistry between Theo and Lexie. I was rooting for them to get together, but their relationship just kind of fell flat. There was one chapter, 31, that was told from Theo’s POV, which was totally weird. Why have the entire book written in third-person, single-POV (Lexie’s), then just one random chapter during the third-act breakup told from a different POV? And speaking of third-person, single POV… it should 100% be outlawed in romance books, and that’s a hill I’ll die on. Anyway, I felt that this book was more about Lexie coming to terms with her deceased father than romance.

I received a copy of A Winter Wish from NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Winter Wish by Emily Stone
Stars: 4
Spicy: PG-23

Perfect if you like:

Grumpy Irishman
Travel romances
Complex family relationships
Forced Proximity

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This is the second year in a row I’ve been lucky enough to score an ARC of Emily Stone’s Christmas romance. Last year I read Love, Holly and I did indeed love Holly AND Stone’s writing. I was looking forward to A Winter Wish because I love a good old-fashioned forced-proximity-at-the office romance. Plus this one featured a travel company where the two main characters get to plan trip itineraries. Kind of a pipe dream of mine.

Lexie is a free-spirited traveler who never stays too long in one place. Being somewhere for more than six months makes her itchy. But then right before Christmas, she finds out her father has not only passed away but he has left her half of his travel agency. The other half belongs to Theo, a handsome but slightly grouchy Irishman who has worked with her dad for the last five years. These two are going to have to run the company for a year, together, and if they make a profit, they can sell it and move on. But it means that Lexie is going to have to stay in Bath and work alongside Theo. And even though they don’t start off on the right foot, they find they might just have a lot in common…besides amazing chemistry.

The heart of the book is Theo and Lexie’s love story, but it is also about growing up and making peace with the past. It’s about learning to forgive your parents and embrace the possibility of relationships that you didn’t think were possible. It’s about asking yourself the tough questions and finding your happiness where you can. I love the depth Stone creates for her characters and I was just invested in Theo and Lexie as I was with Lexie and Rachel or Theo and his parents.

A Winter Wish comes out in mid-October and I would highly recommend you put it on your holiday TBR. It is the perfect book for a cozy chilly Sunday afternoon.

I have a tendency to be quite indecisive when it comes to Emily Stone's books. While I am an avid reader during the holiday season, I find that her holiday romances can be inconsistent in quality. However, I must say that Stone truly outdid herself with this particular book. It was absolutely captivating, and I found it impossible to put down.

A Winter Wish is not the holiday novel I was expecting/wanting. The cover and title make you think you will be reading a cozy holiday tale, but the only part of Christmas is where the book happens to start.

Also, not a very likable main character, plus slow moving, made it a DNF for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

This is a great British Christmas romance, which is not a genre I was familiar with until a couple of years ago, but I now know I really like. It actually encompasses more holidays than that, but it was fun and charming and light, and made me want to visit a Christmas market, which is exactly what you're hoping for in these kinds of novels.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Go to amazon right this second, and add this book to your cart, and preorder it. I promise, you will begin your sweet holiday season on the best note with this absolutely phenomenal winter story! It was just absolutely darling! I always adore Emily Stones book, but this may have been my favorite one! I was just melting. Beautifully written. Thank you Emily for this heartfelt story of two people that everyone can relate to. This story will last with me forever. Thank you for taking your time to create such a beautiful story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of A Winter Wish by Emily Stone. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Lexie is happily living her nomadic, wanderlust lifestyle - until she discovers that her estranged deceased father has left her half of his travel business in his will. But there are some stipulations, including a complicated and handsome co-owner Theo, the current manager at R&L Travel. Does Lexie want to settle down in Bath and take this leap, or is the tension with Theo to great to overcome?

Thoughts:
- I really enjoyed the travel agency theme of centering trips around holidays and celebrations in various countries; it was fun to think of traveling this way.
- The story is slow-burning, and character-driven for sure. It was not one I'd consider a quick read, and felt slow at times.
- There is lots of discussion of inner turmoil and personal growth for Lexie, plus delving into the relationship between Lexie and her dad, Theo and his parents, Lexie and her half-sister Rachel, etc.
- Usually in these types of books, I am entertained a lot by the side characters or supporting cast, but this one did not have much to offer in that regards. Everyone was fairly flat, and even Lexie and Theo were not particularly charming or memorable either.
- Overall the book was comforting in that it was what I expected from this author. The Christmas vibes are pretty minimal, and I'd classify the book as a sad, realistic, romance. This isn't my favorite work of hers, but I think anyone who enjoys travel or work-romance stories would enjoy it.

I just loved this story by Emily Stone! It has the strangers/enemies to lovers 🔥 trope (and extremely well done at that!) that I love, a really nice handling of split family unresolved issues getting resolved, and a woman (Lex) who is able to find purpose, peace, and closure in her life. 💖

Special thanks to NetGalley and Dell for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.

Last year I read Emily Stone’s Love Holly and really enjoyed it so I was excited to get to read this one at first but wound up being disappointed.

I tried really hard to become invested in the book and the characters but everything just seemed very drawn out and lacking connection.

I also feel like this is not at all a Christmas book. The 2 or 3 small scenes about Christmas in a full book is not enough to give those vibes in my opinion.

I read fully for the first 80% of the book and then ended up skimming the ending. I almost decided to DNF a few times but pushed through to the end.

I would like to say, I loved Emily Stone’s previous book, Always in December and her take on holiday romances. The stories always felt fresh, cozy and just a great holiday read to get into the romantic spirit.

I did not have that experience with A Winter Wish, I did not get engaged with the characters or feel bought into their story. I didn’t feel the chemistry or banter, made to feel forced into the relationship and overall wished for just more from them.

It took me awhile to complete this read, but hope to see more from Emily Stone and hope the next characters capture me more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I loved that this was a holiday book without being too centered around the holidays. It was just the right amount. I loved all of the characters.

Such a great cozy heartwarming read perfect for the holidays!! I will have to reread it again around the holidays it was that good. Loved the plot and the characters. Will be recommending to everyone I know and adding to our library!

Absolutely fantastic plot! I could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

Lexi is a strange from her father and he dies leaving her half of his business. He leaves the other half days employee Theo. The whole states that they must work together for a year before either can sell. The only problem is that they really don’t like each other or so they think.

This was a great enemies to lovers romance, but it also is about grief and self discovery. Is chock full of emotion as a characters work through their issues. Lexi and Theo have a lot of chemistry and are perfect for each other. It’s well written and has become one of my favorite holiday reads! Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
Another heartwarming holiday read from Emily stone! Very cozy and enjoyable all around.

4 stars - another great winter/holiday themed romance from Emily Stone! I really enjoy how Emily Stone's holiday novels don't just fill the rom-com vibes, but tend to have more some deeper themes in them. Lexi, the main character, receives the information that her father has suddenly died and leaves half of his travel company to her, and the other half to an employee at his company, Theo, who viewed her dad as a mentor. Along the way of working together, romance ensues along with exploration of deeper feelings and emotions. As an avid traveler myself, I also loved that the backdrop of this book was a travel agency and the family holiday trips that Lexi's family would take as a kid. Would recommend this as a fun winter read!

Such a cute winter read! I really enjoyed it! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Loved this story which is about Lexie finding out that her father has died but she hasn't been in contact with him for 10 years and it was just her and her Mom . He had moved on and even had another child and Lexie was never included in their plans.. She was told that she needed to come to his company so the solicitor could read the will. He had given Lexie half of the company with Theo. They had to run for a year and then decide what they were going to do. Follow Lexie on her journey to see what she does. Does she start to see, Rachel, her sister in a different light and how does things go with Theo does she stay with the company or leave. A GREAT READ!!