A Winter Wish
By: Emily Stone
4 stars

Having read Love, Holly earlier this year, I was so excited to get the ARC of A Winter Wish! Emily Stone does an amazing job of writing winter-time books without shoving Christmas down your throat. Winter is just a subtle background to the overall story and for that, I am grateful!

The story follows Lexie, a late 20’s traveler who doesn’t settle down in one place for long as she learns of her father’s death. She has an estranged relationship with her father who left her and her mother when she was young to remarry and have another child with. All her life, Lexie has struggled with her feelings on her father, this man who was once the world to her who left her feeling less than when he left for his new family. After his funeral, she learns that her father has left her his traveling company, R&L Travel, but she has to split it with his associate, Theo. The catch is, she has to stick to it for a year or she loses any potential income, forcing her to take a step back from her traveling lifestyle and stay put to try and make a go at his company her father started. The problem lies not only with staying put, but with this man Theo who she doesn’t know, but clearly doesn’t like her.

Lexie grapples with the version of her father that she knew, while learning who he was to not only Theo, but her half sister, Rachel. She battles with loving this company her father made, that mirrors her own values while trying to truly process that her father is now dead and they had so much unresolved between them. I loved that throughout the story we learn more about Lexie and Theo’s backstory, and through their forced relationship, they begin to work through their grief and learn to trust one another. Their chemistry was at first very prickly and eventually they heat up over the course of months until they’re unable to resist one another.

While the blossoming romance was a wonderful part of the story, I wish we got more from Lexie’s evolving perspective of her father and he relationship with her half sister. At times I felt bad for Lexie for being forced into this position, being told as a grown woman that she HAS to do this for a year while also being manipulated into situations by his assistant, Ange, such as her booking a trip and not telling her Theo was there. Sort of forcing her hand at times. I guess for the overall plot it worked but in real life I would be furious?

It’s a wonderful read for anyone looking for:
-Overcoming a parental loss
-Reconnecting with yourself
-Slow-burn romance
-Travel
-Wintertime reads

(Heavy) love story set during Christmas time. Story revolves around the female main character losing her father. Then having to work with someone else figure out to do with the half company her dad left her.

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.

Loved this book! It was a cute, cozy read for the winter. Perfect for Christmas time or just winter in general. It had all the vibes I was going for.

Lexie just learned her Dad passed away. She distanced herself long ago after he disappointed Lexie. She didn’t want to be hurt. Now, she owns 1/2 her Dad’s travel company with his protege, Theo.
Theo is antagonistic from the get go with assumptions about Lexie that just aren’t true. They have a year to work things out or sell the company. Lexie and Theo both have a history or running away from commitment so this relationship is a series of romance and disappointments. They both need to let their pasts behind and set a new path.
This book is a typical enemies to lovers troupe. I was hoping for more of a Christmas read which is what the cover lead me to believe. It was fine but predictable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this! Emily Stone always balances the holidays with heartbreak, growth, and finding your own warmth in a cold season of life. I usually love her works, so I was excited for this, but unfortunately was not my fav of hers. Lexie is grieving and processing the death of her estranged father while also in the typically beloved enemies to lovers trope. I ADORE this trope, but felt like this one was missing something unfortunately. Lexie showed personal growth in her own journey which was relatable and real, but feel this book was missing something to make it amazing.

I really liked this book! It was a little slow at first but once it got going it was hard to put down. I love the different travel set ups, it felt like a vacation for my brain.

I finished this book quickly and it was pretty engaging. However, I had a hard time relating to the main character Lexie. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t want her father’s travel company and she was frustrating at times with the decisions she made. The relationship between Lexie and Theo felt a little forced and underdeveloped. It felt like they went from enemies to lovers quicker than it should have which contributed to the novel’s lack of depth. Also, this story takes place throughout the year so I thought the title was a little misleading.

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

I'm tired of Lexie.
I'm tired of reading about runners.
People who don't wanna listen to others when things don't go the way they expect.

I can usually count on Emily Stone's book to provide a dose of holiday hope, though often with a hint of melancholy. The vibes of A Winter Wish, however, were more trauma-aggressive. If it were Women's Fiction, the exploration of daddy issues, abandonment, guilt, and grief could be compelling. However, it was categorized as Romance, and for that genre it was very unsatisfying.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for gifting me with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.

This is not my favorite Emily Stone. I had a hard Time believing in the romance part of the promised-enemies to lovers. I didn't feel the chemistry. I'll be looking forward to next year's release.

Reading Christmas romances is something I look forward to every year and I'm happy I was given the opportunity to read Emily Stone's newest release. While I enjoyed experiencing wanderlust reading about Lexi as she traveled around Europe, I felt that the romance lacked some depth and development. The interactions we see with the main couple was lacking the banter I like in a "hate to love" romance, and although I enjoyed reading about Lexi and Rachel's relationship, I felt that the side characters could have been more involved. While this one wasn't a perfect read for me, I look forward to reading Emily Stone's next holiday release next year!

This was a cute read. Emily Stone always manages to incorporate deeper topics into her romance books. This one deals with Lexie after inheriting half of her estranged father’s travel company. I’d say it’s about 75% women’s fiction and 25% romance. Much heavier on Lexie’s growth over the course of the story rather than the romance story. But still an enjoyable read.

Rounded up from 3.5

ARC Review
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone
368 pages
Pub date: October 15
Romance

Thank you so much to Dell for an eARC of A Winter Wish in exchange for an honest review. A Winter Wish got me out of a recent book slump, and I’m grateful for that! The novel explores complicated family relationships, grief, travel, growth, and love.

Lexie likes living a traveling lifestyle, never putting down roots in a spot for too long. She finds out that her estranged father has passed away and comes back to Bath to find out he has left her half of a travel company he started. The catch is she has to own it and operate it for one year before selling with an annoying man, Theo, who had a great relationship with her father and had a grudge against Lexie for how she acts in the face of this news. But, Theo and Lexie get to know each other, traveling to beautiful locations, and well, you can probably guess what happens.

I really enjoyed the character growth in this book, and I smiled and cried at various parts. I think that A Winter Wish is a great read if you want a romance with depth and want to travel! I recommend it.

Wow. I absolutely LOVED this one. I've come to the realization that I have a soft spot for books that talk about grief, especially when it's grieving for someone that you once loved but didn't necessarily have the best experiences with toward the end of their life -- a complicated sort of grief. Not that grief isn't already complicated, but it adds a layer when you're conflicted on whether you have the authority to grieve a person you don't know anymore: are you grieving the person they no longer are? What happens if you grieved them before they were gone, and what happens now now that they are gone? It's a special kind of grief, not the ones that you can find much beauty in, when you have to grieve someone who still could be part of your life. It's another to lose them completely and not know if you're allowed to grieve them anymore.

Reading about Lexie's confusing relationship with her father reminded me so much of January in Beach Read by Emily Henry, which was such a big reason in loving that book. I loved the added layer of Lexie's choice of whether or not she could enjoy being a sister and the dynamic that plays in the relationship she had with her dad and the one she still has with her mom. I loved the way it's insinuated (at least to me) that if she could open her arms to Theo despite learning that he was a father figure to him in the same way her dad was to Rachel, it makes it easier for her to understand Rachel's perspective and become more open into inviting Rachel into her life.

There's so much that this book makes you feel, it might be in the running for one of my favorite books. It's got a mix of Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley, Beach Read by Emily Henry and You, With a View by Jessica Joyce -- all books that revolve around the complicated feelings of grief and what it means to still love someone and forgive them when they probably don't deserve it all that much. What a beautiful, beautiful book this is.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the copy. Unfortunately I DNFed A Winter Wish. I found myself bored for the first couple of chapters. I also didn’t realized that Emily Stone is Welsh, which led to a different vocabulary that I am used to.

Is it close to Christmastime or is it Emily Stone season?

This is the 4th Emily Stone book I’ve read. This has a lot in common with her other books. A story that deals in grief, that takes place over a year, featuring Christmas in a way. But I think this is her most contemporary romance-like and least heart-wrenching book. It feels like she’s melding her own style with what we usually expect from romance books and I LOVE IT!

👍
+ I loved the chemistry between the two lovebirds the whole book. From the first moment of brushing past one another at a door to the last page, I felt the tension, curiosity, yearning, denying of feelings, chemistry… And their banter!! It sizzled and at times was hilarious too.

+ Emily Stone is amazing at having her characters deal with grief, in various forms. This tackled grief with complicated feelings. The main character struggles with her feelings for the loss of her dad that she was mostly estranged with. Remembering the good days, feeling guilty for not really grieving, seeing others’ relationship with the person that failed you, trying to untangle the yarn of it all, and finally coming to terms with it… it was just done so well.

+ I also loved the side characters, they each had their own quirks and flaws but they were also all very sweet. The main character has a habit of pushing others aside, which makes a lot of sense considering her past. Seeing how her relationship with the side characters transform over time as she lets herself let others in was beautiful. I especially loved her and her sister’s journey.

+ I loved loved loved all the travel involved in this. Her childhood family tradition made me want to implement it too. And my new goal in life is to find a travel agent company that works like the one in this book. I want to go to all the places they went to and experience it all.

+ You might at times be frustrated with the main characters’ actions. They don’t always say the best thing and make the best choice, but it’s always authentic to their characters and sets up a place of growth for them. Even the third act breakup, which I usually really don’t like in romances, is something necessary in this book for them to be able to truly come together without regrets or second guessing. I loved seeing these two grow from the scars their parents left them with in very different ways and how they were (eventually) there for each other to heal.

👎 If there’s anything I would change in this book, it’s that I wish the reconciliation at the end was a bit more substantial so we could bask in their happiness for a bit longer.

Thank you so much to the publisher Dell and NetGalley for the ARC!

Overall rating: 4.5 ⭐

This book made me want to travel for holidays! I enjoyed reading Lexie’s journey regarding her thoughts about herself and her relationship with her father! Her relationship with Theo was of course my favorite part, though. The evolution of enemies to lovers felt more adult/realistic than you sometimes see in other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for an advance copy!

It’s an enjoyable read for the most part. While this could’ve been an “all the feels” book given the topic, Lexie (MC)’s immaturity drove me crazy. She’s 29-years-old and wants to run away from everything because she’s not willing to TALK! I really hate when miscommunication is part of the trope.

I did love that the book involved a lot of travel and I love the premise of the travel company. Ange & Rachel were probably my favorite characters. So there’s enough redeeming qualities to make this a decent read.

A Winter Wish, by Emily Stone, is yet another of her signature evocative Christmas time stories that showcase deeper issues, relationship drama, and family dynamics.

In A Winter Wish, Lexi inherits half of her estranged father’s travel business when he suddenly passes away. The other half goes to a young man who worked closely with her father. There is friction, tension, and romantic angst between the two, and we see them grow and change as the story encompasses a full year, not just the holiday season. The characters are a bit difficult to love at times, which can be off-putting, but all-in-all, A Winter Wish is an impactful, heartfelt, contemplative story.