This is story about a lost woman finding herself after bring thrown into a strange situation. The FMC, Lexie is a single, world traveling woman whose life becomes turned upside down when her estranged father dies and leaves her his travel business.
While some of Lexie‘s behavior in the beginning seems petty, her feelings toward her father and family overall, is reasonable when it’s revealed how things came to be.
Theo, the MMC, seems charming, but is also unreasonably childish in the beginning. I do feel that the relationship development between Theo and Lexi seemed real.
While the beginning of the story was very slow and a little uninteresting, once Theo and Lexie are working together and attempting to be reasonable toward one another (and some of the backstory of Lexi’s dad and her half sister Rachel is revealed) the story becomes exponentially more interesting.
I think the character dynamic between Rachel and Lexie would’ve been a more more interesting direction if developed sooner. I think Rachel’s backstory with her father and her strained relationship with her mother was very interesting perhaps more so than Lexie’s struggles. I think that Rachel history with her family is far more complicated than Lexie, although both seemed to struggle.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story and would have liked for the descriptions of the locations to be a little bit more detailed, but overall the story did make me cry and for that I’m giving you an extra star.

This was an okay holiday novel. I like the premise and the trace company sounds interesting. I’m not a huge fan of enemies to lovers trope as it’s usually way too quick of a turn around from “hate” to “love.” The pacing was a little slow for me, especially for a holiday romance. Gotta say this was just so so to me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

Lexie hasn’t spoken to her father in a decade, so his death and half-ownership of his holiday travel company catch her off guard. To make matters worse, the other half belongs to the brooding executive Theo. Forced to work together, their simmering tension ignites in Spain, leaving Lexie questioning both business and pleasure.

The writing wasn’t extravagant, but it felt remarkably exquisite- sweet yet bitter, heartwarming with grit, and unadornedly festive. Though the story takes place over a course of a year, its cozy sentiment captures the winter season’s nostalgia with ease. This is the type of story you choose to read slowly under a warm blanket during a storm. There’s no rush. And the characters don’t rush either. While I didn’t hate them, I was frustrated a few times with their lack of excitement. Don’t get me wrong, Lexie’s relationship with grief for her estranged father was moving, I just wish the rest of the plot—especially the romance—balanced the tone with joyous romance.

I don’t normally feel the need to numerically break down my rating, but I could not decide what to think of this book, so here I went:

Atmosphere/setting: 4.5
Characters: 3
Plot: 3
Pacing: 3
Enjoyment: 3.5
Writing style: 4.5
Cozy holiday vibes: 4.5

3.71 so… 3.5 :)

I think Mag Travers’ narration contributed greatly to my interpretation of the story’s tone.

Perfect for you if you like:
Complex family grief
Witty but subtle chemistry
Cozy globetrotters

Similar to:
A December to Remember by Jenny Bayliss
Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis (DNF)
A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

⛔️chapter 26 contains explicit romance scene (open door)
⚠️explicit language (infrequent), grief, past child abandonment, death of father

This one disappointed me. I just couldn’t engage with it. Although there are moments in the story that take place at Christmas, I wouldn’t call it a Christmas book. It just didn’t give me that feel-good Christmas vibe. It may be because a big part of the focus is on parental abandonment and dysfunctional families and the complicated grief of losing the father Lexie was estranged from, but it could also be that it featured one of my least favorite themes: a main character running away from attachments for fear of getting hurt, which just means they end up living a lonely, shallow existence. I guess I’m just not in a good headspace to deal well with emotional trauma due to bad parental decisions.

So, my 3* rating is more reflective of my personal feelings than it is about the quality of the writing or the appeal of the book to other readers. With her first three books (all of which I rated 5*), Stone has earned a reputation as an author to follow, so I definitely think A Winter Wish will find a very receptive audience and I’ll look forward to her next book.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Dell through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing this ARC for my voluntary and honest review!

A Winter Wish was a really sweet story about taking chances and making amends. I was immediately taken by the characters and their relationships. The pacing of the second half of the book was exponentially faster than the first, and for that I dropped a star. Would have loved to see more development in the second half because I really liked this story! Pretty minimal spice but still a fun love story.

I may be in the minority on this book but it wasn't my favorite. I just found it difficult to relate to the characters.

3.5/5

Upon her estranged Father’s death, Lexie inherits half of his travel company. She wants no part of it, her partner wants to keep it. But, there are stipulations before anything can be done. Lexie is faced with growing up, forgiving and moving on.

I always look forward to Ms. Stone’s holiday books, they give me the feels and put me in the spirit. For some reason, this book didn’t quite do it for me. I’m not sure if it was the enemies to lovers trope (which can sometimes be a hard sell for me). I just didn’t feel the connection between Lexie and Theo and can’t say I was cheering for them to get together. I did appreciate Lexi’s character development and found the difficulties of her situation realistic, but the characters as a whole, lacked depth. The grief journey is different for everyone and this book highlighted it perfectly without being overly depressing. The travel company idea was an original and fun concept.

Still, I enjoy this author’s work and look forward to her next book. Thanks to Dell Romance and NetGalley for this ARC.

I did enjoy reading this and love the holiday vibe, but the enemies to lovers trope didn't work for me this time around. Enemies to lovers can be difficult - realistically how do you go from hating someone one day and loving them the next? But, when an outsider can see the sparks flying through the banter, it makes for a fun book. I did not feel the chemistry - I found that the interactions between the characters were childish and annoying. All that being said, I loved the story line. I loved the personal growth and changes in this book. I loved that Lexie learns that she has inherited half of her estranged (and now deceased) father's travel business. As she has not settled down yet, this is a big and surprising change. I loved experiencing a change in life and family and all the emotions that accompany these changes. Although parts of this book did not hit the mark, I overall enjoyed reading it.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

I really enjoyed this one! I think what I loved the most was that it didn’t feel “Hallmark” Christmas to me, because of the complex characters. Theo and Lexie endured grief, while overcoming past traumas. Watching them do that was amazing and brave. I rooted for them, and for the way that this story concluded. I loved how it all came together, and the meanings of it all. This is absolutely one to add to your Holiday TBR!

Quick synopsis:

“ When Lexie learns of her father’s death, she doesn’t know how to feel; they’ve barely spoken in the last ten years. And she’s even more confused when she discovers he’s left her half of his holiday travel company, a successful niche business specializing in trips that explore the holiday traditions of cultures all over the world.

Meanwhile, the other half of the company has been left to her father’s handsome but bad-tempered young executive, Theo. And the will stipulates that the two of them must find a way to run the company together for a year before they decide its fate.”

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for this advanced copy!

I really enjoyed this book. It had a unique and different story line for a Christmas romance but was really cute. It's not only a story about romance but a heartwarming story about family, trust and finding people you belong with. Lexie and Theo were alot alike but disagreed on keeping the travel business. There was a good bit of character growth as the book went along. Also a lot of emotion and feelings especially for Lexie with the death of her dad. This holiday read is well written and will tug at your heartstrings and hold your interest to the very end.

Such a great book, though at times I wanted to shake some sense into the two main characters. In December Lexie finds out her estranged father, Richard, has passed and left her with half of his company and the other half to one of his aspiring employees, Theo. They are required to work thr business for a year and turn a profit before any discussions of selling the business can commence.
Lexie struggles most of the book with her feelings towards her father. He left her and her mom for a new family when she was seven. Lexie never processed his leaving and thus flits around from job to job never putting down roots in order to protect herself from getting hurt.
Theo has never lived up to his parents high standards and has always felt like a disappointment. Prior to working at the travel agency he would also flit around from place to place and job to job. Richard was thr first person to believe in him.
Both Lexie and Theo have to come to terms with their past and learn communication can sometimes be the broken link that would have fixed some of their problems.

Emily Stone is a must-read author for me, and A Winter Wish has surpassed my expectations. I thought I would see somewhat of a miscommunication trope, based on the synopsis, but the story is more about wrong assumptions of others' intentions and motivations, and the resulting relationship issues both romantic and familial. This book really affected me emotionally, too. Lexie and Theo both have strained relationships with parents, and I felt the hurt on both sides as they failed to fully connect. The romance between the two was fairly predictable, but I enjoyed the journey along with the characters.

The travel agency that is depicted in the novel seems like such a fantastic idea. I enjoyed reading about the trips planned, and the experiences they included on the itineraries. What a great concept!

While parts of the book take place over the Christmas holiday, this is not a traditional 'Christmas romance' and would be a great read at any time of the year, especially in the winter.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for the digital ARC of A Winter Wish by Emily Stone. The opinions in this review are my own.

In A WINTER WISH by Emily Stone, we meet Lexie, who has just gotten a phone call from her mom. She tells Lexie her dad has died. After the funeral, she learns her dad has left her half of his company. He left the other half to Theo who worked for her dad for five years. He isnt thrilled with this deal and he lets Lexie know, over and over again. Will he try to push her out? Does she even want to keep her half? She hasn't had a real relationship with her dad in years after he left her family and started a new one. Keep the tissues close by! You are going to need them!


A WINTER WISH is going to pull at your heart strings throughout the story! Be prepared for Emily Stone to rip your heart out! She will do a nice job of putting it back together as well! A WINTER WISH is such a beautiful and heartbreaking story that had me wiping my eyes over and over again. The emotions this story will pull from the reader are extreme and heart tugging!. Emily Stone, you shredded my heart! If you love family drama and second chances, you will love this perfect story by Emily Stone. So many things take place in this book and you see these wonderful, realistic characters navigate these tough situations.


I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving away all of A WINTER WISH but once I started reading this beautiful and heart breaking story, I could not stop! Everyone should have this unforgettable book on their reading list if you don’t already. The dialogue between Theo and Lexie, is just hysterical. There is so much pain in this story and in Lexie’s heart that I was crying like a baby while reading but mostly when I was finished! I was instantly emotionally invested in all of the characters from page one and I can not wait to read more by this wonderful and heart tugging author.


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Fresh Fiction. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was okay for me. I think I was expecting more of a Christmas feeling from this book and there is hardly any Christmas feels. There are open door scenes and I prefer closed door romance. With that said, the book is well written and the romance is okay. I like the enemies to lovers feel. The Christmas traditions and travel agency is a fun twist. But it felt like something was missing for me with the relationship between, Lexie and Theo.

I loved Stone's previous novels and was very excited to have a chance to read A Winter's Wish. Unfortunately, this story was not quite to the same level as her previous work. The premise of the story was overall good but I just could not get into the characters and feel anything about their outcomes. I still appreciate the chance to read this advanced copy and thank the publishers for the chance.

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and Netgalley for this ARC. I really wanted to like this because it checked off a lot of boxes for me, but the writing style just didn’t click for me and I had to DNF.

A Winter Wish
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
368 pages
Releasing today: October 15th, 2024

An unexpected inheritance. Two polar opposites forced to work together. Lexie’s father passed away & she is unsure how to feel. They didn’t have the greatest relationship for the last 10 years. She is shocked to see that her father has left her half of his holiday travel company. She is also shocked to see the other half of the company is left to her father’s young bad-tempered executive, Theo. They both have to go on a work trip to Spain & chemistry starts to arise.

This book was cute, fun, and a light read. I enjoyed Theo & Lexie’s characters and their banter. The atmosphere of the book was overall great. I wish the relationship was stronger between Lexie & Theo, it would have made it easier to root for them!

Thank you @dellromance & @emstonewrites for the finished copy of this book!

Read if you like:
✨Forced proximity
✨Enemies to lovers
✨Holiday vibes
✨Slow Burn

#dellromance #emilystone #romance #holidayromance

I thought this was cute! I think Stone's other novels are stronger, but I found the travel agency concept charming. It blended Lexie's love of travel with an opportunity for a career, and Theo was very sweet as well. Well suited for each other. Some bits could have been more fleshed out, and I think the relationship between Lexie and Theo could have used a little bit more depth. I think they just went from hating each other to not so quickly. A slow burn in terms of physical intimacy but we still did not get to see much of them interacting aside from the two trips they went on. I also appreciated Lexie's conflicted emotions about her dad. She struggles throughout the novel with them, and truthfully anything less would not have felt genuine. I liked that, and she does show such growth. It also had a strong supporting cast which is always a important for me. Overall, I had fun reading it!

I've loved everything I've written by this author and A WINTER WISH might be my favorite of all. It's so cozy and heartwarming. While the chemistry between Lexi and Theo is major and I adored the romance aspect, Lexi's complicated feelings toward her late father broke my heart, and I really enjoyed seeing how the relationship with her half-sister developed. I loved the whole idea of the travel tours based on local traditions for celebrating holidays. I truly had trouble putting this down and can't wait for the author's next book.

Thank you, NetGalley for this arc of A Winter Wish. I tried really hard to finish this book and got about seven chapters from the end and just could not do it. I feel like the book dragged on and could have gotten to the point quicker. While I understand, the concept in storyline was good. I just felt like there was too much fluff in between and the character development was lack luster, I was expecting this book to be a little bit more winter focused and I just really wasn’t getting that.