Reviews

One Last Gift by Emily Stone

smamato2's review

3.0

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age and Tom the older brother ensured every Christmas would be a great Christmas. Cassie follows clues to find her Christmas present. As adults Tom goes on a climbing holiday and does not return, but he already set the clues for what would be the last Christmas hunt. Cassie follows the clues and it’s as if her brother is still here, she finds herself and grows and mourns along the way.
I enjoyed seeing Cassie grow and develop and find herself in the time since Toms death. I loved “Always in December” and enjoyed this book as well.

lost_in_novels's review

2.0

2.75 stars

Y'all!! Ok.. So.. I thought this book was going to be a heartwarming Christmas romcom.. it was NOT. The book is about Cassie. She has a crush on Sam, her brother's best friend. He reciprocate the feelings, however he doesn't want to jeopardize his friendship with Cassie's brother. So of course he just breaks up with Cassie in the worst way possible. Cassie gets pissed (of course) and they became stranged. However Tom dies and now Sam and Cassie have to deal with the loss of a loved one. On top of that, Tom also used to do scavenger hunts for Cassie and before he died he left a last scavenger hunt for her to do this christmas.

Look, I'm not opposed books that have grief as main plot point. Actually, when it's really well done ,I enjoy immensely. See Legendborne and Love and Other Words. My issue with this book was that I went in it thinking it would be a holiday romcom and it was just sad.
On top of that you will come to the conclusion that the men in this story are just jackasses. Sam just broke up with Cassie on the worst way possible and then he was such a douche to her on Tom's funeral. Of course, the author tried to redeem him but this became a third/fourth-chance romance book instead of a second chance.
Also Tom, the brother was not a saint. You learn at some point that he discover that his girlfriend is pregnant and just breaks up with her bc he is not ready for this (!!!!!!!) What the hell?! He dies before settle things up with his pregnant girlfriend and that just upsets me to so much.
I know that are stories that likes to show how people are flawed and that you have to forgive them or live with their flaws, on top of dealing with grief but jezz.. I just wanted a freaking christmas romcom.

I don't know.. this book was so far off and people in them was so flawed in my opinion (even Cassie when she decided to be stubborn, and pre-judge things) that I was hoping for a redeeming moment that in my opinion was too little too late.

megan_in_nd's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

multitaskingreader's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.25

I loved the main character but couldn’t really get behind the love interest.  I didn’t necessarily any her to end up with him. 

jessmferguson's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jlk64's review

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

_caseyreads_'s review

5.0

This book does a really beautiful and authentic job of showcasing grief alongside layered relationships. there’s a romance element, but I appreciated that the grief was centered and not eclipsed by a romance. It felt realistic and relatable in a genre that can feel sometimes silly and totally unrealistic. A great read!

melissasprettybookshelf's review

4.0

I picked this book up on a seasonal whim and I’m so glad I did. The main character goes through a lot! She navigates grief through support from her friends and by doing an annual scavenger hunt for Christmas that her brother creates for her. The relationship she has is messy and I love the back and forth of it although there wasn’t a ton of depth. It felt like a heavier more realistic hallmark vibe.

rmarcin's review

3.0

Tom and Cassie looked out for each other after their parents died. Tom used to make a Scavenger Hunt each year for Cassie to follow. After Tom unexpectedly dies, Cassie is adrift. She is angry with Sam, Tom's best friend, for not being there for Tom. She is also angry at Sam because he rejected her love years earlier. Now, with Tom dead, Cassie finds a clue to the next scavenger hunt which is Tom's last gift to her, and allows her to find her way back to love.
OK story.

michellehenriereads's review

4.0

A big thanks goes out to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of One Last Gift by Emily Stone in exchange for my honest opinion.

Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction
Heat level: one star (closed door)

I figured this one would be a bit emotional. Yep—it was. In ways it reminds me of a Nicholas Sparks novel because of the mix of the heartbreaking and tender, happy moments. But isn't that like real life?

This book could be called a friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and second-chance romance all wrapped up in one. The scope moves through having the reader learn about Cassie's, Tom's, and Sam's childhood. Hazel comes onto the scene with college as Cassie's best friend, and the four of them gel well as friends. That is until the kiss...
Then everything changes.

I enjoyed this book. It gave me time to settle in and relish the characters. We mostly see how Cassie, the main character, and Same change as they grow up. We see a little bit of change in Tom and Hazel.

After you give it a go, I'd love to hear what you think of it.