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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
A beautiful story of dealing with grief after losing a parent, a parent that hasn’t been in your life for years.
Lexie dealing with the grief of losing her father not just once but twice in her life felt so realistic and I appreciate that from the author. However, she really avoided conflict so much (I get it girl) but it got so annoying, especially at the end.
I liked Lexie and Theo together but we barely got to see them fall in love. It all just happens in a span of a year and I wanted more of that.
Overall, a good holiday read for the season. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Lexie dealing with the grief of losing her father not just once but twice in her life felt so realistic and I appreciate that from the author. However, she really avoided conflict so much (I get it girl) but it got so annoying, especially at the end.
I liked Lexie and Theo together but we barely got to see them fall in love. It all just happens in a span of a year and I wanted more of that.
Overall, a good holiday read for the season. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really wanted to enjoy this book more. The premise was great but the characters were super frustrating. I think the relationships needed to be developed more and some of the conflict was unnecessarily drawn out longer than it should have been. Overall the book was slow and fell flat for me.
I really enjoyed the concept of a travel company focused on celebrating specific holidays in other countries though. If it doesn't already exist, it should.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed the concept of a travel company focused on celebrating specific holidays in other countries though. If it doesn't already exist, it should.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars. I liked this book, but I found the main characters dull and a bit underdeveloped.
3.5 rounded to 4 stars. This was a moving portrayal of a woman dealing with her mixed emotions following the death of her estranged father more than anything. I'm not sure if I'm already tired of reading holiday romances or am just burnt out on romance in general, but I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would. I always look forward to an Emily Stone novel every holiday season, but this one just didn't hit the right spot for me. I didn't particularly care for the love interest, and the first quarter of the book was repetitive. However, I did love the feelings the narrator had for her late father and how conflicted they were. It felt very real and relatable. I don't know. I'm torn with this one.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.25 stars
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone is my fourth novel by the author, and every holiday season I look forward to her latest seasonal offering, much like I do Emily Henry’s novels in the spring and summer. Stone’s latest book is probably her first one that feels lighter, or less focused on grief. Not that there aren’t moments of depth—and the instigating event IS Lexie’s estranged father’s death and the reading of his will.
While I enjoyed A Winter Wish, and would probably read almost anything Stone wrote, this one is probably my least favorite of hers. Just like all of Stone’s previous novels, the story is more about our main character’s journey and less about the romance. Most of the time I’m okay with that, but this time it was the romance I was most interested in. And I had a hard time connecting with Lexie, who I found juvenile and selfish at times. She’s a frustrating character in that she’s portrayed as very kind-hearted, making her selfishness toward her mother, father, and half-sister seem uncharacteristic.
There is also a large amount of miscommunication or lack of communication in this one, and it is my least favorite trope. It’s hard to ignore the fact that a simple conversation would solve so many of the conflicts in a story.
What I did like is whenever Lexie and love interest Theo were on the page together. I believed the sparks and I enjoyed their banter. I wanted more time with their story, especially when they travelled together. So, basically I wanted more romance. Is anyone surprised by that?!
The conflict in A Winter Wish, the fact that Lexie and Theo have to run her father’s travel company together for a year, seemed weak to me, as well, and I questioned the legality of it all. But it did give our characters a conflict to spar about, creating the tension I crave in my romances.
A Winter Wish is also light on Christmas. While the story starts and ends at Christmastime, the rest of the book takes place throughout the year, making it one that doesn’t have to be reserved for the holiday season. Even if this wasn’t my favorite of Stone’s, I’d still recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of her previous work!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Dell and Netgalley for providing me with a copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
A Winter Wish by Emily Stone is my fourth novel by the author, and every holiday season I look forward to her latest seasonal offering, much like I do Emily Henry’s novels in the spring and summer. Stone’s latest book is probably her first one that feels lighter, or less focused on grief. Not that there aren’t moments of depth—and the instigating event IS Lexie’s estranged father’s death and the reading of his will.
While I enjoyed A Winter Wish, and would probably read almost anything Stone wrote, this one is probably my least favorite of hers. Just like all of Stone’s previous novels, the story is more about our main character’s journey and less about the romance. Most of the time I’m okay with that, but this time it was the romance I was most interested in. And I had a hard time connecting with Lexie, who I found juvenile and selfish at times. She’s a frustrating character in that she’s portrayed as very kind-hearted, making her selfishness toward her mother, father, and half-sister seem uncharacteristic.
There is also a large amount of miscommunication or lack of communication in this one, and it is my least favorite trope. It’s hard to ignore the fact that a simple conversation would solve so many of the conflicts in a story.
What I did like is whenever Lexie and love interest Theo were on the page together. I believed the sparks and I enjoyed their banter. I wanted more time with their story, especially when they travelled together. So, basically I wanted more romance. Is anyone surprised by that?!
The conflict in A Winter Wish, the fact that Lexie and Theo have to run her father’s travel company together for a year, seemed weak to me, as well, and I questioned the legality of it all. But it did give our characters a conflict to spar about, creating the tension I crave in my romances.
A Winter Wish is also light on Christmas. While the story starts and ends at Christmastime, the rest of the book takes place throughout the year, making it one that doesn’t have to be reserved for the holiday season. Even if this wasn’t my favorite of Stone’s, I’d still recommend it, especially if you’re a fan of her previous work!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Dell and Netgalley for providing me with a copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
hopeful
lighthearted
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
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes