20 Books for Christmas Book Three Review – One Last Gift

Title: One Last Gift

Author: Emily Stone

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/ Romance/ Holiday

Goodreads Rating: 4.26

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Source: ARC

Synopsis:

When a young woman finds herself lost and at a crossroads, one last gift from her brother just might give her another chance at life and at love in this epic holiday romance from the author of Always, in December

Sometimes the best gifts in life are the ones you don’t expect.

Cassie and Tom lost their parents at a young age and relied on each other–as well as a community of friends–to get through it. Especially Tom’s best friend, Sam, who always made sure Tom and Cassie were surrounded with love. But now, twenty years later, Cassie has lost Tom as well. And in a way, she’s also lost Sam; over the years they’ve drifted apart, and now the man she always had a crush on is someone she doesn’t even recognize anymore.

She’s never felt more alone.

Then she finds an envelope with her name on it, written in Tom’s terrible handwriting, and she knows immediately what it is. It’s the first clue in the Christmas scavenger hunt Tom made for her every year; he’d promised her for months that this year’s would be the grandest one yet. At first, she’s too scared to open it–what if she can’t figure out the clues without his help? Or what if she does figure them all out, and her last connection to Tom is gone?

Tom’s clues set Cassie on a heart-wrenching and beautiful journey that will change her life–if she lets them. And as she travels from London to the Welsh mountains to the French countryside, she reconnects with old friends, rekindles a lost love, and most importantly, rediscovers herself. But once she’s solved the final clue, will she be brave enough to accept the gift her brother has given her–and the love it’s led her to?

My Review:

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Headline for approving me for an ARC of this book. I was also lucky enough to receive the book via the publisher. After reading Always In December last year I was excited to see what Emily Stone’s latest book was like.

I immediately felt a wave of nostalgia when I started reading this book. As a child my aunty would often set up treasure hunts around her house, at Christmas time, for my sister and I to complete. It was the highlight of our visit and brings back fond memories of my childhood Christmas’s. To learn that Cassie was also a fan of treasure hunts made me smile.

From reading the blurb I knew this would be a sad one and Emily Stone didn’t disappoint. After facing the loss of her parent’s, at a young age Cassie now has to deal with another wave of grief. Luckily she had her good friends Josh and Hazel to keep her grounded as well as Linda and Amy. The supporting characters in the story were the hidden gems and proved to play a vital part in Cassie’s journey through grief.

When Cassie decides to start the final treasure hunt I felt that I was right there with her, solving the clues, crying at Tom’s letter and eagerly awaiting that final gift. Whilst I had figured out a few of the twists along the way that did not take away from the enjoyment factor. Instead it made me happy to see that Cassie was going to get what she deserved even if Tom couldn’t give it to her.

Alongside the treasure hunt we also had the complicated relationship between Sam and Cassie. I loved these two together and could feel the chemistry radiating off the pages. Their relationship certainly was a rollercoaster ride and the will they won’t they element had me glued to the book. Both characters had their reasons for being hesitant and I thought Sam’s story in particular explained a lot about his actions.

If it isn’t clear yet then be in no doubt that I loved this book. Set in the festive season it was a beautiful exploration of friendship, grief and learning to trust oneself.

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