This one left me rather cold...

I didn't feel any chemistry between Lauren and Asa and did not care what happened between them, and the plot wasn't particularly exciting either.

I'm taking this as a sign that the author's books aren't for me.

With both, enemies to lovers &reverse sunshine and the grump, this rom-com is so cute and adorable. It is a perfect winter rom com, that a reader can enjoy during a hot summer. I also adored how Thompson sensitively approached very heavy topics such as foster care, sexuality, and anxiety. I loved the slow growth of friendship between the two main characters, and then their relationship and chemistry. This book honestly captured me from page one and didn’t let me go until the acknowledgements.

The story follows Lauren, who is socially anxious, a workaholic and loves being organised. She is also romantic and shy and has a very boring job at the Cold World winter wonderland in the middle of Florida. She doesn’t have many friends and likes to keep herself out of the limelight. Her coworker Asa, however, is the complete opposite of Lauren. He's brave, outgoing, friendly and is the soul of the Cold World. Asa thinks Lauren is an uptight ice queen, and Lauren thinks Asa is always making fun of her because he hates her. One day, out of the blue, their boss asks them to team up to come up with ideas on how to save Cold World from bankruptcy. Thus, these two, worlds apart have to now put their differences aside and work together for the Cold World, a place they both call home.

I loved the dual POV in this book as it showed perfectly how both characters grew so much throughout the book, and how their relationships developed. I loved both of the main characters, they were so cute and adorable, both flawed but also so relatable. I also adored that one of the main characters is bi, as this kind of representation is needed more in rom-coms. The chemistry between the two main characters, their banter and getting on each other's nerves and in each other's way was so believable and entertaining. Also, the scene setting and the fact that the book was set in such a cute romantic location were just adorable.

Overall: Super cute and adorable rom-com. So much more than just romance was covered in this book (I won't talk about that much because of spoilers), such as foster care, sexuality, anxiety, etc. It was also such a quick read and although the book is set in a winter wonderland, it was also a perfect read during the summer heat. Love this book so much and can't wait to see what Alicia Thompson will write next! Also, I couldn’t stop singing Paramore’s Hello Cold World whilst reading this book, so that like another star…

I read a lot of romance, particularly with the enemies to lovers trope. I think the reason I enjoyed this one so much is because for the first time reading this trope I properly felt like this romance could happen in real life. They didn't actively hate one another and then fall in love despite that, it was human misunderstanding of not quite getting what goes on in another person's mind to make them act like that.

Both characters, Lauren and Asa were fully developed with their histories and flaws and dreams. The chemistry between the two of them was subtle and the humour was real.

I enjoyed watching the growth of both characters and empathised with Lauren's anxiety around people and gift giving and general need for control.

I liked the realism of Asa's reunion with his family, but a hope that things might get better and the strength and kindness of the two main characters to both do something with their lives that help people in their situation that they lived through.

Whilst the romance happened quickly, I also felt this had an element of realism as they'd known each other for years and love in that case can happen fast once the feelings change from acquaintance to friendship to more.

It was overall an enjoyable read.

With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson was an absolute winter’s dream of a rom com. I’m so here for wintery/festive books in summer, it’s definitely my vibe and this one was a sheer joy to read!

With Love, From Cold World has so much going for it you’ve got:
❄️ a festive season setting, within a Cold World visitor attraction in sunny Florida
🩷 work place enemies/rivals to lovers
❄️ grumpy/sunshine, where she’s the grump
🩷 MCs, Lauren and Asa, who are working through the ramifications of their own difficult youths, and in doing so trying help others who are in similar situations
❄️ an amazing cast of secondary characters - I’m especially thinking of the quiet, observant and extremely thoughtful John
🩷 wonderful representation of the LGBTQ community and support within their found family group
❄️ a forced proximity locked in situation
🩷 some great tension building and steamy pay off
❄️ an extremely thoughtful content warning letter from Thompson

Honestly this book was exactly what I need when I read it. It was such a brilliant read; it was full of heart and warmth, it made me laugh, but also makes you really feel for the characters, especially Lauren, Asa and Eddie and what they’ve been though. There are a lot of heavy issues (note Thompson’s CWs) within the novel but Thompson handles them with great tact and care.

I’d definitely recommend this one as a brilliant winter read.

Quite liked Love in the Time of Serial Killers so was hoping I would enjoy this one too, but unfortunately the plot of helping to revive Cold World didn’t interest me enough really, nor did the two main characters.

I loved Alicia’s ‘love in the time of serial killers’ so when I saw this new book I got super excited ! Plus it’s festive! Such an adorable Christmassy romance. You have the goofy friendly boy & the reserved girl who gets in her own way .. you have colleague rivalry & you have romancé what more could you ask for! Alicia is wonderful at creating characters you adore & this is no exception! If you’re debating requesting it then go for it!

Enemies to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity✅✅✅
If this sounds up your street then you need this book in your life
Also this book also proves that Alicia Thompson is very quickly becoming one of my favourite authors

I'm a sucker for an eye catching cover, so this one drew my attention immediately. I didn't even read the blurb before I started so I didn't really know what I was going into. It turned out to be an easy going, cute romance story with a side of childhood trauma. I would be lying if I said I was completely hooked on the plot or the characters, but it was pleasant enough and was a nice escape in what has been a super busy week for me.

I liked Asa, he was a sweet guy and cared a lot about his friends; probably more than he cared for himself. I enjoyed the prankster side to his personality and I definitely giggled at his silly jokes a few times. Although I did like Lauren, I also found her a bit frustrating at times. She let herself get in her own way too many times and her communication skills were horrendous.

This book isn't one that will go on my "OMG I loved it" list, but it was enjoyable, laid back and a lovely bit of escapism. I think I would have gotten into the spirit of it a little more if I'd read it during autumn/winter, so if it's already on your TBR, I'd recommend holding fire for a little bit.

Alicia Thompson is a wonderful voice in romance. I loved it from start to finish and even if this just came out i can’t wait to see more!

I went to Cold World and all I got was this lousy T-shirt, he said, pulling her toward him for a kiss. And the love of my life.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought, it's such a sweet and tender holiday workplace romance with heartbreaking themes. I enjoyed their rivalry in the beginning and them not understanding each other due to their wounding and I loved how they slowly unraveled with each other and opened up. It did have it's flaws in some of the plots, but the real and genuine characters made up for it. I saw so much of myself in Lauren and her shyness and fear of abandonment and fear of change. I also loved Asa and felt for him and his struggle. I fell for his tenderness and how he got his real family and support in the end.

Asa and Lauren have such a sweet and supportive love, accepting each other with flaws and all. I just loved it so much.

Enjoyable read with that simmering tension from the start. I enjoyed the characters developing relationship from the start

Really enjoyed this book. There was some lovely, fizzy tension right from the start between Asa and Lauren which made me eager to see how it would resolve itself. Both Lead characters had a heap of vulnerabilities stemming from their backgrounds and the author did a good job of peeling those layers back and drawing them closer together despite their respective walls/efforts to protect themselves. You could see them falling for each other despite their fears and doubts and it was wonderful to read. The heavier issues of both their pasts were also handled well and I loved how the trust built and they gave each other pieces of themselves. Interesting setting with Cold World, a well written, well paced story, two very engaging leads and a good mix of supporting characters made for a very enjoyable read, (5 ⭐️)

If you don't know Alicia Thompson yet, do yourself a favor and go garb her books! With Love from Cold World is the second I read from her, and I liked it just as much as the first. Lauren Fox is a bit too stuck at the beginning though... Which makes sense with the story, but I found it a bit long to get going. "Go get it girl!". It's cute, found family, forced proximity tropes. Also Alicia has Trigger warnings at the beginning of each book, which i find good for who needs it.
*Thanks NetGalley and Random House UK for access to the ebook against an honest review.*

When I requested With love, from Cold World I didn’t have overly high expectations. I read and reviewed Alicia Thomson’s previous book and was not blown away. WLFCW was a pleasant surprise and I really enjoyed it.
Lauren works at Cold World, an indoor winter wonderland in Florida. Her job is to handle the finances for Cold World and even after being here for a couple of years, she still feels like the newbie outsider. Asa is the opposite. He is the heart of Cold World, working there for over a decade and loves his role in the business. He is an all around great employee and guy.
Lauren, our heroine, grew up in foster care and is working towards becoming a guardian/mentor for foster children. She comes across as passionate about ensuring the foster system is fair for all children and her assigned child, Eddie is a shy and troubled boy desperate to be back with his mother. Lauren works extremely hard to build the connection between herself and Eddie.
Asa, our hero, is a bisexual blue haired enigma who gives off golden retriever energy. Deep down he has had a hard time since turning eighteen. He grew up in an extremely conservative household where his father was a Preacher (I think?). Asa was caught by a parishioner kissing another boy and was thrown out of his family home becoming estranged not just from his parents but also his sister. Asa now lives with three diverse and great roommates and volunteers with a crisis line in his spare time.
The two are known for not getting along. I wouldn’t say they were enemies, more like workplace nemeses. Asa finds Lauren to be robotic, almost uncaring and Lauren finds Asa to be careless and immature. The owner of Cold World recruits Lauren and Asa, as well as her son Daniel to find a new way to save Cold World and bring in more customers. The two set out to disrupt each others plans while Lauren tries to get to know Daniel, her longtime crush.
As the two get to know each other more, their chemistry becomes more evident.
I really enjoyed this book, a lot more than her first book. It covered deep topics, was diverse and was really romantic and exciting to read. I felt Daniel’s element was brushed aside fairly quickly to pave the way for Asa and Lauren but otherwise I enjoyed it. Also, I would have liked to see more explanation and exploration into Lauren’s behaviours. She appeared anxious and almost compulsive at times and understanding this would have provided a deeper background to her character.
I look forward to reading Alicia’s further works.

Ok first of all, this cover is EVERYTHING. I was so so so excited to read this and almost did a backflip when I was gifted an advance copy of the book. I did enjoy the found family element and the fact that Asa and Lauren’s backstories were so authentic and touching - I felt it was written well overall! Howeverrr, it fell a little short for me as the pacing was quite slow for the first 30% or so and, as much as I love an enemies to lovers, I struggled to connect with the character’s chemistry. It did pick up from the 30% mark though, and I felt the characters were very likeable. ☺️

“𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚒𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗, 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕.”

Infinity / ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Well look at that, we have my new current favorite read of the year. Thank you Random House UK, Netgalley and Transworld publishers for this ARC! Out Today!

I can only convey how much I loved this book by sharing that when I looked down at my Kindle and saw I was at 30% I was so relieved. I did not want to leave these characters anytime soon. Both Lauren and Asa are so well drawn, even at just 30% I knew them so well and loved them dearly. The writing is quick and hilarious, but brimming with compassion for everything they have been through.

We follow a dual-person perspective which is perfectly utilised here, breaking up scenes to show how they are both feeling, so you can follow what goes wrong and right as they try to connect. This enemies-to-lovers by forced proximity romance works so well because they truly do have a miscommunication trope, but it’s not a gimmick or just one question not being asked. They just can’t seem to say the right thing or be too vulnerable with each other. It is d e l i c i o u s to watch them get frustrated over wanting to know each other without being the vulnerable party. It is all fun and games, and when they finally land in step with each other it is b l i s s.

I fell head over heels for both of them. This book could melt anybody’s cold ‘Romance books aren’t real books’ heart. Lauren and Asa were both so relatable. I cried throughout this book as they revealed their pasts to each other and grew to overcome what happened to them. This book is very heartbreaking at times, but the writing is so light and hopeful. You carry on, just as they both did, and are so happy they are finding each other. Lauren is a loner who wants to connect without being a burden. While Asa is the good-time guy who wants to be taken more seriously, scared of being rejected in his own way. They are perfectly matched, if they would just stop bickering and teasing each other they might see it!

The only thing that felt unfinished for me was not addressing Kiki calling Asa Fickle, I almost thought she didn't want them together. And of course, I wanted a longer ending but only because I didn't want it to end!

This was a unique, dreamy, swoony, horny masterpiece. If you are looking for a Romance that has beautiful character growth, spirited ‘I can’t stand you’ tension, and gorgeously tender spice you have found it!

This is the perfect book for when it’s winter lol
Maybe I’ve read during the song season

Loved loved loved it

I loved this book! Lauren and Asa were great and I thoroughly enjoyed their story. It was fun to watch them go from detesting each other to being forced to worked together to ... more. I haven't read Thompson's first novel, but this book convinced me that I am going to!

Actually, I decided to request.this book because of the cover! It has "electricity" and "zap" vibes. Turn out, the story itself is also great and heartwarming.

Asa and Lauren have different personality, where Asa is easy going and Lauren is reserved. Both work at a Book Store, and since they often spend their time together (forced-proximity), they also have similar "tragedy" story with their family.

This book is about family rejecting, questioning identity, with heartwarming and cute romance. It's kind of fun read, but also inspiring at the same time.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC!

I loved this authors previous book Love In The Time Of Serial Killers, so that made me interested in reading this. Unfortunately this book was a HUGE miss for me. Without wanting to be harsh, the only thing I like about this book is the cover.
There was a total lack of spark throughout this and I found the whole thing so incredibly dull. Not much happens at all in this.
I never once felt any connection (hate or otherwise) between Lauren and Asa and in fact found Asa to be a horrible, nasty, unlikeable character right from the start.
The whole enemies to lovers trope doesn't work either, as early on both characters acknowledge to themselves that they have a big crush on the other.
The story never grabbed me and I wasn't invested in the characters or the plot.
By 40% in I was so bored I began skim reading.
Everyone seems to really like this book, so I must admit I am probably in the minority here, others may enjoy this more than I did.
This was so disappointing as I was looking forward to reading it and had high hopes, but this one was just not for me.