I wasn't a big fan of Love in the time of serial killers, so was unsure how the latest Thompson book would go down, and was pleasantly surprised when I bloody loved it! I think the dual POV helped, Lauren and Asa are adorable. I loved Asa's found family and was pleased that there wasn't an insistence that Asa make happy with his parents after everything, just a gentle acceptance of the situation.

Also LOOK at that cover! I love it, 100% gonna have to buy a copy for that alone.

Really liked this book, I loved the characters and writing style was easy to read. A fast and easy read that had me hooked from page one.

I loved this book! Just like I did with the first book I read by Alicia Thompson, I know it will be a book I read again! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book, it didn’t skirt around the challenges that the two main had faced, and how it effected them later on in their lives. The premise of this novel was cute and executed well in my opinion. I loved both Lauren and Asa, and especially loved them together, would definitely recommend this to romance lovers, particularly those who are fans of workplace romance novels. All in all, a great book and at no point was I wishing that it was over already, it’s definitely worth the read.

“With Love from Cold World" by Alicia Thompson is a touching and thought-provoking novel that tells the story of Lauren, a former foster child with abandonment issues, and Asa, a bisexual man with religious parents who disowned him. Set at the tourist attraction, Cold World, Lauren and Asa find themselves working together despite their initial rivalry. Lauren is the bookkeeper with aspirations of obtaining a master's degree in accounting, while Asa is known as the jack-of-all-trades. Working at the same place causes some tension, Lauren finds Asa too free spirited, and Asa thinks Lauren is too rigid and robotic. As their boss tasks them with coming up with ideas to increase the park's revenue, their rivalry intensifies, leading to unexpected consequences, consequences that bring the pair much closer…

Alicia Thompson explores themes of love, sexuality, abandonment and rejection ( with great care ) as she delves into the lives of these very lovable and complex characters.

I totally loved this book. The characters were so lovable and you just wanted to hug them and tell them everything is going to be okay. I loved the rich backgrounds of the character, it made them complex and multi dimensional. The dialog and setting was perfection and I 100 precent recommend this book.

Grump vs sunshine
Forced proximity
Enemies to lovers
Happy ending (of course)

With Love, from Cold World is Alicia Thompson’s second romance novel and it is told in third person from the POV of Asa and Lauren. The story follows Asa and Lauren who work at cold world which is a winter wonderland in Orlando, Florida. The owner of Cold World asks Lauren and Asa to propose an idea to raise revenue and they start a workplace rivalry. They soon realise they enjoy being in each others company and feel an attraction.
Things I Liked:
*Asa, the hero is bisexual.
*One of the side characters, Elliot has the pronoun they so I’m assuming they are nonbinary.
*Lauren was fostered as a child and is now helping a fostered child called Eddie.
*The writing was very readable.
*The characters felt realistic, Asa is true to himself.
*The sex scenes were hot and well done.
Things I didn’t love:
*This felt very slow paced to me and I was quite bored at times. I had been reading for awhile and had barely made any progress.
*The chemistry was a little off for me between Asa and Lauren.
Overall, I am giving this three stars because it was an enjoyable time and I can see people loving this but I just didn’t connect with the story like I have done with other romances. Also, I didn’t realise this was a holiday romance and I do think it’s a bit weird that this releases in August.

Unfortunately the formatting on my copy made it so hard to read, but what I could I enjoyed, so I gave this on preorder and will review fully when able

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

a gorgeous cover. Enemy-to-lovers and grumpy-sunshine tropes. A dual POV. A bi MC. Childhood traumas. So, a real rom-com-traum. Just my kind of story!
 
Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold. This theme is interwoven throughout the story and I loved it!

Cold World is a winter attraction in Florida, an icy place in a hot state. But an icy area with a snow globe and an ice rink also has hot drinks and a cozy atmosphere that melts your heart. And a warm, sunny state like Florida looks fantastic but can be damp and suffocating too. It’s just like Lauren and Asa. Lauren is aloof, introverted, and seen as an ice queen. Asa is relaxed, bright, and gets along with everyone. But nothing is like it seems. There’s so much under the surface.

With Love, from Cold World, is written in third person. Most times, it’s not my favorite writing style because it can feel distant. But … if written well, it sucks me into a story completely. And that’s what happened to me while reading this fantastic book. The third-person writing fits so well with Lauren’s reserved character. And without realizing it, I drowned myself in the story while my heart opened up and butterflies started flying in my belly. I fell in love with Lauren, who kept her distance because she believed people would leave her eventually, and I adored Asa, easy-going sweet Asa, who had been thrown out of the house at eighteen like he was a piece of garbage.
 
This book is just like the stunning cover in blue (cold) en red (hot) colors. It’s chilling and heartwarming, biting and moving, sharp and uplifting. It’s the perfect book to read on a cold stormy day buried under warm blankets on the couch.

Be aware that there’s a small HP reference (in a good way, though).

📖 With Love, From Cold World by Alicia Thompson

SUMMARY:
💭 Dual POV
👩🏻‍💻 Workplace romance
😡 Enemies to lovers
☀️ Grumpy/Sunshine
👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻 Forced proximity
☯️ Opposites attract
🏡 Found family
🛏️ One bed
🥰 He falls first
❤️‍🩹 Childhood trauma
⚠️ Please check trigger warnings

REVIEW:
Let me just start by saying I pre-ordered the paperback before I even finished reading this book because I realised that I NEED the physical book in my hands in August. Thank goodness for school holidays, because I could not put this down!

Asa and Lauren work together at Cold World, an indoor winter wonderland in balmy Florida, and despise each other. When the owner asks Lauren and Asa to propose something, anything to raise more revenue, their rivalry heats up as they compete to come up with the best idea. As they’re forced to spend more time together, even ending up stuck overnight at work, they realise that the assumptions they’ve made about each other are all wrong.

Lauren has a reputation for being a wet blanket and a robot, names given to her by Asa. She likes to be in control and keeps herself closed off from everyone, a by-product of a traumatic childhood and her time in the foster system. She finds social situations challenging, and even after working at Cold World for two years, doesn’t know her co-workers well and doesn’t have many friends.

Asa has blue hair, tattoos, is carefree and artistic, and loves being around people. He’s been working in the same position for ten years without higher career ambitions. He’s bisexual, the son of a pastor, and was shunned and kicked out from his family house at the age of 18 because of this. He is living with his tight-knit group of friends, including Kiki, who is a friend to both him and Lauren. And the one who shows them that they’re being idiots.

I loved the slow burn between these two and the sweet relationship they formed. The tension and the longing! I loved their physical affection for each other and their snarky banter. I absolutely loved this book and could rant about it forever. It was warm and delicious and written so incredibly well.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC. This will be released on August 1st, but definitely pre-order now!