Lovely , lovely read from Emily Stone, thoroughly enjoyed it. Great storytelling, fabulous characters and she managed to portray a great sense of place. When Lexie was in Bath I was there with her in spirit I could see the beautiful buildings and the sense of the season. Her mixed up relationships with her dad, her sister it all felt very real. Excellent book and highly recommended.

I read a fabulous but gruesome thriller before this and felt I needed something light-hearted and Christmassy afterwards.

I do own another of Emily's books but for some reason I haven't read it, and so this is my first book of hers and it's festive and so it's already off to a good start.

I felt a kinship with Lexie straight away. Not that I'm like her at all, but to lose a father just before Christmas, I've been there. I liked her, and I really liked her development across the novel. And even Theo, I eventually did like him, he's probably got the biggest journey to go on, and even though he acted like a petulant child to start with, I did warm to him.

I liked the travel aspects of the book. I've not been to many places abroad but I've always admired them from afar and so it was like I could travel alongside the characters. And I found out about the  Fête du Citron in France which is effectively a festival celebrating lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruit, and considering I have a lemon tattoo, this definitely peaked my interest and now I want to go.

Yes it's about Christmas and romance and that's all very nice but it's also about loss and grief, complicated grief when you feel you should be really sad but you might not have been fond of that person when they were alive; it's about finding your place in an uncomfortable world, it's about traditions, family, passions, pride, forgiveness, and memories.

It is a Christmas book yes, the title and cover sort of give it away, but it spans an entire year with Christmas at the start and the end, and so whilst it is festive at heart, it could be perfectly enjoyable all year round.

It's the classic will-they won't-they storyline which you think would get tiresome, but Emily has handled it well that it is completely fresh.

My one slight negative, is that it did feel a little long, which is weird given that it's less than 400 pages. But I found myself looking at the page number quite often. It wasn't boring or slow or heavy, so I can't pinpoint what it was really, and I was enjoying it, but it did feel a bit stretched sometimes.

There are some flaws - I'm not 100% sure how convincing the main plot point is (as mentioned in the synopsis above - her dad's will stipulates she must work with the company for a year) - but overall it was a cosy, warming, festive, inspiring, detailed, romantic, beautiful story and I highly recommend it, and will definitely be digging out that other book of hers I have.

Home Again for Christmas by Emily Stone is a heartwarming novel about family, celebration and belonging.

After the death of her estranged father, Lexie inherits half of his travel company, however there’s a catch: she must spend the next year working with Theo, her handsome but moody business partner. As someone who has spent her adult life travelling around the world, will Lexie be able to adjust to life in one place.

Although set over the course of a year, this is a wonderfully festive read that’s full of celebration making it the perfect read for when the nights get darker.

This is the fourth book I have read by Emily Stone and she has definitely become one of my go to Christmas authors.

I really enjoyed this book. Thank-you NetGalley and Headline for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Lexie discovers her dad has left her half of his travel business along with Theo who she's never met. She's always travelling and wants to sell but discovers that she needs to work in the company for a year

Home Again for Christmas is a story about the sense of finding the value of home. Lexie is confused by her relationship with her Dad and channels this by constantly moving locations around the world until she gets left half of a specialist travel agency by her Dad. Theo and Lexie are fierce rivals at first but have an obvious connection. Lexie's Dad links them both in the travel company together.. I found it a warm and cosy book with a Christmas element but it's not overdone. Emily Stone always delivers a cracking, easy to read romance.

A real page turner for me. I really enjoyed the storyline of how two daughters were treated differently and how it shaped who they went on to become. Add in some romance and it was a winner for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don't think this is necessarily a Christmas book, it spans across a year and though wintery and festive things feature occasionally I think this can be read at anytime and enjoyed so don't go in thinking its super festive or be put off if Christmas books aren't your thing. It has great characters, lots of travel and tackles a really emotional topic of belonging and family, I loved it!

Aww, now this gave me all the christmas feels, what a very original book! I loved this from start to finish!!
I sat on a miserable July afternoon and read this from cover to cover with a cup of coffee and my blanket and it gave me all the winter vibes!! This will definitely be a re-read over the festive period!

A lovely warm romantic seasonal read thank you netgalley. The story starts with the sad death of Lexie's Dad- while they had a difficult relationship it seems he knew what she needed and in leaving her half his travel company she found her way in life and love. It looked like Lexie and Theo weren't destined to be together untill the very end of the last chapter

A heartwarming story which I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved following Lexie's story with its ups and down. A great romantic story which was an excellent read.

Loved this book that I read through Netgalley. Family and friend relationships with romance thrown in.
Aĺl woven into a great story involving travel. Loved the tradition of a wish jar . Great to hear different sides of the story. Very heartwarming book.

This is another beautiful story told by Emily Stone, she is very quickly becoming one of my favourite festive authors.
The story is one which sounds simple on the surface, an estranged daughter receives an inheritance, but there are so many layers to it and relationships for Lexie to cope with and learn the truth of, it makes for an amazingly heartwarming tale which kept me turning the pages needing to know that all would be well by the turn of the last page.
The characters in this one are very interesting and relatable in many ways. The story arc was one that almost felt like it could have happened and we are just being told someone’s story rather than one that has come from the imagination of an incredible wordsmith.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and am now eagerly awaiting this author’s next book!

Lexie has one thing that is steady in her life of moving about constantly, and that one thing is her wish jar. It’s a tradition from childhood that she wouldn’t and couldn’t leave behind. When her estranged father dies she finds out that he has left her half of his travel business that is located in Bath. However, there is one clause and that is she has to work alongside Theo, who owns the other half, for a year. After the year is over Lexie is adamant she will leave and either sell her half to Theo or they will sell the company as a whole. After a work trip to Spain they both find that there is chemistry between them that neither can deny. Will Lexie up sticks and leave or will she find the reason to stay in one place and finally call it home for good.

I have been lucky enough to read all of Emily Stones books and every one of them I have adored even though they made me cry and I don’t mean a tear, I mean ugly cry. This one almost had me crying but it doesn’t mean I enjoyed it less than the other books. I really loved the story and Lexie and Theo’s characters. Another banger by Emily and perfect Christmas read but be like me and read it anytime of the year as books are for life not just Christmas 😉

I absolutely adore Emily stones festive books and this one did not disappoint. Cosy, fun and heartwarming. Read this one and all her others!!

I really enjoyed this book. It was so lovely, cuddly and Christmassy.
I really liked Lexi and desperately wanted it all to work out for her.
It's a perfect Christmas read, for those cold winter nights, snuggled with a hot chocolate.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having read a previous book by Emily Stone I knew I would enjoy it, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s not really a Christmassy book, but it is a lovely holiday read which is good any time of the year.

Lexie’s Dad had a habit of letting her down. He walked out when she was a child, and started a new family with a new daughter, and from then on, he was never there for her and when he finally let her down on her 21st birthday that was the last straw and she cut him out of her life. When she heard that he had died she didn’t know what to feel, and then when she found out that he had left her half his business, she was even more confused. Her first thought was to sell up, pay her debts, and use it to travel. Unfortunately, he said that she couldn’t sell until she had run the business for a year – and if it turned a profit it could be sold (I’m pretty sure this isn’t legal in real life). The only problem is that the other half of the business was left to Theo, who worked in the business for many years and hated her. It doesn’t take a genius (or reading the blurb) to figure out that with time and understanding Their and Lexie learn to respect each other and then feelings deepen.

This isn’t the most cerebral book, and the main premise of the book is probably flawed, however it is a very enjoyable story with lovely characters that you would love to have as friends.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6740345871

https://maddybooksblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/home-again-for-christmas-by-emily-stone.html

Lexie’s life is all about constant movement, except for one thing she always keeps close: her cherished wish jar. But when her estranged father passes away, Lexie is stunned to inherit half of his travel company in Bath. The catch? She has to work alongside Theo, her attractive but grumpy business partner, for an entire year. While Lexie plans to leave as soon as the year is up, a steamy work trip to Spain throws her plans into disarray as undeniable chemistry sparks between her and Theo. Now, Lexie must confront the possibility of finding a reason to stay, uncover the secret her father hid from her, and perhaps finally understand the true meaning of home.

This is a perfect, feel-good, cosy up with the fire and Christmas tree lit behind you kind of book. Perfect Christmas read, simple and easy! This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

This was a beautifully written book. Emily had made such excellent characters. Theo are Lexi are both great but Ange was my favourite. I loved her ways of meddling to try and fulfil Richards wishes.

I have never read any books by Emily and as always with a new author you're not sure if you're going to like their style of writing, but I have to say I really loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read it.

What a gem of a book! It is a fantastic read and had me hooked from the very first page. Thank you Emily for this great read.