The story explores Lexie's passion for travel, inherited from her father, who divorced her mother when she was young, leading to their estrangement. After his death, Lexie must manage his business with Theo, starting with a rocky relationship that develops into a compelling love story. The book features rich side characters like the strong and influential Angela, who plays a crucial role. The narrative also delves into Lexie’s family dynamics and her father's impact on her and her sister, evoking strong emotions. The wish jar tradition Lexie shared with her father adds a touching element. The detailed trips and the intertwining personal stories make this more than a typical romance novel. It’s a heartwarming Christmas read, prompting readers to cherish family bonds and traditions."

When Lexie’s estranged father, Richard, dies, she discovers he’s left her a half-share of his travel business and awkward conditions with an employee, Theo. Their discord is palpable, and they act like spitting cats at each other based on wrong assumptions they’ve made. Both have complex family divisions, scars and wounds to heal from childhood. Lexie is a rolling stone with massive trust problems, a lack of commitment and insecurities, so the relationship is thorny. She has a default setting of defensiveness. However, there’s dramatic irony and chemistry cooking between them and Theo begins to get under her skin. This changes the dynamics from hostile to amiable banter when they allow themselves to know each other and establish similarities in their future agendas and childhoods. Neither had ideal parental models.

I confess that initially, I didn’t care for Lexie and Theo. They seemed so immature and brattish. However, the novel is so sensitively written that they grew on me when their backgrounds and thoughts were exposed. The characterisation is excellent: the outgoing Lexie, who can’t commit to anything, and Theo, who is scared of failure. Harry, the enthusiastic puppy with a fixation on cool ties; Fran, her serial online dating lawyer friend. Ange, the company mediator and astute matchmaker. Rachel - the troubled half-sister who got the best from their father, Richard. Lastly, her long-suffering mother who deserved better in life than was granted.

I’m left uncertain how the relationship might progress, as Lexie is volatile, an escapist, and short on commitment like her father. Can love solve their issues, or will they end up throwing plates at each other? It’s an inspiring journey of discovery in relationships. The description of the various holidays offered by the business was fascinating. I wanted to join them in their fun. Thank you for a well-written, emotional, thought-provoking novel, NetGalley and Headline.

Well, this was lovely. I cried numerous times and enjoyed that stomach clench when something emotional just draws you in. This is an absolute pate turner, all romance, and loss and gentleness that really appealed. Some fabulous friends and family and the upset of losing a parent and then finding out who they are. Well worth a read.

#Review: *Home Again for Christmas* - Emily Stone
4.8/5✨

It's been a tradition for me, for a couple of years, to read at least one book by Emily Stone. This year though, I had the chance to read in advance this book and I really appreciate that you accepted me for this ARC, Emily and NetGalley!

The main character of this books is Lexie, who is a travel lover. She is always in other country and she inherited this passion from her father. Unfortunately, he divorced her mother when she was little and she totally disconnected from him after many disappointments from his side. But now, he passed away and she is faced with another aventure - to handle half of his business with another man, Theo.

I loved their journey to find more about each other and to learn more about the business of Lexie's belated father. They had a really bad start but the author delighted us with a really slow burn and an on-off hate-love between them.

There was a side character which I really liked: Angela, who is one of the company's employee. She was portraited as a very strong, influential woman and she played a big part into this story. I'm sure that nothing would have been the same without her.

Another thing which I found interesting was the wish jar. It was a tradition which Lexie started with her father when she was little and every Christmas she would put in there one wish. Throughout the book, Lexie founds out many things she hadn't known about her father and how unique their relationship was, even though she refused to speak to him.

As expected, another beautiful, heartwarming story from Emily Stone! I really enjoy her books! This one is so well built that it was inevitable to not fall in love with everything in it: characters, details, story overall. I truly recommend it!


✨Tropes:
#EnemiesToLovers
#ForcedProximity
#OppositeAttract
#WorkplaceRomance
#ThirdPersonPov

My Review: I felt and feel absolutely blessed to have been given the opportunity to read this ARC, Emily Stone is one of my go to authors and this book has been like a message from beyond. I completely identified with the Lexie who was estranged from her father for a large part of her life it it’s not until his passing that she realises a lot of her thoughts were not how things were. How do you mourn someone you love and didn’t love? How do you remember someone you didn’t really know? We find out through the pages, they really hit home for me. Lex inherits 50% of something she doesn’t want and shares the other 50% with someone she doesn’t like, Theo! What she does like is the scent of his aftershave that is a hint of Sandalwood. We also meet her mum, half sister Rachel, her best friend and her work colleagues. There’s a beauty to the writing that reminds me of that of Margaret Amatt. There’s grief for time lost, grief for a future lost, memories of her happy and unhappy childhood. I was completely engrossed in the father/ deserted daughter dynamic. There’s that will they? Won’t they? between Lexie and Theo as they peel back the layers and break down walls, the story also takes us to Spain, France, Vienna and beyond. The wish for a truth trade was a fun part of the story. If I could give all the stars I could find they wouldn’t be enough, because I literally felt spoken to and for that I cannot thank the author enough. I know it's not a self-help book but it helped me!!

Ah I love an Emily Stone Christmas book! This one is no different, it has complicated relationships (be it family or romance ones), heartbreaking and warming scenes as well as comedy. More please!

Really enjoy this book. One minute I was laughing the next I was crying! Defo worth a read! Thanks for the early read

Lexie’s dad died and left her half of his travel company. She has to work with Theo who loved her father, instead of her who always felt abandoned.
It was a sweet love story about family that makes you travel (I loved earring about Menton where I spend my summer time has a kid).
Emily stone is my auto buy author.

This will make you laugh and it will make you cry. Relationships are complicated and the death of Lexie's father affects different people in different ways, each of them seeing different facets of the man they knew. Lexie struggles to come to terms with her inheritance, her new life and new partner in a business she thinks she doesn’t want and Theo has his own struggles resulting from his family dynamics. I liked Theo and Lexie a lot and their romance is beautifully written.

Thanks to a great author we have warmth, wisdom and emotional intelligence, this book was a huge pleasure to read! A fabulous, really enjoyable read.
I would highly recommend to family and friends. I love author’s that can describe a scene and you are immediately there, you close your eyes and you picture the scene. This author does that for me.
Fabulous festive read

I received a free copy of, Home Again for Christmas, by Emily Stone, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Lexie is always on the go, but she keeps a sacred tradition from her childhood. When Lexie dad dies, he leaves half the company to her, and half to Theo. I really liked Lexie and the traveling parts of this book. Its an enjoyable holiday read.

It did not matter that the sun was shining and I was reading this book in a heatwave, I was transported to Austria, Madrid, Bath and France; and I enjoyed every minute of it!
When Lexie’s Dad Richard left her and he4 Mum, Lexie never got over her feelings of abandonment and rejection, especially when he started a new life with a new family.
Now, more than 20 years later, Richard has left half of his travel company to Lexie in his will.. the other half to Theo, his protégée. But the terms are that Lexie has to settle in Bath for a year, work in the company and that the company makes a profit. Only then can she sell.
I love a book that pulls you into the story from the very first page, and this one does just that. You could feel the restlessness in Lexie, her desire never to get hurt again, never to trust completely. Theo had a different family background which made him insecure and doubtful about his decisions.
The descriptions about the different holiday destinations were amazing, especially the festivals.
Excellent storytelling

Thank you Headline and Netgalley for this ARC Copy. I really loved this book, it wasn't just primarily focused on christmas, it deals with greive, complicated family relationships and a sense of found family. I will be 100% recommending this to my friends and family this festive period.

A whimsical Christmas story written by the Queen of Christmas fiction!

Perfect for those who enjoy:
- The magic of Christmas
- Complex family relationships
- Family dramas
- Love hate situationships

With thanks to Headline and Netgalley for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

A lovely heart warming Christmas story about loss, hope, love and family. A great early Christmas read that isn't overly christmasy.

An easy read novel, one that flows seamlessly from chapter to chapter. Lexie, a woman who has never stayed in more than one place for a certain amount of time, inherits part of her Dad's travel business, however she must work with Theo, who seems to have been a protege at the business as he knows his stuff. The unraveling of their love is a slow burner but enjoyable. Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy

I liked the enemies to lovers idea and thought that the other relationships were very real but I really wish that there were more descriptions of the locations. There was much excitement about the different places to go on holiday but I never really got a feel of any of the places that were written about. A cute easy read for a bit of escapism.

This is a perfect story to come home to. I don’t know if it was that I was in a similar situation to Lexie in that my dad left at a similar age and started a new life without us, and then I lost him before we had properly gotten to know each other again, but this story spoke to me, it pulled me into the pages and had me almost drunkenly booking a holiday to a lemon festival, if I didn’t have to wait so long I really think I would have gone!! That was how much this story will pull you in. Lexie and Theo will pull you along on their journey to find what they want; they will have your stomach aching in the best way possible. Do not miss this amazing story, no matter the time of year you read it.

A lovely book, not too Christmassy so I really enjoyed reading it on my early summer break. It was a great story as I want to go to the lemon festival now. I enjoyed all the descriptive scenery, enjoyed the build up of Lexie and Theo and I loved lexies relationship with her mum and friend Fran. This book had loads going for it, romance, friendship, self doubt and lots of fun and sun. Angie was a great character and it would be great to hear her story in a prequel.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit it did feel a bit strange reading this book in June but once I had read the first few pages I was swept away by the beautiful story.
It’s all about Lexie who inherits half her Dads company, split between her and the lovely Theo. I loved the characters especially Ange and Harry and was really invested in them all.
This wasn’t just your typical romance book, there was lots of other things going on and I really enjoyed the details about the trips they took.
It was good to see both sides of the sister’s lives and how their Fathers choices had affected them and I did shed quite a few tears.
A beautiful romantic Christmas read and I will definitely be making a wish jar this Christmas.
Thanks to NetGalley, Headline and Emily Stone for an advance copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.