Snow In Love by Melissa de la Cruz, Nic Stone, Aimee Friedman, Kasie West
Published by: Point
Pub Date: October 30, 2018
Pages: 256
Format: paperback | Source: library
Genres: young adult, contemporary
Rating: (overall)

What’s better than one deliciously cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story? Four of them, from some of today’s bestselling authors.

From KASIE WEST, a snowy road trip takes an unexpected detour when secrets and crushes are revealed.

From AIMEE FRIEDMAN, a Hanukkah miracle may just happen when a Jewish girl working as a department store elf finds love.

From MELISSA DE LA CRUZ, Christmas Eve gets a plot twist when a high school couple exchange surprising presents.

From NIC STONE, a scavenger hunt amid the holiday crowds at an airport turns totally romantic.

So grab a mug of hot cocoa, snuggle up, and get ready to fall in love…

Snow and Mistletoe- 4 stars. So cute! Predictable but who even cares- it read like the Kasie West books I love and would have been adorable as a full length book.

Working in a Winter Wonderland- 2 stars. Pretty meh I’m sad to say, especially since I loved that the MC was Jewish. There aren’t enough Hanukkah stories out there! But this was so surface and cheesy. Womp womp.

The Magi’s Gifts- 1 star. I have never liked a single thing Melissa de la Cruz has written and that’s not changing here. It’s so shallow, so young, and so stilted- it 1000% feels like an adult who doesn’t know teens at all wrote this story. And the ending was so unbelievable- I think both of them would have been a little pissed IRL but what do I know. My least favorite so far.

Grounded- 4.5 stars. So cuuuuute!! It might be my favorite story of the collection, or at least tied with the Kasie West one. I loved the scavenger hunt and I’m always a fan of bantery texts. Plus the f/f story was a welcome surprise! It was sweet and I’d love it as a full length book too.

Overall I’m glad I read this holiday collection, but I’m also glad I borrowed it from the library. The two stories I loved were very worth it!

My New Crush Gave To Me by Shani Petroff
Published by: Swoon Reads
Pub Date: October 31, 2017
Pages: 279
Format: ebook | Source: library
Genres: young adult, contemporary
Rating:

This sweet, funny holiday romance from the author of Romeo And What’s Her Name features cute boys, plenty of rom-com mishaps, and a determined heroine readers are certain to fall for.

Charlotte “Charlie” Donovan knows exactly what she wants for Christmas: Teo Ortiz. He’s a star athlete, a National Honor Society member, and the most popular guy in school. Plus he contributes to the school paper, where Charlie is a co-editor. Basically, he’s exactly the type of guy Charlie’s looking for. The only problem is—he barely knows she exists.

But Charlie has a plan: rig the paper’s Secret Santa and win his heart with the perfect gift. The catch? She has no idea what to get him. Enter J.D. Ortiz–Teo’s cousin, and possibly the most annoying person on the planet. He’s easy going, laid back, disorganized, and spontaneous—the exact opposite
of Charlie (and Teo). But he knows what Teo wants, so she’s stuck with him.

Yet, the more time Charlie spends with J.D., the more she starts to wonder: Does she really know what, or rather who, she wants for Christmas?

The bones of the story were cute but the execution was clumsy. In the hands of another author this might have been a new favorite because it had all the tropes I love, but it felt a little cardboard and shallow. I really liked JD and Morgan (haha) though- Charlie wasn’t my fave but she grew on me.

Do you enjoy seasonal reading? What are some of your favorite holiday stories? Let me know!