Paperback, 256 pagesRelease Date: October 30,2018Published by: Scholastic Point
Read from: December 10-12, 2018AnthologySource: BoughtTW: N/A
For fans of: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Holidays, Diverse Authors, Diverse Characters, YA
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...
*MY THOUGHTS*
I wanted to wait closer to Christmas to read this, but for some reason the holidays always bring out a contemp romance feeling in me so I "accidentally" picked this one up lol And not to be cliche or anything, but I'm so glad I did! This was EXACTLY what I needed at this time.
Snow and Mistletoe by Kasie West was one of my favorites. It was completely sweet and set the tone for the rest of the book. It completely obliterated my reasoning for not being a huge fan of anthologies because short stories never really feel complete. This one definitely did like its own story all on its own. As for the characters, I loved all of them. They were all so fun and so interacted so well with each other. The romance itself was super swoony and I really enjoyed seeing them get together.
In Aimee Friedman's Working in a Winter Wonderland, I really enjoyed this one too. It definitely felt more real than the first story. A real girl, trying to get money so she can buy this one amazing thing so this one amazing boy will follow. And then things don't exactly happen as she thinks they will. This was filled with so much holiday realness and magic and I actually enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected. (I've never read anything by Friedman before so I was a little skeptical.) It didn't go in the way that I expected, and I think that's what I enjoyed most about it.
In Melissa de la Cruz's The Magi's Gifts, I wasn't really that into it. Being honest, it reminded me of the Disney show, Mickey and Minnie's The Gift of the Magic. This was a nice retelling of the O. Henry story, but I just didn't find it worked with teens. I just can't see a teen boy selling what he did in the story. I know that's the point, but ehh, it just didn't work for me.
As for Nic Stone's Grounded, I really liked this one. It was fun and wasn't overly "Christmas-y" and I think that's what I loved most about it. It was around the holidays, but it could be enjoyed at any time. I really loved so versatile it was. And also that scavenger hunt was super legit lol Her clues were SO. GOOD. I kept thinking of it in Nic Stone's voice as she's rapping it lol It was pretty awesome.
Overall this anthology was just what I needed. It really scratched my itch for multiple things I've been wanting to read. I'm glad I didn't wait to read this any longer than I did. These authors and their work actually worked really well together for a nice sweet read that I really enjoyed.
In Aimee Friedman's Working in a Winter Wonderland, I really enjoyed this one too. It definitely felt more real than the first story. A real girl, trying to get money so she can buy this one amazing thing so this one amazing boy will follow. And then things don't exactly happen as she thinks they will. This was filled with so much holiday realness and magic and I actually enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected. (I've never read anything by Friedman before so I was a little skeptical.) It didn't go in the way that I expected, and I think that's what I enjoyed most about it.
In Melissa de la Cruz's The Magi's Gifts, I wasn't really that into it. Being honest, it reminded me of the Disney show, Mickey and Minnie's The Gift of the Magic. This was a nice retelling of the O. Henry story, but I just didn't find it worked with teens. I just can't see a teen boy selling what he did in the story. I know that's the point, but ehh, it just didn't work for me.
As for Nic Stone's Grounded, I really liked this one. It was fun and wasn't overly "Christmas-y" and I think that's what I loved most about it. It was around the holidays, but it could be enjoyed at any time. I really loved so versatile it was. And also that scavenger hunt was super legit lol Her clues were SO. GOOD. I kept thinking of it in Nic Stone's voice as she's rapping it lol It was pretty awesome.
Overall this anthology was just what I needed. It really scratched my itch for multiple things I've been wanting to read. I'm glad I didn't wait to read this any longer than I did. These authors and their work actually worked really well together for a nice sweet read that I really enjoyed.
Overall, I give this
