agrutle's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic bunch of holiday stories. I enjoyed it very much!
Thanks to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.
thereadingcat15's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating is 3.25 based on my computations of stars per story. I will write my review now,and publish it no later than tonight.
jessicatamm92's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book overall! I don't read lots of books like this though... I don't know if I ever have before actually... but it WAS really strange to be reading a story that you LOVE then go on to read a mediocre story.
Below I've listed my individual star ratings:
*****Midnights by Rainbow Rowell: 5/5 LOVED this!
*The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link: 1/5 This was so weird and random. Especially after reading Midnights.
**** Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena: 4/5 KITTY! This was good. I really enjoyed the writing. I felt so bad for Shy...
*****Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han: 5/5 Wish this one would have been longer!
***** It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: 5/5 MY FAVORITE OF THE BOOK! Loved the characters, the setting, EVERYTHING. Can I have this full book now Stephanie Perkins???
***Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan: 3/5 It was okay. Not too memorable.
**Krampuslauf by Holly Black: 2/5 Didn't care for this story. I was honestly just skimming by the end of it...
****What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman: 4/5 Enjoyed this one! But really... apple pie and cheese? yuck.
***Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire: 3.5/5 This was an okay story. A little cheesy. Enjoyed some of the pranks!
*****Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White: 5/5 LOVED this. Ben was such a fun character! I loved the plot and was so pleasantly surprised I started to tear up!
*****Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter: 5/5 Definitely wish this was longer! I would read a whole book about Lydia!
**The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 2/5 What did I just read? Did this story really belong in this book?
Below I've listed my individual star ratings:
*****Midnights by Rainbow Rowell: 5/5 LOVED this!
*The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link: 1/5 This was so weird and random. Especially after reading Midnights.
**** Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena: 4/5 KITTY! This was good. I really enjoyed the writing. I felt so bad for Shy...
*****Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han: 5/5 Wish this one would have been longer!
***** It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: 5/5 MY FAVORITE OF THE BOOK! Loved the characters, the setting, EVERYTHING. Can I have this full book now Stephanie Perkins???
***Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan: 3/5 It was okay. Not too memorable.
**Krampuslauf by Holly Black: 2/5 Didn't care for this story. I was honestly just skimming by the end of it...
****What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman: 4/5 Enjoyed this one! But really... apple pie and cheese? yuck.
***Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire: 3.5/5 This was an okay story. A little cheesy. Enjoyed some of the pranks!
*****Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White: 5/5 LOVED this. Ben was such a fun character! I loved the plot and was so pleasantly surprised I started to tear up!
*****Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter: 5/5 Definitely wish this was longer! I would read a whole book about Lydia!
**The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 2/5 What did I just read? Did this story really belong in this book?
kate_brauning's review against another edition
5.0
What a gorgeous collection. Diverse, charming, challenging, thought-provoking, and utterly hopeful, this collection of 12 stories by 12 different authors has everything.
Also, I've discovered a few new authors from this I will now go read!
Also, I've discovered a few new authors from this I will now go read!
hquin's review against another edition
3.0
overall *3.5*
Midnights - Rainbow Rowell 5/5
The Lady and The Fox - Kelly Link 2/5
Angels In The Snow - Matthew De La Pena 5/5
Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me - Jenny Han 3/5
It's A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown - Stephanie Perkins 4/5
Your Temporary Santa - David Levithan 3/5
Krampuslauf - Holly Black 2/5
What the hell have you done, Sophie Roth? - Gayle Forman 5/5
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus - Myra McEntire 3/5
Welcome to Christmas, CA - Kiersten White 5/5
Star of Bethlehem - Ally Carter 4/5
The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer - Laini Taylor 1/5 DNF
Midnights - Rainbow Rowell 5/5
The Lady and The Fox - Kelly Link 2/5
Angels In The Snow - Matthew De La Pena 5/5
Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me - Jenny Han 3/5
It's A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown - Stephanie Perkins 4/5
Your Temporary Santa - David Levithan 3/5
Krampuslauf - Holly Black 2/5
What the hell have you done, Sophie Roth? - Gayle Forman 5/5
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus - Myra McEntire 3/5
Welcome to Christmas, CA - Kiersten White 5/5
Star of Bethlehem - Ally Carter 4/5
The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer - Laini Taylor 1/5 DNF
nannasa16's review against another edition
3.0
Total rating: 3,3/5
Midnights
by Rainbow Rowell
5/5
Oh my my, Rainbow do you know that I worship you, right?
Noel and Mags' story was incredibly cute and sweet, moreover Rainbow can use words like nobody else can. She's magical. I love her and I loved this little fluffy story.
The Lady and The Fox
by Kelly Link
1.75/5
WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?
This story doesn't make sense. Not a little bit. Why was her mother in prison? And is Daniel seriously normal? and how can she fall for a creeper that she met when she was 11? And what the hell does the Lady wants? And why Fenny decided to give up his mortality for this fricking lady? Kelly Link are you alright? Do you need something? Hot tea? A hug? An editor?
Angels In The Snow
by Matt De La Pena
4.25/5
Uuuh what a discovery! This story was so cute! And I could totally relate to Shy because right now I'm STARVING and vegetarian lasagna sounds so good, guys. By the way I think I'll do a little research about the author and maybe read something else that he wrote because I actually enjoyed the style very much.
Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me
by Jenny Han
3.5/5
but...what...why?...
first of all this one is way too short, I would have loved a little bit more of development and background, but this is also SAD. I don't want sad for Christmas, I want happy, I want unicorns and I fricking want RAINBOWSS, not tragic love not reciprocated. Not at all. And I want to read a book about a relationship between an elf and a human. Me sad. Very sad.
It's A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown
by Stephanie Perkins
4.75/5
STEPHANIE, OH STEPHANIE. People say a lot of things about you, but I don't care, I will always love you, I still love you after Isla (*dramatic soundtrack*) and I love you more after this super cute little story.
I frickin' loved Marigold Moon, and I actually wish a whoooole book about her, that would rock! North was pretty cool too (you did not take the inspiration from good ol' Kanye, right?) and she created a fluffy setting that made me want to go to buy a Christmas tree, even if I am one of those freaks that love their fake tree wholeheartedly.
Your Temporary Santa
by David Levithan
2.5/5
I think that Levithan has always wonderful ideas, but when it comes to short stories he can't make them work perfectly. The concept was pretty cool, and I would have loved to read a bit more about these two guys, but what he actually gave us wasn't very organized and well-framed if you get what I mean. Nice try but he could have done something certainly better.
Krampuslauf
by Holly Black
2.75/5
Honestly I think almost the same things about this story and Levithan's one. The concept was very very cool, and I know that Holly Black can sure as hell develop an amazing plot, but in her 20 pages she messed things up. I'm not even sure that I understood the ending at 100%. What a pity!
What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?
by Gayle Forman
4.25/5
I loved this one!
Short, funny, but deep at the same time.
Gayle Forman is a fantastic author and knows perfectly what she's doing. This story covers so many aspects of Holidays, nevertheless it didn't seem forced or too cramped, it was nice and fast-paced in the good way. Good work Gayle!
Beer Buckets And Baby Jesus
by Myra Mcentire
3.75/5
When you choose a male POV for YA romance you take a risk, a big one. But, honestly, if the writing is good, well...I tend to like better male POVs, don't ask me why. And this one, was done exceptionally well. It's very very funny and I read it in less than 10 minutes, but I still don't think that the title is very appropriate for the story. But hell, who cares?.
Welcome to Christmas, CA
by Kiersten White
4.25/5
Surprise, surprise. The only book that I read by this author didn't enthusiasm me but this short story is pretty good, the plot is cute, the characters are very well written and the details are so christmassy that my little heart melt, and then there's food, lot of it. And spanish, i love spanish.
Star Of Bethlehem
by Ally Carter
2/5
I'm pretty sure there's a Disney movie with this exact plot, so me not happy, not at all.
The Girl Who Woke The Dreamer
by Laini Taylor
1/5
let's just not speak about this, okay? let's pretend it didn't exist.
Midnights
by Rainbow Rowell
5/5
Oh my my, Rainbow do you know that I worship you, right?
Noel and Mags' story was incredibly cute and sweet, moreover Rainbow can use words like nobody else can. She's magical. I love her and I loved this little fluffy story.
The Lady and The Fox
by Kelly Link
1.75/5
WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?
This story doesn't make sense. Not a little bit. Why was her mother in prison? And is Daniel seriously normal? and how can she fall for a creeper that she met when she was 11? And what the hell does the Lady wants? And why Fenny decided to give up his mortality for this fricking lady? Kelly Link are you alright? Do you need something? Hot tea? A hug? An editor?
Angels In The Snow
by Matt De La Pena
4.25/5
Uuuh what a discovery! This story was so cute! And I could totally relate to Shy because right now I'm STARVING and vegetarian lasagna sounds so good, guys. By the way I think I'll do a little research about the author and maybe read something else that he wrote because I actually enjoyed the style very much.
Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me
by Jenny Han
3.5/5
but...what...why?...
first of all this one is way too short, I would have loved a little bit more of development and background, but this is also SAD. I don't want sad for Christmas, I want happy, I want unicorns and I fricking want RAINBOWSS, not tragic love not reciprocated. Not at all. And I want to read a book about a relationship between an elf and a human. Me sad. Very sad.
It's A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown
by Stephanie Perkins
4.75/5
STEPHANIE, OH STEPHANIE. People say a lot of things about you, but I don't care, I will always love you, I still love you after Isla (*dramatic soundtrack*) and I love you more after this super cute little story.
I frickin' loved Marigold Moon, and I actually wish a whoooole book about her, that would rock! North was pretty cool too (you did not take the inspiration from good ol' Kanye, right?) and she created a fluffy setting that made me want to go to buy a Christmas tree, even if I am one of those freaks that love their fake tree wholeheartedly.
Your Temporary Santa
by David Levithan
2.5/5
I think that Levithan has always wonderful ideas, but when it comes to short stories he can't make them work perfectly. The concept was pretty cool, and I would have loved to read a bit more about these two guys, but what he actually gave us wasn't very organized and well-framed if you get what I mean. Nice try but he could have done something certainly better.
Krampuslauf
by Holly Black
2.75/5
Honestly I think almost the same things about this story and Levithan's one. The concept was very very cool, and I know that Holly Black can sure as hell develop an amazing plot, but in her 20 pages she messed things up. I'm not even sure that I understood the ending at 100%. What a pity!
What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?
by Gayle Forman
4.25/5
I loved this one!
Short, funny, but deep at the same time.
Gayle Forman is a fantastic author and knows perfectly what she's doing. This story covers so many aspects of Holidays, nevertheless it didn't seem forced or too cramped, it was nice and fast-paced in the good way. Good work Gayle!
Beer Buckets And Baby Jesus
by Myra Mcentire
3.75/5
When you choose a male POV for YA romance you take a risk, a big one. But, honestly, if the writing is good, well...I tend to like better male POVs, don't ask me why. And this one, was done exceptionally well. It's very very funny and I read it in less than 10 minutes, but I still don't think that the title is very appropriate for the story. But hell, who cares?.
Welcome to Christmas, CA
by Kiersten White
4.25/5
Surprise, surprise. The only book that I read by this author didn't enthusiasm me but this short story is pretty good, the plot is cute, the characters are very well written and the details are so christmassy that my little heart melt, and then there's food, lot of it. And spanish, i love spanish.
Star Of Bethlehem
by Ally Carter
2/5
I'm pretty sure there's a Disney movie with this exact plot, so me not happy, not at all.
The Girl Who Woke The Dreamer
by Laini Taylor
1/5
let's just not speak about this, okay? let's pretend it didn't exist.
thereadingwren's review against another edition
3.0
3/5
Individual story ratings below, but overall I’m not super impressed with this collection. Most of the stories were uninteresting, boring, or too cliched. But there were a few gems that made up for some of the boring.
Midnights - Rainbow Rowell
3/5
Kind of predictable (something I predict all these stories will be). I did really appreciate the friendship of the two characters and the endless list of allergies one character had - it was great reading. The love story however was boring and cliched. This is the second Rainbow Rowell I’ve read and I think I just don’t particularly enjoy her writing, there’s something very basic about it.
The Lady and The Fox - Kelly Link
3.5/5
It took me a bit to get into this one (the lengthy detailed descriptions of clothing was overdone), but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I liked the characters and the through the ages look at them. And while the love story was insta-love and cliched I wasn’t that mad at it because the story behind it was interesting. Also a good introduction to Kelly Link’s style.
Angels In The Snow - Matt de la Peña
3/5
I really liked Shy as a character and this story would have gotten a 4 because of him if it didn’t involve cheating and dubious consent. Romance just isn’t for me sometimes, I’d have preferred to learn all about Shy and his family.
Polaris Is Where You’ll Find Me - Jenny Han
5/5
Oh this was so damn good! Santa’s adopted daughter from Seoul, how awesome. Natalie was a great character and her life is really interesting!
It’s A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown - Stephanie Perkins
3.5/5
I was really unsure about this, I wasn’t super interested in North (he was too cocky and bordering on that rude-flirting that I hate) but the ending definitely made up for that. It was just so sweet!
Your temporary Santa - David Levithan
5/5
Oh wow, that hurts. That hurts a lot but in such a lovely way. I like that this wasn’t really about the romance, it was about family and grief and belonging. It was beautiful. I don’t want more, I don’t want less, it was simply enough.
Krampuslauf - Holly Black
5/5
This was so damn cool!!! I love the ‘evil’ version of a Holiday story with the Krampus. The description of the creature was awesome and I wish there were Krampus celebrations in my town. Very awesome story that isn’t about love.
What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? - Gayle Forman
2.5/5
It was so very eh, that’s the best way to describe it. I’m also not a fan of sarcastic banter as flirting. It all felt a little too instant to me.
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus - Myra McEntire
0.5/5
Good gods no. This was awful (for me). Religious stuff is not for me at all. Neither is the bad boy falls for the good girl trope. The only reason I read it is because I don’t like DNF’ing.
Welcome To Christmas, CA - Kiersten White
5/5
This is exactly what I want from a Christmas story. It’s utterly sweet and full of community and a dash of magic. It’s absolutely beautiful.
Star of Bethlehem - Ally Carter
3/5
This read like many fan fictions I’ve read before, which isn’t a bad thing. But I think I’m past that point in my reading where I don’t want to read about lying and kind of fake relationships.
The Girl Who Woke The Dreamer - Laini Taylor
1.5/5
I skimmed this so much, it was really boring and I didn’t care for it. I was interested in the Dreamer but that didn’t make up for the rest of it.
Individual story ratings below, but overall I’m not super impressed with this collection. Most of the stories were uninteresting, boring, or too cliched. But there were a few gems that made up for some of the boring.
Midnights - Rainbow Rowell
3/5
Kind of predictable (something I predict all these stories will be). I did really appreciate the friendship of the two characters and the endless list of allergies one character had - it was great reading. The love story however was boring and cliched. This is the second Rainbow Rowell I’ve read and I think I just don’t particularly enjoy her writing, there’s something very basic about it.
The Lady and The Fox - Kelly Link
3.5/5
It took me a bit to get into this one (the lengthy detailed descriptions of clothing was overdone), but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I liked the characters and the through the ages look at them. And while the love story was insta-love and cliched I wasn’t that mad at it because the story behind it was interesting. Also a good introduction to Kelly Link’s style.
Angels In The Snow - Matt de la Peña
3/5
I really liked Shy as a character and this story would have gotten a 4 because of him if it didn’t involve cheating and dubious consent. Romance just isn’t for me sometimes, I’d have preferred to learn all about Shy and his family.
Polaris Is Where You’ll Find Me - Jenny Han
5/5
Oh this was so damn good! Santa’s adopted daughter from Seoul, how awesome. Natalie was a great character and her life is really interesting!
It’s A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown - Stephanie Perkins
3.5/5
I was really unsure about this, I wasn’t super interested in North (he was too cocky and bordering on that rude-flirting that I hate) but the ending definitely made up for that. It was just so sweet!
Your temporary Santa - David Levithan
5/5
Oh wow, that hurts. That hurts a lot but in such a lovely way. I like that this wasn’t really about the romance, it was about family and grief and belonging. It was beautiful. I don’t want more, I don’t want less, it was simply enough.
Krampuslauf - Holly Black
5/5
This was so damn cool!!! I love the ‘evil’ version of a Holiday story with the Krampus. The description of the creature was awesome and I wish there were Krampus celebrations in my town. Very awesome story that isn’t about love.
What The Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? - Gayle Forman
2.5/5
It was so very eh, that’s the best way to describe it. I’m also not a fan of sarcastic banter as flirting. It all felt a little too instant to me.
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus - Myra McEntire
0.5/5
Good gods no. This was awful (for me). Religious stuff is not for me at all. Neither is the bad boy falls for the good girl trope. The only reason I read it is because I don’t like DNF’ing.
Welcome To Christmas, CA - Kiersten White
5/5
This is exactly what I want from a Christmas story. It’s utterly sweet and full of community and a dash of magic. It’s absolutely beautiful.
Star of Bethlehem - Ally Carter
3/5
This read like many fan fictions I’ve read before, which isn’t a bad thing. But I think I’m past that point in my reading where I don’t want to read about lying and kind of fake relationships.
The Girl Who Woke The Dreamer - Laini Taylor
1.5/5
I skimmed this so much, it was really boring and I didn’t care for it. I was interested in the Dreamer but that didn’t make up for the rest of it.
dalyamagdy's review against another edition
5.0
Some stories were better than the others but Overall it's a great book
Midnights by Rainbow Rowell : 5/5
The lady and the fox by Kelly Link: 4/5
Angels in the Snow by Matt De La Peña: 5/5
Polaris is where you'll find me by Jenny Han: 5/5 Amazing Story ✨✨
It's a Yuletide miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: without a doubt 5/5
Your temporary Santa by David Levithan: 2/5
Krampuslauf by Holly Black: 3/5
What the hell have you done, Sophie Roth by Gayle Forman : 3/5
Beer buckets and baby Jesus by Myra Mcentire: 4/5
Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White: 5/5
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter: 5/5
The girl who woke the dreamer by Laini Taylor: 4/5
Midnights by Rainbow Rowell : 5/5
The lady and the fox by Kelly Link: 4/5
Angels in the Snow by Matt De La Peña: 5/5
Polaris is where you'll find me by Jenny Han: 5/5 Amazing Story ✨✨
It's a Yuletide miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: without a doubt 5/5
Your temporary Santa by David Levithan: 2/5
Krampuslauf by Holly Black: 3/5
What the hell have you done, Sophie Roth by Gayle Forman : 3/5
Beer buckets and baby Jesus by Myra Mcentire: 4/5
Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White: 5/5
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter: 5/5
The girl who woke the dreamer by Laini Taylor: 4/5
blakehalsey's review against another edition
5.0
Well that was just a little slice of holiday heaven.