thebookdance's review
4.0
Snow and Mistletoe - Kasie West
5 stars - What can I say, to me Kasie West always has a way to make me fall in love with her stories. It was super cute.
Working in a Winter Wonderland - Aimee Friedman
3 stars - The last part was nice, the beginning was a bit less interesting.
The Magi's Gifts - Melissa de la Cruz
3.5 stars - It was an odd choice of a short story I think, but it was enjoyable
Grounded - Nic Stone
3 stars - I liked the the whole 'I spy' idea, but it all just got a little too deep too fast. It was cute nonetheless.
5 stars - What can I say, to me Kasie West always has a way to make me fall in love with her stories. It was super cute.
Working in a Winter Wonderland - Aimee Friedman
3 stars - The last part was nice, the beginning was a bit less interesting.
The Magi's Gifts - Melissa de la Cruz
3.5 stars - It was an odd choice of a short story I think, but it was enjoyable
Grounded - Nic Stone
3 stars - I liked the the whole 'I spy' idea, but it all just got a little too deep too fast. It was cute nonetheless.
teawiththefates's review
3.0
Honestly, I picked this up for the Katie West and that turned out to be the only story I enjoyed. "Snow and Mistletoe" was everything I expect from and love about West's stories. Soooooo sweet and romantic in the best way - I love that her characters are always likeable and she does such a good job of building up all the little moments between the protagonist and her love interest, as well as having wonderful supporting relationships. 5 stars.
In contrast, Working in a Winter Wonderland felt... cold. The protagonist was cynical and judgy of everyone around her, except for Heath who was clearly NOT going to be the guy she ended up with because he was TERRIBLE from the start. Was I at all surprised when his terribleness was revealed to Maxine? No, and she shouldn't have been either. The problem is, the guy she DOES end up with had no real page time at all until the very end because apparently no one cared about him (including the author???) until the last 8 pages of the story. Until then, they didn't get a single sweet moment together, so it felt rushed and unbelievable to me. Probably the only romance I believed in this story was the one Maxine had with that gold dress that motivated her to get a job in the first place. 2 stars.
No strong opinions about the other two stories.
In contrast, Working in a Winter Wonderland felt... cold. The protagonist was cynical and judgy of everyone around her, except for Heath who was clearly NOT going to be the guy she ended up with because he was TERRIBLE from the start. Was I at all surprised when his terribleness was revealed to Maxine? No, and she shouldn't have been either. The problem is, the guy she DOES end up with had no real page time at all until the very end because apparently no one cared about him (including the author???) until the last 8 pages of the story. Until then, they didn't get a single sweet moment together, so it felt rushed and unbelievable to me. Probably the only romance I believed in this story was the one Maxine had with that gold dress that motivated her to get a job in the first place. 2 stars.
No strong opinions about the other two stories.
joybookish's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the first three stories. I didn’t like the final one (Nic Stone’s) as much. Two black girls were falling in love (which I loved!) but I felt like Stone was trying to tackle issues with racism and accepting sexualities, but in this setting it came out cheesy and trying-too-hard.
clem_mathieu's review
3.0
This, like a few other YA Christmas anthologies was pretty enjoyable and cute.
Snow and Mistletoe by Kasie West --> 4,5 stars
This is the kind of stories where you know the end almost from the beginning but that you enjoy anyway. I loved how we got to see another side of the main character and the love interest. The road trip and friendship aspects were spot on too. The ending was a bit rushed but I was smiling the entire time I was reading this story.
Working in a Winter Wonderland by Aimee Friedman --> 2,5 stars
This one is tricky because there were so much left unsaid or only mentioned once which doesn't work for me in a short story. If you don't have enough space to explain something, just don't mention it. I thought the romance was cute but rushed and it came out of absolutely nowhere. The main character was cynical and naive and there was one character I absolutely hated. This character was mean, entitled and there wasn't a single scene of his I enjoyed. I felt a bit like the author tried to cramp a lot of stereotypes into a short story and it didn't impress me.
The Magi's Gift by Melissa de la Cruz --> 2 stars
First, the thing I loved the most in this story was the two main characters' relationship. There were cute and dedicated and communicated well with each other. However, I hated the girl's friends and felt like the guy got the worst end of the stick at the end of the story. Again, I felt like this story based itself a lot on a lot of stereotypes without challenging them and the girl's motivations seemed very shallow.
Grounded by Nic Stone --> 4 stars
This story was very different from any short story I've read before. Not because the two main characters are black, not because it's a f/f relationship and not even because there are text messages in the story. It was different because it dealt with the subject of coming out without revolving around it. The main plot centers around a scavenger hunt between two old friends. It explored the topics of race, wealth and sexuality without being heavy. It was super cute and I felt like I was in that airport too.
Snow and Mistletoe by Kasie West --> 4,5 stars
This is the kind of stories where you know the end almost from the beginning but that you enjoy anyway. I loved how we got to see another side of the main character and the love interest. The road trip and friendship aspects were spot on too. The ending was a bit rushed but I was smiling the entire time I was reading this story.
Working in a Winter Wonderland by Aimee Friedman --> 2,5 stars
This one is tricky because there were so much left unsaid or only mentioned once which doesn't work for me in a short story. If you don't have enough space to explain something, just don't mention it. I thought the romance was cute but rushed and it came out of absolutely nowhere. The main character was cynical and naive and there was one character I absolutely hated. This character was mean, entitled and there wasn't a single scene of his I enjoyed. I felt a bit like the author tried to cramp a lot of stereotypes into a short story and it didn't impress me.
The Magi's Gift by Melissa de la Cruz --> 2 stars
First, the thing I loved the most in this story was the two main characters' relationship. There were cute and dedicated and communicated well with each other. However, I hated the girl's friends and felt like the guy got the worst end of the stick at the end of the story. Again, I felt like this story based itself a lot on a lot of stereotypes without challenging them and the girl's motivations seemed very shallow.
Grounded by Nic Stone --> 4 stars
This story was very different from any short story I've read before. Not because the two main characters are black, not because it's a f/f relationship and not even because there are text messages in the story. It was different because it dealt with the subject of coming out without revolving around it. The main plot centers around a scavenger hunt between two old friends. It explored the topics of race, wealth and sexuality without being heavy. It was super cute and I felt like I was in that airport too.
bookishplansandthings's review
4.0
"Snow and Mistletoe" by Kasie West ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Working in a Winter Wonderland" ⭐⭐⭐
"The Magi's Gift" by Melissa De La Cruz ⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Grounded" by Nic Stone ⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Working in a Winter Wonderland" ⭐⭐⭐
"The Magi's Gift" by Melissa De La Cruz ⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Grounded" by Nic Stone ⭐⭐⭐⭐
vera_michele's review
3.0
Average rating: 3.6/5⭐️
Snow and Mistletoe by Kasie West: 4.5/5⭐️
Working in a Winter Wonderland by Aimee Friedman: 2.75/5 ⭐️
The Magi’s Gifts by Melissa De La Cruz: 2/5⭐️
Grounded by Nic Stone: 5/5⭐️
Snow and Mistletoe by Kasie West: 4.5/5⭐️
Working in a Winter Wonderland by Aimee Friedman: 2.75/5 ⭐️
The Magi’s Gifts by Melissa De La Cruz: 2/5⭐️
Grounded by Nic Stone: 5/5⭐️
ericadeb's review
3.0
Adorable. I loved the first and last stories and the second one was pretty cute. The third story wasn’t for me because I can’t stand the gift of the magi. If not for that I would have given it 4 stars. All the tropes in the very best way!