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A review by keriewaites
12 Days of Book-Club-Mas Volume VI by Reilly Becker, Logan Ashley, Bonnie Callahan, Zaynah Qutubuddin, Kristi McManus, Jessica Booth, Danielle Barr, Katie Evans, Kim Chance, Meranda Tuttle, Adrianna Waters, Mary B. Barbee
3.0
ONCE UPON A BOOK CLUB BOX (ADVENT EDITION) REVIEW
I started this advent box last night…and finished it last night. I couldn’t wait to open the gifts for each story. The box was so well thought out. Most of the non book items are super useful. I will definitely purchase their advent box in the future.
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DAY 1: APP-ARENTLY IT’S LOVE by Kristi McManus
This was my favorite of all twelve short stories. While she has sworn off dating for herself, Mia has created a successful dating app that has brought many couples together and it’s completely anonymous. One night, her friends make her a profile and she matches with another user. They quickly form a connection. This short story had my absolutely favorite trope - enemies to lovers. It was predictable, but I didn’t mind the predictability.
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DAY 2: BOUND BY BOOKS by Logan Ashley
This short story was not my favorite. It was very different than what I normally would read. The narrator was a magical book sleeve that was passed around by a group of friends. They each took a turn with the book sleeve. Once there were done, they picked a book for the next friend to read and mailed it to them. It reminded me of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Each book magically turns out to be exactly what the next woman needed to read at the time.
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DAY 3: INK AND INTRIGUE: A BOOKISH BETRAYAL by Mary B. Barbee
This short story was a cozy mystery, which isn’t usually my cup of tea. This short story was extremely predictable. I guessed the murderer as soon as the character was introduced; however, I did enjoy this short story.
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DAY 4: THE QUEEN OF APPALACHIA by Danielle Barr
This was a short story about a twelve year old girl who is obsessed with the notorious bandit, Cleopatra Kennedy. This may have been the story I connected to the least of all twelve short stories. I figured out the two twists fairly early on, but it was still interesting to see how the story got to the conclusion.
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DAY 5: MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE by Adrianna Waters
This story centered around Ella and Dani - both start the story needing a new water bottle and both are going through a transition. Ella is starting middle school while Dani is moving away from her friends and getting a job after graduating from college. They both love the same water bottle, but are unable to buy it as someone else buys it first. The water bottle starts magically appearing in their houses. Every time the bottle appears, they run into each other. I thought this was such a cute story. I loved the relationship between Ella and Dani. This short story is definitely one of my favourites from this set of twelve.
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DAY 7: FINDING OUR MAGIC by Jessica Booth
This was my probably my second favorite of all twelve short stories. Liz and PJ end up staying the weekend at the same beach house. Of course, they start to fall for each other. I thought this was a cute, short love story. It was another one where I knew where it was going, but that didn’t matter because it was fun to see how we got there.
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DAY 8: THE GOOD LUCK GIRL by Reilly Becker
This one had another magical object in it. Or at least an object that one of the characters sees as a magical object. This time, it is a bag, not a book sleeve. The main character is an artist, who makes pottery and has a store. She feels like she’s only successful when she has the bag she found when she moved into her house. Her friends help her realize that she doesn’t need the bag to create beautiful art and to be successful. I really liked the moral of this story! I think it’s something we all sometimes need to be reminded of. We need to have confidence in ourselves and our abilities.
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DAY 9: YOURS TRULLI by Bonnie Callahan
I have to admit that I was extremely tired at this point in the book. It was around 2 a.m. when I finally got to this short story, so I didn’t remember it too well. However, when I skimmed back over it, I remembered how much I enjoyed it. It was about a woman who goes Italy, which is where her father is from, for her brother’s wedding. She reconnects with her culture and finds a good, Italian boy along the way. This was super enjoyable and this gift may be my favorite out of all the gifts.
DAY 10: FORGOTTEN LIBRARY by Meranda Tuttle
This short story was a little hard for me to follow. That may have been because I was reading it at close to 3 a.m. though. It was a good read overall!
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DAY 11: THE EXACT RIGHT PLACE by Kim Chance
This short story is Ellie’s story. It’s about how a chance encounter with a boy named, Theo, twenty years ago helped her find her path in life. It was a sweet story and I enjoyed it.
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DAY 12: DIFFERENT SHADES OF AMIRA by Zaynah Qutubuddin
Amira is given an eyeshadow palette as a gift. Each shade represents a different princess of the world. When Amira wears a different eyeshadow, she exhibits different characteristics than normal based on whichever eyeshadow she is wearing. I really enjoyed this story. This was also my favorite gift!
I started this advent box last night…and finished it last night. I couldn’t wait to open the gifts for each story. The box was so well thought out. Most of the non book items are super useful. I will definitely purchase their advent box in the future.
.
.
.
DAY 1: APP-ARENTLY IT’S LOVE by Kristi McManus
This was my favorite of all twelve short stories. While she has sworn off dating for herself, Mia has created a successful dating app that has brought many couples together and it’s completely anonymous. One night, her friends make her a profile and she matches with another user. They quickly form a connection. This short story had my absolutely favorite trope - enemies to lovers. It was predictable, but I didn’t mind the predictability.
.
.
.
DAY 2: BOUND BY BOOKS by Logan Ashley
This short story was not my favorite. It was very different than what I normally would read. The narrator was a magical book sleeve that was passed around by a group of friends. They each took a turn with the book sleeve. Once there were done, they picked a book for the next friend to read and mailed it to them. It reminded me of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Each book magically turns out to be exactly what the next woman needed to read at the time.
.
.
.
DAY 3: INK AND INTRIGUE: A BOOKISH BETRAYAL by Mary B. Barbee
This short story was a cozy mystery, which isn’t usually my cup of tea. This short story was extremely predictable. I guessed the murderer as soon as the character was introduced; however, I did enjoy this short story.
.
.
.
DAY 4: THE QUEEN OF APPALACHIA by Danielle Barr
This was a short story about a twelve year old girl who is obsessed with the notorious bandit, Cleopatra Kennedy. This may have been the story I connected to the least of all twelve short stories. I figured out the two twists fairly early on, but it was still interesting to see how the story got to the conclusion.
.
.
.
DAY 5: MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE by Adrianna Waters
This story centered around Ella and Dani - both start the story needing a new water bottle and both are going through a transition. Ella is starting middle school while Dani is moving away from her friends and getting a job after graduating from college. They both love the same water bottle, but are unable to buy it as someone else buys it first. The water bottle starts magically appearing in their houses. Every time the bottle appears, they run into each other. I thought this was such a cute story. I loved the relationship between Ella and Dani. This short story is definitely one of my favourites from this set of twelve.
.
.
.
DAY 7: FINDING OUR MAGIC by Jessica Booth
This was my probably my second favorite of all twelve short stories. Liz and PJ end up staying the weekend at the same beach house. Of course, they start to fall for each other. I thought this was a cute, short love story. It was another one where I knew where it was going, but that didn’t matter because it was fun to see how we got there.
.
.
.
DAY 8: THE GOOD LUCK GIRL by Reilly Becker
This one had another magical object in it. Or at least an object that one of the characters sees as a magical object. This time, it is a bag, not a book sleeve. The main character is an artist, who makes pottery and has a store. She feels like she’s only successful when she has the bag she found when she moved into her house. Her friends help her realize that she doesn’t need the bag to create beautiful art and to be successful. I really liked the moral of this story! I think it’s something we all sometimes need to be reminded of. We need to have confidence in ourselves and our abilities.
.
.
.
DAY 9: YOURS TRULLI by Bonnie Callahan
I have to admit that I was extremely tired at this point in the book. It was around 2 a.m. when I finally got to this short story, so I didn’t remember it too well. However, when I skimmed back over it, I remembered how much I enjoyed it. It was about a woman who goes Italy, which is where her father is from, for her brother’s wedding. She reconnects with her culture and finds a good, Italian boy along the way. This was super enjoyable and this gift may be my favorite out of all the gifts.
DAY 10: FORGOTTEN LIBRARY by Meranda Tuttle
This short story was a little hard for me to follow. That may have been because I was reading it at close to 3 a.m. though. It was a good read overall!
.
.
.
DAY 11: THE EXACT RIGHT PLACE by Kim Chance
This short story is Ellie’s story. It’s about how a chance encounter with a boy named, Theo, twenty years ago helped her find her path in life. It was a sweet story and I enjoyed it.
.
.
.
DAY 12: DIFFERENT SHADES OF AMIRA by Zaynah Qutubuddin
Amira is given an eyeshadow palette as a gift. Each shade represents a different princess of the world. When Amira wears a different eyeshadow, she exhibits different characteristics than normal based on whichever eyeshadow she is wearing. I really enjoyed this story. This was also my favorite gift!