Hello everyone, I hope December is treating you well so far and the countdown towards Christmas isn’t too stressful. When it comes to teenagers and Christmas one almost always expects a romance of sorts. Well, if you press below, you just might find a collection of reads that will appeal to teen rom-com-readers!!
What Light by Jay Asher (Razorbill, 2016) is one such read that takes the reader to a Christmas tree farm in Oregon. It’s a bucolic setting for Sierra to grow up seeing as how her family runs the farm, except for the fact that her family packs up and moves to California to set up their Christmas tree lot for the season. So Sierra lives two lives: her life in Oregon and her life at Christmas. And leaving one always means missing the other. Until this particular Christmas, when Sierra meets Caleb, and one life eclipses the other. Caleb, on the one hand, is not your perfect guy. He made a huge mistake years ago and has been paying for it ever since. Sierra sees beyond Caleb’s past and becomes determined to help him find forgiveness and, maybe, redemption.
My review: This delightful love story was one that can now be deemed a ‘clean’ romance. You can’t help but find Caleb and Sierra’s love story appealing. The descriptions of the California landscape during Christmas and how their stories flowed and danced together was a great experience for me. Jay Asher has done an expert job in slowly unravelling Caleb’s secret and describing Sierra’s emotions as she learned of them. An amazing wintry romance!!
Let it snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle (Penguin Books, 2019) is not your average Christmas read. This heartwarming book gives readers three interconnected stories of love and romance set against a typical winter landscape filled with snow and mischief. It’s Christmas Eve and the worst blizzard for fifty years has blanketed Gracetown. But as well as snowflakes, love is in the air – and appearing in the most unexpected ways… Who’d have thought a freezing hike from a stranded train would end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger? Or that a trip to The Waffle House through four feet of snow could lead to a romance with an old friend? Or that the path to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks?
My review: Oh, young teen love!! This is one of those feel-good teen rom-coms wrapped up in a warm blanket while Christmas snow falls outside!! Funny, heartwarming, and tender, this is truly a great read to enjoy over the holiday season. I like how as each story unfolds a little bit of the puzzle from the previous story clicks into place and it all leads to the delightful ending!! I loved all of the characters, main couples and their crazy friends, and even the adults around them!! Netflix has a lovely movie version of this story for those who enjoy a little visual accompaniment!!
Quote I liked:
“…Silly girl, it’s not what the universe gives us that matters. It’s what we give the universe.” – Mayzie to Addie
Snow in love: Four stories by Melissa De La Cruz, Nic Stone, Aimee Friedman, Kasie West (Scholastic Inc; 2018) What’s better than one deliciously cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story? Four of them, from some of today’s best-selling 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 review: A lovely selection of teen holiday romances!! Although the intended audience are teenagers, these ‘clean’ romances really did warm up my soul. Each author brought the Christmas spirit of hope, love, and family to the forefront. I loved all of the characters. The descriptions of wintry road trips, the typical last-minute rush in department stores, the whole gift situation and a traditional coming-out story were really well crafted by the stellar collection of authors. A good read for teens looking for a book to snuggle with on a cold winter’s night!!
Well, friends, these are my teen romances for this week. I hope you enjoy these reviews. If any of you have read anything similar, I’d love to hear from you.
Stay safe and keep reading
Miss Mahee
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 