Spectacular by Stephanie Garber (Caraval book 3.5)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the Caraval series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Snowflakes are falling.

Invitations are arriving.

And holiday magic is swirling in the capital city of the Meridian Empire.

It’s Great Holiday Eve Eve. Scarlett Dragna is planning a spectacular Holiday celebration for the city. Donatella is searching for the perfect gift. Julian is looking ridiculously handsome in green. And Legend . . .

Well, sadly Legend is not fond of the Great Holiday. Tella is hoping her perfect gift will change his mind. Unfortunately, she hasn’t found this perfect gift just yet. But it is Great Holiday Eve Eve . . . surely there’s some holiday magic swirling around.

Welcome, welcome back to the world of Caraval, where even holidays are not as they seem.” - taken from Goodreads.

Visit Stephanie Garber’s instagram.

Snow in Love by Melissa de la Cruz, Nic Stone, Aimee Friedman, & Kasie West

“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…” - taken from Goodreads.com

I devoured this short collection of four holiday stories. Snow and Mistletoe by Kasie West was a cute, romantic story about secret crushes. I almost wish it had been a bit longer. Working in a Winter Wonderland by Aimee Friedman is a tale of a Jewish girl working in a Christmas shop for a special dress to impress a secret crush on New Year’s Eve. This story had a sweet twist at the end. The Magi’s Gifts by Melissa de la Cruz just didn’t do it for me. I’ve never enjoyed the original story by O. Henry. Grounded by Nic Stone took me a while to get into but I really enjoyed it.

The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (Dash & Lily book 2)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Dash and Lily have had a tough year since they first fell in love among the shelves of their favorite bookstore. Lily’s beloved grandfather suffered a heart attack, and his difficult road to recovery has taken a major toll on her typically sunny disposition.

With only twelve days left until Christmas—Lily’s favorite time of the year—Dash, Lily’s brother Langston, and their closest friends must take Manhattan by storm to help Lily recapture the unique holiday magic of a glittering, snow-covered New York City in December.” - taken from Goodreads.com

This book picks up one year later after the storyline in the Dash from Dash and Lily's Book of Dares. Things have not been great for Lily with her grandfather having become sick. As one who loves Christmas, Lily isn’t in the spirit this year. So it's up to Dash to get Lily back into the spirit. Once again set at Christmas time, my favorite part of this book has to be when Dash invites The Librarians to the ice skating party where hilarity ensues.

My True Love Gave to Me - Twelve Holiday Stories edited by Stephanie Perkins

“If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you're going to fall in love with My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers (Holly Black, Ally Carter, Matt de La Peña, Gayle Forman, Jenny Han, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Rainbow Rowell, Stephanie Perkins, Laini Tayler and Kiersten White), edited by the international bestselling Stephanie Perkins.  Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or Kwanzaa, there's something here for everyone.  So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy.  You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.” -- Barnes and Noble

My favorite story from this book was by Ally Carter. I also really likes the ones by Stephanie Perkins and Gayle Forman.

Table of Contents:

Midnights, by Rainbow Rowell; The Lady and the Fox, by Kelly Link; Angels in the Snow, by Matt de la Peña; Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me, by Jenny Han; It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown, by Stephanie Perkins; Your Temporary Santa, by David Levithan; Krampuslauf, by Holly Black; What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?, by Gayle Forman; Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus; Welcome to Christmas, CA, by Kiersten White; Star of Bethlehem, by Ally Carter; The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer, by Laini Taylor