Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances

Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

I'm a sucker for romance any time of the year, but something about the holiday season makes me want to curl up in a nice blanket, drink hot chocolate, and read love stories. LET IT SNOW is the perfect holiday read.

Maureen Johnson starts things off with THE JUBILEE EXPRESS, in which Jubliee (no, not a stripper, but named for a piece in her mother's collection of the Flobie Santa Village) finds herself stranded on a train in Gracetown in a huge snowstorm. A trip to the Waffle House introduces her to Stuart and friendship, or maybe something more, starts to form.

In A CHEERTASTIC CHRISTMAS MIRACLE, author John Green hilariously describes the mission of three friends to get to the Waffle House where a group of cheerleaders are stranded and wanting to play Twister.

And Lauren Myracle's THE PATRON SAINT OF PIGS shows that lost love can be found again with the help of Starbucks, angels, and even a pig.

Each story stands well on its own, but it was nice to have a common thread throughout. I loved how the authors found ways to connect all three stories. Characters you meet in the beginning show up later on, and places like Starbucks and the Waffle House are important to all three tales. The only thing I didn't like was that they were all short stories - I could have kept reading about each of the characters!

LET IT SNOW is a great, warm, fuzzy read for the holidays, so grab some hot chocolate and curl up because you won't want to stop reading until you're finished and happily sighing.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Great Book for the Holiday Season!

I thought this book was great! The stories are fun to read and the characters are quirky and likeable. I think with the way things are right now, this is a terrific holiday book to get you into the spirit of love and celebration. The stories are written well and weave perfectly into one another. I found myself excited to see where the characters would end up. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the holidays and love stories.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Three stories that show the joy of Snow

This book is very surprising. It is amazing how the authors connected all the stories together. Characters from one story worm their way through into another. A great way to get in the holiday mood early and ready for your own adventure.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I can't wait!!!

It sounds so good, I absolutely must have it!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

Really good the stories were all sweet and funny and all tied into each other in some way, especially at the end <333

2 out 3 stories are excellent

I don't usually go for holiday books but this one is a lot of fun and doesn't feel one-note. It manages to convey the holiday theme without being sappy.

I could tell by the first few pages the first story was written by Maureen Johnson; being a follower of her on twitter, the writng had her spastic, observational humor all over it (if you're on twitter and don't follower her, you should: @maureenjohnson). The story starts with a girl named Jubilee, who goes by a variety of nicknames to sidestep her awful namesake which derives from a building in a collectible miniature Christmas village her parents are obsessed with. Her plans to spend Christmas Eve at her boyfriend's family's smorgasbord are thwarted when 1.) her parents are jailed after a scuffle at the Flobie Christmas village convention, where a riot broke out over a limited edition piece 2.) her parents are sending her by train to Florida to be with her grandparents 3.) the train gets snowbanked in a town two hours south and she's stranded, boyfriendless and alone.

What follows is a quirky although not entirely unbelievable tale about a Waffle House, a heartbroken teen boy named Stuart who finds her, and his mother's insistence on taking care of a wayward girl alone on Christmas Eve. Jubilee isn't too happy her boyfriend isn't responding to her calls and texts, and she's not sure what to think of this new guy and his creepily obsessive, although genuinely kind, mother. It's filled with a hundred details that make the story enjoyable - specifically how her parent's have attained widespread notoriety as part of "The Flobie Five," who got arrested over the collectible village.

The next story is John Green's, and it again features a Waffle House and a snowstorm. And hey, these guys know Stuart from the first story. It's connected! I love stuff like this. Out of boredom, three friends venture into the storm to the Waffle House where they've heard a team of cheerleaders are stranded. This is the same Waffle House Jubilee eagerly vacated with Stuart to get away from the cheerleaders from her train after it got stuck. It's a typical John Green set-up: awkward gu, whip-smart and somehow unattainable girl, hilarious sidekick involved in a caper. It's solid, and ties together aspects of the first story.

Lauren Myracle's piece is about Addie, a girl who broke up with Jeb who was on Jubilee's train. I thought it was kind of interesting in the first story how Jeb is featured at first but then he completely drops off. The heartbreak and wallowing feels a little cliche, and I have to admit, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first two. Characters from the other stories show up at the end to the Starbucks where Addie works, and connect the story further. It's satisfying to see how everyone knows each other

Fluff and fun

I thought that the three short stories in this book were wonderful and worked well together. It is interesting to see the mix of different styles come together, especially since all the stories are intertwined pergectly. My personal favorite was John Green's, but all of them are wonderful. A magical holiday read.

Excellent!

Aside from a few editing errors,this book was amazing and so easy to get in to.The characters and their lives are so believable. Definitely worth your time and money.

Loved it!

Absolutely.a mustread! ADORABLE:)

The Jubilee Express

I only go tto The Jubilee Express so far but it was so Cute, i loved it. Perfect romance story.Seems like anything can happen during holiday time.. ~A teen romance story~ :) <3

I alsoooo finished John Green's part of the book...again a teen romance& shows friendships growing..i highly recomend this book to many

Highly Recommend - movie rights to this book were purchased for a reason.

As a huge John Green fan I'll jump at the chance to pick up anything with his name on it, despite my general aversion to anything which labels itself as any sort of "romance." So, when I began reading Maureen Johnson's portion of the book "The Jubilee Express" and finding myself smile because it was funny and charming, I was pleasantly surprised. The stories which make up this book stray away from the beaten path of romantic writing in a way that is both unexpected and delightful. Each (with the exception of Lauren Myracle's portion which I could not bring myself to finish)brought its characters to life so effectively I found myself growing attached to them, an impressive feat in the span of about 100 pages.

The complexity of the characters, the suspense of the plots, and the general exuberance of the book made it a joy to read. Even without the third story, I still plan to purchase this book for myself so I can read it every holiday season (of course, I may have to adjust my definition of the holiday season so it may include the Fourth of July, Halloween, Easter, and Arbor Day).

Great Book!!!

This was one of the best books i've ever read. I loved how all of the stories were connected together.Once i got to the second story i couldnt put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone!!

Amazing!

This book was such an enjoyable read, i read it over holiday break, and it was funny, sweet, memorable, and i loved the way all three stories connected together. It was clear and easy to understand, and i loved the writing style of each author. Love it love it love it love it!

warm, christmas, love

Three authors band together from holiday fun, love and craziness in Let it Snow. Maureen Johnson starts off the fun with her short story The Jubliee Express. Jubilee, who happens to hate her first name is ready to party down at her boyfriend's Christmas Eve party. It is full of dressing up, looking your best, and loving the ones you love. Unfortunately, things never go as planned. The city cops showed up at her down informing that her parents have been arrested in a Flobie Santa Village riot. (Think those cute little houses that light up and are themed for Christmas). Within an hour, she is shipped on to a train, heading to Florida to spend her Christmas with her Grandparents. Yet, nothing goes as planned. The train gets snowed in at Gracetown, and all she has is a Waffle House to rest and eat in. Enter Stuart, the resident town hottie who would rather mope then meet girls. After casual conversation, they take things from there and head to Stuart's house. Christmas isn't anything like it seems with Jubilee is stuck in a house, with people she doesn't know, and nothing seems to get her way.

John Green knocks it out of the park with Cheertastic Christmas Miracle. All about the race to the Waffle House. The Duke and Tobin have been friends since they can remember. The Duke, who is actually a girl, is never seen as one to Tobin. She is just the James Bond loving person who gets him for him. When they get a call that a large group of bubbling, cheerful cheerleaders are sitting in the Waffle House, and they have to be the first ones there. WITH twister. Their simple track through the snow gets a whole lot harder when they are not the only ones racing there. Throughout the madness, cold snow, and craziness, something starts between the Duke and Tobin, and it's something strong.

Bringing up the rear, Lauren Myracle finishes with The Patron Saint of Pigs. Addie, the self obsessed teen is mourning the loss her true love Jeb. One simple mistake with a classmate leaves her alone, and single. Her friends don't see her side, and thinks she needs to get over herself. To better her image, and not lose her friends forever, Addie helps them out with retrieving one tiny teacup pig. Can she actually put down her own self for once? Yup, not looking good. The pig ends up being sold to someone else, and Addie must race to find the pig before her friend showed. Along the way, Addie realizes what's important in life, and who really matters.

Each story of these three authors are linked together, which you don't see in most short story books. You feel more connected and cherish each story more. Let it Snow is one of those books you read for fun, and enjoy every minute it. You don't have to be shivering in the winter to enjoy it. It's a good young adult book for any season.

I love winter!

Such a great book and a nice qiuck read!

The three stories dovetail...

ingeniously! This was one of my high school book club's selection and we really enjoyed it. It wonderful to see three talented writers collaborating so cleverly.

Review

Not only as a big John Green and Maureen Johnson fan, I would recommend this book to any one. Absolutely every one. This book is made of Puffy awesome cuteness obviously worth reading. Though I wasn't a fan of Lauren Myracle (or had ever heard of her), I liked her story as well.

Very Kool

Its a nice read for the holidays and in some way all the stories are connect so its really kool and its set in my home state of VA which is really kool!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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