Lauren Myracle – Heart Full of Books

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
Genre: romance, contemporary
Published by: Speak
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★.5
Where To Find: Goodreads | Amazon

Let It Snow is the perfect wintery read to read during a snow filled pyjama day. The three stories are cleverly woven together through the character’s mutual friends. Not only that, but they are full of fun and they’re quick to read.

I’d say that I liked them in the order they appeared, first Maureen Johnson’s then John Green’s then Lauren Myracle’s. So I shall review each story individually.

The Jubilee Express was my favourite because although like the other it took place within a short amount of time the pacing was fast. I just wanted to find out what happened next, I couldn’t help myself from reading it quickly. Jubilee was my favourite of the three protagonists because she was believable and her story was humorous. Stuart was probably my favourite of the love interests too, because he was so dang nice, and his mother is the physical embodiment of Christmas spirit. I loved every second of this sweet romance! It set a very high standard for the other two stories, and I was perhaps a little disappointed with them because of this.

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle was easily identifiable as a John Green creation. (See How To: Write a John Green novel) All the classic John Green elements were in there, and although I loved the writing style, and thought the (stock) characters were engaging, exaggerated, and hilarious. I couldn’t picture them as actual human beings. If there are people in the world like John Green’s characters then I would very much like to meet them, because they way they talk is enchanting and the construction of their humour is ingenious! I really liked the development of Tobin and the Duke’s relationship, it was heart-warmingly adorable. However, I didn’t really enjoy the actual plot of the story. The majority of it is a race to the Waffle House which last an indeterminable amount of time, if I’m honest, I was quite bored. JP’s reaction of the couple’s relationship redeemed my opinion by the end of the story, but I still think the middle was weaker than the rest of the novel thus far.

I really could not connect with the protagonist, Addie in The Patron Saint of Pigs. I appreciated Jeb as the character that linked the stories effortlessly, but whereas I appreciated him, I don’t think Addie did. The dramatic irony was entertaining, but I was unsympathetic towards Addie’s whinging, and felt that she didn’t deserve Jeb in the end! That may be slightly harsh, because by the end of the story I suppose she’d learned her lesson, but the first half was rather hard to read, because I didn’t want to put myself through the narrative. (Addie was incredibly self absorbed to begin with.) My favourite bit of the story was the end, where all the characters were reunited! It was so lovely to see Jubilee and Stuart again!

Overall, I’m giving Let It Snow 2.5 stars! If you’re in the mood for a festive read next year, definitely give this one a go!

As the Christmas season is upon us, and those of us that are enjoying the toils of school are soon to be released into the world of holidays, we thought it would be good to recommend our five favourite Christmassy reads (in no particular order!)

1. ‘Let It Snow’ by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
This is a super cute collection of short stories that are all linked, like ‘Love Actually’. The authors’ writing styles really compliment each other and all the characters are so well developed in a short amount of pages. My favourite story in the collection was probably Maureen Johnson’s, the first in the anthology, and I hope to read more of her work soon!

My-True-Love-Gave-to-Me 2. ‘My True Love Gave to Me’ edited by Stephanie Perkins
Basically, this in another anthology filled with short Christmas stories written by everyone’s favourite authors. They’re so sweet an quick to read, perfect for falling in love, as the tag line says. These really get you into the Christmas mood, without a huge commitment to 400 pages as they’re not all interlinked.

3. ‘Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares’ by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Christmas just seems to be the season to read collaborations. The book is set in a wintery New York and is about two unsuspecting teens finding romance. What’s not to love? Again, this is a quick read, but full of laughs and anecdotes, you can’t help but feel cheerful the whole way through.

4. ‘Fangirl’ by Rainbow Rowell
I chose ‘Fangirl’ because I think there’s a real emphasis on the importance of family and communicating with them, which is a great message for the Christmas season. All Cath is in a completely new environment, her family and love interest offer her comfort and security. A tear-jerker, but the most adorable and relatable book ever written.

5. ‘Divergent’ by Veronica Roth
This might seem like an odd choice because there’s nothing Christmassy about it at all. I mean, a war between factions, with murders, conspiracies and battles? Not exactly all merry and bright. However, I think it’s the perfect book to take you somewhere completely new. It will absorb your whole mind and make your heart race – something to keep you completely occupied on a Christmas afternoon.