Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (Paperback)

by John Green (Author), Lauren Myracle (Author), Maureen Johnson (Author)
Key Phrases: cherries jubilee, cheesy waffles, lauren myracle, Waffle House, Christmas Eve, Tinfoil Guy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up–What do a Christmas Eve snowstorm, 14 perky cheerleaders, a Waffle House, and a guy covered in tin foil have in common? Answer: these romantic holiday stories. Through an interconnected cast of characters set in one small Southern town, each author reveals a serendipitous night in the life of a particular teen. In Johnson's Jubilee Express, level-headed Jubilee experiences a traumatic day during which her parents get arrested, her train gets stuck in the snow, and she breaks up with her boyfriend, but in the end finds a new love. Green deftly portrays the teen male perspective with humor and wit in his Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, which starts with an urgent quest for cheerleaders and ends with an eye-opening experience of finding true love right before one's eyes. In Myracle's Patron Saint of Pigs, while agonizing over the pain of a recent breakup, Addie learns about herself and gains respect for relationships at the same time. Tender without being mushy, these carefully crafted stories of believable teen love will leave readers warm inside for the holidays.–Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
In this charming trio of interconnected novellas, a massive snowstorm on Christmas Eve acts as a catalyst for romance in the lives of three teens. In Maureen Johnson’s tale, Jubilee Express, after Jubilee’s train becomes snowbound, she seeks shelter at a nearby Waffle House, along with a squad of hyper cheerleaders. In John Green’s story, A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, a guy summons three friends to the Waffle House, where the combination of cheerleaders and cheesy waffles prompts big realizations. Finally, in Lauren Myracle’s entry, Patron Saint of Pigs, self-absorbed Addie atones for cheating on her boyfriend (who was stuck on Jubilee’s train) by proving she can be an angel for someone else, even if that someone is only a pet pig. Johnson’s playfulness, Green’s banter, and Myracle’s sincerity mesh well here, resulting in a collection that is imbued with optimism and warmth. The plotting is tight, and each end loosed by one author is tied up by another like a bright Christmas bow. A delightful read any time of the year. Grades 8-12. --Jennifer Hubert

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Speak (October 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142412147
• ISBN-13: 978-0142412145
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #177,262 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I want this book in my pants. (Figuratively, don't freak out.), October 13, 2008

By	Sarah Venelle Keeler ""Fate is like a str... (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I picked up Let it Snow, expecting to read it leisurely as the holidays approached. I imagined reading a few pages here and there throughout the month of November, perhaps finishing it over Christmas break, just in time to break out those reindeer socks with the holes I've been wearing since I was ten and refuse to throw away. Instead, I found myself sucked into a charming, engaging web of a story, only to emerge 14 hours later wanting more.

As a fan of all of the author's independent works, I was pleased to find that each author's voice remained just as unique and bold as in their other works, yet all three worked together seamlessly to tell a larger story. The vividness of the characters is such that they stick with you long after you put the book down. (Okay, I say "long after" but seeing as I finished it about 4 hours ago, I really just mean "stick with you for at least four hours and probably longer" after finishing the book. The point is that you'll find no one-dimensional characters here.) I feel sort of scarily like I grew up alongside Tobin, Addie and Stuart, or have been best friends with Jubilee ever since we both missed the bus on the first day of middle school.

The story is simple, but also marvelously complex, tackling such important existential questions as "What course of action should one take when fourteen cheerleaders are locked in a Waffle House in a small town in Virginia during the worst snow storm in fifty years?" Yes, people fall in love- there is romance and heartbreak and lots of dumping and break ups (or at least a couple); but I promise Let it Snow is not one of those Made-for-TV movies that air way too many times on the Hallmark channel during the month of December in which someone learns to believe in the Christmas spirit and Santa Claus brings everyone presents at the end.

No, Let it Snow doesn't tie a nice little red bow on its romance. The character's relationships feel raw, real and honest. They warm your heart and sort of make you want to be in love. (So much so that I had to actually remind myself that, oh yeah, I was already in love.) Don't worry. If you don't have your own love story to tell this Christmas, after finishing this book, you'll probably want to start taking it out for coffee and to your mother's Christmas Eve smorgasbord. Maybe the two of you will even frolic in the snow? Okay, so I don't actually recommend that, since it's a paperback and ice is usually wet and "wet" and "paperback" is usually a bad combination.

My point is, that you should read this book. You should read this no matter how old you are, or where you live, or what time of year it is or whether or not you like Christmas. You should read this if you want to be entertained, moved, made to think.

Do something nice for yourself this Christmas (Or Halloween, even) and read Let it Snow.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, October 2, 2008

By	The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews

It's Christmas Eve, and one of the biggest storms in memory has hit, isolating tiny Gracetown, Virginia. For Jubilee, Tobin, and Addie the storm will bring them together in the most unconventional of ways. Jubilee, on her way to Florida, is stranded outside of Gracetown when her train gets stuck in the snow. Rather than endure Christmas Eve night on the train with a mass of perky cheerleaders, she ventures out and heads to the nearby Waffle House, where she encounters Stuart, who is still nursing a broken heart.

Tobin and his friends JP and the Duke are enjoying their Christmas Eve holed up at Tobin's house and watching a James Bond movie marathon when they are enticed out into the night to the local Waffle House. What should be a twenty minute drive on a clear night turns into a crazy race to get there before the intimidating Reston twins...but when they get there things don't go quite how they planned.

For Addie, the holidays have been filled with misery since she and her boyfriend Jeb broke up. But this year she'll gain some perspective (and possibly more) during one very long and very snowy shift at Starbucks the day after Christmas.

All three stories are cleverly woven together, along with each author's inimitable style and brand of humor. The wholly unique, ironic, witty, intelligent, and heartfelt plots that Myracle, Johnson, and Green have become well known for is strongly present in Let It Snow. The varying and colorful characters are authentic and highly realistic, allowing for the book to appeal to a wide range of reader interests. The dialogue, the jokes, the slang, and actions are all pitch perfect to this generation, and wildly appealing, even as they push the limits of reality. But even so, most readers will be more than willing to hold on tight and enjoy the ride as this sweet and sarcastically funny holiday read unravels.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Light winter read, December 10, 2008

By	Sarah J. Carlin "blinkclear" (Iowa) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

To get into the holiday spirit, I just read Let It Snow, a collection of three holiday romance stories. Though technically romance stories, they are actually really funny and would appeal to some guys as well. Each of the three stories centers on one town where a train has been stopped on Christmas Eve due to a terrible snowstorm.
The first story is about a girl who was going to Florida on the train, but got stranded in this small town. At the Waffle House she meets a guy who invites her to spend Christmas with his Jewish family.
The second story is about three friends who are trying to make their way through the snow to the Waffle House for hashbrowns and cheerleaders...
The third story follows a girl who spends her holidays heartbroken after breaking up with her boyfriend and then having him stand her up when she tried to apologize. Characters and places in all three stories intersect.
Though I enjoyed the stories, they were really "winter stories" rather than holiday. Didnt get me into the holiday mood, but I did have fun and a few laughs reading the book. Recommended for ages 13 and up.