Customer Reviews

Mistletoe: Four Holiday Stories

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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WORKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND (Aimee Friedman) - Maxine "Max" Silver, is your typical New York City gal, who loves shopping during the holiday season, trying on dresses that she'll never be able to afford, and scarfing down hot chocolate and cookies in Rockefeller Center. The strange part is that she doesn't celebrate Christmas, and feels that there is a serious lack of Hanukkah songs available to all of those dreidel-spinning masses. However, her thoughts regarding holiday music instantly go out the window when this college freshman runs into her high school crush, the scrumptious Heath Barton, whose father happens to own Barton's Department Store. Before Max knows what's happening, she's working in the Christmas Corner at Barton's, dressed as a holiday elf, singing Christmas Carols with a Nutcracker Prince, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Santa Claus, while making goo-goo eyes at Heath. But on Christmas Eve, this New York City fashionista finds true love with someone she least expected. 5/5 stars.

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE BREAKUP (Hailey Abbott) - Aria, Emily, Marcus, and Jason have been best friends for years. Double dating at the dingy diner known as Matthew's, and sharing heaping plates of greasy chili-cheese fries for as long as they can remember. But when Emily leaves for college, waving goodbye to Aria, Marcus, and Jason, who are all seniors, the foursome splits up. That is, until Christmas rolls around, and Aria believes that everything will go back to normal. But Emily returns home with a new personality. Gone is the funny Emily who left, and in her place is a more mature, composed Emily, who has no time for football games, and high school drama. She also has no time for her boyfriend, Marcus, who seems to be getting a little too cozy with Aria lately, leaving the two wondering, on New Year's Eve, who, exactly, they'll be kissing when the clock strikes twelve. 5/5 stars.

SCENES FROM A CINEMATIC NEW YEAR'S (Nina Malkin) - Connor Moline doesn't have stars in his eyes, but just about every girl who looks in his direction does. For he plays Danny Stiles on TV's "Pinot's Point," and he's hanging out in the middle of a Hollywood mall, as faux snow falls from the ceilings. But all he can think about is the great time he'll be having when he and his buddies get to Lake Tahoe, where they'll be ringing in the New Year with some really gorgeous girls in a couple of hot tubs. 4/5 stars.

THE CHRISTMAS CHOOS (Melissa de la Cruz) - Kelsey Cooper is considered one of the beautiful people at Parker High School, but it's not because she has fancy clothes, or an expensive car. And it's certainly not because she lives in the rich part of town - because she doesn't. No, the only reason why she's accepted into Gigi McClusky's uber-trendy group is because Kelsey is the prettiest girl in school, and no group of Beautiful People can be complete without the prettiest girl in school. But when Kelsey begins searching for the perfect gift for her longtime boyfriend, and best friend, Brenden Molloy, she realizes that the forty-five dollars burning a hole in her pocket is certainly not enough to purchase something that will show him how much he truly means to her. Brenden feels the same way. So the happy couple do something drastic to afford gifts for one another. Gifts that will bring a smile to the others face, while forcing them to make the ultimate sacrifice. 5/5 stars.

I have been waiting for the release of MISTLETOE for months, and was ecstatic when it finally arrived earlier this week. Each story brought a sense of holiday warmth into my heart, even though it's only October, and there are still Halloween decorations dotting people's front doors. Hailey Abbott's HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE BREAKUP presented amazing character development, and fabulous dialogue that truly made you interested in what would happen next in the story; while Melissa de la Cruz's THE CHRISTMAS CHOO's managed to mix a bit of MTV's MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEEN and THE GIFT OF THE MAGI together to create a beautiful, heartwarming holiday story that contained two lovable characters, whose chemistry between one another was impeccable. Nina Malkin's SCENES FROM A CINEMATIC NEW YEAR'S confused me a bit, as the various scenes seemed to zap the characters from location to location without a moment's notice, and the content seemed a little less holiday-ish than some of the other tales, but it was still enjoyable. However, it was Aimee Friedman's WORKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND that I enjoyed the absolute most. Max was your typical New Yorker with a sarcastic personality, hip lingo, and a flair for the dramatics. The fact that she had the job of working as a department store elf - something I've wanted to do for years - was hilarious, and the romantic interludes shared between her and her surprising love interest were absolutely adorable, sending warmth through the reader's entire body. Flannel pajamas and hot cocoa are a necessity while reading these toe-tingling tales of holiday romance.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Mistletoe means kissing, and four favorite authors each create a story about love and relationships during the holiday season in this anthology.

New Year's Eve equals a time for new beginnings, and Maxine can't wait for her high school BFF's famous Christmas party. However, being at home during her college break and pining away for the perfect but pricey party dress in the window leaves her feeling a little depressed. Her old crush just might have all the answers she's looking for, including a job, so all her New Year's Eve dreams just might come true. There is, of course, just one little catch--she's working as an elf in a Winter Wonderland, but she's Jewish. (WORKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND by Aimee Friedman)

A broken up foursome reunites in Hailey Abbott's tale, HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE BREAKUP, with Emily's return home from college. But things aren't really what they seem to be. Her boyfriend, with the help of her best friend, buys her a last minute gift; she doesn't know what to talk to her best friend about; and no one seems to remember that she has a whole new life...or do they?

One Hollywood superstar's New Year's turns out very different than the one he's expecting. Instead of skiing, a JLo cancellation changes his departure plans. Instead of flying, he drives towards his destination, breaking down about halfway there in a ghost town. From that point on, something shifts. He falls hard for a girl and takes a deep look at himself and sees that the world may be more than just his plaything. (SCENES FROM A CINEMATIC NEW YEAR'S by Nina Malkin)

Finally, Melissa de la Cruz spins a modern twist on an old Christmas tale from the heart in THE CHRISTMAS CHOOS. Kelsey's determination to find her boyfriend a perfect gift for the holidays leads her down a path she'd never thought she'd take. On top of present stress, she's invited to her friend's Sweet Sixteen party in the gated community in town. Will she wear the same boring dress she's worn three times in a year again and have the snobs humiliate her, or will she finally wear her inheritance?

Four unique tales from favorite authors will help readers feel the iciness of winter, yet also leave them full of warmth. Hailey Abbott, Aimee Friedman, Nina Malkin, and Melissa de la Cruz bring festival treats filled with relationships and their concerns during the holiday season.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

I could not put this book down. It was so good it added just the right touch to my holiday.

i purchased this for a gift for my best friend, had it shipped directly to her. She really enjoyed the collection of stories in this book!

This collection of four short stories was well written and provided some much needed holiday pleasure. Because each of the stories was unique, I am going to give you a quick rundown of each.

In "Working in a Winter Wonderland" by Aimee Friedman, Maxine takes a holiday job in a big city department store in order to purchase the perfect dress for her best friend's New Year's Eve bash. While working, she also becomes one step closer to attaining her secret crush. One of the aspects I enjoyed most about this story was that both Hanukkah and Christmas are celebrated. As a person who celebrates Christmas, I enjoyed learning a little about Hanukkah and hope to read more YA novels about the holiday next winter. This story was full of charm. Aimee's writing was clear, and I loved the ending, even if it was a little predictable.

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Breakup" by Hailey Abbott shares the story of how people change and grow apart. Aria is super excited that her best friend Emily, who is a year older than she, is returning home from her freshman year of college. However, she learns that Emily has grown apart from her boyfriend and her friendship with Aria. Though I knew what was going to happen after reading a couple of pages of this story, Hailey is a good storyteller and kept my attention through her use of three dimensional characters in a realistic situation.

"Scenes from a Cinematic New Year's" by Nina Malkin was an interesting story to say the least. Connor Moline, a television star, experiences a wild ride while trying to join his friends for a winter getaway in Tahoe. I am still unsure of my thoughts on this one. The ending provided a nice twist, but I found the format and the characters to be very annoying. I do have to credit Nina though. She did a great job of showing rather than telling the story which made it easy to follow.

In "The Christmas Choos" by Melissa de la Cruz, neither Kelsey nor Brenden has much money to spend on Christmas presents, but both are determined to make it an unforgettable holiday for the other. This was my favorite of the four stories. I fell so in love with this retelling of "The Gift of the Magi" that I talked about it for several days after reading it. The characters in this story were so believable; I felt their emotions throughout the adorable plot. The ending was heartfelt, and Kelsey and Brenden became one of my favorite YA couples.

This book really put me in the holiday spirit. While reading, it made me feel warm and I became even more excited about all things holiday related--hot chocolate, Christmas lights and wrapping paper! This was a light read, but it was absolutely delightful.

Mistletoe is a mixed bag of holiday and new year's stories! They all have something different to offer but go together nicely! Just like, Let It Snow, it's perfect to read this time of year!

Of all the stories I think I enjoyed Aimee Friedman's story, Working in a Winter Wonderland the most. I don't want to give too much away because discovering the main character, Maxine's job at the department store is all part of the fun. But it's a great glimpse of the holiday madness that leads up to Christmas!

Have Yourself A Merry Little Breakup but Hailey Abbott is a great story about a group of friends and how things can change without even realizing it when one friend goes to college and the others are left back in high school. I was also engrossed by this story curious as to how it would all turn out!

Nina Malkin's story, Scenes From A Cinematic New Year's is a story of a teen tv star who has a very strange and magical night when his car gets stranded. I liked how this story progressed but the ending could have used a few more details in my opinion.

And finally, Melissa de la Cruz's story, The Christmas Choos is a sweet story about the lengths a boyfriend and girlfriend will go for each other. It is also based on a classic O. Henry story. I love when stories are reinvented in a new way but also still stay true to the heart of the original story!

Over all this was a fun holiday read that shows enough variety to keep the reader interested!