Mistletoe by Abbott, de la Cruz, Friedman, and Malkin

Mistletoe

Hailey Abbott, Melissa de la Cruz, Aimee Friedman, and Nina Malkin

Scholastic

Released October 6, 2006

Source: Purchased

Summary: What do you get when four popular YA authors come together? One captivating holiday novel full of drama, parties, presents, and romance!

Review: 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.

Rating: 7-Good, enjoyable, but not great