rainbow rowell

My True Love Gave to Me… Holiday stories from some of our favorites!

my true love

 

Rainbow Rowell? Stephanie Perkins? Ally Carter? Matt De La Pena? Gayle Forman? Jenny Han? ALL IN ONE BOOK? Yep!

Merry Christmas to us all.

I mostly loved this collection of short stories. Several of them were enough to put me in the Christmas spirit even back when I read it in early August, and the one from Rainbow Rowell is just purely magical. There’s so much to love here!

The ONLY thing keeping me from recommending it with all the power I have is that there were a few stories that seemed anti-holiday, and it made me hesitate to really go all in for this. I mean, if you’re asked to write a short story to be included with the YA giants that make up this collection, why put content in the stories that will fly in the face of some of those very holidays?

Of course, that’s just my opinion and others will most certainly disagree. Even with those few stories that made me uneasy, though, I believe that the good far outweighs the bad here and that the stories here that are good are REALLY good, perfect for the upcoming holiday season! If you’re a fan of any of these authors, you’ll want to own this. Check out My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories on Amazon or at your favorite local retailer.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

fangirl

This book is exactly what YA novels should lead into and what the NA genre in general should strive to be. Wow.

Fangirl is the story of Cather, a twin trying to find her own way in her first year of college. Throughout the book, she deals with her dad’s health, her mom’s abandonment, her sister’s rebellion, her first love, and her obvious talent for writing. What I love about Cather, though, is that she’s not your typical book heroine. I mean, she’s strong, but it’s an understated strong. She wouldn’t consider herself strong, but she’s incredible. She knows her passion and goes for it whole-heartedly.

What I love even more than Cather and her writing talent is Levi’s adorable self. There’s something about the way he talks to Cath that is irresistible, and as much as I don’t usually go for country guys, but his sweetness and ever-present flannel are perfect.