4 Books I Want to Read This Holiday Season

Look, I’ve always been a little hesitant to read holiday-themed books.

It’s mainly because I’m Jewish, and like most people raised in the non-dominant cultural religion, I’ve always been a little hesitant around Christmas time. Don’t get me wrong, I love the holiday season. The pretty lights on every street, everything covered in the picturesque snow, all the hot chocolate and Baileys especially. 🤤 I’ve just always been a little skittish around the Christmas of it all.

But this year, because of Covid-19, it being the first one I’ll be spending away from my childhood home and my parents (but with my partner, luckily), I’ve really embraced the holiday cheer more than ever before. And, in a bid to make my new house feel as home-y as it can this winter season, I’ve really decked the halls, so to speak. 😅

And between decorating the tree, hanging the stockings, and baking lots and lots of cookies, I seem to have caught the holiday bug. So with that in mind, I thought I’d jump in, head first, and list some holiday-themed books I’ve had my eyes on for a while, but have always been hesitant in the past to actually pick up and read. 🎄⛄️❄️

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.

One Day in December by Josie Silver

Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic… and then her bus drives away.

Certain they’re fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn’t find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they “reunite” at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It’s Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.

What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered.

One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.

Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle

A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda.

After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks.

Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

Do you want to read any of these books? Or have you already?

What other holiday-themed books have caught your eye?

Let me know!