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

Title: Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (Goodreads)
Author: John Green, Maureen Johnson, & Lauren Myracle
Published: September 11, 2008 by Puffin
(352 pages, paperback)
Summary: Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. 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.
--
My thoughts: Let It Snow is a cute, light, fun, romantic read. The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson was funny and romantic. It was the most Christmassy story, really, and it was cute in a sarcastic way. John Green's A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle was my favorite of the group, because of its randomness, sweetness, and witty dialogue. Once again, Green has made me adore his characters, even if they had the shortest amount of pages. Even though Lauren Myracle's the Patron Saint of Pigs was my least favorite, it was nice in its own way, and it was also quirky. I loved the way all of the authors must have collaborated to make the character's from each story interact with each other. Overall, Let It Snow was a great holiday read, even if the holidays are technically over. Each story had its own charm and its own feel, making it a nice, light read.
--
The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson: Jubilee has just learned her parents are in jail over Christmas decorations and she will be travelling (on Christmas Eve, no less) to Florida to stay with her grandparents over Christmas. And her boyfriend doesn't really care. So when Jubilee's train gets stuck in a snowstorm in the small, but quirky town of Gracetown, she's not having the best day. I loved how Johnson wrote Jubilee; she was kind of shy, kind of strange, and more than a little annoyed. Yeah, Jubilee was a little melodramatic for me, but she was definitely bearable. SHe was a bit rash too, but in a teenager-like way that made me laugh more than anything. Even though the story was kind of predictable, it was light and cute and romantic. I loved how Jubilee wasn't really all that quirky, but because of her strange situation, she came across as a little nuts. It was nice to see a romance that wasn't all perfect and gooey and overly done. Plus, Stuart was just so darn cute. The Jubilee Express was a great start for the book, and the characters were lovable enough to make me glad they were re-introduced in the other two stories.
Rating: 4 stars
--
A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green: Not surprisingly, I loved A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle. It was hilarious, adventurous, and crazy. After reading this one, I wish I could go back to Christmas eve, grab all of my friends, and trek out in the snow to a waffle house, just to see what happens. Tobin was basically a carbon copy of every other John Green protagonist, but with his own unique personality and odd group of friends. He was cute in a dorky way, hilarious in a snarky, sarcastic way, and strange in a lot of sweet ways. I loved the Duke and how un-girly she was. It was a cute story line and I was rooting for them to get together from the first time the Duke got upset about Tobin hitting on a cheerleader (even if the back cover kind of gave it away). Green's writing style was great, as always, and funny. I loved the whole premise of traveling through four-feet of snow to get to a diner full of cheerleaders--without forgetting the all-important Twister. If there was a complete novel about these characters, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat. All the characters were well-rounded and I just loved this story.
Rating: 5 stars
--
The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle: Addie is heartbroken over Jeb, thinking he doesn't love her anymore. While the readers know what's actually going on, because it was explained in The Jubilee Express that Jeb is, in fact, still in love with her (not really a spoiler since its mentioned in one of the first pages of the book), Addie is sadly left out of the loop and therefore, having a terrible Christmas. Okay, so, I didn't like Addie. I liked the story, the writing, and the conclusion to all of the stories at the end, Addie just annoyed me. I get that readers were supposed to not like her self-absorbed nature, but it didn't feel like she genuinely changed. Other than that, I liked the story line of having to pick up a tea-cup pig named Gabriel for her friend, Tegan. I loved the memories with Jeb; he seemed like the cutest and sweetest of all the guys in the anthology. Myracle is a good writer, and she managed to work in her own adventure, even if it wasn't as epic as the others. Overall, I liked the Patron Saint of Pigs, but it wasn't fantastic, and it fell a little flat in comparison to the other stories. But I loved the ending; I loved how all the characters all got together and interacted so much. It was a nice ending.
Rating: 3.5 stars
--
Overall Rating: 4 stars