My New Crush Gave to Me

by Shani Petroff

Eager for a date to the holiday season "Lover's Ball," school newspaper editor Charlie rigs the school's Secret Santa exchange to woo the boy of her dreams.

• ISBN10: 1250130328
• ISBN13: 9781250130327
• Publish Date: 31 October 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 November 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

3.75

Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso book tours for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

"Okay, you stop that this second. I'm not letting you be all bah humbug. You just need some Christmas Magic."

Charlie is kind of a scrooge this year, her mom has started working a new shift, she has no date for the big party and all of her usual Christmas traditions keep getting pushed aside or fall apart. The only thing she feels like she really has control over is her school work and the school paper. So with some help from her best friend Morgan, she decides she is going to turn things around and get the guy she has a crush on to go with her to the party.

"It's exactly like this: you don't like what someone says and you walk away. There's no real discussion. You make up your mind, and it doesn't matter what the other person thinks."

This book is a nice contemporary Christmas book. It's actually for the YA age range and the characters actually act like teenagers! Plus side this is also a mostly clean book.

I did struggle with this book, mainly because I couldn't like Charlie not only is she extremely controlling but if she doesn't like what you say she just walks away or ignores you and does what she wants anyway. This is extremely frustrating to those around her and makes the other people on the paper not like her too much. This also causes a bit of a problem when it comes to finding help for the perfect Christmas gifts for the persons he has a crush on. With a little bribery though Morgan is able to help her find someone to help and this is one thing's start getting interesting.

"It was an actual winter wonderland. I didn't know neighborhoods like this even existed."

Charlie is introduced into a world she had never been a part of. She sees what other family traditions are like and she gets to experience them. She also learns how to let go of some of the control and has fun for a change. She gets taken to some really amazing places and I'm not going to lie I'm kind of jealous. (Where can I find a person that does this type of stuff for me?)

As for the romance, I could tell really quickly what was going to happen, but I did find it fun to see how long it took her to realize what everyone else already knew. I am happy with the ending and I'm glad she does finally realize certain things about herself.

"My wish had come true."

One thing I do want to mention is this book was a good reminder for me to take a break this holiday season and actually have fun and not worry so much about stuff or making sure everything is perfect. Because at the end of the day that's not what it's about. It's about spending time with your family and taking in all that's happening around you.

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[Sam@WLABB]

For the second time this year, I experienced this feeling:



So, I had just set aside two books that weren't working for me, and I was worried that I was falling into the dreaded reading slump 😲, and then along comes this wonderful book. Seriously, when I was done with this book, I felt so buoyant, my heart so light, that I wanted to dance atop a mountain while making a joyful noise.

Reasons why I wanted to hug this book

•Charlie was my type of girl. She was all about schedules and planning and she abhorred lateness (my personal pet peeve). I could totally related to her and her little control freak ways, but I was also pleased to see her grow and change a little over the course of the book.

• J.D. was probably one of my favorite things about this book. I wish I had had a boy like J.D. in my life in high school, because he was something special. He was smart, funny, a little goofy, and artistic. He was also so thoughtful and sweet. I adored his interactions with his little cousin, his parents, and his grandfather, and this boy totally won a place in my heart.

•Charlie and Morgan had such an awesome friendship, and I was totally jealous of them. I liked how they shared so much and had each other's backs. Everyone should have a friend like that.

•This book really put me in the holiday spirit. Christmas, Christmas everywhere! We got to share in so many holiday traditions, as well as see some old ones evolve with changing circumstances. It was also fun unwrapping all the secret santa gifts. One of my favorite things about the holidays is finding the perfect gift for someone. That was one of the things Charlie and J.D. were trying to accomplish in this book, and I was elated to get to tag along on their search.

•I always enjoy a good enemies-to-friends-to-more story, and this one did not disappoint. The initial verbal sparring between J.D. and Charlie was quite amusing, but I really liked when their relationship grew into a true friendship, where they could confide in and rely on each other.

•Baking! Charlie and Morgan have a little baking business, and there is a ton of wonderful baking going on in book. I really need to find me a Jim Dandy recipe, because they sound ah-mazing.



Overall: This book was everything I was looking for and needed at the time. It oozed holiday charm, but also delivered a story filled with love, friendship, and family, which is something I associate with the holidays. I found myself with a severe case of the warm-fuzzies and a perma-smile on my face.

**I would like to thank the publishers for the review copy.

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