All I Want for Christmas

by Christa Roberts

[Julie @ Struck by Stories]

All I Want for Christmas was nearly everything I was looking for in a Christmas-themed YA rom-com.

For starters, Bailey Briggs, our leading teen girl, is so much like me it’s crazy! She’s a hopeless romantic, cute & quirky, a passionate lover of and believer in Christmas, and undeniably bookish. I especially loved the fact that she worked at a bookstore, because I can totally relate (I mean, libraries aren’t that much different from bookstores, are they?)

I also completely adored the holiday aspect of it, as it made it a perfect book to read to transition me into the Christmas spirit. This book has gingerbread cookie decorating, tree farm visits, holiday parties, winter snowstorms, and so much more!

However, my favorite part about this book was all the cute little subtle touches the author added, including, but not limited to:
- Snapchat filters
- A MC w/ two siblings (an older brother & younger sister)
- Texting excerpts with emojis (not Apple’s version, but close enough!)
- Bailey teaching her parents TikTok dances
- Mentions of both ACT & SAT
- Bailey having two jobs (bookstore and babysitting)
- Referencing other books like Trials of Apollo instead of HP & JKR
- Jacob having mild acne (which is UNHEARD of in love interests!)
- Bailey’s chem teacher wearing an “Oh Chemistree” sweater
- The inclusion of a full recipe for “Mom’s Spritz Cookies”
- Mentions of Christmas Vacation (one of my favorite holiday movies!)
- Saying APUSH instead of AP history
- Bitmoji mentions
… and so many more I’m probably forgetting!

That being said, even with all of the modern-day references thrown in, this read very much like an early 2000s YA mass-market romance book (Simon Romantic Comedies, anyone?), which isn’t too much of a problem for me, as I love those books to death, except that there wasn’t any discernible diversity (body, sexuality, gender, race, religion, disability, or otherwise) in either the main or side characters, which is something that I feel like would have easily enhanced my appreciation and enjoyment of the book.

Also, while I really enjoyed the suspense of not knowing who Bailey would ultimately pick (even though I had my suspicions!), there was a plot twist directly relating to this at the very end that I wasn’t expecting (those who have already read this know EXACTLY what I'm talking about hahaha). In all honesty, what bothered me the most about it was not actually the reveal itself (which I thought was really unique and fun!), but that since it happened within the last few pages, it could’ve maybe been explained a little better?

Other than that, however, I found All I Want for Christmas to be a charming, wholesome book that warmed my heart in the best way possible. Like its eponymous song title, this is a story full of Christmas magic, holiday cheer, corny moments, and just the perfect amount of swoonworthy moments. Highly recommended for fans of Aimee Friedman (A Novel Idea, Snow in Love), Shani Petroff (My New Crush Gave to Me), and anyone else in the mood for a fluffy YA rom-com to curl up with for the holidays!