Cover Image: All I Want for Christmas

All I Want for Christmas

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I felt this story had a slow start and I kept questioning the love triangle there was something about it. Overall, it is a decent read. The twist at the end is what made this book a 4 star instead of just the 3 stars I'd planned on giving it as I read it. I recommend this book for YA romance fans that want a cute holiday read.

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Mini Review: This was a cute book! I know if I had read it as a teen (esp. as a younger teen), I would have absolutely loved it! As an adult I thought it was a cute read, and it did have a twist at the end that I did not see coming at all! I won't say anything else, because I don't want to spoil it for people. I do want to add one warning here, TRIGGER WARNING: If sad animal related things upset you, I did want to throw in a warning here. It's a past thing they talk about, but it does have an little bit of an impact on the story, and while I was able to keep reading the book, it definitely brought up some sad memories for me, and I know it would for others. Just wanted to say that. END WARNING But despite that I did enjoy the book, and if you're looking for a festive read, I would recommend trying this one!

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This book really did make my heart very happy. I loved this little Christmas book. I read it in one day. I just love Bailey's spirit of Christmas and how she makes the most of it every year and does not care what people say. All she wants for Christmas is to kissed under the mistletoe by a great guy. Enter Jacob the joker of the school who is very cute and Charlie the mysterious British boy who helped her out in different jams. She likes both but can not decide who she likes better. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants a great Christmas read.

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Oh this book. I was seriously cute and seriously a holiday dream. I loved it, corny as it was. Bailey and Jacob go to school together and Jacob is kind of the normal guy that she knows but doesn't really know. Charlie on the other hand appears out of no where and seems perfect.

There is a bit of a love triangle and a lot of holiday magic. Tree farm, cozy bookstore and lots of family fun. I really enjoyed this book. The only con I have is that the writing does seem a little juvenile for the age of the characters, but it did not ruin the story once I got used to it.

Very cute, wholesome and full of Christmas cheer and magic.

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All I Want for Christmas has all the cozy festive elements that I love in a holiday read. There was ice skating, a cookie exchange party, decorating, a Christmas tree farm and more. I also loved that Bailey worked at a bookstore, of course!

That being said, I had a hard time being invested in the book. I felt like an outsider looking in rather than being immersed in the story as it seemed like there was a lot of telling versus showing in the writing style. This book is definitely geared towards the younger end of YA, which I was not expecting.

I also wish there was more conflict in the story as the main challenge was whether Bailey should date Jacob, the guy she's known from school but has misjudged, or Charlie, a new British guy. There was a twist at the end of the book that felt really out of place for me. I really wanted to love this one but this book was just not for me unfortunately.

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Thank you Underlined and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for review. All opinions are my own, as usual.

All I Want for Christmas a joyous tale, perfect for the holiday season. We follow Bailey, a Christmas enthusiast looking for her perfect guy to spend time with under the mistletoe.
I enjoyed how festive the book was. There were many cult-classic Christmas references that made this a perfect book to start my December with. Roberts did this without any overly decorative writing, which I appreciate. This is somewhat of a rare occurrence for me, but I wish this book was a little bit longer. Bailey had such a fun family that I would have loved to read about more. She also held a few grudges against characters that we barely heard about which I wish would have been developed just a little more. She and one of the love interests get in a few stupid fights really about nothing but the characters are somewhat intense about it. The characters are then over the fight within sentences. I think simple pacing things like that could have been fixed if the book was just a chapter or two longer.
Overall, this was a magical and romantic story to read while listening to your favorite Christmas music, by a fireplace (or a video of one), and with a big mug of hot chocolate.

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If this book doesn't g give you all the amazing Christmas feels then I don't know what will. I have a smile on my face right now because this story put it there. I really do love this time of year, between the giving, the family memories and just the magic of the season. This book really helped to capture all of those feelings. You never know miracles really could happen.

The characters were wonderful and addicting. You could not help but keep rooting for Bailey and all her good fortunes. Charlie was a great mystery. Jacob was too adorable not to fall for. Even Bailey's friends and family helped to elevate this Christmas story to something even more special.

I really enjoyed this story from the beginning to the end. Hears and bells all around for everyone. This book will definitely help you get in the spirit of the season.

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This book is like a YA Hallmark movie. It was such a cute Christmas read and although it was cheesy at times, it was still adorable! YA is usually a hit or miss for me but I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice fluffy contemporary romance that sucked me in and I was sad when I finished. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that is similar to Hallmark Christmas movies!

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For some reason, I saw this cover back in the summer when I was perusing Fall releases and it stuck in my mind HARD. It screamed holiday magic and joy to me. I mean, is there anything better than a YA story at Christmas? I think not. And the title, All I Want for Christmas, had Mariah’s iconic classic streaming in my head on a loop!

Is this book cheesy to read as an adult? Yes. Did I love it anyone? 100%

It’s a subtle retelling of It’s A Wonderful Life with festive refrences to another classic, A Christmas Carol and it’s sweet at pie. Thank you to Get Underlined for my advanced copy!

Synopsis: “Bailey Briggs is counting down the days to Christmas: she lives for holiday music, baking cookies, going on snowy sleigh rides, and wearing her light-up reindeer ears to work at Winslow's bookstore. But all she really wants this year is the one thing she doesn't have: someone special to kiss under the mistletoe. And she's 100 percent certain that that someone isn't Jacob Marley--athlete, player, and of questionable taste in girlfriends--and that Charlie, the mysterious stranger with the British accent, is the romantic lead of her dreams. Is she right? This will be a December to remember, filled with real-life Christmas magic . . . and, if she stays on Santa's nice list, a wish that just might come true.” —From the publisher

What I Liked:

The premise—It’s a Wonderful Life is my favorite Christmas movie and I loved the subtle homage to that classic story!

The pacing—This book is the perfect length. At just over 200 pages, it doesn’t get boring with the teen romance drama or make you roll your eyes. It’s fast paced and keeps you engaged.

The family—I loved Bailey’s family and the neighborhood parties. While we can’t gather like this in the real 2020 Christmastide, it felt so nostalgic of my own Christmases growing up.

What Didn’t Work:

It’s just a cheesy, teen romcom so keep that in mind. It’s not going to be life changing literature for an adult but for any tween who loves Christmas, this would be the perfect addition to their holiday reading!

TW/CW: N/A

Character Authenticity: 3/5 Steam Rating: N/A Overall Rating: 3/5

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This book was so cute! Christmas is my favorite holiday so I of course was immediately drawn into this book. Add some romance and I’m sold. Nice read.

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LOVED this book! All I Want for Christmas is the perfect holiday read for all Christmas and young adult fans. This book was a super quick read with extremely likeable and relatable characters. I highly recommend checking this one out!

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Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It was just what I was expecting. Hallmark movie like.... I definitely felt the felt the "other" classic movie influence from early one.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS is a VERY cute Christmas book. This book was geared for the young adult crowd and I think I am not part of that group any longer. It’s very sweet and regardless of the age gap I really enjoyed this one.

If you enjoy reading Holiday themed novels early in the season, then I do recommend this one even though it’s on the sweeter side. Pretty predictable, guessed the "catch" pretty early on in the story.
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4/5 ⭐️

Bailey Briggs works at a bookstore, volunteers on her days off, and lives for all things Christmas. Her friends have warned her that she may be a little too intense about the holidays. However, the only thing Bailey really wants this holiday season doesn't come from a store. She is secretly hoping for a little Christmas Magic in the form of a kiss from a special someone under the mistletoe. Jacob Marley is the chill, cool guy, athlete, and definitely not the guy she will kissing. This suspicion is confirmed when he shows up to school on ugly sweater day in a Bah Humbug sweatshirt, or at least mostly confirmed. I mean his name is Jacob Marley, so it's actually pretty clever, right? But on the other hand there is Charlie, the mysterious blonde, British boy, who keeps showing up in the nick of time, seemingly out of nowhere, to literally save her. He's handsome, not to mention, sweet, great with kids, and looks like his clothes come straight out of a catalog. If he were any better she would start to believe she made him up. She likes spending time with both of them, but who will be the one to make her wish come true?

This YA holiday rom-com was delightful! It kept me turning the page, and not wanting to put it down, the exact lighthearted escape that I needed to kick off this holiday season. (Not to give anything away, I'll just say that I was surprised but the ending, which usually doesn't happen.) I loved the friendships in this novel, and while you couldn't pay me to go back to high school, I wouldn't mind hanging it with this bunch again. I have only a few critiques. The dialogue did occasionally sound like an adult impersonating a teenager, and I would've liked to see a more diverse set of characters. Overall, if you looking for a fun seasonal read this holiday I think this one is worth picking up! It definitely put me in the Christmas spirit and perfect for reading with sugar cookies and hot cocoa.

Thanks Underlined and Netgalley for this free digital review copy.

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I honestly could not get into this book. I think I am outside the target audience. Premise seems cute though.

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Since I'm full of Christmas cheer, I'm going to award All I Want for Christmas four stars. The story is 100% a book interpretation of a cheesy Christmas Hallmark movie.... and I was *here for it*!

Realistically, i admit the book doesn't quite deserve a four star rating. There wasn't a ton of depth to the characters, and I found Bailey to be immature compared to what a regular 16ish old girl is. Also, the ending was.... kinda weird. I love me a good love triangle, but I didn't feel like the resolution landed too well in book form, though I think it would have more so in a movie adaptation. There wasn't any foreshadowing of it, so it just seemed rushed, and like it came out of nowhere.

So why did I give the book a higher rating? Despite the faults, the story was really cute, and I loved the inclusion of the stereotypical holiday activities -- ice skating, sledding, going to a Christmas tree farm, a cookie exchange, Secret Santa gifts. The book definitely had me smiling through it.

So because it gave me the smiles and had plenty of holiday cheer, I wasnt as harsh as I normally am on rating what I read.

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Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity of reading this book. I really enjoyed this christmasy love story. I relate so much to Bailey because even though I am 30 years old, Christmas is my joy, I love this season so much. Honestly, I was hesitant about giving this story a try, because 1) Wendy Loggia is a new author to me, and 2) I don't read YA at all anymore . However, I did and I am happy about it; All I Want for Christmas will make you dream and love Christmas again or fall in love even more. What a freaking twist at (almost) at the end of the book!! I didn't expect that, nope I didn't. I wanted Bailey to choose him, but I also was hoping for the other guy (I'm trying not to give any spoilers - sorry!)

Once again, THANK YOU for this heart feeling, lovely and swoony Christmas story.

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This book was so cute! Sure, most of the characters were underdeveloped, and the love triangle was irritating, but it was still adorable! I’m a Christmas lover like Bailey, and I was reading this to get into the Christmas mood. It definitely did its job! I’m ready to go curl up with a Hallmark movie, or go bake some cookies.

All I Want For Christmas follows Bailey, who asks Santa for one thing: love. While she works in a cozy bookstore, and organizes Christmas cookie swaps, she finds love amid a landscape of falling snow.

While the characters were pretty lacking, the atmosphere was amazing! I could picture myself sledding down the hill with Bailey and Charley, or exploring the Christmas tree farm with Jacob. Plus, most of the book is set inside a bookstore, and what reader can say no to that? This book really got me in the Christmas spirit!

My main problem with this book ended up being the love triangle. If a love triangle is done right, I can love them. Most of the time though, I hate love triangles. Sadly, this was one of those cases. Both of the love interests were super undeveloped, and didn’t have much personality. I was definitely shipping one over the other, but even he wasn’t anything special. I also was pretty disappointed with how it was resolved, it felt lazy and rushed. With that being said though, the dates Jacob and Bailey went on were adorable!

If you love romances, and you love Christmas, this book is for you! It’s short enough to binge in one sitting, and would be perfect with a cup of hot cocoa!

Thanks to Netgalley and Wendy Loggia for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

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As this book started, I thought for sure I was in for a novel version of a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie and I was right. This book is exceptionally sweet in nature and geared toward the tween/teenage category of readers. High schooler Bailey Briggs has recently found herself interested in two boys who also appear to be interested in her. Jacob Marley, whose family owns a Christmas tree farm and a sweet but mysterious British teen named Charlie who seems to appear whenever she needs help the most. While the book sets itself up as a bit of a teen romance novel it is sprinkled with Christmas spirit all the way through and the ending left me shocked. Readers will not be disappointed with this quick, easy, holiday read.

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Adorable! I loved Bailey in this book and really found myself becoming attached to both Jacob and Charlie. This was fun and light-ish without the drama of some other YA books. I cannot wait to read more of Wendy's books!

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This was a very cute YA romance/Christmas story. Bailey (named after George Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life, apparently), is obsessed with Christmas and wants her life to be a Hallmark movie. Well, wish granted when two handsome guys start paying attention to her. One is too good to be true, and the other is more flawed but still likable. And his name is Jacob Marley (could it be fate? Though Marley was dead, to begin with, in A Christmas Carol, so I'm not too sure about that name choice). It's pretty obvious that she'll end up with the more realistic choice, and it's very satisfying. The subplot with the oh so handsome British boy is a little strange, but it works well enough for a light and fluffy Christmas tale.
One thing I loved was how truly realistic the teenagers were--so normal, and little details like analyzing the use of a period at the end of a text were appreciated. This author has a clear picture of her characters and makes them realistic.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!<i>

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