My New Crush Gave To Me by Shani Petroff is basically what I wanted out of a holiday YA romance book. Unfortunately it has kind of ruined other books for me. I mean, now that I am getting into reading other holiday books after this one, I find myself irritated. They aren’t as snappy or as page turning as this book was. What I am trying to get at is that I really enjoyed My New Crush Gave To Me and would be confident recommending it if you want something Christmas themed and fast.

Shani Petroff’s My New Crush Gave To Me follows main character Charlie who is a co-editor of the newspaper and trying to land a date for this girl Noelle’s birthday party. Charlie sets her cap for Teo Ortiz who is quarterback of the football team, allegedly good looking, and a real go getter just like her. Her plan to win him over basically has her rigging secret Santa so she draws his name. She relies on JD, his cousin, for help coming up with gifts. JD annoys her but she’ll put up with him if it means getting what she wants. Of course you guys YOU GUYS you already know how this is going to play out — all that time spent with someone annoying at first? YEP YEP. Your predictions are probably dead on but don’t let that stop you from reading this book.

Okay so I just really enjoyed my time with this book. It’s cute. It is a fast read. The characters are people that I enjoyed reading about. I am a fan of the tropes involved here. ALSO! I did not mention this, but, Charlie’s best friendship with her co-editor Morgan is awesome. It is a depiction of a healthy and supportive friendship. No backstabbing or drama. I loved it. Oh and then there’s Charlie’s mom who from what I gather is a busy doctor but also really supportive and really cares about Charlie. Like not only are the main characters fun to read about, but I liked the side characters.

ON A SCALE OF ONE TO BUDDY THE ELF, HOW MUCH CHRISTMAS SPIRIT DOES THIS BOOK HAVE?
THERE IS CHRISTMAS CAROLING IN CHRISTMAS COSTUMES. Guys I am shouting that from the rooftops because it dials Christmas up to 11 and I am here for it. For real, if you need to QUICKLY get into the holiday spirit here is the book for you. Also bonus Hanukkah parts!

Teen, cute and clean - sans one drinking scene. It was fun and easy to read. It's definitely fluffy, and the storyline is well used. The invisible girl and the hunky jock, but in spite of that, the Secret Santa part was fun. Sure they are immature, they are teenagers. LOL! With this writing style, it's a funny and cheerful Christmasy read.

I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own, and this review is left of my own free will.

Four stars: A fun, holiday read with a terrific antagonistic romance, though it is a tad predictable.

Charlie is dreading attending her friend Noelle’s holiday birthday ball, held the day after Christmas. This year, the party has a couples theme. Charlie was recently dumped by her perfect, smart, college boyfriend, and so she has no date. Desperate, she hatches a crazy plan to snag a date with one of the hottest guys in school: Teo Ortiz. Unfortunately, in order to land her dream date, Charlie requires the help of Teo’s cousin, J.D. Charlie and J.D. don’t get along. J.D. is the photographer on the school paper, which Charlie co edits. J.D. is always late, disorganized, and far too laid back for Charlie. However, once J.D. begins to help Charlie, she starts to see him a tad differently. Will Charlie land her dream date in time for the party?
What I Liked:
*My New Crush Gave to Me is an adorable, holiday themed romance that features one of my favorite kind of romances. This book has a terrific antagonistic romance that will make you smile. Grab this one for something light and cute this holiday season.
*The romance is all kinds of fun. It may be a tad predictable, but that doesn’t matter. It features an antagonistic romance born when two opposites, who are constantly at odds, strike up an alliance in order for Charlie to land the perfect date. I loved watching Charlie open her eyes and see someone in a different light. There are plenty of warm and smooshie moments that will leave your feeling all cozy inside. It was just too cute! Loved seeing it unfold.
*I was surprised and pleased to see that the other boy did not turn out to be a jerk. Often times, when you have a situation like the one in the book, the other boy usually does something stupid to make the heroine open her eyes and see what she has been missing. Both boys (yes, there are two love interests, but no love triangle) are likeable. I especially liked the way the dejected suitor handled everything.
*One of the themes of the story was finding the perfect gift. I loved that the gift giving in this one wasn’t centered around going to the store and buying any old thing. Instead, the gift givers put a lot of thought, heart and creativity into their gifts. Some of them were hand made. It was so refreshing to see that the gifts were heartfelt and not just some junk picked up at the store.
*I enjoyed the strong focus on friendship. Charlie’s best friend, Morgan, is the type of best friend that everyone needs. Morgan always had Charlie’s back. Seriously, that girl was amazing, and she was a terrific baker, too. Friendship plays an important role in the story, and I loved it!
*This book is packed with all kinds of holiday cheer, from Secret Santa gift exchanges, holiday parties and holiday baking, decorating, Christmas caroling and ugly holiday sweaters, which makes this a delightful holiday read.
*The ending is perfect. Everything ends with a sweet happy ending that will leave you with a big, goofy grin!
And The Not So Much:
*The romance is completely predictable, you know almost from the get go how it is all going to play out. It was easy to predict it all.
*I wish that there was more depth involving Charlie and her mother. Charlie is feeling depressed for a good part of the book because her mother is working long hours at the hospital. There really wasn’t resolution to this story line.
*I was intrigued by the story line around J.D. and his grandfather. I wanted more of this portion of the story as well.
*I wasn’t a fan of the mean girl theme in the story. Charlie has an arch rival, who was rather nasty at times. This isn’t a big portion of the story, but it didn’t add anything, and I could have done without it as I am a not a fan of the mean girl trope.

My New Crush Gave To Me is a delightful holiday romance packed full of Christmas cheer, romance, friendship and gift giving. This is a quick, light and super adorable read for the holidays. If you want a sweet romance that features the tried and true enemies to lovers romance, grab this one.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

Is it possible to love a book, its storyline and supporting characters yet dislike the main character? Well, this was my dilemma with My New Crush Gave to Me. You see I fully enjoyed this book with its predictable storyline but that’s ok what wasn’t was my dislike of Charlie. Why is that? Well, I just felt she was a tad annoying and so blind cause she couldn’t see that J.D. not Teo was the guy for her! I wish I could’ve leaped in the book and shake her silly. I know its just a book but geez can anyone be so blind to what was clearly right in front of them?

So why despite all my yammering did I give it 4 stars? Well like I said I did really love this read. I thought it was cute and funny and yes despite Charlie not being able to realize who was the right guy for her right away I did love the interaction between her and J.D. their chemistry was off the charts and the slow built up of that was well worth it. So if you want something fun and flirty to read this Christmas pick it up it's definitely worth the time.

This book was cute enough. I read it in a day but I didn't really retain much from it. It was just one of those quick contemporary books with a little holiday theme. I think it would be perfect for fans of the My True Love Gave to Me anthology.

I would give this one 3.5 stars for cuteness, but this one is strictly teen. It's squeaky clean, but oh so Christmasy. It was a bit like taking a step back into my own teen years with the main character being co-editor of their high school newspaper, a position I once held, too. However, I hope I wasn't as bossy as Charlie. She has her flaws, but I think it's her transition that makes this book worth reading. Pick this one up if you're looking for something light this holiday season--for you or your teen.

First holiday book for the holiday season! So exciting. Yes, I am one of those people that reads Christmas books the day after Halloween! I am so glad I am too, because this was adorable!

Charlie thinks her life is going to be ruined because right before the big, annual Christmas bash, her boyfriend breaks up with her. To make matters worse, she decides to yell at her nemesis that she is going with THE perfect guy. Of course she has a date, and he is AMAZING. Not only does she not have her old boyfriend, whom she thought was perfect for her, but now she has to find another guy!

A guy runs into her in the school halls, and she realizes, HE is the one! He’s perfect for her. Enter Operation Secret Santa!

This was adorable, but it was also like a train wreck. I knew what was going to happen so I just wanted to hide myself from Charlie’s obnoxious, but charming mistakes. It was her growth that was the best part, but the journey to get there had me cringing, and laughing, and nearly in tears, the entire time! I did have a really good idea of what was going to happen. There are many hints along the way, and the story makes sense the way it was written, which made me love it all the more. I hate figuring out the plot beforehand, but in this case it didn’t ruin anything, but heightened the expectancy of how this all was going to come about.

The one downside is that, although Charlie is older, in YA there are a lot of parents missing. It’s a bit of a pet peeve for me. Charlie’s mom is a doctor, but it felt forced. She has a lot of hours, and I get that, but I really think there are other ways of getting around the plot without forcing the parents out of the picture. There was only one area where Charlie does something, not even on purpose, where if her mother knew, she would probably get in trouble. But, they wind up getting around that. It frustrates me!

Anyhow, the rest of the plot is fabulous! I love the interaction between J.D. and Charlie. They had time to work on their hatred for each other, although it wasn’t quite hate, but frustration. It worked beautifully.

And for those unsure of love triangles, this isn’t quite that. It keeps away from the awkwardness, surprisingly. There is some, especially at the end, but it all goes with the plot.

Love that this was my first holiday read!

This is a pretty cute Christmas love story. I thought the main character was a little much at times, but I really enjoyed her friendship with her best friend. The presents she and Teo (but not really) exchanged were so fun.

This book was exactly what it appears to be. An adorable Christmas contemporary with the standard plot that we know and love. I laughed in several parts and I felt all the feels in others. Petroff was able to pull of the tropes we often find in these books with great skill and I enjoyed the process of reading this book very much. It did literally read like a Hallmark movie and I love those. I will be recommending this book to my friends and followers.

I felt like I got hit in the head with a brick that showed the outline of the story. That's how obvious it was. Plus, this girl seemed like she should be smarter and less boy-crazy than she was. It was unbelievable that she'd be that obsessed. DNF.

Shani Petroff is the make my heart flutter giggle butterfly in my tummy queen. I was lucky enough to get Romeo and what's her name and loved it so much. Of course, I knew I needed this too. It did not disappoint.

Charlie is a super type A person because of that I was worried she was going to drive me up the wall. She did but in the best ways! I loved watching her learn to let go a little and just live. I really loved that even though she loosened up a little she never changed who she truly was.

Shani has a way of giving me all my favorite teen movies everytime I read one of her books! This was giving me John Tucker feels only John is Teo and she is not chasing him down for revenge.

Teo and J.D. gave me life. Their relationship, the way the story played off their relationship even though we did not get to see it. The polar oppositeness of them. J.D. is my kind of book boyfriend guys!

THIS WAS THE PERFECT FIRST CHRISTMAS READ OF THE SEASON! Big thank you to netgally and publisher for this amazing read!

I was in the mood for a light and fluffy YA romance and this one from NetGalley really did the trick. It was a quick, fun, and sweet read. To top it off, it's the end of August and I'm suddenly ready to set up my tree and string garlands and lights around my house!

The characters were all unique and fun to get to know. Charlie is a very type-A girl, she likes lists and keeping to a schedule. She's very orderly and a little uptight. JD is pretty much her opposite, he's more of the "creative type" and really wants Charlie to just chill a little. When she bribes him to help her win over his cousin via a rigged Secret Santa gift exchange, Charlie ends up learning a little about herself. And realizing that maybe she was judging JD too harshly.

The romance in this story very much had a Pride & Prejudice feel to it. With a little bit of Cyrano. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a retelling, but it certainly had a bit of those elements at least as far as Charlie goes (P&P) and JD (Cyrano).

The first half of the book I liked it, but I really wasn't smitten. Something was just falling flat for me. But the more JD and Charlie interacted, the more I fell in love with the story and their chemistry. JD was the perfect yin to Charlie's yang. There was a point when I thought they wouldn't end up together and I was angry and crushed! That was the moment when I realized this 3 star book had hit 4 star status for me.


So, should you read it? If you're in the mood for something light, sweet, and festive, I don't think My True Love Gave To Me will disappoint!

Charlie (Charlotte) finds herself single for Christmas and needs a date for her friend's birthday party. She decides that Teo Ortiz is the perfect guy for her and rigs the school paper's Secret Santa drawing so she can buy Teo presents to make him interested in her. She enlists the help of Teo's cousin J.D., who is the one person Charlie cannot stand. As Charlie and J.D. work together, they find out they have more in common than they thought, and Charlie must decide which guy is the right one for her...
I enjoyed this book very much. It is a cute Christmas story with interesting and believable characters, and even though the plot may be predictable, it is still a positive, enjoyable story to read. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a clean, quick Christmas read in the young adult genre.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A quick read that reminded me of a teen Hallmark movie. I found Charlie to be super annoying, but I Loved JD. I wish this book was written from his perspective instead of Charlie's. Not memorable, but a festive cute and fluffy read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2094648581?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Normally with Christmas books I would wait until Christmas time to read it, but for some reasson I just could not wait with this one. It was very cute and definitely put me in a more Christmasey mood.
Charlie is a perfectionist who wants things done her or no way. When she finally decides who she's going to ask to a ball, she goes on a relentless "chase" to get him. But along the way she finds out that she's not always as right as she thinks she is.
I really liked the writing style of this one. It was simple and easy to follow and that kept me glued to the pages. And all the second hand embarrassment and hilarious things that happen to the Charlie definitely make me want to read more by Petroff.
However, I did not like the main character. There were many times that I wanted to shake her. She made some terrible decisions that I think would have been an obvious bad decision in the real world. Such as, it was a plot device to keep it moving in the way the author wanted it to.
As for the romance, I was also upset that it took that long to discover what she did. I would have loved to see a bit more of them together. Seeing the two of them together was literally the last two pages. To me, it would have been better to see the two of them together and how they get along now. It just felt incomplete to me this way.
I did like the book, but there are just a couple things that I did not care for. But for the most part it was a fun, easy read. I don't normally read books about Christmas so far from Christmas, but I loved the cover of this one and I couldn't resist. I hope you all love it as much as I did!

GAH! I love the holidays, and this is the perfect book to treat yo shelf to this time of the year. If you are a fan of swoons, Secret Santa surprises, and hate-to-love relationships, My New Crush Gave to Me is the perfect book for you. This novel is as sweet and fresh as a candy cane and it will have you laughing due to all the holiday shenanigans the characters go through.

In regards to the main character, Charlie is a stick-by-the-book type of gal. Routine, rules, and structure make perfect sense, so I can completely understand her personality. Charlie is extreme, but I like that she knows what she wants and she is determined to do what is best for her. Even though Charlie is a handful, she fosters a surprising friendship with the most laid-back, never on time, and free-spirited person named J.D. I adored J.D. because he is caring and spontaneous and balances out Charlie’s intensity. He challenges Charlie in the best ways; I loved how their friendship grew through each page.

Definitely pick up My New Crush Gave to Me, make yourself a hot cup of cocoa, wrap yourself in a cozy blanket, and let the Secret Santa fun unfold. The romantic notions mixed with wintery traditions adds a great amount of holiday atmosphere to the story. Even though this book will give you the warm fuzzies, My New Crush Gave to Me will also have you opening your eyes to the idea that you never know what other people are going through, so don’t take them for granted.

My New Crush Gave To Me is Shani Petroff’s second novel with Swoon Reads. I read her first, Romeo & What’s Her Name back in February, and while I enjoyed it, it did seem on the younger side and wasn’t quite what I was expecting. However, I ended up really enjoying My New Crush Gave To Me and practically read it in one sitting!

Charlie Donovan is a passionate, driven, and very organized student. She likes her schedules and despises tardiness above all else. As co-editor of the her high school’s newspaper with her best friend, Morgan, her organization and schedules are needed. However, the party of the year is quickly approaching and she has no date. Charlie knows Teo, another driven student, would make the perfect date and boyfriend. She just needs to find a way to make it happen. She strikes up the plan to rig the newspaper’s Secret Santa drawing so that she will be able to pick out five gifts that will make him notice her. This turns out more difficult than she originally thought and is forced to enlist the help of Teo’s cousin, J.D., the perpetually late photo editor.

My New Crush Gave To Me is the perfect holiday rom-com. Shani Petroff does a fantastic job of bringing in the winter and holiday vibes. I loved reading about all of the holiday activities from decorating Christmas trees to singing carols to baking delicious treats, I am so ready for the holiday season to kick off now.

The romance is adorable. I loved watching Charlie fall for the boy, who is different than the ideal she has in mind, but who knows her and appreciates who she is. The development of their relationship is slow, which I really enjoyed. I love how she goes from hating J.D. to begrudgingly becoming friends to feeling something more. J.D. was such a sweet and goofy character that I couldn’t help but fall for myself.

Charlie’s friendship with Morgan was another plus. I loved how these two actually acted like best friends. They hang out with each, participate in the same extracurricular activity, and even start their own business together. They are supportive of each other and have each other’s back no matter what.

I loved Charlie’s personality. I am like Charlie in that I am very organized, passionate, and detail-orientated. I really connected seeing a character like this play out on the pages. Even though I am not as bold or loud as Charlie is, I appreciated this aspect of her character and admired how she wasn’t afraid to go after what she wants. I also liked how she stays true to who she is throughout her character growth.

Overall, My New Crush Gave To Me was the perfect book to get me into the Christmas spirit! I definitely recommend it to those looking for an adorable, fun holiday rom-com.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Charlie needs a date for the biggest party of the year, and she has her eyes set on Teo Ortiz. She uses her position as editor of the school newspaper to get to know him better, but Teo's annoying cousin J. D., the newspaper's photo editor, is always getting in the way. With her mother constantly busy with work, things aren't feeling very Christmasy. So Charlie tries to create a little holiday cheer of her own by rigging the paper's Secret Santa draw with a plan to win over Teo. The thing is, she might need J.D.'s help to find Teo the perfect gifts. Charlie always plans everything, but what happens when things don't go to plan?

This book is cute, funny, sweet, and wistful. It's also kind of predictable, but the journey is fun. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters, especially Charlie and J.D.

A light, quick read that will get you in the mood for Christmas.

Like getting into a cold bed in the middle of winter, it took me a little while to warm up to this one. I found it a little stark to begin with, and Charlie was a bit too officious for my liking. But the book slowly thawed in moments between J.D. and Charlie, and by the end, I was toasty.

I could see very quickly how J.D. was clearly the better choice for Charlie. He didn’t bow down to her demanding nature, encouraging her to loosen up a little. And it was so clear that he was into her; you could see his influence in gifts, or the way he engineered time with her. Every time Teo showed up, I wanted to usher him away so J.D. could have his special moments with Charlie. Teo was so…ordinary. Like just another teenage guy. J.D. was a sweetheart.

So if you’re looking for a cute contemporary to get you in the mood for Christmas, pick this one up! It’s really quick and breezy and sweet as hell.

My New Crush Gave to Me
Shani Petroff
Swoon Reads, October 2017
ISBN 978-1-250-13032-7
Trade Paperback

From the publisher—

Charlotte “Charlie” Donovan knows exactly what she wants for Christmas: Teo Ortiz. He’s a star athlete, a National Honor Society member, and the most popular guy in school. Plus he contributes to the school paper, where Charlie is a co-editor. Basically, he’s exactly the type of guy Charlie’s looking for. The only problem is―he barely knows she exists.

But Charlie has a plan: rig the paper’s Secret Santa and win his heart with the perfect gift. The catch? She has no idea what to get him. Enter J.D. Ortiz–Teo’s cousin, and possibly the most annoying person on the planet. He’s easy going, laid back, disorganized, and spontaneous―the exact opposite of Charlie (and Teo). But he knows what Teo wants, so she’s stuck with him.

Yet, the more time Charlie spends with J.D., the more she starts to wonder: Does she really know what, or rather who, she wants for Christmas?

Sometimes, I need a change of pace from my usual reading fare and a light, romantic comedy can be the perfect palate cleanser, so to speak. Also, I don’t mind saying I’m starting to have a few Christmas-y thoughts and, besides, I love this cover 😉

Now, there are things about this particular story that plucked a few nerves. For one, this is about a bunch of privileged, pretty teens whose biggest problem is finding a date for the party of the year. Second, there were times when Charlie is kind of hard to like, not because she’s mean-spirited or anything like that, but because she is so unrelentingly rigid and opinionated. Still, she’s a good kid and gets a pass because she is, after all, a kid and can’t be expected to be swimming in maturity. In fact, a lot of maturity would take all the fun out of things, right? Now, for characters you can love, no one beats Charlie’s BFF, Morgan, because she really cares about Charlie and wants what’s best for her, and J.D. is a delightful sort of sideways Cyrano de Bergerac.

The plot is both lighthearted and filled with teenaged angst and it all works quite well. From the very beginning, I was pretty sure what was going to happen eventually and getting there gave me a couple of hours of pure pleasure. Who knows, I may just read another romcom soon!

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, November 2017.