A hate-to-love trope story that is really fun between the Christmas-loving Bailey and player Jacob Marley. It’s got all the good Christmas feels of a romance in this genre, even if Bailey is a it dorky-perfect and saccharine. An interesting take on the trope and a nice light read. A lot like a Hallmark movie (if it wasn’t, it should have been.

Fun, predictable, but just what you want in a frothy ready.

Rating: 3 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the review ebook. All opinions are my own.

3.5/5 stars

This holiday read was light and magical. There were plenty of holiday activities throughout the story including Christmas tree hunting and cookie making to help put you in the Christmas spirit while reading this one. The romance itself was young adult, Hallmark sugar sweet, but with a pinch of a love triangle thrown in the mix between Bailey, Jacob and Charlie. I felt the love triangle angle could've been removed or altered slightly, but I still enjoyed the story and outcome of the romance. Overall, 'All I Want for Christmas' is the perfect holiday read if you're looking for a young adult romance, with a taste of sweet, holiday magic, a bit of a love triangle, and a touch of 'It's A Wonderful Life' feels.

*Thank you so much to Underline, Random House publishing and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

All I want for Christmas is a really adorable and festive ya Christmas romcom. It features a love triangle, but as with most love triangles I really struggled because it seemed painfully obvious who the protagonist should be with right away so there wasn't really any guessing for me. Our main character loves all things Christmas and there are lots of references throughout the novel to reflect that.

While this is a quick, fun read everyone will likely enjoy - I recommend it to the younger side of the YA audience.

*I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley*
This book contained the holiday spirit as expected from the title and synopsis, but I didn't enjoy it as much s I thought. The main character felt a lot younger than a junior in high school, and it really showed in her actions and behavior. The love triangle is half-baked, the reason for that explained in one of the last chapters. Despite that, I did enjoy reading this book and laughing (either at or with it). The book was very surface level like any other Hallmark movie, but I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a quick holiday romance that contains a hint of magic.

This was very sweet and cute. It was a nice holiday romp. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favorite. To be fair, I didn't realize it was YA when I requested it.

Great story and loved the slight romance. Really enjoyed the characters and how the plot moved and how the characters changed throughout the book. I would read this author again.

So... this was cute, festive, adorable, but maid for younger audience, in my opinion.

The trope in this book is love triangle, so keep that in mind.

Our main character is in love with Christmas, loves everything Christmassy over the top, and her appreciation reminded me of my own.
God, I really want to believe my life is the one from Hallmark movies as well.

There are Christmas references through the whole story, and that was my favourite aspect.
My second one was the family portrait, and the third one was one of two love interests.

If you ask me, it was clear as day who she should end up with.

Also, that big revelation, I kind of saw it, or should I say, it did cross my mind.
However, I still enjoyed it.

I would recommend this one to younger readers and those who enjoy younger ya characters.

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!

I loved this book it was a cute Christmas book. The main character loved Hallmark movies, I felt like I was reading a Hallmark book.

All I Want for Christmas is a lovely teen/young adult story of a teenage girl, Bailey Briggs, whose only Christmas wish is to be kissed under the mistletoe by someone who really means it. Bailey is a full time high school student and works part time in a local bookstore. When classmate Jacob Marley comes into the bookstore he asks Bailey for help in finding gifts for his family. She is adept at doing so but feels her time has been wasted when Jacob reveals he has forgotten his wallet but promises to come back.

Then she meets Charlie, a young man with a British accent and mannerisms, who sways her, especially when he first saves her from an ice skating accident and then helps her from a collision with a snowdrift. But then, there is always Jacob. In a well woven story, the reader discovers the interplay between the three.

This is a well woven story with tinges of It’s a Wonderful Life, after all our heroine’s name is Bailey. This is a lovely young adult read and I do recommend it.

An adorable Christmas book. Bailey Briggs is a young woman whose excited about Christmas, which is only in a few days. Meanwhile, she listens to Christmas music, bakes cookies, uses sleighs, and uses her little reindeer ears. The Winslow bookstore is the place where Bailey works. The owners are Carl and Victoria. Everything seems to be perfect, but Bailey wants to have someone special for these holidays. That someone must be special so that she can have a romantic kiss under the mistletoe. Bailey is sure that Jacob Marley is not the right guy but Charlie. Jacob is an athletic man, a bit of a womanizer. Charlie, on the other hand, is a man with a charming accent. Maybe this will be the best Christmas Bailey wants so much. I loved this book, starting with the names of the owners of the bookstore. Bailey's character is adorable. I imagine the cute outfit that she must wear during her workday. I would have loved this book to be part of a series because there is so much more I would like to know about Bailey. The author tells the story so entertaining that she made me want to be having fun with Bailey on her adventures. I thank NetGalley, Underlined, and Random House Children's for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Okay. I didn’t love not hate this one. Would I pick it up again? Probably not. The chapters were extremely long and I hate long chapters in romance books.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was so sweet and so full of the Christmas spirit. Not only does the story capture the teenage love triangle trope, but it's full of surprise and Christmas magic. Bailey is such a relatable character as she tries to balance school, her part-time bookstore job, volunteering, family time, and love. The story is a good reminder that sometimes everything we are looking for is actually right in front of us and that people aren't always as we assume they are.

I loved all of the holiday festivities that took place throughout the story. I personally loved the Taylor Swift Christmas tree farm reference! I felt like the characters were really well thought out and each character served an important purpose. It was the perfect book to escape into for a day while it snowed outside. It was a cute story, especially around the holiday season.

* 3.5 Stars *

All I Want for Christmas was cute, festive teen holiday contemporary romance for young readers that revolved around Bailey’s one Christmas wish of the year. It was about friendship, family, holiday spirit, and believing in Christmas magic.

Writing was fast pace, gripping, cozy and so Christmassy. It was first person narrative from Bailey POV. Her voice was refreshing and cheerful. Plot was lovely and uplifting.

It started with character introductions, Bailey working in Winslow’s bookstore, her love for everything Christmas and her Christmas wish to be kissed under mistletoe but when she met Jacob from her grade at bookstore, she was certain he didn’t fit the image of the boy she would love to be kissed by. When Charlie, the mysterious boy with British accent saved her from humiliation at skate rink, she found her dream boy and could imagine her Christmas wish coming true. As she spent more time with Jacob, what she thought about him turned out wrong and she found herself liking him but she also loved spending time with Charlie. There was mysterious air around Charlie and she didn’t know him much or was sure if he likes her or it’s just her imagination. It was interesting read if her Christmas wish would come true, how she would manage complicating looking two relationship and who would she be with and would kiss under mistletoe at the end.

Bailey was lovely character. She was cheerful, lively and lovely person. Her love for Christmas was contagious. She was obsessed with everything Christmas and didn’t feel positive towards anyone who didn’t like or enjoy Christmas as much as she did. I liked how her positive and negative traits were portrayed, how she knew liking two boys was going to complicate things, talked about it with her mom and friends and wanted to ease the complication soon with both boys.

Both Jacob and Charlie were interesting character. I liked how every time Bailey met Jacob, she discovered more about him and how it changed her perspective towards him while Charlie was evasive and mysterious until climax that kept me reading the book and know what was going on with him and what was his story.

Family dynamic was great. It was best thing in book. I loved Bailey’s family, their cookie swap tradition with neighbours and how her family worked together for it by baking, shopping, decorating house and spent more time watching hallmark movies.

Book was filled with all Christmas references, songs, movies, food, and books. Setting of bookstores gave life to the story. It was amazing to read about it. I so wish to get Bailey’s job. There was everything one want in Christmas book – Ice skating, sledding, Christmas tree farm, Holiday Carnival, winter wonderland at mall, meeting Santa, brightening someone’s holiday, and last-minute Christmas shopping.

It was perfect for young audience, specifically middle grade and YA readers. It was cute to read Bailey’s first time at relationship, Christmas spirit, and believing in Christmas magic. Young reader would love the message of relationship that it’s okay to like more than one boy as there are many good people we are going to like in life but not to complicate things and defining the relationship once you are sure about your feeling.

The way Baily’s dilemma or complication of two relationship was solved in climax was a bit surprising. I couldn’t guess Charlie’s real story. I was expecting some tragedy or life issue but what was revealed was totally different. It was unbelievable but I enjoyed that twist. End was lovely and sweet.

Why 3.5 stars-

Love triangle trope was okay. I honestly don’t like it much and I rarely enjoy this trope in books or movies. I knew who Bailey was going to end up with. I wish there was more depth to characters and development. I still don’t understand why Bailey felt to keep Charlie secret before she knew the real him.

Overall, All I Want for Christmas was Christmassy, cozy, and very cute contemporary holiday read for young readers. I recommend this to anyone who love Christmas like Bailey would enjoy.

I loved this young adult christmas romance! After learning that it was a young adult novel, I was hesitant only because some young adult novels can be a little childish or dumbed down a bit. But this one wasn't at all! It had the perfect amount of young teenage essence.

I liked the main character a lot! Bailey works in a book store over Christmas time (and throughout the year) and is looking for her perfect, almost Hallmark Movie scripted, Christmas romance. She is all about Christmas in every way you can think; movies, cookies, decorations, tree decorating, traditions, mistletoe, gift wrapping, etc. She really made this book festive. While you can tell she is young, she isn't young and foolish, and I really admire and appreciate how the author wrote her character. The pop culture references were a plus, mostly because I'm still young enough to understand and enjoy them.

One random thing about this book that stuck with me was The Cookie Swap. Not anything that happened during it, but how good of an idea that it (pandemic permitting...)! I would love to know my neighbors well enough to do something like that, or maybe have it be a friend thing! Get together, everyone makes their favorite kind of unique Christmas cookie and bring a tin of their own to take home their favorites from other people! Like, I am definitely going to steal this idea in the future because it sounds like so much fun!

The best part of this book for me was the ending. It totally took me by surprise and added an element of Christmas spirit that I really enjoyed.

I would definitely recommend this teenage Christmas romance!

Received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review

This is a Hallmark movie script for the Young Adult set!
Really enjoyed this story and the references to one of the greatest Christmas movies ever!

A sweet holiday romance with a hint of Christmas Magic.

All Baily wants for Christmas is a kiss under the mistletoe. Is that too much to ask? Her only possibilities are Jacob Marley, a boy who rivals his namesake. On a snowy night, Baily gets stuck in a drift, and a British Blond Leonardo DiCaprio circa Titanic rescues her.

Then he mysteriously disappears and reappears as she chases him all over town. In the meantime, she and Jacob grow closer, and her heart becomes torn between a Christmas ghost boy and a blossoming love.

This book is perfect for Hallmark Holiday Movie lovers. Very chaste, very sweet, and full of holiday cheer. Sometimes the Christmasy spirit is laid on a little too thick. Baily can get irritating when she judges Jacob too quickly and harshly. Although predictable, the ending doesn't get much of a build-up throughout the book, making the big reveal fizzle.

We don't read Christmas books for the plot, though, am I right? This was a great book to read by the fire as they soon hammered down outside. This book isn't for everyone, but those of us who like Christmas and especially Christmas in a book will spend a pleasant couple of hours with Baily and Jacob.

Thank for. the opportunity to read this title. Unfortunately, I was not able to read more than 15% of it. I know I'm not the target audience, but it really didn't catch my interest. Since I didn't finish it, I won't post a review on Goodreads.

This cute novel blends together so many different Christmas movies and holiday traditions that it's almost too perfect for any literary lovers such as myself. I could see the ending a mile away, but I still enjoyed the journey to get there. The ending was a little too perfect and a little too sweet, but hey... it's the holidays and we all need some whimsy and magic. While allusions to A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life abound, there are honorable mentions to Home Alone, the Grinch, and many more. This novel did make me consider naming my next pet Dickens, so there's that. It also made me want to start an annual cookie exchange with my neighbors - so maybe I'll have a new tradition as a result of this novel too.

Jacob Marley was not dead to begin with... but his fate may have started that way if certain events hadn't been altered in this tale. Bailey Briggs LOVES Christmas and all things holiday spirit and I will admit that while her good cheer was obnoxious some of the time, it was also infectious. Charlie happens to help Bailey when her car hits an icy patch of road. Bailey had been wishing for her mistletoe perfect Christmas and she may have two guys vying to be the one under it to make her holidays jolly and bright. Who will she pick: devastatingly handsome accident saving British accented Charlie Travers or the Bah Humbug sweater clad, Christmas tree farm working Jacob Marley. You'll just have to read to find out!

Recommended for: a cute Christmas read, a feel good holiday read, lovers of happy endings, fans of A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life, YA romance aficionados, anyone who needs some holiday spirit this year

Wendy Loggia’s All I Want For Christmas is probably going to be the only YA holiday book I pick up this year and I am fine with that. You see, my stacks are toppling with romance to get through. For this stage of life, that’s fine. In fact, I actually felt like All I Want For Christmas was a nice little break from books featuring adults. It really brought me back to some of the longing of being a teenager.

All I Want For Christmas is about Bailey Briggs, a high school girl who works at a bookstore. She loves her job at the book store and she also really loves Christmas. This year, she’s got just one wish. That is to kiss someone under the mistletoe. As it turns out, Jacob Marley who is an athletic classmate seems to be showing interest in Bailey. She isn’t too sure about him though. After all, Jacob is not nearly as perfect as Charlie, this guy who saves her multiple times and happens to have a British accent. As Bailey navigates the holiday season, she will make the right decision for her heart, even if it is not the one she would expect.

This was such a fast read. I mean, I practically read it in a single sitting. Bailey and her family are easy to like. In fact, there is this cookie party that made me super hungry to read about. ALSO! There’s a few twists which I ended up guessing early. While this doesn’t quite have the magic of 10 Blind Dates, it’s still a sweet and distracting story. It ended up putting me in a good mood. All I Want For Christmas reminded me a lot of those mass market paperback YAs from back when I was a teen and I loved that. I loved that I didn’t have to put in too much commitment to get a story I really enjoyed. While this isn’t a favorite or one I will revisit year after year, I am still glad I read it.


ON A SCALE OF ONE TO BUDDY THE ELF, HOW MUCH CHRISTMAS SPIRIT DOES ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS BY WENDY LOGGIA HAVE?
All I Want For Christmas is a good book to add to your TBR for a quick burst of holiday spirit. Bailey is very sweet and kind, occasionally misguided, but someone you can root for. The story has ugly sweaters, a Christmas tree farm, charity, parties and more. It’s not over the top or anything, but quick and sweet.