All I Want for Christmas was a fun and breezy Christmas read. It felt like reading a Hallmark movie for young adults and I loved that. Bailey was so relateable and the author was really good at setting the scene as well as rendering characters quickly and efficiently in a way that endeared me to them. It was all very charming and cheery...and then in the 11th hour, it took a weird turn. Not that it was a bad turn necessarily, just didn’t fit with the rest of the book. I wish it had been hinted at a little bit better or been made clearer that this kind of thing was possible earlier in the book. Given that 95% of the book is pure and straight contemporary fiction to throw in a fantasy element, even in a book set around Christmas where Christmas magic as an idea is referenced, needs a little more set up and preamble. The twist doesn’t destroy or ruin the story or anything, I just would have liked to have seen it more neatly incorporated into the story so it doesn’t feel so out of left field. If this were a Hallmark movie, it probably would have worked better, there would have been quirky music cues and lingering camera shots to emphasize the clues leading to the coming reveal, but as a printed story, without the benefit of any of these things, it just didn’t get enough build-up, but maybe that’s just me. Before the twist, the story was a solid 4.2 / 5 but now it’s more of a 3.5 / 5. To be generous, I’m rounding up here. I think this author has a lot of promise. I really did enjoy this story. It was very cute and I loved the little Christmas traditions and family dynamics. I would be very interested to see what else the author had to offer in the future but this particular book didn’t hit the spot for me as much as I would have liked.

I received a copy of ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS byWendy Loggia thanks to the publisher through NetGalley.

Released November 3, 2020

This book is super sweet, like warm cookies and hot cocoa in front of a fire with a book. I really like Bailey. She’s obsessed with Christmas but in a way that makes you crave the scent of pine needles. The conflict over whether to chose Charlie or Jacob is very teenager and I totally feel her struggle.

My only complaint is the ‘twist’ at the end that was pretty clear from the start. Not that it is bad, but I kinda wish it was a more... ‘bland’ ending. If that makes sense. It probably doesn’t until you read it, which I do recommend!

First sentence: I should realize it’s a bad sign when I trip hard over the entry to Winslow’s Bookshop. “Whaaaaa!” I yelp as I give the typically sticky front door my customary push … and go unexpectedly flying into the store, the shop’s brass bell announcing my unceremonious entrance.

Premise/plot: All I Want for Christmas is a clean YA romance set during the holidays. Bailey Briggs, our heroine, LOVES, LOVES, LOVES Christmas. In her daydreams she's starring in a Hallmark Christmas movie. What she'd love for Christmas this year is a magical kiss underneath the mistletoe--preferably by someone who truly thinks she's amazing.

She's always looking for that potential someone. Will it be the athletic classmate who is always making everyone--even the adults--laugh and smile? Or will it be the super-mysterious guy with a British accent? Jacob Marley or Charlie?

As she gets to know both guys--or tries to--her heart is trying to tell her whom to choose....

My thoughts: I liked this one. I did. It was cute. It was sweet. It was only slightly predictable. (I guessed the mystery surrounding Charlie relatively early on--but I didn't mind reading on.) Overall, I think it would be an easy recommendation to readers--mainly younger teens maybe???--for readers who want some Christmas cheer with a large dose of sweet sugary romance.

I am always looking for a CLEAN read, so this one worked for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Underlined for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All I Want for Christmas was a sweet, charming, and fast holiday read. Perfect for teens who love Hallmark Christmas movies, and the love triangle trope.

The story follows Bailey, who works at a bookstore. She loves Christmas and everything that comes with it, but what she really wants this year: someone to kiss under the mistletoe. She knows it's not Jacob, the athlete and player. But maybe it might be Charlie, the mysterious stranger with a British accent.

Although cheesy at times, this is a fun holiday read. It features Christmas activities we all know and love, such as: baking cookies, Christmas tree farms, give giving, and more.

A beautiful Christmas and bookish tour de force! It had all of the best christmas cliques that can be found in any Hallmark movie alongside both obscure and relevant refences to books and literature. This book left me feeling warm and fuzzy with holiday magic. All of the characters were so real and beautifully developed. I couldn't stop smiling the entire time, and the ending really blew me away! I will recommend this book to anyone who will listen!

All I Want for Christmas is a cute, heart-warming romance perfect for teen readers who love Christmas and Hallmark movies. It was definitely on the cheesy side, but in a wonderful way--and I think many readers will love that about it! Bailey was a relatable character who loves Christmas and just wants someone to kiss under the mistletoe. She finds herself caught up in a love triangle with the guy of her dreams and a guy she's known for years but is suddenly seeing in a new light.

Bailey works in a bookstore and I loved that element to the story! This novel also had many well-developed characters, from Bailey's family to her dog to her super-close friend circle. And the Christmas vibes--this may be the most Christmasy book I've ever read. All I Want for Christmas features all the classic Christmas activities: cookie baking, sledding, mall Santas, visiting a Christmas tree farm. It was definitely the perfect read for this holiday season.

I'll definitely be recommending this to teen readers. I think teens & YA readers who enjoy a bit of cheese and have a soft spot for Hallmark movies will especially like this one. It did get a little too cheesy for me towards the end, so readers who like truly realistic novels may not love the ending. I also would have loved to see a more diverse cast as the central characters were all cis, straight, able-bodied, and white. Overall, a cute, fast read that will definitely bring all the Christmas vibes.

This was a cute Christmas YA read. It was quick and also lacked depth, but even with it being more surface level, it was still a cute, quick-paced, and enjoyable read.

I had a hard time connecting with the story and characters because they felt immature, but the decision making and thought processes were actually pretty typical for teenagers which is the intended audience so that is definitely more of a me/preference issue.

The story had a love triangle element to it, which I typically don't enjoy reading about, but this story had a twist at the end which I found interesting and enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

R E V I E W🌟
Thank you so much to @netgalley & @underlined & @randomhousechildren’s for an e-ARC of All I Want For Christmas by Wendy Loggia in exchange for an honest opinion!

This was an adorable story to get you in the holiday spirit! This story follows Bailey Briggs who is obsessed with everything Christmas and is wishing for someone to give her a fairytale Christmas - complete with a kiss under the mistletoe. Bailey also works in a bookstore and her uniform consists of light-up reindeer ears which I thought was the perfect touch for her character.

This story was so cute y’all! I will say it didn’t have a lot of substance since the story took place in such a short period of time, but it was still a cute YA story. Bailey did make me roll my eyes a couple of times but also her decisions were typical decisions from a high schooler in YA books.

I will say though, that ending or “the big reveal” definitely threw me through a loop because I did not see it coming. It was wholly original idea for sure and probably added more oomph to the story.

I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 stars. It was a cute story, but didn’t really have a lot of substance to it.

#bookreview #alliwantforchristmas #bookstaram #bibliophile #latinaswhoread #netgalley #christmasbooks

This book had all of the cutesy holiday feels to it! Bailey is obsessed with the Christmas season and what she wants more than anything this year is a holiday kiss. Bailey must watch out as she may just find herself in a romance triangle this year.

This book was just adorable and a perfect fit for a young reader looking for a good book to read over the holiday.

Big thank you to NetGally and Random House Children's for allowing me to read an E-ARC of this book!

All I Want For Christmas is a cute one. The characters are fun... though, in my opinion, seem a bit reserved.
I may be aging myself here, but this book gave me flashbacks to the show "Touched By An Angel".
I wouldn't reread this one, but I have no doubt tweens and teens will enjoy it.

All I want for Christmas was just the perfect cup of cheer I was looking for the start of this holiday season. It was a Christmas romantic comedy for young adults that had a Hallmark Christmas movie feel.

The book was cute, fast paced and addicting.

It is perfect for readers looking for a bit of Christmas magic this season.

I loved the plot, scenery, and the characters. I also loved the fact that the main character worked at a bookstore. I just love it when characters work at a bookstore period.

I wasn’t a fan of the romance at first but it all fell into place and I ended up liking it.

All I want for Christmas was a five star rating. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this. My thoughts are my own.

Overall I enjoyed this Christmas story about Bailey, whose one wish is to have someone to kiss under the mistletoe. Enter two very different boys who both show an interest in her. Now Bailey has to decide where her heart is leading her...towards Jacob Marley, the boy she has gone to school with for year and possibly has misjudged or Charlie Travers, the perfect boy with a British accent, perfect dress, and a penchant for saving her. Both boys that were her potential match we endearing in different ways. I almost did not make it past the first few chapters because there were some consistency and grammar issues and some of the scenes felt rushed or forced, but I was glad I stuck with it! It did get better towards the middle of the story and I really enjoyed the ending. A good holiday story that I will most likely add to my collection (if the beginning is cleaned up a little bit).

Wendy Loggia writes a sweet and magical romance about a girl named Bailey who has just one wish – someone to kiss under the mistletoe. It is the perfect holiday escape for those who love Christmas magic and miracles. Full of spirit, joy and an angel???, this novel is a perfect addition to your holiday reads. A book that is such a delight to read, you will be watching Christmas movies and reading more Christmas novels 45 days prior to Christmas.

This book was a walking Hallmark Christmas movie! It was very sweet and romantic for a 16/17 year old kid as the MC. I would be happy to let my children read this as they become young teens!

I absolutely love Christmas and loved how this book played out.

This book is too cute and I have no words to express what made me feel this book
It's too perfect for this season, I liked every second, holidays, carols, gifts and friendship.
Also the relationship of the family that is very beautiful. I'll accept that end didn't expect me and I loved it too much that my heart exploded hahaha. This book has everything I like:

Romance, Friendship, Christmas, kisses, books, cookies, that was the best, and there were no missing gifts.
This book made me want whether it's Christmas, really enjoy this story a lot, I had an excellent time.
Thank you very much for the e-book PRH International

This reads like one of those super cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. I can't say that I particularly enjoy those movies, so I was pleasantly surprised to have liked this book as much as I did. It is quite on the young side of the young adult scale, and is a perfectly clean book, so I'd say suitable for anyone who enjoys this type of book, no matter their age.

I do wish I'd waited a little to read this one as I think it would have been perfect for getting me a little in the holiday spirit, with lots of cute cliches. I did find the ending a little bit unexpected, and I'm still a little bit confused but can't really explain the confusion without putting spoilers.

All in all just a sugary sweet little book.

Thank you so much @GetUnderlined & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 03 November 2020)

SYNOPSIS | Bailey's favourite holiday is Christmas as she adores everything from the holiday cheer, to the ugly sweaters to her families cookie swap, but this year she asks Santa for one thing... someone to kiss under the mistletoe.

WHAT I LIKED:
- Christmassy setting
- its wholesomeness
- the chapter titles were named after Christmassy songs

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- too Hallmark-esque for me
- the love triangle
- the resolution of the love triangle

This was a super quick read. I am not sure what I was looking for but I didn't get it with this book. Maybe I am not ready for cheesy dialog and an ending that felt out of left field. I thank this book though for getting me through Election day. It has been a long time since I read an entire book in one day.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was not bad just simplistic.

I received this book in exchange of a honest review from NetGalley.
This was like reading a cute holiday movie :)
Super cute YA holiday read. The main character talks about how she wants holiday magic like in a Hallmark movie. This book is perfect for holiday movie fans like me. I don’t want to give any spoilers since there are two potential love interests, so I’ll just say I love the cute love story, I definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a light and entertaining holiday read.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS is a fun Young Adult standalone Christmas-themed teen romance by Wendy Loggia. I normally don’t read YA romance, but this description caught my interest. Bailey Briggs is a teenage girl who loves Christmas and is hoping for some holiday magic and a Christmas kiss to top things off. Bailey is hopeful without coming across as being too “Pollyanna” or sickeningly saccharine. She ends up, quite unintentionally, caught between warm and fuzzy feelings for two boys – Jacob Marley and the mysterious Charlie Travers. The story follows Bailey as she engages in a multitude of holiday cheer and flexes her dating muscles. This is a great story for any romance reader who is looking for an entertaining Christmas-themed story.

Jacob Marley is a popular jock and not normally in Bailey’s circle of friends. When he shows up one day at the bookshop she works at, he wiggles his way into her thoughts. It’s not immediately apparent to Bailey that Jacob is into her and she kind of dismisses him – albeit in a nice way. Like some kind of guardian angel with a hot British accent, Charlie Travers intervenes a few times and saves Bailey from one disaster or another. Charlie is something of an enigma and seemingly like Mary Poppins and “practically perfect in every way”. As she pines for Charlie, Bailey hangs out with, and gets to know, Jacob better. Like Bailey, I find that Jacob grows on me as the story progresses. Theirs is plenty of romantic tension and some sparks as the feelings between Bailey and Jacob get more intense. Because this story is told exclusively from Bailey’s perspective, you can’t help but be sympathetic to her and unsure about the boys that fall into her life. Bailey’s quirky friends Phoebe, Mellie, and Caitlin pop up throughout ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS – to offer Bailey advice, provide colorful commentary, or to just offer her a diverting distraction.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS is everything you want in a light yet satisfying Christmas tale, with great characters and a splash of romance. The banter between the main characters and the quick-witted quips are part of what made this book great. I like how Bailey’s family was generally supportive but stayed relatively in the background. There were no meddlers in Bailey’s Although YA isn’t usually my regularly read romance sub-genre, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Wendy Loggia.