Let it Glow, by Marissa Meye and Joanne Levy was a great holiday story on so many levels. Not just a great holiday story, but a great story period. We are introduced to Holly and Aviva, twelve year olds who happen to meet when they both attend an organizational meeting for a holiday pageant. Both girls are shocked to see another person with her face. They soon figure they are twins, seperated at birth and given to two different adoptive families. Holly and Aviva are overjoyed to have a sister. Each girl is anxious to get to know the other and curious about the other's family and the holiday they will celebrate - Christmas or Hanukkah. The girls decide to swap places for a short time, without telling anyone else. This leads them to discoveries about themselves, each other, their culture and the meaning of family. There is humor and heart here. The tone remains light even while exploring some emotional subjects. The story is told, in alternating chapters, by Holly and Aviva. The characters were narrated by Gabi Epstein and Rebecca Soler in the audiobook. Both narrators were good and used distinctive voices for the other characters, but I found that if I got distracted, I could lose track of whether Aviva or Holly was narrating. All things considered, I think Let It Glow has the potential to become a holiday classic and one that families may enjoy reading together.

Well that was a super cute book perfect for fans of the parent trap and interfaith middle school kids. The writing was spot on and they did sound like preteen girls. a must for the holiday season

An absolutely delightful middle grade featuring Aviva and Holly- identical twins separated at birth- who discover each other and that while they can't know for sure, everything seems like it points to the fact that they were separated at birth. Then the hijinks ensues when the girls decide to swap places to celebrate the other's holiday celebrations-- Christmas versus Hannukah. Really the only one who suspects anything right away is the cat.

It's lively and seasonal. Both girls have an exceptional voice throughout the story that delves into our relationship with culture and religion during the holidays while the girls are just so darn tickled that they have found one another as the holiday celebration in which they'll perform (one of them reluctantly) comes closer.

Simply the best.

Let It Glow weaves such a heartwarming and beautiful tale. Aviva and Holly are two strangers trying to find their place during the holidays. They meet and are shocked to find out they are identical! Since they were both adopted, they must be twins! One celebrates Christmas, and one celebrates Hanukah. Can switching families help them understand the other’s holiday better? This book was so amazing! I simply loved it! The characters are great and the plot so sweet. You really feel for the them and understand their emotions. I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in trade for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.

Even though this is a sweet and funny holiday story, I think readers can enjoy this one any time of year. I listened to the audiobook, and it's fantastic. Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan Young Listeners. Great work, Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy. You are a good team!

“Let it Glow” is a beautifully written story about long lost twin sisters Aviva Davis and Holly Martin, who hatch a plan to temporarily switch lives. This book touches on their curiosity to explore more about their adoption and the many questions they have about their family traditions involving Hanukkah and Christmas.

I loved the audiobook version of this book and felt the narrator did a wonderful job keeping the reader engaged
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC audiobook of Let it Glow by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy.

This was such a cute story. I so enjoyed reading this. It just brought warmth to my heart.. this will bring a good holiday. Read to any kid that wants to have a nice good cozy up read that’s just fun! I love how it talks about Hanukkah and shares more about the holiday. Season from both sides and we need more books like this out in the world wonderful job. I was given the chance to listen to the audiobook and the audio narrators did such a wonderful job.

Middle school students Aviva and Holly meet each other for the first time at Rowena Village, a senior living facility and realize they are both adopted, identical twins Aviva is there to visit her Bubbe, and also perform at the annual holiday pageant. Aviva who is Jewish, doesn't know much about her religion since her family is not observant, but now wants to learn more about it, since people are always surprised to find out that she is Jewish since her father is black. Holly, who celebrates Christmas, is visiting Rowena Village because they might move her grandad there after a fall. As Holly is checking out the pageant, she and Aviva run into each other and realize they are identical twins. Even though they have very different personalities, the two immediately connect and decide to switch home for four days so they can learn more about each other families, and prepare for the "Big Reveal" at the holiday pageant.
This is an adorable MG book and with the Parent Trap theme, Meyer as one of the writers, and Rebecca Soler as one of the narrators, I knew I had to get the audiobook version to read. Students have been clamoring for more holiday books and with this one having dual holidays, will be a surefire winner this season; I will be purchasing several copies! This would make a FANTASTIC MOVIE, BTW!
Weakness: I LOVE the cover, but the girls look very young; I wish they looked a little older; I'm afraid that my 8th graders won't be interested because of this.

Let it Glow puts a fantastic dreidel spin on the "Parent Trap" trope where long lost twins discover each other and switch places. Both girls know that they are adopted, but are shocked to learn that they have a twin. As someone raised Jewish who always had both a menorah and a christmas tree, I love the recent diversity trend in children's literature that highlights interfaith families celebrating both cultures. Let it Glow comes close. When Holly and Aviva meet and switch places, they get know each other's family and learn about each other's culture. Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy have teamed up to tell this cute story. I have enjoyed several books by Levy, but I am now a Marissa Meyer fan as well. They have created several well rounded believable characters. I love the fact that the twins may look alike, but they are exact opposites otherwise. The grandparents are portrayed as people who may face physical issues that come with aging, but still enjoy an active life. The other family members are all well thought out and the authors each wrote the chapters taking place in one home. Levy's descriptions of Hanukkah celebrations are spot on and made me hungry for latkes. Mayer's descriptions of a selecting and putting up a tree made me smile with recognition. Levy has woven in a few diversity issues that may hit home with some Jewish kids. She created a larger than life musical theatre nerd who questions if she is "Jewish enough" to perform in a Hanukkah number in a holiday program. Many kids raised in a relatively unobservant family who are identify with their Jewish culture but don't go to synagogue on a regular basis face similar issues. Also Aviva's father and brothers are black and so most kids don't realize that her brothers are Jewish.

I alternated between the ebook and the audiobook for this novel. I usually prefer text editions, but readers would be thrilled with the fantastic audiobook. Narrators Gabbi Epstein and Rebecca Soler both did a fantastic job of giving different distinctive voices for the different characters. They played the twins with such feeling that I didn't want to stop listening. I will definitely be looking for more books read by these talented actresses.

Because love books by Joanne Levy, I was thrilled to get downloadable review copies of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and the opinions are my own. I can honestly recommend this any kid in search for a holiday story. What kid doesn't occasionally wish for a twin?

Such a cute story! I loved the audiobook version with the two readers for Holly and Aviva. I'm not sure how adoptees would feel about how that theme was handled so that might be a point to consider. But overall, such a fun light holiday story with some heavy themes handled - like every great middle grade book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook of Let It Glow by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy.

Just think of the movie Parent Trap with a religion twist. I loved Parent Trap as a kid. Thinking back I can't imagine switching with your twin you just met with little to no communication. However in this twist of Parent Trap these two girls near each other and have cellphones and Facetime to communicate. Both girls were adopted as babies and they didn't know the other existed. One was brought up with some Jewish traditions and the other wasn't. Avivia wants to discover what Hanukah is all about. The girls decide to switch right before the holidays so that they each get to enjoy new experiences.

Let It Glow is so cute!! This is a Christmas/Hanukkah version of Parent Trap, and I loved everything about it. 2 identical twins that have been adopted by different families decide to switch places for the holidays.

I loved how different the twins were, and how well-developed the both families were. For a book that was not that long, I felt like I really got to know and care about each character. I can't imagine that this one won't be a success with the middle grade crowd!

Thanks to NetGalley, Marissa Meyer, Joanne Levy, and Macmillan Audio for the chance to review this audiobook. The narrator did a FANTASTIC job giving each of the characters voice and keeping the story exciting and engaging. My thoughts and opinions are my own!

This was such a great story! I loved the exploration of different family dynamics and traditions. Very touching! The ending was great!

This is a review of the audiobook “Let it Glow”. The storyline is reminiscent of other story lines like “The parent trap” with a different twist on why they decide to swap lives. Aviva Davis and Holly Martin know that they were adopted but not that they were a twin. The two girls happen to meet around a holiday play and decide to trade lives and experience each other’s culture, religious beliefs and family celebrations around the holidays. The narrators did a fantastic job in giving the energy and spirit and the girls and their families. It was a quick and entertaining book to listen to.

This was such a sweet story! The narrators did a great job bringing it to life. I loved the spin on the classic long lost twins with them being adopted. Having them switch places to learn about each other's holiday traditions was so fun! I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this book ahead of release in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eleven words: Middle-Grade Parent Trap Wrapped In A Hannukah-Christmas Hallmark Movie.

That's it. That's the review.