Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced reading copy of Let it Glow by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy.

This was a great middle grade novel for the holiday season. With alternating points of view we get perspective from Holly Martin and Aviva Davis. Holly was adopted by her mother Charlie. They live with her grandfather (gramps) who is getting older. Charlie wants her father to move into a senior citizen centre. It is there where Holly runs into her doppelgänger Aviva. Aviva was adopted by her parents and lives with them and her adopted siblings. Aviva’s grandmother (Bubbe) lives at the seniors centre and this year Aviva wants to partake in the Christmas concert showcasing a self written song about the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. While the girls may look alike they shine in different areas. Holly is the shy creative type while Aviva has a flare for the dramatics.

This was a well written novel about swapping holidays and places (major parent trap feels).

This was a cute mg novel. I really enjoyed the juxtaposed religious aspects. It would be a great book for anyone in the mg age range but lacked some of the depth for adult readers.

Aviva Davis is the adopted daughter of a Jewish Couple. They aren't as devout as her grandmother would like. She is training Aviva to say the prayers for Hanukah. She has also convinced her to try out for the holiday pageant at the local senior's centre. She wants to be in the Hanukah number, but there isn't one. She doesn't want to sing the Dreidel song, so plans to write her own song instead. Meanwhile Holly Martin is also at the tryouts, but really doesn't want to participate, but her mother and grandfather convince her to go. While there they meet one another and it is like looking in a mirror. They are identical except for a small birthmark. While they both knew they were adopted, they had no idea they had a biological sibling, let alone an identical twin! The similarities are only skin deep, though, because while Aviva has a big personality and even bigger Broadway plans, Holly is more the quiet dreamer type who longs to become a famous author like her grandfather. They are intrigued to learn that they both have different holidays and want to learn about each other's families and celebrations. What better way to discover the magic of the holidays than to experience them firsthand? The girls secretly trade lives, planning to stage a dramatic reveal to their families at the pageant. Two virtual strangers swapping homes, holidays, and age-old traditions–what could possibly go wrong?

This is a cute middle-grade story with shades of The Parent Trap. This story is full of humor as the girls bumble along in each other's lives, but not knowing enough about the other. I liked that the reader learns about different celebrations, and holidays. There are also themes about families, how busy they are in today's world, their celebrations, and even generations living together. The story also made me think about the nature vs nurture argument. The girls are very different from one another based on how they have been raised. I loved that Holly's younger brother knew right away that Aviva was not his sister. The rest of the family didn't notice. All the festive activities were fun and added to this story. The one thing that caused me pause, was the letter. Apparently their birth mother wrote them a letter for them to open when they were older and the girls were sneaking around trying to find it and read it without letting their parents know. The ending was perfect, with the girls finally coming clean, working together in the pageant and both families celebrating together. This is a great middlegrade story with enough to think about, but lots of fun and laughs. A perfect book for a teacher to read aloud when learning about celebrations around the world. I did a read/listen with this book and enjoyed the narration by Gabi Epstein. She had the perfect voice for the girls and I loved the voices for the grandparents. If you enjoy MG fiction, or have a young one you would like to buy a book for, then I recommend Let It Glow in whatever format you prefer.

Every generation needs a parent trap. Let it glow is a new take on the parent trap without trapping parent. We have two young girls, one whose grandmother lives at an assisted living facility and another whose grandfather is looking at living in the assisted living facility. They are both adopted. They are both 12 years old. And they meet for the first time at the assisted living facility and go you have my face. You have my birthday. We must be twins. But how. These twins, both unique yet with some similarities a a plan to revealed to both their parents that hey there was a mistake when we were born. They’re gonna reveal this at the play put on at the assisted living facility. In great parent trap fashion eventually the two do switch houses and nobody knows except for a young brother. This book was just fun. It is a holiday book which is why it’s called. Let it glow. One of our girls is trying to find her belief in Hanukkah. She was raised Jewish, but doesn’t really feel Jewish and that is what she wants to gain this holiday season. The other sister Was raised with Christmas and Christmas tree trees. So switching they get to experience the other side. There’s no other word for this besides Q. This book is cute from page one to the last. It’s being read or it’s being listened to. This is a book for the entire family.

Marissa Meyer is a beloved author in my Middle School classroom, though she's best known for her fantasy series (Lunar Chronicles and Renegades), so when I saw she was releasing a holiday collaboration aimed at younger MG students, I knew I had to pick it up. I really enjoyed this one, and I'm excited to recommend it to my students.

What I loved:
- This holiday twist on the Parent Trap/It Takes Two plot: As a millennial who was raised on these storylines, I am all for an identical sister swap story.
- The Christmas & Hanukkah representation: As someone raising children in a household that celebrates both holidays, I appreciated the way the authors portrayed the religions, traditions, and holidays in this book.
- The grandparents: Bubbe and Gramps are the best!
- The narration: Rebecca Soler can do no wrong. (Gabi Epstein was also excellent!)

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced copy

Sister, Sister meets The Parent Trap in this adorable MG holiday book by @marissameyerauthor & @joanne_levy_
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Aviva Davis could only be described as a vivacious aspiring actress so when her Bubbe’s retirement home is hosting a holiday pageant, she knows it’s her time to shine in the Hanukkah number she plans on creating for this show. Holly Martin can be found with her nose in a book or writing the next great American novel, but when her Grandpa suffers another fall she and her mother decide to tour a retirement home to see if he’s a good fit for the place. Once there, Holly and Aviva run into each and realize they look exactly alike! Once discovering they’re both adopted and have the same birthday, it’s obvious they’re twins separated at birth. They decide to switch places to see what the other’s holiday traditions look like from the inside. Will anyone notice?
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Okay this was precious. I adored the Jewish representation in relation to their religion, culture, traditions and the Yiddish shared as well. We need more books with Jewish representation, period. Not just Hanukkah but Passover, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Purim, etc. I loved both girls’ voices and what they loved and stood for. Can’t wait to get this in my middle school library Thanks @librofm for the ALC.

CW: religious bigotry, injury, blood, medical content, antisemitism, racism

This story really gave off “The Parent Trap” vibes! I found this book to be very sweet and jolly. Perfect for the Christmas season! This was made for more of a younger audience but I still had a good time listening. The narrators did a great job especially distinguishing and giving each twin their own personality. I never felt confused on which twin’s POV I was on. It’s a fun twist to have twins but with different religions. I never knew much about Hanukkah but this story helped teach me a little bit more. I really wanted to know what was said in the letter but I guess I’ll never know. I do feel like it’s very unrealistic that not even the moms guessed what the twins did. I know it’s for plot convenience but I found it a little weird.

Overall, this book was great and I would recommend to any young audience.

Thank you to the authors, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this audiobook.

This is exactly what I'm looking for in a holiday read! It was slam packed with holiday goodness, both Christmas and Hanukkah- which I learned a lot about. Latkes sound delicious and I think I've been missing out my whole life! The narrator (audio) was fantastic engaging and fun to listen to. I was immediately drawn into this story.

I really liked both main characters and their families and seeing the contrasts between the two. I was also shocked (happily) to learn that both girls were adopted and KNEW they were adopted. I think my only complaint is that Aviva was so quick to switch places with Holly after having her whole identity crises and begging her family to celebrate Hanukkah for the first time. Aside from that, this was a fun holiday twist on the identical twins switching places story.

This was a fun, young readers story with Freaky Friday and holiday vibes and is a perfect read for the winter season.

I love that each sister got a chance to live with the other's family and learn about their traditions. I like that the girls started to realize how special their own traditions are as they missed out on them. The ending was wonderful and the talent show song made me tear up.

Gabi Epstein and Rebecca Soler did a good job narrating and filling this story with the emotions needed to convey what the girls were going through.

Let it Glow was a lovely children's book with the fun of a parent trap switch, and the cultural importance of the characters not only working through their own cultural identities but also supporting each other in their cultures by learning about each other's lives and traditions.

If you know me, you know that Marissa Meyer is one of my favorite authors AND you know I love me a holiday story. So color me shocked when I found out that she was co-authoring one. I had no idea this was coming, but once I did, I kept thinking about it. I knew it was going to be a favorite.

And sure enough, this holiday themed Parent Trap has turned into one of my faves of this year. This book had me stressed! I guess because I’m like their mom’s age, but I was on pins and needles worried about these kids going to other people’s houses lol I know my anxiety is bad, but I didn’t realize how bad until I read this. I just knew one of them was going to hurt themselves before they went back to their real families lol

Ok so the characters were pretty cool. I LOVED Aviva and Holly! Even tho they were identical twins, they were both still very different. And I think I loved that the most. As someone who has three sisters, I can confirm this is how sisters are. As for everyone else, like the grandparents and the parents. I enjoyed reading about them and seeing the impact that they had on both girls. Especially the grandparents. They were all so sweet.

I also enjoyed the things we learn about each holiday and in such a fun way. I love that Holly learned the prayer in Hebrew through Youtube. And I love that Aviva wasn’t going to let them forget Hanukkah in any way. And I loved that she got to cut down a tree and how she felt so sad about people not actually going caroling lmao I loved seeing them learn new things about their family.

The whole thing was amazing. I thought it was so cute! And the very ending was so cute, I cried a little when they sung. Ugh it was amazing. I know it still might seem too early for holiday reads, but even if you don’t read it now, I hope you DO read it. It was so good, and of course, we could all use some happy that this could bring right now.

I absolutely loved this one. The audio narration was great, and the story was a unique spin on a classic.

I liked that this one had both Christmas and Hanukkah to really show the good parts of each. I think that some people take their holidays for granted so it was nice to see Christmas through the eyes of someone who doesn't celebrate it, and at the same time it was great to learn more about Hannukah and see how people spend this time with their family during this festive time. The more we know about others the more tolerate we can be! I was a bit anxious when the girls were trying to pass and kept wishing they would let their families know sooner, but the big reveal I guess was worth it.

Marissa Meyer has been an auto-read author for me for some time and I don’t think I will ever get tired of reading her books. This was a perfect middle grade/ya holiday story.

My first holiday book (that's not a children's book) of the year. Joanne Levy is one of my go to authors for Jewish books, plus this is a spin on The Parent Trap, so of course I had to read it. This was fun and cute and cheesy and very fitting for the time of year it is set. I am by no means an expert, but it felt like it could have been the plot of a Hallmark Christmas movie, if those movies featured twelve year olds. But it is the same kind of suspension of disbelief you need for those stories.

Aviva was very relatable to me, even as an adult. Christmas /does/ take over everything during the winter. I was also very amused because Aviva didn't know there were different kinds of Christmas trees, and I also didn't know that until earlier this year.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

This was a charming, feel good middle grade holiday story that sees two adopted identical tweens meeting at an old age care home and signing up for the only Jewish holiday performance. Full of a great cast of diverse characters and lots of Parent trap esque family swap vibes, this was an enjoyable story about found family, Jewish heritage, identity and traditions that was also good on audio and perfect for fans of books like Not your all-American girl by Madelyn Rosenberg and authors like AJ Sass. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

In this story about the chance reunion of twins separated at birth, each girl has her own talents and interests. Aviva (the Jewish twin) is an outgoing performer who lives with her grandmother (Bubbe), mom, dad, and two brothers. Holly (the Christian twin) likes dragons, is well-known at the library, and writes. She lives with her grandfather (Gramps, who is a celebrated writer), mom, and cat. The girls meet at a senior living center where Bubbe resides (and at which Aviva is volunteering) and to which Gramps is considering moving (not entirely voluntarily).

Readers learn about the winter religious holidays along with the twins. The story features adoptive and biracial families, and is full of love and acceptance, as well as preteen mischief.

I enjoyed both narrators—Gabi Epstein and Rebecca Soler—who accomplished voices across genders, ages, and ethnicities.

4.5⭐

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

I love Marissa Meyer and was so excited to hear she was going to have a holiday/twins swap book. I wasn't disappointed! This book has all the holiday -Christmas and Hannukah- vibes and wonderful characters. I was touched by how well the authors handled the different religions and the different adoption situations. An all around feel good story!

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 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, so most kids don't realize that her brothers are Jewish. With the duel narrators, and two holidays, this book is bound to appeal to kids from any background.

I alternated between the eBook and the audiobook for this novel. 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. If you prefer audiobooks, or enjoy alternating formats to fit your schedule, this book is a great choice.

Because I love books by Joanne Levy, I was thrilled to get downloadable review copies of this book from the publisher. This review is voluntary and the opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book just as much as Levy's other books, and I will be adding her coauthor Marissa Meyer to my must read list. I can honestly recommend this any kid in search for a holiday story. What kid doesn't occasionally wish for a twin?

The premise of this book sounded so cute with Christmas and parent-trap vibes! I enjoyed the narrator for Aviva but not Holly and it took me out of the story. I tried to push through but I just couldn't connect with it. I do think many people will love and enjoy this story for the Christmas season, it just didn't work for me personally.