Library Journal This festive holiday-themed deluxe edition contains three original novellas and features illustrations and recipes. In Sweater Weather, set in Minneapolis, high school sweethearts Anna and Jeremy inadvertently find themselves reliving their first love in a fake relationship that turns undeniably real. In Stealing Christmas, Matty loses a bet, forcing him to sit in a diner all day in a ridiculous costume and leading to a love connection with the waitress Rhiannon, who later recruits him on a hilarious and righteous quest full of hijinks. In A Married Little Christmas, two strangers, Lauren and William, meet in a beyond picturesque small town called Little Christmas with the goal of breaking up the engagement of their respective best friends, but end up falling in love with the town, each other, and saving Christmas in the process. Each story is loosely related to the others and is set in a beautifully wintry Minnesota in the days leading up to Christmas. VERDICT Fans of Jimenez's (The Night We Met) novels and newcomers alike will savor these bite-sized and sweetly romantic stories full of holiday fun.—Migdalia Jimenez
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Kirkus Three interconnected novellas explore the romance of the Christmas season. Jimenez is known for romances that explore deep issues and bring on the tears. In this collection of connected Christmas novellas, she keeps things light and relatively drama-free with a trio of sweet stories set in Minnesota. As she puts it in her author’s note, “Nobody wants to cry at Christmas.” First there’s Anna, who orders pancakes to make up for the terrible food at her sister’s early Christmas dinner and is shocked when her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, is the deliveryman. The two parted on bad terms, but when he shows up at her sister’s house, their families assume they’re back together (Anna’s hidden the food to spare her sister’s feelings) and they must play the part for the day to avoid embarrassment. Then there’s Jeremy’s brother Matty, who lost a bet and has to spend the entire day at a nearby diner dressed as a zombie Santa. He befriends a cute waitress named Rhiannon and the two learn about each other over many plates of pancakes. The last—and best—story follows Lauren and William, who find themselves in the nearby small town of Little Christmas. Their best friends are getting married on Christmas Eve, mere days after having met. Lauren and William initially attempt to talk the pair out of getting wed to people they barely know, but soon realize there’s no persuading the lovebirds and throw themselves into the proceedings. The bigger conflict is that Lauren and William are falling for each other. Jimenez peppers each tale with nods to characters from the other stories, which makes for a fun reading experience. The stories explore how the magic of the holiday season—the music, the decorations, the food (recipes helpfully included), and the traditions—can lead to new connections and rekindled old loves. Goes down like a mug of hot chocolate—sweet, warm, and comforting. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Publishers Weekly The adorable first holiday-themed outing from bestseller Jimenez (The Night We Met) collects three loosely connected novellas. The hijinks-filled “Sweater Weather” follows lawyer Anna, home for the holidays in small-town Minnesota. To save herself from her sister’s chaotic, unsanitary cooking, she secretly orders food to her family’s Christmas party, only for her ex-boyfriend Jeremy, a doctor, to deliver it. He was roped into the favor by the delivery driver, who was in a car accident on the way over. When Anna’s family spots Jeremy, Anna panics and lies that they’ve gotten back together to spare her sister’s feelings. The fake dating lie balloons and Anna ends up joining Jeremy’s family Christmas as well, where his feisty grandmother, Bridgette, steals every scene she’s in. She does the same in “Stealing Christmas,” which turns the focus to Jeremy’s youngest brother, Matty. After losing a family bet, Matty winds up dressed as “zombie Santa” when he wanders into the diner where waitress Rhiannon works. The pair quickly bond, especially when Matty agrees to help Rhiannon get her cat back from her terrible ex-boyfriend. The standout title novella has snarky out-of-towners Lauren and William in Minnesota to convince their respective besties that they’re rushing into marriage after a whirlwind three-day relationship—and, ironically, fall in love themselves. Jimenez’s sparkling wit is on display throughout. Packed with seasonal cheer and big feelings, this is a true delight. (Oct.)
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