A few years ago, YA authors John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle wrote a set of 3 interlinked novellas published as Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances. I don’t know why I didn’t this before now since I do love John Green and Maureen Johnson’s stuff. I’ve never read any Myracle, but I know she’s super popular (and occasionally controversial!). I do also love interlinked short stories, for example Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close and Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri.
All three stories take place in one day, the overnight from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day to be exact. It all starts with Jubilee’s parents getting arrested at a riot over a collectible Santa village piece in “Jubilee Express” by Maureen Johnson. Because they’re in jail, the family lawyer puts Jubilee on a train to her grandparents’ house for the holidays. The train gets stuck outside Gracetown in a giant blizzard. This blizzard is the defining event in all three stories, and Jubilee’s case it strands her in a strange town, headed for a Waffle House with only the clothes on her back.
The Waffle House is also the center of “A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle” by John Green in which three friends are making an epic trek through the blizzard to bring a Twister game to their friend who’s stuck at the restaurant with a whole crew of cheerleaders. “Patron Saint of Pigs” by Lauren Myracle rounds out the collection, transitioning us to Starbucks and involving an absent minded friend and finding out what was worrying Jeb in the first story. I really liked the way these three stories had overlapping characters, plus who doesn’t like a little bit of romance?
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