Title: Let It Snow
Authors: John Green, Maureen Johnson, & Lauren Myracle
Publisher: Penguin
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Paperback
Published September 2008
Summary: An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House (and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista.
First of all, I am so excited that I finished this book in time for Christmas, because that means I can put this review up on Christmas Eve, which is arguably one of my favorite days of the entire year! Not only that, but this book is all about the holiday season, so it's doubly fitting. Overall, I'm glad that even though my boyfriend bought me a copy of this book for my birthday in March, I waited this long to read it. It was absolutely fitting for the season and left me so warm and fuzzy inside.
I know I'm probably late to the party with this one, since this book has been out since 2008, but I was so super excited to finally get a chance to read it. I was especially intrigued with the way that all three authors wrote different stories that were incorporated into the book through three different sections, but all three sections somehow managed to intertwine, first in small ways and then large ones. As the summary explains, Let it Snow tells the story of a snowy night in a southern town that shuts down everything, and it inevitably leads to all sorts of issues, but also all sorts of adorable meetings and life-changing events happening. Maureen Johnson's story is about a young girl named Jubilee whose train gets stuck in the snow on a downtrodden trip to see her grandparents for Christmas after her parents wind up in jail (for a very interesting reason), John Green's portion is about a young boy named Tobin and two of his friends as they race some classmates to the local Waffle House to get to spend the night snowed in with cheerleaders, and Lauren Myracle's piece is about a self-absorbed girl that learns to care for those around her more through a terrible breakup and an adorable little pig.
Yeah. All of these stories sound weird, and it sounds like there really isn't any way to tie them together, but trust me, once you start reading, everything fits perfectly.
I enjoyed this book so much that I finished it in a little under a day and a half because I kept turning the pages and wanting to know what would happen next. I was supposed to be studying for my finals, but instead I found myself procrastinating that to pick up this book and give it a start, and before long, I found myself hooked. This book is full of funny one-liners, moments of absolute cuteness, and even tons of adventure. Who would've thought that a feel-good book about the holidays could incorporate so many other elements, such as jail time due to a shopping brawl, car accidents on the way to a Waffle House, and having to steal back a baby pig? There was a lot going on throughout this book, and it definitely felt a little eccentric to talk about, but I promise you, it all finds a way to fit together without feeling forced or awkward or weird.
The only thing that I wasn't really crazy about with this book was maybe the fact that I had read it so late, and so many things had changed since then -- for example, there's a scene where one of the characters needs to find out where someone lives, and she takes to a phone book. I know this is totally a me issue and in no way reflects on the writing of these authors, especially since this book was written in 2008, but that was just something that took me out of the narrative from time to time and kept me from focusing every now and then. That's really the only thing that threw me off a little bit, because other than that, I was hooked on this book from start to finish.
And yes, there was even a day where I read 211 pages in one sitting, because I just kept wanting to know what was happening and I was loving the warm, adorable little feeling I was getting in my heart as I kept reading. There's just something about reading about the holidays that makes me so happy, especially when there's love involved -- and trust me, there's plenty of that here. This book is like the ultimate Christmas blend of romance and comedy. It was honestly so great.
What I loved most about this story was actually how well everything came together in the end. (Minor spoilers in this paragraph, so please skip to the next paragraph if you haven't read the book yet!) I liked how Addie and Jeb's story ended up in the Starbucks the same way Tobin and Angie (and also Stuart and Julie)'s all did. Although the stories operated on separate planes for the majority of the book and only used the same setting and brief allusions to the other characters throughout the author's respective pieces, that scene in the end where everything comes together had me smiling so much that my cheeks hurt. When I closed the book, I even uttered an audible little squeak of surprise and a sigh of contentment because I liked how everything was tied together and how those three eccentric stories suddenly had found a way to fit together in a way that didn't feel forced or awkward at all.
Overall, I really liked Let it Snow. I'm glad that I finally got a chance to read this book, especially since it contained so many of my favorite authors and I was dying to know what I was missing out on! If you're looking for a quick, easy read to celebrate the holidays, this is definitely the book to check out. I breezed through it so quickly and was hung onto every word because everything was so funny and adorable and I just kept wanting to know what would happen next!
What're your favorite books to read during the holiday season? Have you read Let it Snow -- and if so, what did you think of it? Comment down below and let me know!
