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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
🎄 Bookish Thoughts
Joy To The Girls is a sapphic holiday novella! It was very sweet and short read filled with cozy winter vibes. Alex and Molly are adorable, and I loved seeing them as an established couple. It left me smiling and feeling festive, the perfect quick read to get into the holiday spirit.
📅 Pub Date: September 30, 2025
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
A massive thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, Rachael Lippincott, and Alyson Derrick for the opportunity to read this ARC!
I absolutely adored meeting Alex and Molly in this book. I did not realize this was a sequel to She Gets the Girl, which I haven’t read yet. However, I absolutely loved the holiday theme of this story and how much love Alex and Molly have for each other.
For me, the major conflicts of this novella are not my favorite. It wasn’t so much miscommunication, just lack thereof and that had me screaming in frustration. The way Alex and Molly felt about Cora and May is the exact way I felt about them and their lack of communication.
I overall really enjoyed this book and think people will adore it especially with previous knowledge and love for the characters. I know it’s a sequel but it made me want more of them!
For me, the major conflicts of this novella are not my favorite. It wasn’t so much miscommunication, just lack thereof and that had me screaming in frustration. The way Alex and Molly felt about Cora and May is the exact way I felt about them and their lack of communication.
I overall really enjoyed this book and think people will adore it especially with previous knowledge and love for the characters. I know it’s a sequel but it made me want more of them!
Ugh it was so fun to hang out with Molly and Alex again. I adored She Gets the Girl and I was so happy to be able to catch up with these characters and see where they are now. I also found the setting to be so cute and it has me ready for the holiday season. Grab some hot chocolate and be ready to settle in with this one when it releases.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for a copy of this eARC.
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
This is a very cute Christmas novella that follows 4 friends (1 established couple + 2 girls with crushes on each other) that road-trip to an adorable Christmas town. The established couple has to work through secrets and the other two finally reveal their crushes! Youn adult queer drama + the magic of the Christmas season!
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC 😍
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
Full disclosure, I have not read the first book that this is a novella for. However, I don't think you need to. This is a very sweet and holiday time novella that follows Molly and Alex and their bestfriends Cora and May as they all spend Christmas together in a picturesque Hallmark style town.
They are all close to graduating from college and starting their new lives as college graduates and because of this they are unsure of what the future holds, but also excited, and they are excited about spending the holidays together one last time.
With secret future plans, and one of them playing matchmaker, things get a little messy at times. While things could go very wrong, the communication in this book was strong, and we see the characters work through the struggles together and find ways to deal with what is happening. Plus it wouldn't be the holidays if everyone didn't have some holiday cheer and happiness with a side of small town holiday fun.
Highly recommend if you are feeling like you are hitting a reading slump, as the characters are all so lovely, and it is going to be such a good book for the holidays!
Full disclosure, I have not read the first book that this is a novella for. However, I don't think you need to. This is a very sweet and holiday time novella that follows Molly and Alex and their bestfriends Cora and May as they all spend Christmas together in a picturesque Hallmark style town.
They are all close to graduating from college and starting their new lives as college graduates and because of this they are unsure of what the future holds, but also excited, and they are excited about spending the holidays together one last time.
With secret future plans, and one of them playing matchmaker, things get a little messy at times. While things could go very wrong, the communication in this book was strong, and we see the characters work through the struggles together and find ways to deal with what is happening. Plus it wouldn't be the holidays if everyone didn't have some holiday cheer and happiness with a side of small town holiday fun.
Highly recommend if you are feeling like you are hitting a reading slump, as the characters are all so lovely, and it is going to be such a good book for the holidays!
This is a novella following Molly and Alex who take a trip and decide to help their friend get her crush. This book follows after book one and is a novella. In order to understand the story, you will need to read book one to follow along. This was a cute book which would be better suited to read during the holidays. The authors did a great job with creating writing this short book and ensuring their fans get another glance of the MCs. I would keep this review short because the book is short, but I will say that this book was cute and shows the cute moments between Molly and Alex along with Cora and May. I do have to say that this book was about miscommunication, and of course, at the end it discusses how communication is the way which kind of ruined the story. It was good, but the miscommunication ruins books for me. Overall, it was a great story, and I can’t wait to see what else the author duo writes next.
*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
fast-paced
This was just fine? I was expecting more happy Christmas joy but instead was a lot of tension. I still would love another full length novel of the girls so maybe this is just to fill in a gap before another book. It's a quick read but didn't feel magical enough for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really cute novella. I liked seeing how strong they were years later. They both just want to see each others dreams come true.
I received an arc through netgalley.
I received an arc through netgalley.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to Simon Teen for the advance reader copy. These opinions are my own.
This is a fun Christmas-themed addition to She Gets the Girl. It's an incredibly quick read and perfect one for when you want cozy Christmas vibes. There is a small town, a Christmas tree farm, snowball fights, and hot cocoa.
It can be tough to write a strong novella sequel for a couple that already achieved their happily ever after. And I think this did a really good job. The tension and drama felt incredibly authentic and relatable without ruining either of the characters or the magic of Molly and Alex together.
In addition to their romance, we also get a fun secondary romance between Cora and a new love interest. I felt that was a great addition that helped round out the story further. I loved all the friendships and the fun gift-giving that stemmed from them all knowing each other well. I expect I'll read this again when transitioning to Christmas books in November and December.