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knynas1's review
4.0
4 ⭐
The stories were excellent. Many would be great as full length novels. However, I do miss when the 12 stories were 2-4 pages each as this is a very busy time of year spent with family and friends. It can be difficult to find time to read stories of this length each day.
The stories were excellent. Many would be great as full length novels. However, I do miss when the 12 stories were 2-4 pages each as this is a very busy time of year spent with family and friends. It can be difficult to find time to read stories of this length each day.
campychick001's review
3.0
I really love the idea of this collection of short stories as a part of a 12 day advent calendar with fun gifts that go with each story. Even without the gifts, this was a fun set of short stories and I appreciated that they weren't holiday themed. See below for reviews of each story:
Day 1: "If the Jootis Fit" by Nisha J Tuli
Neelam's kingdom is on the verge of collapse. The only way to save them is to identify his rightful queen. How will he know who this person is? She will be able to dislodge the diamond encrusted jootis (shoes) from in front of the queen's throne. This was such a cute take on Cinderella with an Indian influence.
Day 2: "The Quarter Life Crisis of Eleanor Mitchell" by A.L. Heard
As a fresh college graduate, Ellie Mitchell is home visiting family and friends. As she reminisces with her Auntie and her childhood crush, the literal boy next door, she starts to panic about her future - which grad school to attend, should she start a new relationship with her crush, can she move far from her family? I absolutely adored the relationship between Ellie and her Auntie. This was a sweet and realistic discussion on making decisions, regrets, and rolling with the punches.
Day 3: "A Place to Belong" by K.R. Wieland
After the death of her grandmother, Nora is reunited with family she hasn't been in contact with in over 12 years. While Nora begins to feel like her family has abandoned her all these years, she discovers the truth behind their silence. Although this was a bit of a sad story, it is my favorite one so far.
Day 4: "Between the Lines" by MacKenzi Dollins
Ivy is a professional ice skater but she is considering a change in careers. She is terrified of disappointing her parents and coach if she reveals that she wants to retire from ice skating and become a writer. One day, she discovers an unfinished manuscript left behind in the locker room and immediately becomes hooked on the story. She begins exchanging notes with the mystery author in hopes of discovering their identity. I really loved the message of not judging a book (or person) by it's cover and following your passions - the surprise little romance intermingled in this story was also a plus.
Day 5: "Lost in the Threads" by Maseeha Seedat
Robin and Mateo are on a high stakes heist to steal a valuable artifact from a well known museum. While they procure the coveted object, Mateo notices this item may be connected to his ancestors. They must make the tough decision - deliver this valuable object or keep it to uncover it's history? I loved the dialogue between these two characters - which mostly consisted of famous book quotes.
Day 6: "Just Add Magic" by Ranee Stemann
Aislinn's family runs a bakery but with an interesting twist - they are witches with the ability to bake spells into their pastries. Unfortunately, Aislinn has not been able to perfect her magic. Since she can not wield her magic, Aislinn is left to run the bakery solo while her family attends a witchcraft conference and she has one rule: do not attempt to fulfill any magical orders. She has to break this rule when a family friend and fellow witch, Martha, arrives with an urgent life or death request. This was a super fun concept and I would be interested in seeing a full story from this.
Day 7: "The Lessons Carried Forward" by Jamie Perrault
Faollan is struggling to accept the death of both their parents. While going through their parents belongings, they discover a note from their mother that threatens to change everything they knew about themselves. In a society where their true nature is not tolerated, the truth behind their identity could threaten the lives of them and their husband and daughter. I struggled keeping up with this story but I did appreciate the supernatural big brother-esque themes.
Day 8: "A Recipe for Love" by Angie Michaelis
It is 1945 and Sophie has received word that her beloved, Will, will be returning home from the war. As she waits for his arrival at the train station, she soon discovers he isn't aboard. She sadly returns home waiting for his arrival. To pass the time, she engages in her favorite passtime, baking. Due to rations, she is short on ingredients and reaches out to her neighbor who invites her to join her book club. This was such a sweet story and left me smiling at the end.
Day 9: "Through Thick and Thin" by Jenna Marie Henley
Audree is dealing with the fallout after her father was accused of stealing - by her best friend's dad. In order to distract herself, she begins volunteering at the local library over winter break. Every day when she arrives for her shift, she discovers notes addressed to her that provide clues to help her clear her father's name. I loved the alternating views between Audree and her best friend, Cora. This was a super cute story, loved the mystery solving aspect.
Day 10: "Bottling Sunshine" by Zaynah Qutubiddin
After the death of her parents and grandfather, Yadira is left to care for her siblings and grandmother. In the early morning and late at night, they continue the family business of collecting sea glass to sell to wealthy manufacturers of bottled essences. This story follows Yadira as she struggles to make ends meet for her family and her confrontation with grief. This story was a bit heartbreaking but still enjoyable.
Day 11: "Sweet Expectations" by Annmarie Boyle
Kayleigh is a workaholic who is preparing for the day she will take over her grandmother's position as CEO of Cara Candy. To get her to slow down and get back to her roots, her grandmother sends her on a two-week work free vacation to Ireland - the inspiration for the candy company. When Kayleigh arrives in Ireland, she meets her cousin's handsome roommate, Liam - who happens to be the chef at a Michelin star restaurant. During her stay, she fills in as a temporary pastry chef at his restaurant. Although she was dreading the trip, she soon realizes her grandmother was right all along. This was probably my favorite story in this whole collection - super cute and gave me "Emily in Paris" vibes.
Day 12: "An Old Red Cloak" by Taylor Quinn
On a dark and stormy night, Roan sees a young, hungry boy on the street and leaves a loaf of bread on the window sill for him. Her grandmother sees this interaction and thinks the young boy has stolen from them so she curses him. This was an interesting story with a sweet ending.
Day 1: "If the Jootis Fit" by Nisha J Tuli
Neelam's kingdom is on the verge of collapse. The only way to save them is to identify his rightful queen. How will he know who this person is? She will be able to dislodge the diamond encrusted jootis (shoes) from in front of the queen's throne. This was such a cute take on Cinderella with an Indian influence.
Day 2: "The Quarter Life Crisis of Eleanor Mitchell" by A.L. Heard
As a fresh college graduate, Ellie Mitchell is home visiting family and friends. As she reminisces with her Auntie and her childhood crush, the literal boy next door, she starts to panic about her future - which grad school to attend, should she start a new relationship with her crush, can she move far from her family? I absolutely adored the relationship between Ellie and her Auntie. This was a sweet and realistic discussion on making decisions, regrets, and rolling with the punches.
Day 3: "A Place to Belong" by K.R. Wieland
After the death of her grandmother, Nora is reunited with family she hasn't been in contact with in over 12 years. While Nora begins to feel like her family has abandoned her all these years, she discovers the truth behind their silence. Although this was a bit of a sad story, it is my favorite one so far.
Day 4: "Between the Lines" by MacKenzi Dollins
Ivy is a professional ice skater but she is considering a change in careers. She is terrified of disappointing her parents and coach if she reveals that she wants to retire from ice skating and become a writer. One day, she discovers an unfinished manuscript left behind in the locker room and immediately becomes hooked on the story. She begins exchanging notes with the mystery author in hopes of discovering their identity. I really loved the message of not judging a book (or person) by it's cover and following your passions - the surprise little romance intermingled in this story was also a plus.
Day 5: "Lost in the Threads" by Maseeha Seedat
Robin and Mateo are on a high stakes heist to steal a valuable artifact from a well known museum. While they procure the coveted object, Mateo notices this item may be connected to his ancestors. They must make the tough decision - deliver this valuable object or keep it to uncover it's history? I loved the dialogue between these two characters - which mostly consisted of famous book quotes.
Day 6: "Just Add Magic" by Ranee Stemann
Aislinn's family runs a bakery but with an interesting twist - they are witches with the ability to bake spells into their pastries. Unfortunately, Aislinn has not been able to perfect her magic. Since she can not wield her magic, Aislinn is left to run the bakery solo while her family attends a witchcraft conference and she has one rule: do not attempt to fulfill any magical orders. She has to break this rule when a family friend and fellow witch, Martha, arrives with an urgent life or death request. This was a super fun concept and I would be interested in seeing a full story from this.
Day 7: "The Lessons Carried Forward" by Jamie Perrault
Faollan is struggling to accept the death of both their parents. While going through their parents belongings, they discover a note from their mother that threatens to change everything they knew about themselves. In a society where their true nature is not tolerated, the truth behind their identity could threaten the lives of them and their husband and daughter. I struggled keeping up with this story but I did appreciate the supernatural big brother-esque themes.
Day 8: "A Recipe for Love" by Angie Michaelis
It is 1945 and Sophie has received word that her beloved, Will, will be returning home from the war. As she waits for his arrival at the train station, she soon discovers he isn't aboard. She sadly returns home waiting for his arrival. To pass the time, she engages in her favorite passtime, baking. Due to rations, she is short on ingredients and reaches out to her neighbor who invites her to join her book club. This was such a sweet story and left me smiling at the end.
Day 9: "Through Thick and Thin" by Jenna Marie Henley
Audree is dealing with the fallout after her father was accused of stealing - by her best friend's dad. In order to distract herself, she begins volunteering at the local library over winter break. Every day when she arrives for her shift, she discovers notes addressed to her that provide clues to help her clear her father's name. I loved the alternating views between Audree and her best friend, Cora. This was a super cute story, loved the mystery solving aspect.
Day 10: "Bottling Sunshine" by Zaynah Qutubiddin
After the death of her parents and grandfather, Yadira is left to care for her siblings and grandmother. In the early morning and late at night, they continue the family business of collecting sea glass to sell to wealthy manufacturers of bottled essences. This story follows Yadira as she struggles to make ends meet for her family and her confrontation with grief. This story was a bit heartbreaking but still enjoyable.
Day 11: "Sweet Expectations" by Annmarie Boyle
Kayleigh is a workaholic who is preparing for the day she will take over her grandmother's position as CEO of Cara Candy. To get her to slow down and get back to her roots, her grandmother sends her on a two-week work free vacation to Ireland - the inspiration for the candy company. When Kayleigh arrives in Ireland, she meets her cousin's handsome roommate, Liam - who happens to be the chef at a Michelin star restaurant. During her stay, she fills in as a temporary pastry chef at his restaurant. Although she was dreading the trip, she soon realizes her grandmother was right all along. This was probably my favorite story in this whole collection - super cute and gave me "Emily in Paris" vibes.
Day 12: "An Old Red Cloak" by Taylor Quinn
On a dark and stormy night, Roan sees a young, hungry boy on the street and leaves a loaf of bread on the window sill for him. Her grandmother sees this interaction and thinks the young boy has stolen from them so she curses him. This was an interesting story with a sweet ending.
ambernh1984's review
4.0
I want to start off by saying this is my first year with the Once Upon a Book Club advent box. Most of the time I like the gifts associated with the boxes, but some feel like a waste, so I was a little worried with this expensive box.
Day 1: If the Jootis Fit: loved this short story not only because it was cute, but also because it gave references to many things I didn't know, so I felt as though it gave a bit of culture to look up as well. Gift: The Dutchess by Wendy Holden
Day 2: The Quarter Life Crisis of Eleanor Mitchell: I loved the relationship between Eleanor and her "auntie" and wish I had something similar. The other part of the story with the boy was a bit Hallmark Movie for me. Gift: a jute welcome mat that says "come back with books" which I just love!
Day 3: A Place to Belong: a coming home story of sorts where we are hit in the feels about feeling left out and forgotten. I feel this story would hit home with many people, and I enjoyed it. Gift: a ceramic little jar that says "to be read" with little sticky notes. While I love the jar, there's no way it's large enough for all my TBR list, it's more like a mini piggy bank, but it is adorable!
Day 4: Between the Lines: hidden author meets hidden author. Both of our characters are doing things other except of them until they stumble upon each other. While it is a Hallmark type movie story, I thought the way they interacted with the story was adorable. Gift: One by One by Ruth Ware, a book I actually wanted!!
Day 5: Lost in the Threads: we start reading where this duo is breaking into a museum for an old table runner. This has to be my favorite story so far! Mateo realizes while he's taking the runner that it's got his family's insignia on it, so he and his partner keep it. We are left on a cliff hanger and I'm 100% sure this would be a fantastic book, I even reached out to the author to ask what happened next! Gift: a dark green table runner full of bookish quotes.
Day 6: Just Add Magic: a cute witchy coming of age story, where the one daughter is the only one with no powers in her family, gets them when she needs them most to help a witchy family friend. I loved the idea that the family's spells are all woven into delicious baked goods! Gift: book cookie cutters.
Day 7: The Lessons Carried Forward: this one had something to do with this person's family dying and then finding out who they truly are, which I think is a werewolf? I'm not sure because I honestly couldn't finish this one. While I appreciate the pronouns being true to the character it honestly threw me off, since there was a husband, he/him and a child, but the main character was referred to as they/them. Along with the weird let's add tattoos to your tattoo to figure out who you are thing, I couldn't finish. Gift: She Wouldn't Change a Thing by Sarah Adlakha
Day 8: A Recipe for Love: set in the times of WW2, a young woman awaits her love coming back from the war. When her neighbor realizes she enjoys baking, despite the rations, she invites her for a book club/baking club. (oOkay but where can I sign up?!) She is gifted an amazing cookbook with bookish recipes to help her pass the time while she awaits her love. Gift: a beautiful cook book ready to be filled with all your own recipes, and a set of measuring spoons.
Day 9: Through Thick and Thin: a new girl to town makes a rich best friend, while her father works for the best friend's father. He is accused of stealing some diamond necklaces and the new girl is ostracized because of it. She gets a volunteer job at the library and finds notes helping her to figure out who did it. We find out it's NOT her father but aren't told who it is, which bothered me. Gift: a small trinket/makeup bag that looks like an old school library check out card, and a set of "gold" necklaces. Love the bag, don't like the necklaces, most of us are grown adults and don't wear cheap fake jewelry.
Day 10: Bottling Sunshine: a family who collects sea-glass has fallen on hard times, it focuses on the children in the family and how they are coping with loss and hard times. They trade old shoes to try and get new ones for the younger sister, but are given a book and sandals instead. The eldest child reads the book about "bottling sunshine" and they decide to do that. We are never told what the sunshine is and are left questioning a bit: Gift: Heard it in a Love song by Tracey Garvis Graves
Day 11: Sweet Expectations: Kayleigh is trying to keep her grandmother's candy store alive with new recipes, grandma however doesn't approve and sends her to Ireland to get back in touch with her roots. Upon getting there she meets her cousin's friend, falling for him and Ireland while reacquainting herself with her love of baking. Super adorable story that would work great as a longer modern romance. Gift: yoga mat with females reading, in a carrying bag.
Day 12: An Old Red Cloak: This almost reminded me a bit of Little Red Riding hood. Roan works in her family's bakery, and tries to help a hungry boy her age, until her grandmother sees him and puts a curse on him. 10 years later they're a couple, living together with his curse (werewolf) on the outskirts of two towns. That's honestly about it...there was no real end to me. Just that the towns folk wanted to hunt him. Gift: a turquoise and grey travel hammock that says "go away I'm reading."
Day 1: If the Jootis Fit: loved this short story not only because it was cute, but also because it gave references to many things I didn't know, so I felt as though it gave a bit of culture to look up as well. Gift: The Dutchess by Wendy Holden
Day 2: The Quarter Life Crisis of Eleanor Mitchell: I loved the relationship between Eleanor and her "auntie" and wish I had something similar. The other part of the story with the boy was a bit Hallmark Movie for me. Gift: a jute welcome mat that says "come back with books" which I just love!
Day 3: A Place to Belong: a coming home story of sorts where we are hit in the feels about feeling left out and forgotten. I feel this story would hit home with many people, and I enjoyed it. Gift: a ceramic little jar that says "to be read" with little sticky notes. While I love the jar, there's no way it's large enough for all my TBR list, it's more like a mini piggy bank, but it is adorable!
Day 4: Between the Lines: hidden author meets hidden author. Both of our characters are doing things other except of them until they stumble upon each other. While it is a Hallmark type movie story, I thought the way they interacted with the story was adorable. Gift: One by One by Ruth Ware, a book I actually wanted!!
Day 5: Lost in the Threads: we start reading where this duo is breaking into a museum for an old table runner. This has to be my favorite story so far! Mateo realizes while he's taking the runner that it's got his family's insignia on it, so he and his partner keep it. We are left on a cliff hanger and I'm 100% sure this would be a fantastic book, I even reached out to the author to ask what happened next! Gift: a dark green table runner full of bookish quotes.
Day 6: Just Add Magic: a cute witchy coming of age story, where the one daughter is the only one with no powers in her family, gets them when she needs them most to help a witchy family friend. I loved the idea that the family's spells are all woven into delicious baked goods! Gift: book cookie cutters.
Day 7: The Lessons Carried Forward: this one had something to do with this person's family dying and then finding out who they truly are, which I think is a werewolf? I'm not sure because I honestly couldn't finish this one. While I appreciate the pronouns being true to the character it honestly threw me off, since there was a husband, he/him and a child, but the main character was referred to as they/them. Along with the weird let's add tattoos to your tattoo to figure out who you are thing, I couldn't finish. Gift: She Wouldn't Change a Thing by Sarah Adlakha
Day 8: A Recipe for Love: set in the times of WW2, a young woman awaits her love coming back from the war. When her neighbor realizes she enjoys baking, despite the rations, she invites her for a book club/baking club. (oOkay but where can I sign up?!) She is gifted an amazing cookbook with bookish recipes to help her pass the time while she awaits her love. Gift: a beautiful cook book ready to be filled with all your own recipes, and a set of measuring spoons.
Day 9: Through Thick and Thin: a new girl to town makes a rich best friend, while her father works for the best friend's father. He is accused of stealing some diamond necklaces and the new girl is ostracized because of it. She gets a volunteer job at the library and finds notes helping her to figure out who did it. We find out it's NOT her father but aren't told who it is, which bothered me. Gift: a small trinket/makeup bag that looks like an old school library check out card, and a set of "gold" necklaces. Love the bag, don't like the necklaces, most of us are grown adults and don't wear cheap fake jewelry.
Day 10: Bottling Sunshine: a family who collects sea-glass has fallen on hard times, it focuses on the children in the family and how they are coping with loss and hard times. They trade old shoes to try and get new ones for the younger sister, but are given a book and sandals instead. The eldest child reads the book about "bottling sunshine" and they decide to do that. We are never told what the sunshine is and are left questioning a bit: Gift: Heard it in a Love song by Tracey Garvis Graves
Day 11: Sweet Expectations: Kayleigh is trying to keep her grandmother's candy store alive with new recipes, grandma however doesn't approve and sends her to Ireland to get back in touch with her roots. Upon getting there she meets her cousin's friend, falling for him and Ireland while reacquainting herself with her love of baking. Super adorable story that would work great as a longer modern romance. Gift: yoga mat with females reading, in a carrying bag.
Day 12: An Old Red Cloak: This almost reminded me a bit of Little Red Riding hood. Roan works in her family's bakery, and tries to help a hungry boy her age, until her grandmother sees him and puts a curse on him. 10 years later they're a couple, living together with his curse (werewolf) on the outskirts of two towns. That's honestly about it...there was no real end to me. Just that the towns folk wanted to hunt him. Gift: a turquoise and grey travel hammock that says "go away I'm reading."
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