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mycatastrophe 's review for:
My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories
by Stephanie Perkins
As seen on Caity Reads.
Overall Rating: 2.95 rounded to a 3
Honestly, I'm pretty disappointed with this anthology overall. A lot of the stories fell flat for me, and I was expecting to really love them. There were a couple that I really liked, though.
Midnights by Rainbow Rowell: ★★★★★
It's not exactly a secret that Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors (if not my all-time favorite), but I absolutely loved this short story. I love Rainbow's writing, her characters, and the way that she builds stories. This was no exception. I wish I had more of this to read. Or like, literally anything by her to read.
The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link: ★★★
This story had a really promising premise. I enjoyed what I did read, but I think it would have done more for me as a longer story. It was a bit confusing, and I was left with a lot of questions that went unanswered.
Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena: ★★
Some things in this story really rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know, I just didn't really understand the point. I did enjoy that this had a bit of diversity in it, and I always love animals in stories. But ultimately, this fell flat for me.
Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han: ★★½
It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: ★★★★
This was actually really cute. I had some initial issues with the writing being a little cringy, but I was able to get past that.
Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan: ★★
I loved the inclusion of LGBT characters into this anthology. However, I did not like this story. Not a lot happened, and what did happen was confusing. It was pretty underwhelming overall.
Krampuslauf by Holly Black: ★★★
This story did a really good job of keeping my attention. I did enjoy the kind of revenge type of style it had to it. But ultimately, it didn't give me any holiday vibes and it got a little weird at the end. Which would have been fine, if I had been expecting it.
What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman: ★★★★
I really liked this story. I loved the diversity, and the romance seemed believable. Which, in my opinion, is hard to do in a short story.
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra Mcentire: ★★★½
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus was a pretty cute story, but I'm not really into the religious thing. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not for me. It wasn't pushed on the reader, which was nice. But it was a prominent part of the story.
Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White: ★★★½
This was alright. I normally enjoy magical realism more, but the magical element in this story just seemed kind of silly. Personally, I think I would have enjoyed it quite a bit more had that element not been in the story. I was a little annoyed with the main character for the first couple of pages, but that worked itself out by the end.
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter: ★★
This was so incredibly unrealistic.
The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor: ★
I DNF'd this story after a few pages. I kind of skimmed the story after that, but overall I just had no clue what was going on. I just don't think Laini Taylor's writing is for me. I don't think it's bad, because there are plenty of people who absolutely love her writing. I think it's just not my cup of tea.
Overall Rating: 2.95 rounded to a 3
Honestly, I'm pretty disappointed with this anthology overall. A lot of the stories fell flat for me, and I was expecting to really love them. There were a couple that I really liked, though.
Midnights by Rainbow Rowell: ★★★★★
It's not exactly a secret that Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors (if not my all-time favorite), but I absolutely loved this short story. I love Rainbow's writing, her characters, and the way that she builds stories. This was no exception. I wish I had more of this to read. Or like, literally anything by her to read.
The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link: ★★★
This story had a really promising premise. I enjoyed what I did read, but I think it would have done more for me as a longer story. It was a bit confusing, and I was left with a lot of questions that went unanswered.
Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena: ★★
Some things in this story really rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know, I just didn't really understand the point. I did enjoy that this had a bit of diversity in it, and I always love animals in stories. But ultimately, this fell flat for me.
Polaris is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han: ★★½
It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins: ★★★★
This was actually really cute. I had some initial issues with the writing being a little cringy, but I was able to get past that.
Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan: ★★
I loved the inclusion of LGBT characters into this anthology. However, I did not like this story. Not a lot happened, and what did happen was confusing. It was pretty underwhelming overall.
Krampuslauf by Holly Black: ★★★
This story did a really good job of keeping my attention. I did enjoy the kind of revenge type of style it had to it. But ultimately, it didn't give me any holiday vibes and it got a little weird at the end. Which would have been fine, if I had been expecting it.
What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman: ★★★★
I really liked this story. I loved the diversity, and the romance seemed believable. Which, in my opinion, is hard to do in a short story.
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra Mcentire: ★★★½
Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus was a pretty cute story, but I'm not really into the religious thing. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not for me. It wasn't pushed on the reader, which was nice. But it was a prominent part of the story.
Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White: ★★★½
This was alright. I normally enjoy magical realism more, but the magical element in this story just seemed kind of silly. Personally, I think I would have enjoyed it quite a bit more had that element not been in the story. I was a little annoyed with the main character for the first couple of pages, but that worked itself out by the end.
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter: ★★
This was so incredibly unrealistic.
The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor: ★
I DNF'd this story after a few pages. I kind of skimmed the story after that, but overall I just had no clue what was going on. I just don't think Laini Taylor's writing is for me. I don't think it's bad, because there are plenty of people who absolutely love her writing. I think it's just not my cup of tea.