BOOK REVIEW | My True Love Gave to Me

Title: My True Love Gave to Me
Author: Many! This is an anthology of 12 holiday stories.
Series? Stephanie Perkins edited another anthology, Summer Days and Summer Nights, that is very similar to this one.
Pages: 321
Publication Date: October 14, 2014
Publisher: Macmillan Children's
Source: I got this from my local library!

If you love holiday stories, holiday movies, made-for-TV-holiday specials, holiday episodes of your favorite sitcoms and, especially, if you love holiday anthologies, you’re going to fall in love with My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by twelve bestselling young adult writers, edited by international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins. Whether you enjoy celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, Winter Solstice or New Year's there's something here for everyone. So curl up by the fireplace and get cozy. You have twelve reasons this season to stay indoors and fall in love.

Goodreads 

Hi everyone! So My True Love Gave to Me is my first anthology that I've read, and the first one I've reviewed as well. Overall, I really enjoyed this anthology. Yes, there were some msises, but most of the stories were hits. I'm going to be going through each story in my review, but hopefully it won't be too long! Enjoy. :)

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell

I never read Rainbow Rowell until now, and I really enjoyed this! I think I'll be reading Fangirl this year, as I had a great time reading this story! Midnights is all about this girl who is in love with her best friend, and her pain watching him kiss someone else every New Year's Eve. The story is only 22 pages, but Rowell managed to hook me in the story and make me really root for the couple! 4.5 Stars!

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link

So this movie has a completely different feel than Midnights. The Lady and the Fox is a fantasy story, and while the mythology was a bit shaky at first, I was still very much entertained. It's not the strongest, but I'm interested in reading more of Kelly Link now. 4 Stars!

Angels in the Snow by Matt De La Pena

This was one of my favorite stories in the anthology. While it was a love story, as everything in here is, there were a lot deeper themes about family, independence, and health in this one. After reading the story, I wanted to read Angels in the Snow all over again! 5 Stars!

Polaris is Where You'll Find me by Jenny Han

This is one I'm a bit torn on. I love Jenny Han, and this story completely clicked with me, until the end. I thought the ending was just way too open, and there was nothing to latch on to for finality. This left me wanting more, but not in a good way. I'll be sticking to reading novels from Jenny Han from now again. 3.5 Stars!

It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins

Like Angels in the Snow, Perkins' story is one of my favorites of the anthology! The relationship was super cute, but I also loved how Perkins inserted some great family dynamics and humor into the story. I haven't read Perkins in quite a long time, and this made me want to read her again. 5 Stars!

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan

Unlike Polaris is Where You'll Find Me, Your Temporary Santa really did not click with me. I was reading this, and just counting down the pages until it was done. It's a nice concept, but I didn't empathize with the characters, and I just didn't care. I'll be giving Levithan another try with Every Day, but I didn't enjoy this one that much. 2.5 Stars!

Krampuslauf by Holly Black

Krampuslauf was a good idea, but it was just really weird. I kind of liked that i didn't know what was going on, but sometimes I just wanted some clarity. It's a strange story, and I couldn't latch onto it as much as I wanted. 3 Stars!

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman

This was another favorite of mine! I am the same age as Sophie Roth, and her college experience resonated with me a lot. The relationship was also adorable, and left me swooning. I also appreciate how it wasn't completely easy for the two to get together; it showed their humaneness! 5 Stars!

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire

This story was just okay. I liked reading it and was entertained, but it's one of those stories that I don't remember a week and a half after reading it. Though the romance was cute, it just didn't leave any impact on me. 3.5 Stars!

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White

Welcome to Christmas, CA is one of my favorites as well! Most of the stories were a big hit, and this was one of the best ones. The romance was there, but the story has a lot of other themes: biracial couples, abuse, family couples, etc. I loved it all, and I really want to read more of White now! 5 Stars!

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter

Star of Bethlehem was a pretty good story, but like Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus, it wasn't anything special. It was nice while it lasted, but I won't be thinking about it days after. This was my first time reading Ally Carter, and this did spark a tad of interest for me! 3.5 Stars!

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor  

And last but not certainly not least, The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer!! This was the first time I read Laini Taylor, and I completely understand the hype. Once I'm caught up with The Infernal Devices, I just might pick of Days of Blood and Starlight. I absolutely loved this story. In a mere thirty pages, Taylor was able to completely enrapture me in this fantasy world, and I believed every bit of it. 5 Stars!

And when I average all those together, my average rating is....

4.125! Of course, I'm going to be rounding this rating down to 4 stars!

Have you read this anthology? What was your favorite story of the anthology?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another soon!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!