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Last Christmas (Private 0.6)

4.07 of 5 stars 4.07 · rating details · 2,693 ratings · 138 reviews

Ariana Osgood has everything an Easton Academy girl could want: straight A's, the perfect boyfriend, and a coveted spot in exclusive Billings House. But on the first night of Christmas vacation, a blizzard traps her on campus with irresistible bad-boy Thomas Pearson. Alone. Instead of snuggling with her boyfriend next to a cozy fire in Vermont, she's huddling for warmth wi...more

Hardcover, 263 pages

Published October 7th 2008 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (first published October 6th 2008)

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The Private Series

6th out of 14 books — 40 voters

Best "Air-headed" Young Adult Books

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Nov 06, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

****SPOILER ALERT**** For readers who haven't read beyond CONFESSIONS in the PRIVATE series, this book is best left unread. Details in LAST CHRISTMAS will ruin much of the suspense in the first four books of the series.

LAST CHRISTMAS is a great addition to the series by Kate Brian. The story gives much needed background insight into Ariana Osgood, the Billings girl arrested for the murder of Thomas Pearson.

The story begins near Christmas break of Ariana's...more Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

****SPOILER ALERT**** For readers who haven't read beyond CONFESSIONS in the PRIVATE series, this book is best left unread. Details in LAST CHRISTMAS will ruin much of the suspense in the first four books of the series.

LAST CHRISTMAS is a great addition to the series by Kate Brian. The story gives much needed background insight into Ariana Osgood, the Billings girl arrested for the murder of Thomas Pearson.

The story begins near Christmas break of Ariana's junior year. When we meet Ariana in the first book of the series, PRIVATE, she is one of the privileged senior girls at Easton Academy. But in LAST CHRISTMAS, she is the naïve, innocent roommate to Noelle Lange. Ariana is the good girl that does what is expected of her. She gets top grades, lives in the most respected dormitory, and has the perfect boyfriend, Daniel Ryan. Her mother couldn't be prouder of her.

Daniel isn't 100% perfect though. He's incredibly jealous and protective of Ariana. At the Winter Ball, he torments Sergei, a Latvian exchange student, because he caught Sergei taking photos of Ariana throughout the dance. Ariana is to spend the two weeks of Christmas break at a ski resort with Daniel and his family. And Daniel is expecting her to have sex with him while they are there. They are both (supposedly) virgins, and Ariana didn't want their first time to be in a dorm bed.

It's the final day before the school break, and Ariana has yet to finish an English paper. If she doesn't turn it in before 6pm, she will fail the assignment. So she has Daniel and his twin sister, Paige, head out without her. She promises to take a later train.

But she gets sidetracked by Thomas Pearson. He has been showing up in unexpected places over the last few days. And he shows up in the deserted classroom building as she turns in her completed paper. In a split second, Ariana gives up fighting the electric attraction she's been feeling for Thomas.

From that moment on, the snowball of her actions grows until innocent people start to get hurt. A snowstorm hits campus and strands Thomas and Ariana. Neither can be caught, because Headmaster Cox made it perfectly clear that anyone caught on campus who was not scheduled to be there will be expelled, no exceptions.

LAST CHRISTMAS is the perfect companion to the PRIVATE series. Ariana's specter hangs over the entire series long after she is carted away for Thomas' murder. This gives an inside look to her growing mental problems after she becomes involved with Thomas. I believe it also gives a good basis for the spin-off series, PRIVILEGE, due out in December 2008.

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Jan 11, 2009 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ariana Osgood is the perfect cookie-cutter Billings girl—perfect on the outside but not so much behind that exterior. Sure, she’s got the perfect boyfriend who loves her, great grades, not to mention a spot in the most elite House at Easton Academy. But she’s also got some secrets, details about her life she’s too embarrassed to tell her friends for fear it would ruin her reputation. But all of Ariana’s good-girl rules and morals just about go out the window when Ariana finds herself trapped on...more Ariana Osgood is the perfect cookie-cutter Billings girl—perfect on the outside but not so much behind that exterior. Sure, she’s got the perfect boyfriend who loves her, great grades, not to mention a spot in the most elite House at Easton Academy. But she’s also got some secrets, details about her life she’s too embarrassed to tell her friends for fear it would ruin her reputation. But all of Ariana’s good-girl rules and morals just about go out the window when Ariana finds herself trapped on campus during Christmas vacation with bad-boy Thomas Pearson of all people, instead of vacationing in Vermont with her boyfriend Daniel, the guy she loves, or so she tells herself. This chance blizzard all but snows them in, preventing Ariana’s escape from Easton and Thomas’s seductive clutches. But instead of finding a way back to her boyfriend, Ariana finds herself going against all she knows and falling for Thomas. Unfortunately, Ariana and Thomas aren’t the only ones who know about their romance, and in an attempt to protect the only right thing in her life, Ariana unleashes a mother with the potential of ruining not only the lives of several innocent people—but in the end, her own.

Once again, Brian does not disappoint with this shocking and revealing prequel to the addicting Private series. Last Christmas provides valuable insight into the elusive Ariana’s mind and provides the groundwork for an insanity that culminated in Ariana doing the deed, as revealed in Confessions, the fourth book in the series. Brian has a talent for weaving tales with the spoiled attitudes of elite in combination with scandalous romance and physical danger into an incredibly suspenseful tale. The characterization of Ariana was done such that readers can’t help but feel for her despite knowledge of what she’s done, which, as Last Christmas reveals, is much more horrific that one would’ve thought. My only disappointment was that Thomas remained a mysterious figure and I would’ve liked to learn more about him. Nonetheless, Last Christmas is yet another juicy read to please fans of Private.

Even though it is a prequel, I recommend reading Last Christmas after one has already read the first four volumes in the Private series. Devotees to this series will not be able to resist devouring this new and thrilling tale.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com (less)

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Jan 16, 2009 Nian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

I didn’t think I would like Ariana’s story at all, but I ended up getting addicted to the book till the last page. I didn’t think she was a strong character, but I loved Brian’s portrayal of a girl who’s been pushed to her limits and in her way, believing that she was strong through murder. It was actually a pretty perceptive story into the mind of a murderer. Nothing justifies killing, but I could see why she did it. What’s amazing is that I almost liked her—but then she had to go and do those...more

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Dec 30, 2008 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 9th-advisory

Last Christmas: A Private Christmas
By Kate Brian
263 pgs.
Alloy Entertainment 151 West 26th Street New York, NY 10001
Alloy Entertainment $16.99
ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-1369-6
ISBN-10: 1-4169-1369-6

Christmas vacation is when everyone wants to spend time with the ones they love most. In Last Christmas: A Private Christmas by Kate Brian, Ariana Osgood is supposed to be in Vermont with her perfect boyfriend and his family. Instead, she is stuck in campus with handsome bad-boy, Thomas Pearson because of a b...more Last Christmas: A Private Christmas
By Kate Brian
263 pgs.
Alloy Entertainment 151 West 26th Street New York, NY 10001
Alloy Entertainment $16.99
ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-1369-6
ISBN-10: 1-4169-1369-6

Christmas vacation is when everyone wants to spend time with the ones they love most. In Last Christmas: A Private Christmas by Kate Brian, Ariana Osgood is supposed to be in Vermont with her perfect boyfriend and his family. Instead, she is stuck in campus with handsome bad-boy, Thomas Pearson because of a blizzard that is trapping her in on the very first night of Christmas vacation. Alone, she is to spend this time with Thomas when she realizes that she is falling for him- although someone is on guard, watching every move of their romance.

The plot of this story gave me a feeling that I've been missing out on this book. During the time when I was reading, I showed different expressions. There were smiles on my face; but there were also times when I had a look expressing that I want to hide under my blankie. To me, this is very interesting because I don't think that I've read any book that has a similar plot.

From reading this book, Kate Brian's writing style has inspired me. I like how she makes everything suspicious so that the readers would follow along. This is a way that wouldn't bore the readers to falling asleep, which helped me stay awake. By writing such a mysterious book, it would lead to having more readers and each of them wouldn't want to get their fingers off of this book.

This is especially when Kate uses great word choice. Practically on every few pages, there would be a word that would sum up for a phrase. By having good word choice, it would add up to be another advantage for people ages 14 and above. One advantage would be their ability to read such a great book that others who are younger can't read. Another advantage is that as they're reading such a great book, they are able to improve their vocabulary.

If you had a perfect boyfriend but you're falling in love with someone else, who would you choose? This is what Ariana had to go through when she was deciding who to choose. After reading this book, you would want to continue on reading- hoping that this book would never end. Although there would be a stop to this book, there are no worries because this is only the prequel of this series. Still, the question is: Would it be the perfect boyfriend that loves her, or would it be someone who loves her and that she loves back, too? (less)

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Apr 02, 2013 Anna added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Flaw : A Book Review of Last Christmas

Popular girls get everything their way. They are beautiful and rich. They can get anything they want and go out with the hottest guys but— not everything will go their way. There will always be this one hindrance that can screw up their whole life.

Ariana Osgood was a good, straight A's type of girl, dating one of the most popular guys in the school named, Daniel Ryan. She's beautiful, and her father has a great business, she can get anything she want....more Flaw : A Book Review of Last Christmas

Popular girls get everything their way. They are beautiful and rich. They can get anything they want and go out with the hottest guys but— not everything will go their way. There will always be this one hindrance that can screw up their whole life.

Ariana Osgood was a good, straight A's type of girl, dating one of the most popular guys in the school named, Daniel Ryan. She's beautiful, and her father has a great business, she can get anything she want. From the high quality jewelry to the most popular brands for clothes and shoes. What more does she want? She wants Thomas Pearson all to herself. Over the Christmas break, a storm hit and Ariana was stuck at the campus all alone with Thomas, or was she alone? Her feelings for Thomas grew the longer she stayed but she was already dating. She knew it was wrong to like Thomas but she couldn't help it.She wants her life to be perfect but all these obstacles are blocking her from perfection. Because of Sergei, Ariana now has killed one person. That's not all. Melissa, a jealous ex of Thomas, was also killed for telling Ariana bad thoughts about Thomas leaving her and how Melissa, for sure, will take him back. Ariana was at peace again, but wait, a new girl arrives and Thomas's attention was drawn away from Ariana. It stung her heart when she saw Thomas flirt with the worthless, plain newcomer. With all the rage and anger, she was done, Thomas's life came to an end.

I think that because of Thomas, Ariana ruined her perfect life. She had the perfect boyfriend, friends and grades, and because Thomas interfered and took her attention away from Daniel, it cause her to kill and the lack of jealousy control. She should have controlled herself. Just because there is more than one guy, doesn't mean date them. But love is blinding. Ariana did so much to hide the truth because she didn't want anyone to know about her relationship with Thomas. She murdered Sergei so the secret won't be out, Melissa because she was afraid Melissa will take Thomas away and Thomas, because she can't take the truth anymore. She couldn't let Reed Brennan take him away. She rather kill Thomas than to hand him over.

Even the perfection is flawed.
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Dec 10, 2012 Amberock72 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Private prequel is about a girl named Ariana who is living the good life. But as she gets closer to Thomas, the more she realizes that what she has isn't really all that great. As Ariana and Thomas are trapped at school together for Christmas break they fall hard for each other and start sneaking around together. But they get sinking suspicious that someone is on to them. If Adriana’s boyfriend finds out what she has been doing, it could be the end of her social life at Easton Academy. But Arian...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Kelli rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 26, 2012 PrincyJessie rated it 5 of 5 stars

PLOT= This is the story before Private happens and Ariana's little secret with Thomas
Characters
Ariana Osgood= ooh my god I love this girl, I love what her mom says You never know what people are capable of until they're pushed to their edge, Ariana. Ariana has been pushed to the edge and that good girl went to a murderer. Ariana was a great girl she has a great life was friends with Noelle and dating Daniel she has everyone a girl could dream of but as you read on you know that her mom is messed...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Meghanly rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, winter-challenge-2011-12

Do I have to admit I read this book? Oh, fine then. But in my defense: it was for a stupid task in the current Seasonal Reading Challenge, and I really had no other choices (do you know how many non-romance Christmas books there are that are part of a series? No? Well let me tell you - none. It was a bodice-ripper, a YA bodice-ripper with some murders, or nothing at all. I thought the YA angle would save me. I was wrong).

I feel sorry for the little girls who read stuff like this and don't reali...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Gemma rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

Eh... I found this book to be largely boring.

I guess mostly because anyone who's read the Private series essentially knows the plotline: Ariana hooks up with Thomas over Christmas vacation. She falls madly in love and Thomas takes a step back, which is why she xxxxxxxx (if you read the series, you'll know. If you haven't, I won't ruin it for you).

So, I pretty much knew what was going to happen. Not entirely sure why I read it. I guess to make sure I was covering my bases for the series, so I ca...more

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May 16, 2011 Janelle Dazzlepants rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, mystery, young-adult, murder-mystery, whodunnit

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I had no idea what to expect from Ariana's story, and I was surprised by how much I liked it! I never expected to relate to her so much, especially after killing two people. Kate Brian painted a really interesting picture here, taking Ariana from a normal girl to serial killer without stopping over in totally-fucking-crazy town. It gave fresh perspective to her showdown with Reed on Billings rooftop, and I understand her hatred for Reed a little more. Ariana was no doubt insane, but Last Christm...more I had no idea what to expect from Ariana's story, and I was surprised by how much I liked it! I never expected to relate to her so much, especially after killing two people. Kate Brian painted a really interesting picture here, taking Ariana from a normal girl to serial killer without stopping over in totally-fucking-crazy town. It gave fresh perspective to her showdown with Reed on Billings rooftop, and I understand her hatred for Reed a little more. Ariana was no doubt insane, but Last Christmas provides substance to her story where it was previously lacking.

I simply can't express how much I enjoyed hearing Ariana's POV. I didn't really have an opinion on her in the earlier books, mostly that she was quirky and cool, but I wasn't thinking OMGILOVETHISCHARACTER. After reading this book, I must confess that I actually like her more than Reed! She was strangely relatable, and I was able to put myself in her shoes. I felt her disgust at Daniel, the sensations she felt when with Thomas, her terror at watching her life fall apart because of Sergei and Melissa, and her absolute conviction in knowing that killing them was the right thing to do.

That's the interesting thing about Last Christmas, the author manages to rationalise Ariana's actions and engender sympathy for her. I think this is because a) Ariana isn't a straight up sociopath or going off the deep end Black Swan style, and b) it provides much needed context for her actions. All we've heard so far is that she was just a crazy bitch who lost it because some chick stole her boyfriend, but in reality it was much deeper than that. Her journey to accidental serial killer was a much longer and complex process. Reed Brennan wasn't the problem, but rather the straw that broke the camel's back.

I really want to find out more about Ariana's backstory, as the little snippets we got about her mother's mental instability were very interesting! I'd like to know exactly when Sabine and her mother stepped in. I think Ariana's tortured past also went a long way to getting me to sympathise with her character.

Overall: If you were unsatisfied with Ariana's reasons for killing Thomas and didn't buy that she was a killer, you'll love this book. Kate Brian provides much needed background to Ariana's story in Last Christmas, and reveals that Ariana was much saner than we're lead to believe. And if you never thought you could relate to an accidental serial killer.....be prepared!(less)

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Dec 19, 2010 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I bought this book wanting a Christmas theme and some young adult love intrigue. A nice, love triangle with a bit of suspense, and how two young people find each other. Well...yeah. That's not what I got. The is one the darkest and most psychotic young adults books I've ever read. It is the prequel to a bestselling series that I have not read, so I thought what better way to start a series than with the prequel? Yeah, don't do that. I'm guessing, based on other reviews of this book which were mo...more I bought this book wanting a Christmas theme and some young adult love intrigue. A nice, love triangle with a bit of suspense, and how two young people find each other. Well...yeah. That's not what I got. The is one the darkest and most psychotic young adults books I've ever read. It is the prequel to a bestselling series that I have not read, so I thought what better way to start a series than with the prequel? Yeah, don't do that. I'm guessing, based on other reviews of this book which were mostly glowing, you need to have some emotional involvement into the The Private series in order for Last Christmas to work for you. For me, I am left with a stricken look on my face and no interest in the actual series.

The book starts out with the typical girl who has issues in her private life, sticks to the rules in her daily life, and has a great boyfriend. She begins to rebel a bit and have feelings for the hot 'bad boy' at the private school and becomes torn for who she wants to be with. Leaving her boyfriend would have serious social consequences, not to mention the bad boy is a notorious bad boy. The appeal to the reader is strong and you actually find yourself rooting for the shy girl to break out of her shell and go for the guy that is totally wrong for her, so she can redeem him and make him totally right. Not in this story.

Ariana is the main character torn between her rich, handsome boyfriend Daniel and the rich, handsome bad boy Thomas. Basically, all kinds of things happen when Ariana and Thomas are both stuck at school over Christmas break, give in to their feelings for each other, and the intrigue is someone is spying on them. Since this is also a type of forbidden love, there being steep consequences if they are caught on campus, the book draws you in to their young plight to be together. As things unfold, we realize that Ariana has the makings to be a serious sociopath. Yes, serious sociopath. And Thomas? Let's just say he isn't all he is cracked up to be. These two people I championed, I ended up having deep disgust for each.

By the end of the book, I was completely turned upside down by what I thought of the plot and the turn this book took. For me, not a turn in a good way. Again, this is a prequel to a well established series, so if I had been acquainted with these characters as they are revealed in the main series, I may have a very different view of this book. But, read as is, I do not care for it myself. I just have no desire to see what seem like perfectly fine young people turn into mental cases for a relationship.

I also have no desire to see how sex was handled in this young adult book. It was choppy and not believable to me how certain situations evolve all around. For example, who has sex with the guy they want to be with, then continues a relationship with her current boyfriend sexually to keep up pretenses, and the other guy knows it? And what guy is OK with that? The book just becomes disorienting for me and a complete let down in character and relationship department.

I will give the writer good marks for writing style and plot twists. The writer does tell a story that is easily followed and I admit I NEVER saw where the plot was going to go. There really isn't a whole lot I can say without giving the plot twists away, just keep in mind this not a happy young adult story with some mystery. I will say if you are a fan of The Private series, you may have a whole different perspective and would know to expect a dark book. For those of you not already invested in the series, do not read the prequel first. Reviewing as is, as the prequel to a series, I did not care for it. It does not in any shape or form make me want to see what happens next.(less)

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Oct 09, 2010 Jessica Lawlor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009

Ever wonder what the Billings girls were like before Reed Brennan arrived on Easton’s campus? Before Easton Academy was rocked by murders and scandal? Last Christmas by Kate Brian tells the story of Ariana Osgood and her secret love affair with Thomas Pearson during her junior year.

Ariana is a junior. She and her best friend Noelle have recently been initiated into Billings House and Ariana is dating Daniel, a popular senior. Even though Ariana appears to have everything and more, there is still...more

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Aug 26, 2009 Shonda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2009

Before Reed Brennan started dating Thomas Pearson, Ariana had a relationship with him. Last Christmas is the story about their relationship and the aftermath that followed.

Easton Academy is preparing for winter break. Ariana is spending the holidays with her boyfriend’s family in Vermont. She’s fortunate to do so, however it just doesn’t feel quite right. As she struggles with these feelings, her attraction towards bad boy, Thomas, grows. When she’s forced to stay later on campus to finish an En...more

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May 03, 2009 Noemi claudine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 7th-grade-ir-books-jen

This book is a prequel to the private series. It explains what happened before reed Brennan even came to Easton and all the secrets that lead up to the murder and affairs. It shows how Ariana and Thomas got together and how all these secrets became the deepest ones. I
I can connect this book to a popular TV. Show called gossip girl. I think I can connect to this book because it has a lot of clique dram and so does this book. Also in both book and movie they go to a private school with a scholars...more

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Aug 30, 2012 Teresa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: heartbreakers, reviewed

First off, I'd like to say my reviews are usually organized into what I liked and didn't like about said book but that's not really going to work with Last Christmas. I pretty much loved everything but hated everything at the same time so I'm just going to go ahead and start.

Thomas. I don't know what to say. While reading Private, I loved him. After reading Last Christmas, I don't know what to think anymore. (view spoiler)...more

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Jun 13, 2009 Telka rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 7th-grade-ir-books-deborah

Last Christmas was from the point of veiw of Ariana. Ariana is so happy. She has the best friends, the best boyfriend, and the best dorm on campus, Billings. Christmas break is coming up, and Ariana plans to go to her boyfriend's parent's house, in Vermont. She is so exited and a little nervous, but what's even more weird, is that Thomas Pearson, likes her! Struggling with her English paper, which she still hasn't written, Reed stayes on campus to finish it, but then she realizes that Thomas is...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Despair Speaking rated it 4 of 5 stars

Frankly, I think Ariana is the most interesting character in the Private series. She is an example of a girl who could be dangerous if pushed too far. And she was indeed pushed to an extent that she would kill people to keep herself and Thomas safe (although it was her who killed Thomas, which is shown in the first chapter... we could see that Thomas really did love Reed...).

Ariana has a big problem. Her boyfriend wants to do it with her even though she feels like she's not ready for it yet. But...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Winda rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a really well written prequel because usually most readers don't even bother to read the prequel because who wants to read the story about the past when they're looking forward to the next sequel? In the Last Christmas the story revolves around Ariana and we get to find more things about her, how her parents nurture towards her effects her as an individual, Thomas's betrayal to her at the end, but Thomas's sweet act of kindness towards her, and most importantly the thing she committed wh...more

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Apr 18, 2009 Morgan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 04, 2009 Tiny Pants rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, young-adult, series

Oh snap! How did I manage not to review this one, or mark that I'd read it? Anyway! I burned through the Private prequel in two sittings. While it wasn't quite as awesome as I'd hoped it would be (it peters out a bit toward the end, though it starts off CRAZY), it still momentarily slaked my thirst for more of this series. The only thing that bugged me is there isn't quite enough exposition for my taste -- I know they want to make is so if you were just reading this book, the rest of the series...more

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Apr 25, 2009 PurplyCookie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bitch-lit, guilty-pleasure, young-adult, book-series, boarding-school, revenge

This prequel reveals the secret of what really happened before "Private" book series began -- The story gives much needed background insight into Ariana Osgood, the Billings girl arrested for the murder of Thomas Pearson.

The story begins near Christmas break of Ariana's junior year. When we meet Ariana in the first book of the series, "Private", she is one of the privileged senior girls at Easton Academy. But in "Last Christmas: The Private Prequel", she is the naïve, innocent roommate to Noell...more

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May 16, 2013 Esther Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

I chose this book because I heard good reviews on it, and I wanted to read it myself. This book is about Ariana Osgood and Thomas Pearson at a boarding school named Easton Academy. Ariana is supposed to go on a vacation with her boyfriend Daniel during winter break. Instead she finds herself stuck at Easton with Thomas Pearson, and slowly falls in love with him. My favorite quote in this book was,"She was more pissed at herself for being so naive as to believe that they were good people." This w...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, young-adult, own-it

3.5 stars

Ariana is the resident good girl at Easton, the prestigious private HS. She finds herself trapped in a snowstorm with the bay boy over winter break, instead of being in Vermont with her perfect boyfriend. She gives in to his advances and finds true happiness in his arms. But someone is stalking them, and she's scared that her infidelity will get back to her friends and boyfriend. Furthermore, they are not allowed to be on campus during break and face expulsion if caught.

I am a huge fan...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kate-brian

I read this after I finished the entire Private series, so that I wouldn't have any of the books spoiled for me. I enjoyed having Ariana be the main character in this, so I think I'll like the Privilege books, which will be coming up soon on my to-read list. It's amazing the violent extremes Ariana is willing to go through just to keep up her image for her clinically-depressed mother. Of course, my own family is quite different. Still, in all these YA books, and heck, even in many of the adult l...more

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Jan 29, 2009 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 9th-grade-advisory

Last Christmas
2008 Simon and Shuster Children's Publishing Division
pgs.263 $16.99
Kate Brian
ISBN-13: 9781416913696
ISBN-10:1416913696

Before every drama that happened in Easton when Reed Brennan came, and before Ariana Osgood murdered someone. Ariana Osgood was just any normal girl in Easton. Last Christmas is the prequel of the pirvate series, before everything happens. The book is really interesting, because you learn all about one character and how that character changes. For instance, Ariana Os...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Monique Matthews rated it 5 of 5 stars

I originally read most of the Private series and was so excited to see a prequel to it. I was very confused seeing the book give away the mystery that took more than half the series to solve within three pages, but the rest of the book introduced the background of Ariana Osgood and Thomas Pearson's relationship. Since the series is from the point of view of Reed, it was very interesting to see Easton from Ariana's point of view and see what happened before Thomas got there.
The book was full of t...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Maddie :) rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was all about the physcho Ariana Osgood who killed Reed's boyfriend in the second book of the Private series. It's all about her relationship with Thomas and why she loved him. It is also about what happened over Christmas break with her and Thomas! This book is not very suspenseful but it is romantic.
I didn't like this book as much as I liked the other bookd is this series! This book wasn't as scary and it did not keep me on the edge of my seat as much. What I did like about it was...more

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Nov 20, 2008 Erin B. rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who have read the private books

Recommended to Erin B. by: myself

I loved all the private books because they were a good girly series to read. Throughout the series a lot of drama and suspense happened with Reed Brennan at her new elite school. When this last book came out i was dissapointed because it was not about Breed at all but about the person you tryed killing her in a previous book. The first time I picked it up in the store i read the first two chapters and then put it douwn. Finally after coming back to the book store for the second time, i read the...more

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Dec 31, 2008 Ella Perkins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 7th-grade-ir-books-deb-sadok

This book was a prequel to the Private Series. At Easton Academy every thing was good until Ariana Osgood met Reed Brennan was there. But before that all happened Ariana was good in school had the perfect boyfriend named Thomas. She was head of the Billings House and was very popular. What happened?

I can make a text to self because I can relate to Ariana because I know what it feels to have all the attention and then it would be all gone in a second. Ariana and I are also alike because we both l...more

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Young Adult

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Romance

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Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

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Holiday > Christmas

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School Stories > Boarding School

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About Kate Brian

Kate Brian is the prolific author of many books for teens including the Private series, the new Privilege series, and Sweet 16. She lives with her husband in New Jersey. She writes under the pseudonym Kate Brian, instead of using her real name: Kieran Scott.

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avg rating	preview: Last Christmas Goodreads rating: 4.07 (2693 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2943733-last-christmas?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348041650l/2943733.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2943733-last-christmas?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Last Christmas by Kate Brian[/url]

Last Christmas (Private 0.6)

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