All I Want for Christmas

by Wendy Loggia

This sweet and magical romance about a girl who has just one wish--someone to kiss under the mistletoe--is the perfect holiday escape!

Bailey Briggs is counting down the days to Christmas: she lives for holiday music, baking cookies, going on snowy sleigh rides, and wearing her light-up reindeer ears to work at Winslow's bookstore. But all she really wants this year is the one thing she doesn't have: someone special to kiss under the mistletoe. And she's 100 percent certain that that someone isn't Jacob Marley--athlete, player, and of questionable taste in girlfriends--and that Charlie, the mysterious stranger with the British accent, is the romantic lead of her dreams. Is she right? This will be a December to remember, filled with real-life Christmas magic . . . and, if she stays on Santa's nice list, a wish that just might come true.

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Young Adult, Holiday, Contemporary, Audiobook, Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2020

About the author

Wendy Loggia is a children’s book editor and has written a number of books for children and young adults.

Reviews

[Jesse (JesseTheReader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5) I loved the christmas vibes, but I was ultimately let down by the direction of the story and the cringey characters.

[Irena BookDustMagic · Rating 4 out of 5]

So... this was cute, festive, adorable, but maid for younger audience, in my opinion.

The trope in this book is love triangle, so keep that in mind.

Our main character is in love with Christmas, loves everything Christmassy over the top, and her appreciation reminded me of my own.
God, I really want to believe my life is the one from Hallmark movies as well.

There are Christmas references through the whole story, and that was my favourite aspect.
My second one was the family portrait, and the third one was one of two love interests.

If you ask me, it was clear as day who she should end up with.

Also, that big revelation, I kind of saw it, or should I say, it did cross my mind.
However, I still enjoyed it.

I would recommend this one to younger readers and those who enjoy younger ya characters.

[Khalilah D. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️super cheesy high school romance. It was okay but I wouldn’t recommend

[Claude's Bookzone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was a lot of Christmas sweetness. Like, lots. 🎅🎄

I am not the target audience for this but I can see that it might be popular with NZ Year 8/9 students looking for a feel good Christmas romance. However, I think the main character's voice wasn't quite right. She was a teenager but spoke and acted more like an 11 or 12 year old. I definitely enjoyed the Christmas vibe though and am feeling a lot more festive. There is a recipe for sugar biscuits in the novel that I will make with my daughter later today. 🍪🍪🍪

[human · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Underlined Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pitched as a Hallmark movie in book form, it delivered, and that's great.

Except for the part where I hate Hallmark movies.

Bailey loves Christmas. In fact, you could say that she's obsessed with it. Everything from the holiday cheer to the ugly sweaters brings her joy, but what she really wants in her life is Christmas magic, specifically, the enchantment of love, and a kiss under the mistletoe.

I love rom-coms as much as the next hopeless romantic (probably even more), but this book is where I draw the line (I mean, I have to have some standards). From the very beginning, the main character, Bailey, is made out to be a total Mary Sue. She loves spreading holiday cheer, is totally responsible, and always has good intentions. There is no depth to her character at all, and no development over the course of the story. That is just a small thing, however, which I can easily ignore. My biggest issue with this book stems from the romance itself, or should I say, the love-triangle.

I strongly dislike love-triangles. I went into this book expecting a cute, holiday-themed romance, where instead, I got Bailey trying to decide "which boy she should pick". What made everything much worse for me was the way in which the love-triangle was "resolved". It was really unsatisfying and made me feel like I had wasted my time (which I probably did.)

So yeah. I like romance, but not like this.

Overall, I would recommend this book to others who would rather read a Hallmark movie than watch it.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I Want For Christmas is such a feel good read! My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The storyline is sweet and the characters are adorable. I adored Bailey's outlook on Christmas as it very much matches my own :) I loved the baking exchange with all the neighbors and the cookie descriptions had my mouth watering ... nice touch adding a recipe in the book too! And a Christmas tree farm!!! I've always wanted to visit one. I had a fresh fir candle burning while reading the book ... talk about perfection.

A cute and quick YA that will leave you feeling the Christmas spirit ... and of course, love!

Ps. I believe in Santa Claus!!!

[mads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Welp... that was the oatmeal raisin cookie of endings.

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just ridiculous and she's so rude. She literally judges a guy based on his looks and said his acne was unattractive. She's a snob too who has a lot of pride and Prejudice against the guy. And she got jealous when he showed interest to other girls when she was having a crush on another guy?!

[Erin Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made my heart so happy! Witty and warm, it made me long to crank up the Christmas tunes and rummage about for some cocoa! And the romance— the romance! I’ve swooned!

[Innis ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книга для всіх чемних дітей будь-якого віку, які досі вірять у особливу зимову магію, що творить дива та в неодмінне здійснення заповітних мрій у цей період.

Мені здається, багато книголюбів романтиків могли б частково впізнати себе в головній героїні. Школярка, яка працює у книгарні, обожнює книги й фільми про кохання та різдвяну атмосферу. І мріє про свою святкову різдвяну історію та поцілунок під омелою із особливою людиною.

Наприклад, я теж у підлітків’ї була такою романтичною мрійницею (та й досі залишаюся), тому під час читання мене з головною віднесло у ті часи й разом з героїнею я наче прожила таку милу й романтичну альтернативну історію свого життя, якої в мене не було тоді.

Це було легке і приємне читання. Наче й нічого особового, але зимова атмосфера і романтичні страждання - це моя слабкість цієї зими. Я так захопилася, що прочитала книгу за день! Мені ж треба було терміново дізнатися як розвʼяжеться цей романтичний трикутник і чи мій фаворит стане тим, хто здійснить бажання дівчини, а ще чи інша моя теорія була правильною. Хоч й головна героїня іноді мене дратувала, але я сама себе часто дратую, тому тут я мовчу-мовчу.

P.S. ну і це ще одна історія, де є песик. А для мене це завжди плюс у серденько!

[Yuliia Kravchenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Джейкоб цілується так, ніби важливішої справи немає і він хоче добре її виконати"

Агов, а можна мені цього Джейкоба на пару днів? 😁

Дуже мила атмосферна різдвяна історія про "голих" пряників, "вправного" Джейкоба, затишну книгарню і одвічну дівчачу проблему: "кого з них обрати?"

Мене прям потішила ця книжка

П.с а іще тут є рецепт різдвяного печива 😍 і я точно спробую його спекти

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating: 4 Stars
Genre Young Adult (Middle Grade too) | Christmas Romance

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS is the CUTEST Christmas book I’ve ever read. It’s also my first of the season so HOORAY for that! Anyway, this book seems to be geared for the young adult crowd and I agree BUT I think a YOUNGER bunch in the group would be the best fit for this one. It’s very cutsie, cozy, and sweet. If I had to describe the perfect age range this novel, I would actually say 12-14. So maybe it’s more middle grade than anything. IDK! It’s hard to say because the characters are older in the story but it’s also a very PURE if you get my drift. No sex, maybe two scenes with kissing, and that’s it. Regardless of the age range, I really enjoyed this one. I am a big Christmas lover, and this book had the best descriptions of Christmas and all the traditions that go with it throughout the novel. You can’t read this one without getting a few Christmas tunes stuck in your head. And the COOKIES they talk about? Made me drool! I enjoyed it a lot.

If you enjoy reading Holiday themed novels in the months leading up to Christmas, then I do recommend this one even though it’s on the sweeter side. Sometimes you just need a book that isn’t all about sex and relationships, and instead, one that really depicts sweet kids doing the nicest things out of the goodness of their hearts, and POSSIBLY falling in love in the process.

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[avery sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

If twilight was a hallmark movie it’d be this book. It was cringe but entertaining 4.5 stars

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful holiday tale with nods to 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'A Christmas Carol.' Bailey's wish is to have a kiss under the mistletoe this Christmas. She unexpectedly finds herself with not one, but two prospects: Jacob and Charlie. She has been crushing on Jacob for years, but he can be kind of a goofball. Does he really "like, like" her? Does she need to ask him to DTR? Then there's Charlie. He is so cute and has a British accent. On top of that he keeps popping up just when she needs rescuing. Which boy is the one for her? Will you agree with her decision? This is very G-rated and filled with holiday traditions like cookie swaps, trips to the mall, holiday giving, and even a trip to a Christmas tree farm. I loved it!

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was extremely immature.
The FMC was not a good person and it was on full display throughout the whole book.
There is a lot of holiday spirit in here, but it gets overshadowed by the MC being written much much younger than her age would suggest.
Not a fan.

[Charlotte🫶 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros- Easiest book to read ever, clean, the perfect book to read during Christmas time, and I loved the setting.

Cons-Weird ending with Charlie, 3 typos, kinda cringy comments but not many, wasn’t obsessed with the characters

[Esme · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute, cheesy and full of holiday spirit!!

really quick read and it was a really fun one!

[Nata Oleksandrivna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Перша моя книга в 2024-му, і я - як завжди такі книги читаю трошки з запізненням 🤪🤪

Скажу, що тут дуже багато різдвяної атмосфери 🎄🎁❄️
Головна героїня - 16-річна Бейлі, шалена фанатка Різдва, яка до того ж працює в книгарні 🥰🥰. Бейлі має на меті всіх закохати в Різдво, а для себе - мріє про різдвяний 😘 під омелою з коханим хлопцем, якого в неї поки
немає 🙆. Втім, один випадок зводить її милим юнаком Чарлі, а інший - з учнем з її школи Джейкобом 🙆🥰

Тут і про муки вибору, кого ж обрати з хлопців, визнаю - Бейлі матьора дівчинка, встигала ходити на побачення з обома кавалерами 🥳🥳. А ще мені сподобалось, як Бейлі зробила дуже гарний вчинок для мешканців будинку престарілих 🙌❤️

З хлопців, мені більше імпонував Джейкоб - він всю книгу був мені справжнім і щирим ❤️

Весела, сповнена зимового настрою 📖, з дрібкою магії і на додачу є трошки милих моментів 🥰🥰
Рекомендую її, не дивлячись на те, що на перший погляд вона занадто дитяча ☺️

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023 reread:

I loved this just as much the second time around! Bailey was great and it was so fun being in her head. There are so many Christmas vibes as well. I loved the cookie party that they hosted! This is definitely one of my favorite YA Christmas books.

_________________________________
My favorite Christmas read of the year! I loved Bailey as a character and I related to her SO MUCH. She was basically overflowing with Christmas spirit and cheer. I liked her relationship with her parents and her siblings. Too often in YA the parents are either awful or absent and I liked that her family was healthy. The romance was cute, not my favorite ever but I liked it. I did think the ending came a little out of left field and I wished the book were a little longer but those were my only complaints. I really enjoyed this one.

[Prytkina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Прекрасна і мила книжка у своєму жанрі, звісно, тут нема якихось глибоких думок, абощо — але я цього і не чекаю від підліткової різдвяної романтичної книжки✨

Особливої атмосфери додає те, що назва кожної глави — це якась різдвяна пісня, і саме цю пісню я крутила під час прочитання. Ще додала пісні, які згадувались в книжці — і отримала ще один різдвяний плейлист🎄

Книжка магічна, про дівчинку-підлітку — і я сама ненадовго відчула, наче я в школі, кохання простіше і складніше одночасно, а диво — обов’язково станеться, бо хіба буває у 16 років інакше?

[Olena Brazhnyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Одна з наймиліший книжок з прочитаних🤗

Багато різдвяної атмосфери, перших побачень, ялинок, музики й смакоти. У фіналі авторка мене дещо нокаутувала, бо такого я не очікувала😅
Проте справжня різдвяна магія приходить до тих, хто у неї вірить🎄

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and helped me get a little more into the holiday spirit.

[♡ Dajana ♡ · Rating 1 out of 5]

☆ 1/5

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just found the MC to be super annoying. I really didn't enjoy reading from her perspective at all.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Мила, підліткова, дуже різдвяна, загалом сподобалась)
Але десь з середини я вгадала подальший сюжет, занадто очевидно все було 💁🏻‍♀️

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super charming, sweet YA holiday love story set in a small town featuring Bailey, a young teen girl that just wants her own Hallmark movie style romance. I loved that Bailey works in a bookstore and prides herself on being able to recommend the perfect book to patrons. The librarian part of me connected deeply to this aspect of the story and was also totally there for all the classic holiday traditions, from sledding, skating, cookie swaps and the perfect mall Santa.

What Bailey doesn't bargain on is falling for two boys but which one is the right one? Highly recommended if you're in the mood for a light Christmas story full of the perfect amount of holiday magic. Great on audio narrated by Emma Galvin and each chapter is named after a classic Christmas song which I thought was a fun touch!

[Mom_Loves_Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute book (I listened to audio, & narrator did a great job!) This is like a Hallmark movie made for the teen/YA crowd, but my old(ish) self loved it, too! A rom-com with a just a smidge of magic! A very lovely, mostly uplifting story!

[Alysha (For The Love of Christian Fiction) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute little Christmas story! All the YA Christmas loving feelings. ADORABLE, truly. (Totally making my sister read it too)

While not CF, it was on the clean side. (There was one word used that I personally wasn’t a fan of, but it only happened once)

Overall I really enjoyed it! It was a fast read and had a sweet ending.

4/5 stars!

[Julie (Struck by Stories) · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I Want for Christmas was nearly everything I was looking for in a Christmas-themed YA rom-com.

For starters, Bailey Briggs, our leading teen girl, is so much like me it’s crazy! She’s a hopeless romantic, cute & quirky, a passionate lover of and believer in Christmas, and undeniably bookish. I especially loved the fact that she worked at a bookstore, because I can totally relate (I mean, libraries aren’t that much different from bookstores, are they?)

I also completely adored the holiday aspect of it, as it made it a perfect book to read to transition me into the Christmas spirit. This book has gingerbread cookie decorating, tree farm visits, holiday parties, winter snowstorms, and so much more!

However, my favorite part about this book was all the cute little subtle touches the author added, including, but not limited to:
- Snapchat filters
- A MC w/ two siblings (an older brother & younger sister)
- Texting excerpts with emojis (not Apple’s version, but close enough!)
- Bailey teaching her parents TikTok dances
- Mentions of both ACT & SAT
- Bailey having two jobs (bookstore and babysitting)
- Referencing other books like Trials of Apollo instead of HP & JKR
- Jacob having mild acne (which is UNHEARD of in love interests!)
- Bailey’s chem teacher wearing an “Oh Chemistree” sweater
- The inclusion of a full recipe for “Mom’s Spritz Cookies”
- Mentions of Christmas Vacation (one of my favorite holiday movies!)
- Saying APUSH instead of AP history
- Bitmoji mentions
… and so many more I’m probably forgetting!

That being said, even with all of the modern-day references thrown in, this read very much like an early 2000s YA mass-market romance book (Simon Romantic Comedies, anyone?), which isn’t too much of a problem for me, as I love those books to death, except that there wasn’t any discernible diversity (body, sexuality, gender, race, religion, disability, or otherwise) in either the main or side characters, which is something that I feel like would have easily enhanced my appreciation and enjoyment of the book.

Also, while I really enjoyed the suspense of not knowing who Bailey would ultimately pick (even though I had my suspicions!), there was a plot twist directly relating to this at the very end that I wasn’t expecting (those who have already read this know EXACTLY what I'm talking about hahaha). In all honesty, what bothered me the most about it was not actually the reveal itself (which I thought was really unique and fun!), but that since it happened within the last few pages, it could’ve maybe been explained a little better?

Other than that, however, I found All I Want for Christmas to be a charming, wholesome book that warmed my heart in the best way possible. Like its eponymous song title, this is a story full of Christmas magic, holiday cheer, corny moments, and just the perfect amount of swoonworthy moments. Highly recommended for fans of Aimee Friedman (A Novel Idea, Snow in Love), Shani Petroff (My New Crush Gave to Me), and anyone else in the mood for a fluffy YA rom-com to curl up with for the holidays!

[The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full Review on The Candid Cover

3.5 Stars

All I Want for Christmas by Wendy Loggia is a book I had been eagerly anticipating since I can’t resist books with Hallmark movie vibes. I loved all the festive activities throughout the book and the main character’s love for all things Christmas. However, I found that the characters are underdeveloped, and the ending feels rushed. But because this is meant to be a short and sweet read, I was willing to overlook this and ultimately enjoyed the story.

This book tells the story of Bailey, who has one wish for Christmas: a kiss under the mistletoe. But as it turns out, she has two contenders this year, an athlete and a stranger with a British accent, and she must decide which one she wants to end up with. This book is so cute and contains many Christmas activities including skating and a cookie swap, which I thought was such a cool idea. It is the perfect read to get you in the holiday spirit, especially younger YA readers.

❀ INTERESTING MAIN CHARACTER

Bailey is an interesting character, and she is a Christmas enthusiast. It is easy to feel her love for the holidays and Christmas magic and believe in it too, as a reader. She also works in a bookstore, and I loved this setting. However, because the book is so short, Bailey feels a little underdeveloped, and I would have liked to see more depth to her character.

❀ ENDING IS RUSHED

While this book is cute and upbeat, I had a couple issues with some of its elements. Much of this is my fault because I’m not the biggest fan of love triangles. Sometimes I am willing to overlook them, but in this case I didn’t feel like the love triangle was effective. I didn’t feel much chemistry with either of the boys, and like Bailey, they are both lacking development. I also found the ending of this book a little odd. It feels rushed, and it seems like a quick and convenient way to tie up the love triangle. This didn’t completely ruin the story for me, but I definitely feel like the resolution could have been better executed.

❀ FUN AND FESTIVE

All I Want for Christmas by Wendy Loggia is a fun and festive read that is sure to get you excited for the holidays. I enjoyed all the Christmas activities throughout the book and the main character’s passion for the holiday season. However, I was disappointed in the lack of development in each of the characters and the resolution of the book. That being said, this is still such an entertaining read that fans of Hallmark movies are sure to love.