My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

With a great selection of authors, I was excited to read My True Love Gave to Me over the holidays. The stories promised to put me in that happy, holiday mood. I thought I write a sentence or two about each.

Midnights, by Rainbow Rowell - The cutest story. I love Mags! Rainbow Rowell is amazing.

The Lady and the Fox, by Kelly Link - Magical. Odd. I'm not sure if I am on board with the ending, but the story has an artistry about it.

Angels in the Snow, by Matt de la Peña - I want to know so much more about Shy and Haley. I could read a whole novel about them.

Polaris is Where You’ll Find Me, by Jenny Han - This story broke my heart a little. It was magical and beautiful and it feels like a prelude to something amazing or amazingly sad.

It’s A Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown, by Stephanie Perkins - This is one of the sweetest, most romantic stories I’ve read I ages. It just made me so happy.

Your Temporary Santa, by David Levithan - Sweet, but confused. Santa is so unsure of himself.

Krampuslauf, by Holly Black - Magic and inner strength. What more could you want?

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth?, by Gayle Forman - Another romantic, slice of coming-of-age story. You might not get what you want, but sometimes, you get what you need.

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus, by Myra McEntire - A bad-boy using his powers for good? So sweet and emotional. I could read a whole novel about Gracie and Vaughn.

Welcome to Christmas, CA, by Kiersten White - This one almost had me crying. Maria learning about her mom and Rick’s real motivations was so heartwarming.

Star of Bethlehem, by Ally Carter - Another sweet story, but with a twist I didn’t expect.

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer, by Laini Taylor - This story was magic. Not that I expected anything else from the author of the Smoke and Bone series. I loved Neve and the Dreamer. The reverend more than gave me the creeps and I think he got what he deserved.

My True Love Gave to Me was a great collection to read over the holidays. The stories allowed a peak into the lives of the characters at a time when magic seemed possible. I enjoyed every story, they were full of amazing characters. Stephanie Perkins' It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown was my favourite of all the stories and it was the first thing I've ever read by Perkins. I'm going to have to read more of her work. My True Love Gave to Me also reminded me how much I love short story collections.

To All The Boys I Loved Before

The movie, not the book. But after watching the movie, I want to read the book. To All The Boys I've Love Before is the cutest movie. I wasn't sure I was going to watch this movie, but then I saw Jenny Han on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. After watching the interview, I knew I had to watch this movie. The way Jenny Han talked about her characters, representation, and the story, connected with me. I could relate to her feelings growing up, which in turn went into her book, then into the movie. I loved her description of her "discussion" with the studio about why Lara Jean had to be Asian. Lana Condor was perfect (coming from someone who hasn't read the book). She was sweet and goofy, while also being strong and independenhttps://www.netflix.com/ca/t. She didn't NEED Peter or Josh. She kind of needed her sister.

Though I loved all the moments of Lara Jean and her fake boyfriend, the moments with her sisters really stuck with me. Her dynamic with Kitty is fun and fantastic. Kitty loves Lara Jean so much too. I can see how much Kitty wants her to be happy. Though Margot was away for a lot of the movie, she is a huge part of Lara Jean's life. Margot is who Lara Jean can't lie to, who she wants to make happy more than anyone else. Margot is Lara Jean's maternal figure, she wants to make Margot proud. The relationship with her Dad offers some of the funniest moments too. I also have loved John Corbett since Northern Exposure.

To All The Boys I've Loved Before is available on Netflix now and if you want to watch something that will make you just feel good, this movie is for you.