The Reading Date

This book is a lot of fun and provided a good amount of holiday cheer. The quirky characters, witty and smart dialogue, funny moments, and romance all made for a satisfying, cozy read.The first story, The Jubilee Express, written by Maureen Johnson, is my favorite. Jubilee’s Christmas Eve plans are dashed when her parents are jailed in a Santa Village shopping frenzy. Jubilee has to miss her boyfriend’s party and take off on a train to stay with her grandparents. When the train gets caught in the snow in Gracetown, she stops at the Waffle House for some food and leaves with Stuart who offers to let her stay with his family while she’s stranded. Stuart and Jubilee find they have a lot in common as they spend Christmas Eve getting to know each other. I would love to read a whole book about these characters, and was sad to see this charming story end.The second story, A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, written by John Green, is the comic relief of the collection. In this story Tobin is called on a mission to the Waffle House to bring down a game of Twister for the train stranded cheerleaders. Tobin, JP and The Duke try to drive through the treacherous snow to get to the Waffle House to complete their task and to score some hash browns. This one was funny, with snappy dialogue and I liked the way the characters overlapped from the previous story. Glad to read more from John Green.The last story, The Patron Saint of Pigs, by Lauren Myracle, is about redemption, love and friendship, and even features an adorable teacup pig. Self-absorbed Addie is trying to mend her relationship with Jeb, who was also on the train with Jubilee and the cheerleaders. This story ties the collection together and comes full circle as Jeb’s mysterious girlfriend Addie is featured. This one has some tender moments as Addie tries to make amends with her friends and Jeb. The only other book by this author I’ve read by Lauren Myracle is Shine, so it was interesting to see this other side of her.This collection was just what I was looking for and gave me a good dose of holiday spirit. Christmas is in the backdrop of every story, but is not heavily featured so it’s still a good read any time of year. I liked all of the stories, but Jubilee’s was my favorite. The overlapping characters made it a fun, cohesive collection. Recommended if you enjoyed Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares or are a fan of any of the three authors.