| Title | : | All I Want For Christmas is the Girl Next Door (All I Want for Christmas #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1953944108 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781953944108 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 214 |
| Publication | : | First published October 28, 2021 |
Graham Wallace has been in love with the girl next door for a decade. Unfortunately, she's been dating his best friend for the past two years. Out of sheer desperation, Graham makes a wish on a shooting star—all he wants for Christmas is Sarah Clarke.
When Graham wakes up the next morning, everything has changed, and he's the one who's been dating Sarah for the past two years, not his best friend. Graham assumes the wish would have only come true if he and Sarah were meant to be together, but as it becomes clear that he and Sarah bring out the worst in each other, not the best, and as he starts to fall for the new girl in town, Graham wonders if some wishes come true in order to show us what's not meant to be.
All I Want For Christmas is the Girl Next Door (All I Want for Christmas #1) Reviews
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Chelsea Bobulski's ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS THE GIRL NEXT DOOR is a sweet Christian Christmas YA romance (that's a mouthful) that I ended up enjoying. I thought it was cute and the storytelling and writing were both good. For sure, Bobulski got me in my feelings about the main characters and their feelings, so it was definitely entertaining.
This short holiday read was written from a teenage boy's perspective, which I found refreshing and really enjoyed on a few levels. The narrator, Graham, asks God for a Christmas wish-- to give him the girlfriend of his dreams, Sarah, the girl next door and his good friend. And God complies. And Graham spends the rest of the book learning how the fulfillment of his wish plays out for everyone in his world.
I almost DNFed this book at one point because Graham seemed like such a selfish character. When I looked up other reviews, they seemed to agree with me. But I tried to remind myself Graham was a young kid, sometimes kids his age haven't learned yet not to be selfish. Sometimes they never learn. Hanging in until the end gave me a big emotional payoff though, because the character development seems to happen all at once with Graham. Like it sometimes does in life too!
I felt good when this book ended, but it deals with a lot of heavy themes, like eating disorders, divorce, and death of a child. I consider this a well-developed and well-rounded book. Looking forward to the next in the series, which is not something I often say!
Rating: ⛸️⛸️⛸️⛸️.5 / 5 skates on the pond
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: January 2 2023
Read this if you like:
🎄 Holiday stories
👫 YA romance
❄️ Snow
👥️ Alternative reality
✝️ Christian fiction -
Full of warmth and wit!
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This book was perfect!! Ahh! What a sweet Christmas romance.
I love how the theme “Be careful what you wish for” was explored. It reminds me of Provers 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Graham thinks he knows what he wants, even wishing on a star to get it, but what he receives isn’t what he had expected. It’s worse, but in the best way.
I loved all the characters in this story, how friendships were explored, how love was grown, and how the plot unfurled.
I’m even more excited to read on and devour the other stories!
A HUGE thank you to Erin Phillips who recommended these books! If not for the migraine I developed last night, I would have read this book in one sitting.
Content:
A whole lot of cute
Some minor swearing -
ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
TW: eating disorder.
Alternate Title: "A Christmas Carol But It's Just Emotionally Cheating Teenagers"
Yeah, no, this wasn't for me. There were cute moments of Christmassy fluff, but - for me - they were completely overpowered by the insufferable main character and his complete lack of care for anyone other than himself. Even when Sarah (his best friend since third grade) starts showing signs of an eating disorder, he only cares whenever it affects him.
And then, you know, he doesn't even wait two days in the alternate universe before objectifying another girl because she was wearing a skirt. The book literally tells us we can only see her knees, but that Graham feels it's far too risqué. Even going so far as to warn her away from other guys that will get the wrong idea from her outfit.
When the only guy we see getting suggestive ideas from her outfit is our "hero".
I don't know why so many YA books I've read lately (written by women) have written the male protagonist to be such sexist, objectifying douchebags but I'm over it. There's a line between being extremely physically attracted to someone and hmm, I don't know, acting like she's asking for it by wearing a knee high skirt.
Super bummed out I didn't enjoy this one. I appreciated the Christmas vibes, but that's really all this story had going for it. -
I saw that the author was a Christian so I instantly added this book to my tbr list. The title sounded super cute and the premise literally sold me.
I loved that the story was told from a male POV… I feel that’s rare with Christmas books. The overall vibes were nice and the plot was ok.
The thing that ruined it for me was the language and the horrible attitudes of the characters.
I don’t understand what was the need to add the words b*tch and b*llsh*t in this book. Like, nope. Instant red flags.
Then we have these sixteen year old MC dude that is so indecisive with what he wants that when he gets his wish to date his best girl friend, he has second thoughts. I’m like, you’ve been pining for her since forever and now that you have her you don’t want her??? *sigh*
Also, the gaslight and the being in love with some other girl while dating another girl knowing you are falling for another one is terrible. He should have just talked it out with the first girl.
Then we have the eek attitudes of the MC and another main girl. The dude calls his mother “woman” when exasperated and I don’t like him.
Then we have a descriptive kiss with tongue, suggestive actions described, the use of the words damn and hell, a character getting drunk and the MC missing church just because he wanted to talk with his friend, and honestly I didn’t feel nice after reading this ☹️.
I was hoping for an original, clean and fun story but sadly I didn’t get that. -
So originally I was like "I'm only going to buy Christmas ebooks so I don't have Christmas paperbacks taking up space on my shelves" and this book made me regret that decision because I need the whole collection on my shelves year round, and I've only read book one in the series!
But I truly loved it! It was so genuine and full of honesty. It was a great use of the "careful what you wish for" concept, perfectly executed, full of heart, wit, and warmth! I don't want to spoil it, but it was perfection. The message was super on point, the characters were all complex and relatable, and a great portayal of teenagers while still speaking truths even adults need to hear.
I also really enjoyed that for once it is exposed and explored how hurtful it is to lead someone on or take advantage of someone’s feelings.
Highly recommend! And grabbing the whole collection now for sure! -
I really wanted to like this book. I thought the "wish upon a shooting star" premise had a magical touch. But I just couldn't get past the main character's arrogance and lack of empathy for others. He is so focused on what he wants, he has no concern for those he hurts. He is also pretty disrespectful towards his mother, which I found very distasteful.
Maybe I'll try another book by this author, as I thought the writing was done well. But this one was a pass for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Wise Wolf Books for sending this book in exchange for an honest review. -
Wow, um, no one told me this would be so cute AND make me cry AND somehow even have a low key message of faith! I loved this book and couldn’t stop reading it. So sweet, with just the right amount of tension to keep me invested and flipping to the next page to see how everything would get resolved. 10 days left til Christmas and this book has certainly gotten me into the spirit of the season.
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I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
All I Want For Christmas is the Girl Next Door definitely gave me those It's a Wonderful Life vibes. Instead of seeing his family without him, Graham wishes for the girl of this dreams: Perfect Sarah.
Now I didn't really get his obsession with the girl. Yeah, they were best friends and she was dating their other best friend but I didn't see the chemistry. Like the romance kind. Maybe he just liked the idea of dating her and just really loved her like a friend. Once he started dating Sarah in the alternate universe, I sat back and patiently waited for him to figure it all out.
Mostly because he had way more chemistry and pizzazz with Piper. Just saying. Luckily for him, and really everyone involved, things work out in the end. We just had to go through the Rubik's cube full of drama beforehand.
In the end, things were a bit predictable but it was easy to devour. I'm also in the mood for winter to come my way. Heck, I'm always in the mood for winter. I will definitely need another holiday book soon and maybe, just maybe, I will look out for another one of Chelsea's books! Especially book 2! -
This was adorable and the perfect read to get in the Holiday mood! I loved the MC- Graham. He's adorable, sweet and really mellow. He's had a crush on his best friend Sarah for most of his teen years. He doesn't date because he just doesn't think anyone else can measure up.
But Sarah's dating Graham's other best friend, Jeremy. They are a pretty perfect couple but Graham just can't imagine it wouldnt' be even better with Sarah and him together.
So one night, he makes a wish and gets his wish. But is it everything he thought it would be?
I liked the training to dance, the little moments at the bowling alley and the constant Christmas cookies! I loved the little town, the constant Christmas theme and the wonderful parade. This is a light, quick, sweet read! I think I'll read more in the series!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. -
I feel like I have to write this review for my fellow Christian readers who may see all the comments about religion and think that this is Christian fiction. I would not put this book in that category.
Let's start with the language. I normally keep track of "curse words" while reading CF, but I gave up halfway through. Too many for any reader that's bothered by that. I'm not strictly anti-cursing, but I do draw the line at using God's name in vain, and the characters do that several times.
The language was actually the least of my worries with this story. The next problem I saw was with Graham's continuous lusting after and objectifying one girl in particular, then calling it true love. It made me uncomfortable, and if I had teenage kids, I wouldn't want them to read those kinds of thoughts.
And the most bothersome thing to me was actually a conversation between Graham and an older divorced woman, who tells him that she and her husband just didn't have the right kind of love to stay married. They realized they had to compromise too much to stay married, so they parted amicably. In a world with way too much divorce already, we don't need a so-called Christian YA book telling us that when the going gets tough, we should just leave the marriage and it wasn't meant to be.
The characters do mention going to church and God, but that's not enough in my mind to make it okay for Christian teens to read this book. So if you decide to read with all of these points in mind, go for it, but I don't know if the plot and characters really make it worthwhile. -
I need to stop trusting covers and cute blurbs.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Tons of people are going to like this. It’s lighthearted. It’s got that fun Christmas vibe. It has moderately likeable characters. However...
I couldn’t get into this. I went in expecting a light-hearted story about a young guy who realizes that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, but it turned into something a lot different.
Graham (the MC) has been obsessed with ‘the girl next door’ Sarah since the day he met her (when they were like like 6, because a 6 year old understands ‘love’) but she’s dating Graham’s best friend, and is very happy. Graham is of course jealous and wants to be the one dating Sarah. It’s a pretty basic storyline. I wasn’t expecting deep philosophical thoughts here.
HOWEVER. After wishing on a shooting star (or praying, or getting a miracle - it depends which chapter you’re reading) Graham wakes up and has been dating Sarah for the past two years. Graham then proceeds to act like a complete idiot, ask stupid questions and ignore Sarah to flirt with bookstore girl, Piper.
90% of the book is literally Graham going on not-dates with Piper, meeting Sarah to kiss him and convince himself this is the girl for him, and then telling us over (and over and over and over) again that if he wasn’t meant to be with Sarah then the wish (or prayer or miracle) wouldn’t have come true.
Graham is one of the most annoying MCs I’ve read in awhile. He constantly picks apart Sarah’s decisions, rarely compliments her and never does anything to address her jealousy (except continue to ignore her to spend time with Piper). At one point he joins Sarah’s family (WHO HATE HIM, BTW) in a tree decorating competition, and then because they’re taking it too seriously, he’s a completely d*ck and doesn’t even try. He then tries to blame Sarah’s family for being too serious about the competition. No wonder her family hates him. He’s known Sarah for most of his life, has been dating her for two years and acts like that around her family? I hate him on behalf of her family.
Graham makes no effort to be a partner in his relationship with Sarah. They never talk. He snaps at her about everything. He constantly insults her (over her diet). They never discuss anything of value and he still thinks that they’re made to be together.
Anywhy, while Graham is supposed to be dating the girl of his dreams he’s actually spending a ton of time with Piper because of convoluted reasons that were absolutely unnecessary. They have to build some stupid float for the stupid Christmas parade (this never really pays off and was honestly just a plot point to force Piper and Graham to spend time together). Graham and Piper end up spending countless hours alone and of course Graham lusts after her. He refuses to talk to Sarah (or Piper) and continues to date Sarah while flirting with Piper. He feels guilty for a few seconds, but never long enough to do anything about it.
At one point Piper and Graham get into some fight. I don’t even remember. Sarah and Graham get into a fight. It’s all painfully obvious from the get-go how things are going to end.
EXCEPT IT ISN’T. I’m still BEYOND irritated by how the book handled this whole ‘wish fulfillment’ aspect.
So, the idea is that you don’t really know people as well as you think and that it’s easy to idolize people beyond who they are, yadda, yadda, yadda… But then it becomes about saving a life???
I’m not going to include spoilers, but the whole thing takes a weird tone shift and gets VERY RELIGIOUS and Graham ends up praying and asking for a miracle and then the whole thing is about what God wants and it was… odd.
Then Graham just wakes up and it’s the day after he wished on the star and he ends up dating Piper and no one learned anything.
The blurb specifically says that Graham and Sarah bring out the worst in each other, but that’s not true. Depending on how you look at it, Graham pushed Sarah to have bigger dreams. She actually had goals and ambitions, but then I guess those weren’t her ideas because they were Graham’s? It was never explained in a convincing manner. These kids are 16 and literally had no lives outside of Christmastown. They had no hobbies, no goals, no ambitions. They were so boring. Then Graham and Sarah have ambitions, but I guess they were too big? If you’re confused, don’t worry, the book doesn’t really explain any better than I am right now.
I guess the book wants you to believe that having big dreams and making sacrifices for those dreams is bad. And you should want to stay in your small town forever. (shrug - I honestly don’t know)
There are some LOOOOOOONNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGG sentences in this book. Literal thought vomit coming from Graham’s head. Most of it is completely pointless and rambling and adds pretty much nothing to the narrative. There’s a long run-on sentence about how Graham doesn’t have a car, but it’s okay because everything in town is only ten minutes away but then later they have to walk for 15 minutes to get somewhere… so I’m confused.
There are also some gross sexualizations of Piper throughout the story. First, Graham is INSANELY jealous of some random guy who gets coffee with Piper (please remember that he’s in no way shape or form, responsible for Piper or her actions or are they dating), but then we also get stuff like this:
skinny jeans that are so tight they’re practically illegal in thirty-nine states
She looks like Santa’s daughter, if Santa’s daughter went to private school during the week and rock concerts on the weekends. The kind of girl that makes a guy bow down and say, “We’ve not worthy.”
I have to fight the urge to shout at her to change before she gives some guy - the kind of guy who would think he’s not only worth but that he somehow deserves the right to use and abuse her until he’s done with her - the wrong idea.
“You know how those guys are… They see a girl in a skirt and boots, and suddenly they lose all brain function.”
[she] swipes her finger over the whipped cream and licks it off, completely unaware that half the guys in the room just dropped their ice creams on themselves.
All this sexualization of Piper is gross. Just because Graham has perverted thoughts about Piper doesn’t mean every guy in a 400 mile radius also has the same thoughts. It was gross to read this kind of stuff over and over and over again.
Piper attracts the wrong kind of attention because she’s wearing a skirt and you can see her knees, but Sarah walks out with her sweater hanging off her shoulder and she’s the most precious thing in the world.
The book really misses the mark for me because at no point does Graham TRY to be a better boyfriend to Sarah. The only time he tells her to think about her future is AFTER the big blowup at the dance. And it’s WELL after he’s decided he’s in lust with Piper.
The world-building is flimsy at best. This is supposed to be the magical town of Christmas, but it sounds like pretty much any small town that gets all festive during the holidays (it more or less screamed Stars Hollow from GIlmore Girls - we’re a quirky smalltown who does everything at 500% all the time, but the only thing we do is Christmas).
I wanted this to be a cute book about finding yourself and realizing that what you think is best isn’t always the best.
I wanted Graham to put as much effort into spending time with his girlfriend as he did his not-girlfriend. I WANTED GRAHAM TO GROW A BACKBONE AND HAVE A REAL CONVERSATION WITH ANYONE instead of just moping and whining when things went wrong.
Dropping me into Graham and Sarah’s relationship (two years in) and then having Graham act like he got a personality transplant bothered me. Obviously something was going right for them to be together for two years, but Graham never tried to get to know the new Sarah. He didn’t actually want the new Sarah, he wanted the old Sarah, but for her to be with him and want his dreams. As the reader I never got the impression he cared about Sarah. He lied to her, went out of his way to annoy her and acted like an idiot 90% of the time he spent with her.
I never liked Sarah as a person. Old Sarah knew how Graham felt about her and used it to her advantage to essentially get a second boyfriend who would step in whenever she needed anything. She never had a real personality and I found her incredibly boring. The new Sarah had the goal of becoming a ballet dancer and whined about everything. She was tiring. Even after all the drama between Graham and Sarah she STILL REFUSES TO LET HIM GO. She can’t imagine not having him as a friend, blah blah blah. Sarah was a selfish manipulator who wanted a boyfriend but kept Graham around to use as her emotional punching bag.
Piper was pretty boring too. Aside from being obsessed with Little Woman and being the child of a couple mid-divorce she didn’t really have much going on.
Graham was whiny and annoying. When he wasn’t those things he was sexualizing Piper. Or crying about how his wish had to be right.
Jeremy was just the random guy that was dating Piper. We honestly never to to know him as anything but some random name to drop when needed.
The ENTIRE book can be summed by two quotes FROM the book:
shouldn’t I have been obsessed with Sarah this whole time?
When I take Sarah into my arms, I don’t think about Piper in a fuzzy white sweater in a dusty old barn, the scent of pine needles and jasmine perfume thick around us, her gray eyes deep and vibrant as a storm-wrenched sea. I don’t think about body pressed against mine, her breath fanning my neck, or the sudden desire I felt to run the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip. I focus on Sarah and don’t think about Piper at all. -
Solid Christmas book. Cute. A basic “be careful what you wish for” Christmas YA book.
What I find so interesting in the comments is the slam on the author and the book based solely on her saying that she is a Christian. Nowhere that I could find did this book call itself Christian fiction. So I don’t know why reviewers are holding it up like it is. Everything I saw was it put in ya and romance. But suddenly because she states she is a Christian the book should be or should have more religion in it?? I don’t get it. That isn’t fair or right. I am a Christian. And a writer. I do not write Christian fiction. It doesn’t offend me or bother me at all for a book to only talk about God once or mentioning church once. Why is that wrong? The book is not religious. The book doesn’t have to be religious. Nobody slammed Nicholas Sparks for stating he was a Christian but writing regular romance without Christian values.
I think she did a great job.
Only once was I annoyed with the adult “mentor” talk and how she talked about divorce and two people just falling out of love. That, in my opinion, is the problem with people’s ideas of marriage. But regardless, the character is a teenager and wishes for something then wakes up living in a world where the wish came true. But he finds out why he should have loved the life he had instead of wishing for something different. Some of the readers get their underwear in a wad about him liking a girl while dating another. Umm, he is thrown in to an entirely different world that he isn’t used to. And also…it’s fiction. I don’t think it has an issue that teens “don’t need to read” as other reviews have said. I have read plenty of Ya that teens don’t need to read. This is clean, solid, sweet story. -
3.5*
All I want For Christmas was a sweet, easy, feel good kind of read.
Although Graham has been in love with Sarah forever, he missed his chance with her when she started dating his best friend. But Christmas is the time of miracles and with a wish upon a star, Graham finally gets everything he always wanted.
Although it turns out what you think you want might not be what you really need, which Graham finds out over the course of the book. Because his wish not only alters his reality, but everyone's around him.
I enjoyed seeing Graham grow throughout the story, as he realizes maybe things were better left as-is.
I could definitely see this being made into a television movie, it has that cute, cozy kind of feel to it. -
I won a Kindle copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thanks to the author, publisher and Goodreads!
Here is a sweet Young Adult Romance that is perfect for the season. Its charm lies in its endearing characters and (paradoxically) its predictability. The main character and narrator, Graham, learns the truth in that saying, "Be careful what you wish for." The story kept me smiling and really got me in the mood for the holidays.
Highly recommended for Romance and Young Adult fans. -
Graham and Sarah are next door neighbors. The logical way for fate to work out is for Graham and Sarah to be madly in love, have that special high school sweetheart to lifelong romance sort of relationship. But instead, Sarah is dating Graham's best friend Jeremy. One night, Graham wishes he was the one dating Sarah. The next morning, he wakes up and everything has changed. But will he find it's as magical as he thought it would be?
I thought this was a great Christmastime book. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a Christmas/holiday book, other than it is set in Christmas, Virginia and it takes place during December. There is some mention of Christmas traditions, but for the most part they could just be "winter" traditions. It was also a really quick read for me (one evening). I did feel like it lacked a little in depth and character development, but that isn't necessarily something I'm looking for in a holiday read.
I would definitely add this to your list if YA, Christmas/winter, romance, and alternate reality are themes you enjoy!
Thank you to NetGalley and Wise Wolf Books for the eARC of this book! -
Thank you to NetGalley and Wise Wolf Books for the eARC copy!
This YA Christmas Contemporary Romance book is adorable, full of Christmas fun, and all the clean romance and feels! It was a quick, easy read that left me smiling in the end — quite happy for all the characters!
Graham likes Sarah, his gal best friend. But Sarah is dating Jeremy, his guy best friend. Graham makes a thoughtless wish on a shooting star to have been the one dating Sarah the past two years…and it comes true! Through this time in an alternate reality, Graham discovers his true feelings towards Sarah…and also the cute bookish cheerleader new girl. How does it end? Read to find out!
Content Warnings: a few swear words, kissing scenes (nothing explicit or over-sexual) -
I tend to stay away from YA romance just because the characters and the storylines tend to be a bit boring but this one delivered! I teared up and fell in love with Graham even though he was frustrating and sometimes I wanted to yell at him. This is a book of a boy growing up and learning what love actually is. That’s all there is to it. I loved every second. Like, literally every second from page 1.
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I requested this book on a whim and I’m so glad I did! It was cute, sweet, fun, and a very realistic YA. One of my favorite movies from childhood is the Disney Channel Original Movie Wish Upon A Star (starring Katherine Heigl as a teenager) where two sisters wish on a shooting star that they could have the other’s life. It comes true and over the course of the movie, they learn a lot about themselves and what they truly want out of life.
That movie with a little It’s a Wonderful Life?! So fun and so festive but still has a ton of heart without leaning into the Hallmark Christmas cheese.
Synopsis:
“It's a Wonderful Life meets Wish Upon A Star in this Christmas-themed young adult contemporary romance.
Graham Wallace has been in love with the girl next door for a decade. Unfortunately, she's been dating his best friend for the past two years. Out of sheer desperation, Graham makes a wish on a shooting star—all he wants for Christmas is Sarah Clarke.
When Graham wakes up the next morning, everything has changed, and he's the one who's been dating Sarah for the past two years, not his best friend. Graham assumes the wish would have only come true if he and Sarah were meant to be together, but as it becomes clear that he and Sarah bring out the worst in each other, not the best, and as he starts to fall for the new girl in town, Graham wonders if some wishes come true in order to show us what's not meant to be. “ —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The Story—It’s a Wonderful Life meets Wish Upon a Star? Sign me up. I love the trope of thinking you have what you’ve always wanted, only to come to the realization that the life you wanted isn’t the life you need. I thought it was so cute and well done!
The Pacing—I started this book at 9pm one night and stayed up til midnight, then finished it right when I woke up the next morning. Less than a 12 hour read. It moved, I wanted to keep reading, the story made sense.
Perfect Amount of Christmas and Contemporary—It may take place in a small town called Christmas, but I didn’t find the story to be too cheesy at all! It felt very To All the Boys I Loved Before.
What Didn’t Work:
Mentions of Diet Culture—One character is a ballerina so in the alternate universe, she takes things to the extreme. It does not go into ED territory, but there are several mentions of dieting, starving oneself, “supporting” a partner who’s on a diet and I didn’t like it. However, I do understand it was the alternate reality, so it may have been extreme as a device.
Mentions of Religion/God/Spirituality—I normally don’t like this, but I didn’t find it to be too obtrusive to the story. But, a heads up if small mentions of spirituality/church bother you. It is NOT preachy in any sense, but just something I feel like is important to note. It doesn’t take away from the story.
Content Warnings:
Dieting
Character Authenticity: 4/5 Steam Rating: N/A as this is a YA novel! Overall Rating: 3.75/5 -
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Graham had heart-eyes for his neighbor for years. The only problem was that he was solidly in the friend-zone while Sarah dated his best friend. After a disastrous reveal of his true feelings, Graham wished upon a star and woke up in a world where he and Sarah were together. When reality doesn't match his expectations, Graham was left hoping he could undo this wish.
This was cute. I definitely saw the It's a Wonderful Life threads running through the story. Bobulski did a nice job with the ripples his wish caused in his world, and I was very pleased with Graham's growth. I will tell you right now, Graham's behavior before the wish was a bit unacceptable, however, I understand that I needed to see him at his worst in order to appreciate how much he progressed.
One thing I liked most about this story was one of the BIG reasons I wanted to read it - holiday fun and feels. The town of Christmas was all sorts of adorable, and I reveled in all the holiday activity. That's where this book shined for me and warmed my Hallmarkie heart. I also enjoyed the Graham's family and the friendship that formed between him and Piper.
Overall: I enjoyed this riff on It's a Wonderful Life which was filled with lots of holiday warmth and cheer.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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Okay, that was a seriously sweet read with a definite message. I really love It's a Wonderful Life and this is a retelling of it, so I knew I had to pick it up. (It's not quiiite a retelling so much as a reimagining, but you get the point.) I also always seem to enjoy parallel universe stories, so add in the fact that this was set at Christmas and YA and I was sold.
Graham, who has been in love with his next door neighbor Sarah forever, makes a wish upon a star that she could be his girlfriend instead of his best friend Jeremy's girlfriend. And, much like It's a Wonderful Life, his wish is granted.
I really enjoyed seeing Graham navigate the other reality and seeing how different both Sarah and Jeremy were in that world. The romance was very sweet and there were plenty of lovely Christmas elements which made this a fun, festive read.
Also, I love It's a Wonderful Life.
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This book was very cute and endearing and it set me in the right mood for christmas time. I know it’s a little early for that but to be honest, Christmas is my favorite time of the year and it’s never too early to get in the right mood for that.
I liked Graham as our MC, he is loveable and sweet. He’s set his heart on his neighbor, Sarah and is madly in love with her for years when a wish upon a star grants him to live in a world where Sarah is his girlfriend.
There isn’t much chemistry between him and Sarah and I didn’t quite get his obsession with her and why he tried so hard to make it work between them, when it was pretty obvious that being together with her didn’t make him happy.
For me, in the end there was a little too much religious stuff to feel comfortable and I think this book could have easily done without it. It did for most of the time, but in the end it suddenly turned super religious, something I do not feel good with. -
I just feel like the ending went so off the rails and truly this kid was just delusional. We needed more of him and Piper once the wish was broken.
The ending also got to be a bit too religious for me. It’s a personal preference for sure and it didn’t really impact my opinion of the book, I just felt a bit misled. I guess the storyline only works for me when it’s a lovable angel named Clarence lmao -
Got bored
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So sweet! Love these characters and this hallmark concept for teens.
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This novel was a wonderful combination of the Christmas vibe and a precious story. Within this book Graham learns what love really is, and that it's not always what he had expected.
The use of the slight fantasy element of a wish being granted and waking up in a new scenario if his life was done really well. This story gave me a feeling much like Hallmark Christmas movies give me which is a good thing.
Graham makes a wish on a shooting star to have the girl next door he has had feeling for for a while to be with him instead of with his friend. After waking up in a scenario with that wish having come true he starts to think they were always meant to be. But as him and Sarah bring out the worst in each other and he starts falling for the new girl in town he starts to wonder if the wish came true in order to show him what wasn't meant to be.
This story and these characters have set me even mote into the Christmas spirit than I already was.
Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this novel. -
3.75 stars! review to come
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Awesome book, didn't want to put it down!! Can't wait for the next one!!
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My first Netgalley book, and what a way to start! All I Want For Christmas is the Girl Next Door was an adorable YA Christmas Romance novel that I read in one afternoon. I typically don't love books that take place in an alternate world or dream-like sequence, but I think Chelsea Bobulski did a fantastic job of keeping the plot moving. Far too often, I see books get lost in the alternate world, and then the main premise is lost. I had some unanswered questions and would have liked to see a little more of Piper and Graham together and the day after conversation with Sarah, but overall a delightful read. Highly recommend!
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3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this festive read, especially the last 1/3 to 1/2 of the book! Christmas, VA, sounds like such a fun place to be (especially because I adore the Christmas holiday). I'd definitely get along with Graham's mom; she and I have similar approaches to the season!
The read also brought back a lot of memories from high school--some good, some less so. I was one of those that never got asked to school events, and I'm grateful for the couple of times I womanned up and went with a group of friends! This certainly captures the struggles both girls and guys go through in that regard.
And man, that last portion of the book--talk about a mic drop. Loved it; so many things underlined.
The disappointment for me was the language; it felt at odds with the religion component (and I preferred the latter). I expected a cleaner read. But, I do plan to pick up the other books in the series as available.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
