Ideally I would begin by saying something like ‘I was in the mood for a Christmas-y read so I picked up this’ but alas, that wasn’t it. The cover design is a better explanation, with the three young adult authors names in big print at the top. Maureen Johnson and John Green both have a knack for writing quirky characters and funny situations, and this isn’t an exception. These three interconnected novellas can really be enjoyed anytime of the year but turned out to be a fun and innocent diversion for the season.

It’s Christmas Eve and Jubilee (yes, Jubilee) has just received a call from her parents, who are stuck in jail for the night after being involved in the Flobie Santa Village convention riot. So instead of celebrating both the holiday and her one-year anniversary with her boyfriend Noah she’s off on a train to visit them. A handsome stranger, the snack car, dozens of cheerleaders later and a severe snowstorm has forced Jubilee out into a Waffle House where-

Tobin, the Duke, and JP are being summoned to check out said cheerleaders while playing Twister. But the snow has other ideas and it will take a car, two couldn’t-be-more-alike twins and good old-fashioned running to make it there in time for cheesy hashbrowns, cheerleader ogling, and a lovesick boy named Jed, looking for someone called-

Addie, who’s bemoaning the lack of a certain guy in her life on Christmas day instead of spreading holiday cheer. The end to their relationship was complicated but it involved a drunk Addie and a using-jerk named Charlie followed by an impulsive break-up and a no-show by Jed for the scheduled Starbucks make-up session. Will Addie be able to save her new pink-haired self from her old self and find Jed with only the help of a teacup-sized pig and the Silver Sneacker seniors? The story comes full-circle at Starbucks when Jubilee, Tobin, and Addie’s lives intersect.

Sound complex enough? While it would’ve been easy for the holiday romances of Let It Snow to become convoluted one of its strongest points is plotting, which is pretty flawless. After reading Maureen Johnson’s opening “The Jubilee Express” I couldn’t wait to see where John Green’s “A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle” would take the story and the characters and how all three would connect in Lauren Myracle’s “The Patron Saint of Pigs.” The continuity was all smooth in this respect. Unfortunately the quality of the stories wasn’t, and I liked each a little less as I read on. My favorite was Johnson’s. Jubilee and Stuart are both funny and engaging and their story interested me. If you’ve read Green before, you’re already familiar with his formula: normal guy; nerdy, witty best friend; and mysterious, unattainable girl. His writing is so smart – it beats me why he doesn’t mix it up sometimes. Nonetheless he’s inventive yet again with a car scene and his characters afford good laughs. I hadn’t read Lauren Myracle before and her story was my least favorite, though there was something snappy about her writing that was striking. Addie’s made some critical mistakes which make her harder to like. Though I think all of the author’s are probably better full-length novel writers the romances were sweet and overall I liked this non-cheesy, non-stereotypical “Christmas” story about the pitfalls of love and winter.