All I Want for Christmas is a short, young adult romance. It is pure escapist fiction and heaven knows we certainly need that more than ever for Christmas 2020. It is firmly set in the Christmas season and festivities with snow, Christmas trees, hot cocoa, cookie exchanges, and gift giving. There are nods to some classic Christmas stories/movies. The characters and plot are fairly formulaic, but for Hallmark-loving fans, this story will probably be enjoyable.
The main character, Bailey, is a junior in high school; she drives and is thinking about college. This gives appeal to the older teenage reader, but on the flip side the romance is gentle so young romance lovers will find this story their speed, too.
Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy provided by the Publisher
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 1 religious exclamation; 1 anatomical term.
Violence/Gore: Report of death of a grandparent a few years ago; report of a death of a pet a few months ago.
Sex/Nudity: Reference to dating people in the past; reference to someone kissing someone in the past; characters notice how other characters look (attractive, etc.); girl thinks about kissing a boy, running fingers through a boy’s hair; a character is wearing a sweater with a “rooftop Santa n a questionable position”; a few separate comments about how a boy is “hot” and has a nice butt; girl and boy hold hands; boy and girl kiss on a few separate occasions (brief).
Mature Subject Matter:
None
Alcohol / Drug Use:
At a party someone shouts “No law when drinking White Claws”.
