Let it Snow

A delightful read and full of warm-holiday, young-love fuzzies. Among the stories, written by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle, I think Johnson's was my favorite. I also really enjoyed the connections between all three stories, and with the holiday setting, it reminded me a bit of Love Actually.

The first story was silly, overly dramatic, and a good teen holiday time. And the good times ended there.

John Green's short story was incredibly, horrendously awful. It's dripping with misogyny. I hated the whole thing. It's never okay to have a female character say she's happy someone called her a slut because it means they view her as a sexual being instead of “one of the guys.” Plus everything felt forced and lame. The pacing was terrible. I hated everything about it. There are so many misogynistic moments that I almost threw the book away, but instead I rage-finished it. It was probably the wrong choice, but oh well.

The third story was somewhat forgettable, but I remember the characters buying a tiny pig. There's no such thing as a 5 lb fully grown pig. I hope people don't read this nonsense and think it's true.

“Let It Snow” was all right for its genre, I suppose, but I just wasn't in the right state of mind for it.

The story that I enjoyed the most was Maureen Johnson's “Jubilee Express”. It had a few funny moments and a feel-good kind of vibe. I also liked the quirky characters. If I had read it when I was supposed to, during the Christmas holiday, I think I would've enjoyed it even more. The ending was eye-roll worthy, but I'll just let that go.

I could have done without Green's „A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle” and Myracle's „The Patron Saint Of Pigs”. The characters were these annoying, superficial, immature-even-for-their-age, little brats. And I couldn't be bothered to care for them. They just made me fell happy about not being a teenager anymore. Here's a sample:

Lady and gentleman, when my parents left Korea with nothing but the clothes on their backs and the considerable wealth they had amassed in the shipping business, they had a dream. They had a dream that one day amid the snowy hilltops of western North Carolina, their son would lose his virginity to a cheerleader in the woman's bathroom of a Waffle House just off the interstate. My parents have sacrificed so much for this dream! And that is why we must journey on, despite all trials and tribulations! Not for me and least of all for the poor cheerleader in question, but for my parents and indeed for all immigrants who came to his great nation in what they themselves could never have: CHEERLEADER SEX.