Book Blog #79: Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

Title: Let it Snow
Author: John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
# of Pages: 352 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Romance, Holiday
Rating: ★★★★☆
Synopsis: An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House ( and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista.

Review: This book contains three interconnected stories written by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle. I decided that, for this review, I would rate each story separately and then average the three ratings for the final rating.

The Jubilee Express by Maureen Johnson

Rating: 4 stars

I've read Johnson's work in Zombies vs Unicorns but other than that, this is the first time I've read her work.

At first, I was a little put-off by the beginning. I usually don't like it when the characters talk to the reader, but Johnson did a really good job. I thought that Julie and Stuart's relationship was really cute, but a little rushed. Although I understand that the plot had to progress faster than usual because of the limited amount of story each author was allowed to write (I assume they all agreed to write a certain amount of pages), I think there could have been a bigger focus on Julie and Stuart and less on everything else.

A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle by John Green

Rating: 3 stars

I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in John Green. But, then again, I shouldn't be so surprised that his story wasn't as great as his later works (aka The Fault in Our Stars)since this was written in 2008, a whole four years difference.

I wish I knew how these three authors decided what to write. Did they form a plot line and then assign a part of the story to each author? Because, in all honest, Green's plot line sucked. He had to write about two testosterone-happy dudes and their friend (who they don't even consider a girl, which she is) make the STUPID decision to go to a Waffle House just for a bunch of cheerleaders THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW. It's all just a bit too ridiculous for me. So I gave it three stars.

The Patron Saint of Pigs by Lauren Myracle

Rating: 4 stars

I don't think I have ever read one of Myracle's works, so I wasn't sure what to expect. By this point, the scene is set. Most of the character development is finished, and she even get the honor of writing the big ending. The ending was great, although I felt as overwhelmed about the situation as Addie did. The beginning...not as great. There was a lot of description on how big of a jerk she is, and I don't think I'm the only one who doesn't like reading about jerks. Just saying.

But she had me sold with the ending. I thought it was so sweet how everyone was able to find love...and out comes my hopeless romantic side. However, if she did NOT write the ending, like let's say she had to write Addie's story in the middle, then her rating would have dropped dramatically because Addie isn't a good enough character.

I was pleasantly surprised on how the story turned out! And I love the interconnected-ness of it all. But I do recommend that you read this before Christmas versus during the summer (after all, it's a winter-looking book).