Festive Page-Turners: Dive into the 27 Best Holiday Reads This Year
In this article, we will share the best books to read during the holiday season of 2023. Holidays seem to be the days when friends and acquaintances gather together. And myself, it seems that there is no one to ask for, and there is nowhere to go.
Today’s article is going to be filled with some of my favorite holiday books, like Christmas kind of just books that take place around Christmas and New Year’s that have the holiday vibe.
I have a mixture of adult books and Why a Book, so let’s get right into it because I actually have a lot this year when I first started my holiday reads I barely had any now I have a ton to recommend.
The more holidays, the more lonely I feel. It doesn’t matter, if no one is available, you might as well make an appointment with holiday books.
Not only can accompany you to a fulfilling festival but also lets you settle down in the hustle and bustle of the world.
Below, I have compiled some holiday books for everyone, whether it is warm, nostalgic, or thrilling. There is always one that suits you and accompanies you to spend a different kind of Christmas and holiday.
Christmas is the most important holiday of the year in the World, and it often appears in literary works. These literary works can be cheerful, hopeful, or sad. This festival is like the characters in every literary work.
1. The Twelve Dates of Christmas
The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss
I have the 12 dates of Christmas with 12 blind dates so we’re upgrading from y to adult but we have a character named Kate and Kate is also very unhappy about the holidays she’s 34 and she’s like she’s ready to settle down she’s ready to find the man of her dreams she decides to go on the site that offers these 12 blind dates.
and so basically it’s like group dates where one date she’ll meet a guy they’ll go salsa dancing they’re all set up like or a cooking one and things like that and she’s trying to find you know her leading man and again throughout it all, we have a character that’s been in her life forever that maybe just she’s like.
I think I have feelings for you I mean yes a lot of holiday romances are very predictable, yes but I still love them so this was cute it takes place in this really small town in England called Blackford it was cute it’s not one of my favorite holidays reads but it’s still a cute one if you just want a fast cute holiday read look no further.
2. My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories
My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories by Stephanie Perkins
another one of my all-time favorite holiday reads that I always recommend every single year is my true love gave to me this is a 12-holiday story because of the 12 days of Christmas and this is edited by Stephanie Perkins we have a whole myriad of authors David leviathan rainbow Rowell Lainie Taylor Kirsten white Gail Forman holly black we have a whole bunch and so this has 12-holiday stories in it and some of them are the favorites that I’ve ever read.
I read it probably like six years ago which is insanity but I think short stories a short story collection is actually a great thing to read near the holidays because you can just read one, especially leading up to Christmas the 12 days leading up to Christmas that’s a great idea right there so do that um but they’re just and they’re all just cute and adorable.
I think my favorites in this were Midnight’s My Rainbow Roll it’s a Yuletide Miracle charlie brown by Stephanie Perkins. I really liked it I think Jenny Han has a story in here as well yes Polaris is Where You’ll Find Me by Jenny Han it’s just fun really cute Christmasy books like all of these are.
3. This Time next year
This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousins
another recent read for me this year is this time next year by Sophie Cousins again this is kind of like we met in December it’s not exactly overtly Christmas like the cover you know it came out around Christmas the cover looks kind of Christmassy but this one really kind of centers around new year’s.
I would say we have this character named Minnie and Minnie was born on New Year’s like Eve like 12 o’clock am on New Year’s Day and basically, the whole book starts with Minnie’s mom giving birth to her, and Minnie’s mom is paired with another woman in the same birthing like room Minnie’s mom helps this other woman go through her birth as well as her own and Minnie’s mom confides into the woman like she’s gonna name her daughter Quinn.
because nothing bad ever happens to Quinn’s twins or winners and things like that and lo and behold the other woman steals the name and names her son Quinn leaving many left named Minnie and so pick up many years later as many as kind of seeing her birthday as a curse like everything that bad that happens always happens on her birthday.
So basically when she’s older she meets the Quinn that stole her name and they become friends and things kind of go from there this book has a lot of things in it Minnie struggles a lot with her love life her business life and Quinn also is very you know confident in his business life but his mom struggles a lot with anxiety and he hasn’t had a really full-fledged relationship.
because he can’t commit himself because his mom is always there and always calling him all the time to help save her and so he’s very conflicted Minnie and Quinn have kind of this um tumultuous relationship I guess you could say and we see a lot of new year’s past where Quinn’s new year’s and Minnie’s new year’s and how they may have inadvertently met and not realized it.
and it’s a really cute book it’s not one of my favorites nor again isn’t overtly very Christmassy but it does give me Christmas vibes because the whole book starts off on a new year’s it really kind of centers around the new year so I would recommend it again it’s got kind of the same vein as one day December we have this really kind of I don’t want to say tragic love story but just kind of an epic overarching love story like not insanely cute and fluffy but not like make you cry a thousand pieces somewhere in the middle of that maybe but I enjoyed it.
4. Snow in love
The last white book I want to recommend is Snow in Love this is four short stories by Melissa de la Cruz Nick Stone Amy Freeman and Casey West. I read this a couple of years ago it was cute it’s not one of my favorites when I think of favorite short stories like a holiday I always go back to when my true love gave it to me but this was cute.
I will say my favorite stories in this where I think from Nick Stone and Casey West they all have different ones one’s about a snowy road trip one’s about a Hanukkah miracle another one’s about a Christmas Eve another one is about a scavenger hunt amid the holiday crowds and they’re all just cute.
it’s really short it’s only 250 pages so if you want a short read for your Goodreads goal to get into that I would recommend checking this one out.
5. We Met in December: A Novel
We Met in December: A Novel by Rosie Curtis
I read this last year and it was just okay oh it’s about a girl named Jess who decides to move to London and she shares this flat with four strangers and one of them is Alex and she meets him on the first night and she knows there’s an immediate connection and she’s she decides you know when she gets back from versus vacation that she’s gonna ask him out.
and when she gets back from Christmas vacation he is actually in a relationship with another roommate in the same house and so again it’s got that kind of one day in December where like they can’t be together something’s happening like something’s keeping them apart because they’re dating other people and it was cute.
it just wasn’t super rememberable but if you’re trying to just find a cute fluffy Christmas read maybe check this one out it just wasn’t one of my favorites but still wanted to talk about it.
6. The Tourist Attraction: A Sweet Vacation Romantic Comedy
The Tourist Attraction: A Sweet Vacation Romantic Comedy by Sarah Morgenthaler
This one is not super Christmassy I don’t even remember if it took place on Christmas but it does take place in Alaska and I think Alaska thinks of like North Pole and Christmas because of Alaska but this one is about a guy named Graham who owns this little like food shop called the tourist trap and he just kind of lows Taurus like he hates them even though he makes lifting off of them.
and then one day a girl named Zoe comes to Alaska because she’s always wanted to go there and she meets Graham and you can guess like a surly guy and like a really like happy-go-lucky girl get together things happen and there you go but this is I have some qualms with this number one the length it’s like almost 400 pages.
and I don’t really feel like it needed to be but if you’re looking for kind of Christmassy but set in a very very cold place I would check out the tourist attraction I know the sequel just came out as well called Mistletoe and Mr. Right maybe that one’s more Christmassy I’m not a thousand percent sure.
Best Favorite Short Stories to Read Over the Holiday
quickly before I am done with this article I do want to mention some short stories so I mentioned some books that are collections of short stories
but I’ve also read a lot of just singular short stories that are very holiday-esque and perfect to read for Christmas especially you know when it gets to this year you don’t have a lot of time to read
as I read probably the least of all in December because of just life honestly so these are perfect to read for those times.
7. Wrapped Up in You: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel
Wrapped Up in You: A Heartbreaker Bay Novel by Jill Shalvis
After a lifetime on the move, Ivy Snow is an expert in all things temporary — schools, friends, and way too many Mr. Wrongs. Now that she owns a successful taco truck in San Francisco and an apartment to call home, Ivy’s reinvented life is on solid ground.
And she’s guarded against anything that can rock it. As the realities of the past, she’s worked hard to cover up. And especially Kel O’Donnell. Too hot not to set off alarms, he screams temporarily. If only his whispers weren’t so delightfully naughty and irresistible.
Kel, an Idaho sheriff, and ranch owner are on vacay, but Ivy’s a spicy reason to give his short-term plans a second thought. Best of all, she’s a tonic for his untrusting heart, burned once and still in repair. But when Ivy’s past intrudes on a perfect romance, Kel fears that everything she’s told him has been a perfect lie. Now, if only Ivy’s willing to share, Kel will fight for a true love story.
8. Booked for Christmas: A Short Story
Booked for Christmas: A Short Story by Lily Menon
In this book, we follow a character named Sophie who is an author a romance author and she really loves this book critic called Wolf who is always leaving her books with scathing reviews like it’s just horrible and so basically what happens in this little short story is she throws a holiday party with all her friends and somehow the book created wolf shows up.
I guess she could stay and then somehow also he gets stuck with her alone in her own house because of like a snowstorm and it’s great to hate to love romance I wanted more from it but again much like all these they’re short they’re cute they’re romantic they’re Christmasy and again short so perfect to read.
