REVIEW: Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle

So I was recently a bridesmaid in a wedding in Missouri.  Other than Chicago and Marion, Ohio I have made a snarky point to avoid “the middle.”  Nevertheless, I had a phenomenal time at the wedding and made new friends that love red wine as much as I do.

In the midst of all this wine appreciation, a friend of the bride and groom mentioned there was a Waffle House in the parking lot of his hotel and he was so vair vair happy about that.  He is a native of Georgia who is currently in Boston at Berklee…and he’s on perpetual Waffle House withdrawal.  When I ‘fessed up that, as a California native, I was naïve in the ways of Waffle House…well, he pledged to introduce me.  Naturally, I had to have the hash browns “all the way” and I was, indeed, in heaven.  It’s moments like that…with the crappy wood paneling, the tacky talkative server, and greasy potatoes with the perfect dichotomy of softness and crunch…I thought that there isn’t another place in the world I want to live more than America.

And thank goodness I had this experience or else I would not have appreciated a large portion of Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle.  As the cover suggests, it is cozy and fuzzy and comforting.  It is a hot apple cider on a cold winter’s day (or, in my case, a hot cocoa made with Scharffenberger chocolate, nutmeg, and a cinnamon stick…spiked with amaretto.  That’s how I roll).  And a large part of the storyline(s) takes place in a Waffle House.

Each author tells a different story (so three stories in all), yet there are common threads and characters that are interwoven into each story.  By the end, it all ties together nicely…with the proverbial red bow.  I won’t name them specifically, but there were definitely one or two of these stories I liked better than others.  I’m not sure if it was the actual storylines I preferred, thus being a matter of personal taste.  Or if there really were some that were stronger than others, thus being a matter of quality.  Because this is where I confess that this is the first I have read of any of these authors.  I know, I know.  I’m working on remedying that.  Hence the fact I’m reading Suite Scarlett right now. 

This is THE book to read with the holiday season coming up – it’s light and frothy in the most heartwarming way.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.  Even if it makes you long for those hash browns “all the way” again and all the great memories they entail.

Other reviews: 

The Compulsive Reader
YALSA