The holidays are a time for friends and family to come together, bask in the light of your chosen glowing centerpiece and reflect on another year gone by. What better thing to add than a seasonally appropriate book? From snowy love stories and delves into morality to the pawfect  tale for dog lovers, I hope one of these books ends up on your holiday wish list – or that you at least look into them after reading this.

“Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares” by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

“Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares” is the first in a three-part romance series told from the alternating perspectives of our two main characters, Dash and Lily. Lily, following her brother´s advice in the ways of love, places a red notebook filled with dares on a bookstore shelf in hopes that one day, a boy her age is willing to accept its challenges and prove he’s her perfect match. Dash happens across it one day and gets drawn in by the roundabout riddles it holds, knowing there’s no other plans for him this holiday season. The story follows the two back and forth as more pages are turned and the sparks begin to fly. Will the notebook end in Lily finding love during the holidays? Read the book (and its two sequels) to find out.

It´s rated 3.7 out of 5 stars on Goodreads with a quick wit and thought out characters that, like with Dash and the notebook, you can’t help but dive further into.

“Eight Nights of Flirting” by Hannah Reynolds

This year’s Hanukkah is going to be different for teenager Shira Barbanel: she plans on getting a boyfriend.

While the deal the two forges only starts as flirting advice for Shira to win over her current crush, her great-uncle’s assistant Isaac, feelings start to cross over when the two are snowed in together and Shira realizes she doesn’t mind Tyler’s company as much as she thought she did. As the days get colder and her deadline gets closer, she´ll have to make up her mind and decide if the romance she set out to achieve is really the one for her.

“Eight Nights of Flirting” is rated four out of five stars on Goodreads and holds a certain charm that keeps you involved chapter after chapter as you root for Shira´s success. 

“How to Excavate a Heart” by Jake Maia Arlow

“How to Excavate a Heart” is a Jewish rom-com told through the eyes of Shani Levine, a freshman in college taking up an archeology internship during winter break. Her attempts to keep her head down and quietly get over her recent break-up are brought to a halt when she runs into a girl named May with her mom’s car. Their paths cross again as Shani is walking one of her client’s dogs, the owner of whom May happens to be the daughter of. The story takes place during a whirlwind month of romance, pondering and coming-of-age topics that help the characters become more than books on a page (and also includes an adorable corgi wearing snow boots). If you choose to read this book, however, let it be known that it has a trigger warning for sexual abuse. 

Rated four out of five stars on Goodreads, “How to Excavate a Heart” is an unconventional take on the holiday romance scene that dares to be different and sends a positive message whilst doing so.

“One Way or Another” by Kara McDowell

“One Way or Another” is a holiday story told from the perspective of Paige Collins, a high schooler with a glaring crush on her best friend and a dream to travel the world, both of which coincide one fateful winter night. When the choice to either spend Christmas with said crush or visit New York is suddenly forced upon her, a serious case of decision anxiety and a missed wet floor sign give her the chance to flip the coin back and forth. However, viewing her different fates only stalls the inevitable choice she’ll have to make – and the holidays are only drawing nearer. 

Representing both an accurate portrayal of anxiety and a nice message on learning to not sweat the small stuff, “One Way or Another” is rated nearly four out of five stars on Goodreads.

“The Afterlife of Holly Chase” by Cynthia Hand

“The Afterlife of Holly Chase” takes a fresh spin on the tried and true nature of ‘A Christmas Carol’ and keeps its audience guessing. This story’s main character is “failed Scrooge” Holly Chase, a self-absorbed seventeen year old who receives a visit from three ghosts one night trying to convince her to change her entitled ways. When she ignores their advice and subsequently dies, she becomes the newest Ghost of Christmas Past for Project Scrooge, a company designed to change people like her and improve the world. Years go by with her frozen in time, watching miserably as the company saves grouches again and again and her family progressively moves on without her. One fateful year with a Scrooge named Ethan, however, seeks to change all that she’s come to know – and maybe even her spirit, in the process.

“The Afterlife of Holly Chase” is rated nearly four out of five stars on Goodreads and contains just the right balance of holiday happenings and supernatural occurrences to keep its readers on the edge of their seat until they’re reading the Acknowledgments page. 

“The Dogs of Christmas” by W. Bruce Cameron

The author of “A Dog’s Purpose” brings us another canine-inspired tale, this time from the perspective of Josh, a man who knows absolutely nothing about caring for a dog when one is unceremoniously dropped on his porch by a neighbor. The dog, Lucy, becomes Josh’s responsibility and as do her soon arriving puppies, who Josh quickly takes under his wing and learns to care for with the help of the local animal shelter. This short read takes us through the two months leading up to the “Dogs of Christmas” adoption program as Josh learns to find love in all sorts of places, from his furry family to the quick-witted Kerri from the shelter.

“The Dogs of Christmas” is rated just over four out of five stars on Goodreads and is a guaranteed hit for anyone a fan of W. Bruce Cameron’s previous works with a spin to it.

Those are all of the books I have to share for this holiday season. While this go-round may be a bit romance-heavy, all of these choices are more than just their genres and I hope you enjoy reading whichever one of them strikes your festive fancy. Happy Holidays!