Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan for the chance to read and review this cute holiday romance by Shani Petroff. I really loved the realistic look at the trials and tribulations of high school crushes, and how sometimes you end up feeling a bit foolish on the path to finding that guy or girl who's truly a good fit for you.

Charlie is a fun MC to read about since she's a bit on the crazy-organized side and isn't afraid to let everyone around her know she expects no less from them. She's got a really cool best friend, and when sh e decides she needs a date for an upcoming social event, and sets her sights on a certain guy who doesn't really have her on his radar, the only way she can get his attention is to enlist the help of his not as suave cousin, J.D.

Watching the slow development on things between Charlie and J.D. was my favorite part of the book. He was just a super sweetheart, and so devoted to everyone around him. And best friend Morgan has this wise beyond her years mentality which is great relief when Charlie's issues with organization start to make her and everyone around her a bit bonkers. A nice light read.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author.

Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader. ( )

That ending is too abrupt for me to fully enjoy it. But this book does make me feel more festive for the holidays. ( )

3.5 Stars

“Forget an electric jolt, this was shooting stars, Christmas morning, first-place trophies, early Harvard acceptance, and fireworks all rolled into one. I never wanted the feeling to stop.
My wish had come true.”

My New Crush Gave to Me is the perfect holiday read for all your contemporary needs. We follow Charlie Donovan as she searches for her dream date to Noelle Hawkins’ annual birthday party. Charlie is convinced she’s found her guy in Teo, star athlete, stellar GPA, and absolutely no clue she exists. Charlie enlists JD, the school paper’s resident photographer and Teo’s cousin, to help get the perfect secret santa gifts so she can land her dream guy. But not everything goes as planned along the way, and Charlie has to figure out who and what she really wants.

Things I Liked
This book gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings! This was honestly the perfect book to read after a super weird paranormal and get me back in a happy reading mood. This is such a great holiday read to cozy up with. I loved seeing the caroling, tree decorating, secret santas and all the fun holiday traditions - it made me want colder weather asap.

All of the relationships in this books are swoony and adorable. Even though there is a bit of an insta-infatuation on Charlie’s side with her and Teo they have some really cute interactions. Morgan and Ira are toothachingly sweet, and Charlie and JD’s banter is matched by none.

Morgan was such a great best friend to Charlie. She’s super spunky and supportive. And an amazing baker too! I also love reading about bakers in YA because I LOVE baking and it’s fun to see characters who share your hobbies. And I loved that she and her boyfriend were Jewish and talked about Hanukkah and their traditions as well.

JD was the arrogant-yet-thoughtful guy who works with Charlie on the paper, and helps her with her crush on Teo, his cousin. I really liked him! He was such a genuinely good person with such a happy nature, despite his slacker persona . I loved his relationship with his parents and how he and Charlie grow to be friends.

Things I Didn’t Like
Charlie was probably my least favorite character. I liked that she was focused, but she was a little too rigid for me. She was a very my-way or no-way type of person and I just didn’t connect to her like I did others. But I did like all of the dynamics with the other characters, so she didn’t ruin the story for me or anything. I just didn’t click with her.

I almost finished this book in one sitting, that’s how easy it was to read. The only reason I didn’t was because it got late, and I was tired. My New Crush Gave to Me was the perfect fluffy contemporary book. Holiday books are always fun and instantly make me happy, and this one is no different. We get great banter, cute flirting, fun holiday activities, and all the wonderful drama of high school politics. This is a book that has such a pure entertainment factor, you can’t put it down.

I received a copy of the book from Swoon Reads via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ( )

*Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

My New Crush Gave to Me is a fast paced, realistic, warm and fluffy spectacular. Secret Santa and secret crushes go hand in hand as main character Charlie navigates high school woes and foes during the holidays.

I really enjoyed the premise of this story and its ability to realistically portray the awkwardness and sometimes foolishness of high school kids with crushes and the lengths they’re willing to go to get noticed by said crushes.

Charlie really needs a date. With the social event of the season fast approaching and no boyfriend in the picture, Charlie sets her sights on class hero Teo, a star athlete and all around good guy, if not a bit self absorbed. He’s kind of out of her league but Charlie doesn’t really care about any of that. All she can picture is showing up to the biggest party of the year on Teo’s arm, but unfortunately Charlie isn’t even a speck on Teo’s radar. But then she gets the brilliant idea to meddle with the newspaper staff’s secret Santa. With a little help from her arch nemesis J.D., who just so happens to be Teo’s cousin, she just might end up with the date of her dreams.

Hijinks ensue and realizations are made in this humorous holiday tale. I loved the different relationships at play throughout the story, especially the one between Charlie and J.D. They’re always arguing and sniping at each other, but once they start working together and finding commonalities, their relationship begins to change and it was just so nice to read about.

Charlie is strong and assertive and not afraid to go for what she wants. She doesn’t take anyone’s crap and while sometimes she needs to lighten up a little, overall she’s a pretty well developed and likeable main character.

J.D. is an adorable goofball who loves photography and Christmas, and is probably one of the greatest gift givers ever. The thought he puts into choosing gifts for people is so personal and special, it made me love him even more.

Charlie also has a best friend named Morgan, who is quite sensible and most often the voice of reason when Charlie starts to go off the deep end. She’s always supportive, and just a really great addition to the cast of characters. Her friendship with Charlie was also wonderful to read about because it was purely good, and healthy. They never tried to tear each other down.

Overall, this was a really fun read. It’s the perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter day with a cozy blanket and a mug of hot chocolate. ( )

This was a fun, quick holiday read with relatable high school kids. Charlotte (Charlie) wants to have the perfect date for Noelle's holiday party. She and her bff Morgan rig the newspaper's Secret Santa drawing so she has over a week to convince quarterback star Teo that she is the perfect date. Charlie enlists the help of Teo's cousin JD to choose the perfect gifts. Naturally, JD winds up not being as dumb as she thought and Charlie has a lot of decisions to make in this romantic comedy. The Hallmark channel should be all over this one. ( )