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NetGalley Review of The Twelve Loves of Christmas

Posted on September 24, 2026April 18, 2026 by caritagardiner
Screenshot 2026-04-15 at 6.08.03 PM (opens in new tab)

title: The Twelve Loves of Christmas

author: multiple

publisher: Atria Books

publication date: September 29, 2026

pages: 384

peppers: 1-3 (on this scale)

warnings: none

summary: These twelve short stories cover lots of ground over the twelve days from just before Christmas to just after New Year's.

tropes:

  • enemies to lovers
  • friends to lovers
  • secret pining
  • second-chance romance
  • famous person-normie
  • brother's best friend
  • best friend's brother
  • SO MANY TROPES

what I liked:

  • a fun collection with a lot of variety
  • naughty and nice
  • one's about an English teacher
  • lots of snow and travel issues and parties
  • cute idea

what I didn’t like:

  • because they're short stories, they don't have the long arcs I've grown to love. For example, there's no all-is-lost moment in any of them.
  • mostly predictable

overall rating: 4 (of 5 stars)

As always, you can click on the photo above if you want to buy the book.

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WHAT I DO

I serve as a class dean and teach English to high schoolers at a boarding school in Connecticut. I’ve earned a Bachelor of Arts (Amherst College), an Education Master in Learning and Teaching (Harvard University Graduate School of Education), a Master of Arts in English (Bread Loaf School of English), and most recently a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a certificate in the online teaching of writing (Southern New Hampshire University).

As a writer, I hope to capture the complexity and joy of life in the New England boarding school world. On this site, I share what I know about trying to write fiction while deaning, teaching English, coaching, and doing the other tasks associated with helping to raise over six hundred other people’s children.

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Read my recent “Why” Wednesday Blog Posts

  • NetGalley Review of The Twelve Loves of Christmas
  • 404. Why Do Your Own Work
  • NetGalley Review of The Invisible Roommate
  • NetGalley Review of Christmas at Honeycombe Bay
  • NetGalley Review of A Season for Falling
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