What do you think?
Rate this book
Holiday Romantic Comedies #1
Secret Santa
A tale of love, romance, confusion, and Christmas perfectly timed for the holiday season.
Noelle, a hopeless romantic, just knows that her gifts have to be from her senior crush! And geeky Froggy thinks the game is the perfect way to get super-popular Celia to fall for him...except she thinks his gifts are from Jake, the school's resident bad boy, and starts to crush on him! Romantic mishaps abound, but all is revealed the night of the Winter Dance, where there's more than one surprise waiting under the mistletoe!
Noelle, a hopeless romantic, just knows that her gifts have to be from her senior crush! And geeky Froggy thinks the game is the perfect way to get super-popular Celia to fall for him...except she thinks his gifts are from Jake, the school's resident bad boy, and starts to crush on him! Romantic mishaps abound, but all is revealed the night of the Winter Dance, where there's more than one surprise waiting under the mistletoe!
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2007
55 people are currently reading
1351 people want to read
About the author
Sabrina James
7 books96 followersOne of the reasons why Sabrina James loves writing romantic comedies is because she loves reading them and watching them! Two of her favorite romantic comedies are Clueless and Legally Blonde. When it comes to “classic” romantic comedies, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn, is her absolute favorite. Has anyone ever worn a tiara and black dress better?! Sabrina has always been a huge reader. As a teen, some of her favorite authors were Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, R.L. Stine and Lois Duncan. When she got older, she devoured the novels of Danielle Steel, Jackie Collins and Sidney Sheldon. Sabrina currently lives in New York City, with her cat, Miss Thing, and an apartment way too small for all her Pop! Funko figures – she can’t stop buying them! Sabrina loves to hear from readers. Her books appeal to fans of Rachel Hawthorne. She can be reached at: sjamesauthor@yahoo.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
December 26, 2023
Well this was kind of a jumbled mess. A school decides to do a secret Santa with the students and it just goes from there.
I think this book suffered from too many POV's. Every single character had a POV and not only was that hindering any sort of growth for the characters, it was also really confusing. Because there were so many characters introduced in a very short amount of time, it was really hard remembering who was who and who liked who and who had who for secret santa. Also, everyone sounded the same in their POV's so that didn't help!
I get that this is high school so of course the mentality of these characters wasn't the highest, but some of their conclusions were just so off the wall that it's amazing they're passing their classes. I think if James had focused on maybe two couples and really took the time to let the reader get to know them and root for them, it would have made for a much better and cuter book. Because the premise is light and fun, but this book was anything but that. I did not care who ended up with who and honestly, that ending was so abrupt, it wasn't even believable to me. I wanted a cute holiday read, but ended up with a holiday headache.
I think this book suffered from too many POV's. Every single character had a POV and not only was that hindering any sort of growth for the characters, it was also really confusing. Because there were so many characters introduced in a very short amount of time, it was really hard remembering who was who and who liked who and who had who for secret santa. Also, everyone sounded the same in their POV's so that didn't help!
I get that this is high school so of course the mentality of these characters wasn't the highest, but some of their conclusions were just so off the wall that it's amazing they're passing their classes. I think if James had focused on maybe two couples and really took the time to let the reader get to know them and root for them, it would have made for a much better and cuter book. Because the premise is light and fun, but this book was anything but that. I did not care who ended up with who and honestly, that ending was so abrupt, it wasn't even believable to me. I wanted a cute holiday read, but ended up with a holiday headache.
January 4, 2011
Secret Santa was a really adorable read. I liked Lily, Ryan, Celia and Froggy the best. Noelle was annoying and delusional, but I guess she's was okay in the end. Charlie and Amber were just awful but i was glad to see Shawna turn things around.
A wonderful, confusing and fun read that is perfect for the holiday season!
A wonderful, confusing and fun read that is perfect for the holiday season!
January 7, 2021
2014: How time flies by... I'd never have guessed without consulting Goodreads that it had been exactly five years since I last treated myself with this utterly fun, ultra-light'n fluffy, overly sweet, cliché-laden, multi-voiced piece of YA Christmas romance. And I wonder when the appetite for that kind of candycane overdose will hit me next. In a year or two?
An interesting tidbit to note is that Sabrina James' syruppy YA chicklit concept works - at least for me - only around Christmas time. When the other novels featuring students of North Ridge High assaulted my YA-seasoned senses, I felt quite irritated and ran quickly out of patience with the amounts of sheer silliness, stereotypical behavior and boring, daily-soap-style life-crisises. But when reading "Secret Santa" in December, I welcome the sticky stuff with glee. The glittering, fragrant props and the winter wonderland scenery served at the right moment seem to provide the icing on the cake that makes it savoury. Strange, huh?
An interesting tidbit to note is that Sabrina James' syruppy YA chicklit concept works - at least for me - only around Christmas time. When the other novels featuring students of North Ridge High assaulted my YA-seasoned senses, I felt quite irritated and ran quickly out of patience with the amounts of sheer silliness, stereotypical behavior and boring, daily-soap-style life-crisises. But when reading "Secret Santa" in December, I welcome the sticky stuff with glee. The glittering, fragrant props and the winter wonderland scenery served at the right moment seem to provide the icing on the cake that makes it savoury. Strange, huh?
September 21, 2017
This is such a short book! I must have read it in less than two hours. It's actually super cute, so I'd recommend it!
December 6, 2025
Maybe all books from your childhood aren’t as good as you remember 😔
February 6, 2011
I read this novel within a week only at school. It was a quick read, came in mass market paperback and the cover looked so pretty I overlooked the fact that christmas was long over and checked out the book. Or it could have been the reason that the author has the same first name as moi!
Anyways, Secret Santa is about sophmore Noelle and her friend Lily attanding North Ridge High school who are participating in their school secret santa. Noelle is a helpless romantic, hoping, no begging that her secret santa would be Charlie Grant, her crush/neighboor since she was in second grade. But he's a senior and hardly acknowledges Noelle's existance. Lily has no interest whatsoever in romance after her heart-felt break-up with long-term boyfriend but she wants to make sure that she gets her secret santa the exact present he wants.
Celia aka Beach Girl is new to the town but she automatically gets recruited by the popular girls Amber and Shawna. Celia has no freedom when with Amber and Shawna but their friendship made Celia unattianable for new friends - even though she really wants them. She has a huge crush on bad boy Jake but she can't even talk to him without Amber being angry with her. Celia has been to all the parties, her days are always planned and even her secret santa is choosen specifically for her because popular girls aren't allowed to asociate themselves with lower class people. Shawna though dislikes how she is treated by Amber but of course she never says so out of fear of being ridiculed. Both girls already have boyfriends but Amber says that she absolutly needs a senior boyfriend and that Shawna should have one too. Shawna though is happily in love with Connor but he is suddenly ignoring her...
Other characters like Froggy who is totally crushing on Celia and Ryan, Charlie's younger brother who is also a sophmore make the story more intense and real. When everyone chooses their secret santa things get heated up with romantic and real presents. But to find out who gave presents to who they all have to wait till the Winter Dance.
Secret Santa is a fantastic romance chick lit novel that makes you smile and your heart warm. It reminds us of those child crushes and times with the friends. It puts you in that Christmas mood even if you read it a month later. I strongly suggest this book to raise your spirits. Who's YOUR secret santa?
Anyways, Secret Santa is about sophmore Noelle and her friend Lily attanding North Ridge High school who are participating in their school secret santa. Noelle is a helpless romantic, hoping, no begging that her secret santa would be Charlie Grant, her crush/neighboor since she was in second grade. But he's a senior and hardly acknowledges Noelle's existance. Lily has no interest whatsoever in romance after her heart-felt break-up with long-term boyfriend but she wants to make sure that she gets her secret santa the exact present he wants.
Celia aka Beach Girl is new to the town but she automatically gets recruited by the popular girls Amber and Shawna. Celia has no freedom when with Amber and Shawna but their friendship made Celia unattianable for new friends - even though she really wants them. She has a huge crush on bad boy Jake but she can't even talk to him without Amber being angry with her. Celia has been to all the parties, her days are always planned and even her secret santa is choosen specifically for her because popular girls aren't allowed to asociate themselves with lower class people. Shawna though dislikes how she is treated by Amber but of course she never says so out of fear of being ridiculed. Both girls already have boyfriends but Amber says that she absolutly needs a senior boyfriend and that Shawna should have one too. Shawna though is happily in love with Connor but he is suddenly ignoring her...
Other characters like Froggy who is totally crushing on Celia and Ryan, Charlie's younger brother who is also a sophmore make the story more intense and real. When everyone chooses their secret santa things get heated up with romantic and real presents. But to find out who gave presents to who they all have to wait till the Winter Dance.
Secret Santa is a fantastic romance chick lit novel that makes you smile and your heart warm. It reminds us of those child crushes and times with the friends. It puts you in that Christmas mood even if you read it a month later. I strongly suggest this book to raise your spirits. Who's YOUR secret santa?
January 1, 2009
With the Christmas dance less than a week away, the students of North Ridge High are participating in a school-wide Secret Santa exchange. Everyone wanted to get the person they liked, eager to have a chance to confess at the ball. However, things did not go as planned. Noelle wanted Charlie’s name but got his brother, Ryan instead. Celia suspects that Jake was her Secret Santa, but it was in fact Froggy who had her name. Lily, who had Connor’s name, tried her best to get him good gifts, and she attracted the attention of Simon in the process. Meanwhile Shawna felt that Connor’s Secret Santa was threatening their relationship and drags David with her to uncover who had Connor’s name. Needless to say, confusion and laughs ensued.
While the premise of SECRET SANTA was decent enough, the book tried too hard to squeeze so many characters and relationships into only 350 pages. There was too much going on and such a large cast was hard to keep track of. There were around seven main characters and the constant switching of points of views was not only jarring, but it cuts scenes of character growth and prevents the reader from caring for any character in particular. Also because of the limited pages, the ending was way too rushed and everyone seemed to find happily-ever-after rather unbelievably quickly. The writing itself is pretty good, but the book is crippled by the plot and characters. This is the first I have read from Sabrina James and while it was a disappointment, it did not succeed in completely scaring me off. Hopefully her next offering would have only a few main characters, not seven to ten of them. Recommended for preteens.
While the premise of SECRET SANTA was decent enough, the book tried too hard to squeeze so many characters and relationships into only 350 pages. There was too much going on and such a large cast was hard to keep track of. There were around seven main characters and the constant switching of points of views was not only jarring, but it cuts scenes of character growth and prevents the reader from caring for any character in particular. Also because of the limited pages, the ending was way too rushed and everyone seemed to find happily-ever-after rather unbelievably quickly. The writing itself is pretty good, but the book is crippled by the plot and characters. This is the first I have read from Sabrina James and while it was a disappointment, it did not succeed in completely scaring me off. Hopefully her next offering would have only a few main characters, not seven to ten of them. Recommended for preteens.
January 22, 2016
When North Ridge High School decides to hold a Secret Santa exchange, it creates all sorts of mayhem. Noelle is determined to be her crush Charlie's Secret Santa, but draws his brother's name instead. Celia is thrilled to draw Jake's name, since she has a crush on him, but his friend Froggy likes Celia and is hoping to use his opportunity as her Secret Santa to reveal his feelings. Lily is determined to give Connor great Secret Santa gifts purely because she enjoys the spirit of Christmas, but she keeps giving him things he doesn't like and makes Connor's girlfriend jealous in the process.
This book was pretty much dreadful. I picked it up wanting a light, fun read for Christmas time, and while is light, it wasn't much fun to read because of the style. The writing was awful, the description of clothing was overdone, and the guys in the book pretty much all sounded like teenage girls. (I doubt, even if a guy were insecure and jealous of another guy that he would call the guy a hottie and discuss his dimples and cleft chin). I kept reading, hoping that the ending would make up for the rest of the book, but it really didn't. Even though things worked out just as any reader would have predicted, the ending was rushed and overdone and had me rolling my eyes, wishing I hadn't wasted my time.
This book was pretty much dreadful. I picked it up wanting a light, fun read for Christmas time, and while is light, it wasn't much fun to read because of the style. The writing was awful, the description of clothing was overdone, and the guys in the book pretty much all sounded like teenage girls. (I doubt, even if a guy were insecure and jealous of another guy that he would call the guy a hottie and discuss his dimples and cleft chin). I kept reading, hoping that the ending would make up for the rest of the book, but it really didn't. Even though things worked out just as any reader would have predicted, the ending was rushed and overdone and had me rolling my eyes, wishing I hadn't wasted my time.
December 14, 2019
Despite being completely implausible and unrealistic (c’mon, there’s absolutely no way a high school principal would make a Secret Santa gift exchange mandatory AND incorporate all grades so a senior could be giving to a freshman and vice versa) I really liked this. It was cute.
I enjoyed following the Celia/Freddy/Jake storyline the most. Freddy was super sweet and Celia was just an all around nice girl.
I also really liked Lily’s story and how she was able to overcome her breakup and find love again.
Noelle was completely clueless and I didn’t get what she saw in Charlie, who was obviously a tool, but I liked her better by the end.
Shawna I found fairly insecure, but I liked that she was able to stand up to Amber (who was straight up awful).
I liked seeing the storylines come together and it was overall a cute Christmas read.
I enjoyed following the Celia/Freddy/Jake storyline the most. Freddy was super sweet and Celia was just an all around nice girl.
I also really liked Lily’s story and how she was able to overcome her breakup and find love again.
Noelle was completely clueless and I didn’t get what she saw in Charlie, who was obviously a tool, but I liked her better by the end.
Shawna I found fairly insecure, but I liked that she was able to stand up to Amber (who was straight up awful).
I liked seeing the storylines come together and it was overall a cute Christmas read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2023
VERY MESSY but in a good way! It is not to be taken too seriously and offers just enough high school drama to keep you going to the end.
December 17, 2018
I read this every year and it’s pretty cute!
December 25, 2024
40% inappropriate mistletoe kisses, 60% UNREAL drama
October 30, 2014
This book reminded me why I hated high school - Drama, drama, drama!
Meet Noelle, she's in love with the boy next door Charlie. Problem is Charlie has never looked her way once romantically. She thinks that by using the Secret Santa exchange she can change all that. But first, she's got to become his Secret Santa.
We also meet Lily, Noelle's best friend in the whole world, who believes that love is only going to bring her heartache. Will the Secret Santa exchange change her mind?
Then we meet Celia, Amber, and Shawna, the three most popular girls in school. Celia is the new girl, who transferred from California earlier in the year and somehow got pulled into the gravity that is Amber. She has a crush on bad boy Jake, and is sure he's the one leaving her those amazing gifts, but is it really him. Amber is the self-absorbed Queen Bee who only cares about her image. Her plans for her Secret Santa...drop her current boyfriend, Simon, for him and that will be his great gift. Shawna is Amber's oldest friend who goes along with everything Amber wants. However, unlike Amber, Shawna isn't wanting to upgrade her current boyfriend, Connor, for on older guy. She just wants to do what she wants but is afraid of what Amber will do.
Then there is David and Froggy (also known as Freddy - The nerds at the school who just want a girl to notice them this Christmas. David is up for any girl, but Froggy only wants one, new girl Celia.
So there is the set up for the majority of the main characters. Even though there are several different characters you don't become confused as to who is who in the story. Each character has their own quirks and personality so it is easy to keep them apart.
There were also some moments that we kind of funny. Not necessarily in a laugh out loud way, but more in an amusing way. With everyone not knowing who is who during their Secret Santa exchange everyone begins to draw conclusions which are kind of funny as well.
However, this book has some flaws with it that I think are valid.
For example, the entire school was participating in the exchange and from what we can see anyone could pick anyone. The chances of getting someone in your own grade were slim because of that. The other thing that bothered me about this was that the school must be very small if everyone is expected to know everyone else. How could a freshman know a senior or a sophomore know a senior or a freshman if the school wasn't so small. However, the author clearly states that the school is a small suburb of New York City. I don't know much about that area, except that it has a lot of people in it. The chances of everyone knowing the person they pulled for the Secret Santa was slim.
Also, the drama was getting crazy. It seems unlikely that a school would participate in a Secret Santa exchange without thinking that girlfriends and boyfriends would get jealous when seeing their other getting presents from an unknown individual. It would lead to fights and other problems that the school would have to take care of. The chances of it running smoothly are very low.
Overall, I thought the book was cute and when it came to how the teens would react it was realistic, but the actual set-up didn't seem realistic to me.
Meet Noelle, she's in love with the boy next door Charlie. Problem is Charlie has never looked her way once romantically. She thinks that by using the Secret Santa exchange she can change all that. But first, she's got to become his Secret Santa.
We also meet Lily, Noelle's best friend in the whole world, who believes that love is only going to bring her heartache. Will the Secret Santa exchange change her mind?
Then we meet Celia, Amber, and Shawna, the three most popular girls in school. Celia is the new girl, who transferred from California earlier in the year and somehow got pulled into the gravity that is Amber. She has a crush on bad boy Jake, and is sure he's the one leaving her those amazing gifts, but is it really him. Amber is the self-absorbed Queen Bee who only cares about her image. Her plans for her Secret Santa...drop her current boyfriend, Simon, for him and that will be his great gift. Shawna is Amber's oldest friend who goes along with everything Amber wants. However, unlike Amber, Shawna isn't wanting to upgrade her current boyfriend, Connor, for on older guy. She just wants to do what she wants but is afraid of what Amber will do.
Then there is David and Froggy (also known as Freddy - The nerds at the school who just want a girl to notice them this Christmas. David is up for any girl, but Froggy only wants one, new girl Celia.
So there is the set up for the majority of the main characters. Even though there are several different characters you don't become confused as to who is who in the story. Each character has their own quirks and personality so it is easy to keep them apart.
There were also some moments that we kind of funny. Not necessarily in a laugh out loud way, but more in an amusing way. With everyone not knowing who is who during their Secret Santa exchange everyone begins to draw conclusions which are kind of funny as well.
However, this book has some flaws with it that I think are valid.
For example, the entire school was participating in the exchange and from what we can see anyone could pick anyone. The chances of getting someone in your own grade were slim because of that. The other thing that bothered me about this was that the school must be very small if everyone is expected to know everyone else. How could a freshman know a senior or a sophomore know a senior or a freshman if the school wasn't so small. However, the author clearly states that the school is a small suburb of New York City. I don't know much about that area, except that it has a lot of people in it. The chances of everyone knowing the person they pulled for the Secret Santa was slim.
Also, the drama was getting crazy. It seems unlikely that a school would participate in a Secret Santa exchange without thinking that girlfriends and boyfriends would get jealous when seeing their other getting presents from an unknown individual. It would lead to fights and other problems that the school would have to take care of. The chances of it running smoothly are very low.
Overall, I thought the book was cute and when it came to how the teens would react it was realistic, but the actual set-up didn't seem realistic to me.
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
It's Christmas time and North Ridge High School has decided to take this as an opportunity to do a school-wide Secret Santa.
Best friends Noelle Kramer and Lily Norris are indifferent about this idea. Noelle takes it as a chance to finally connect and tell her longtime crush/next door neighbor, Charlie Grant, that they are meant to be together. Lily wants nothing to do with love or romance, since just before school started her boyfriend, Jason, decided to dump her for another girl.
Celia Armstrong is the new kid in town, but once she moved in she instantly became popular when Amber Davenport and Shawna Westin decided to befriend her. Unfortunately, Celia never wanted to be popular. She would rather have friends that didn't judge what she wore or made her do things she never wanted to do. Just like Noelle, Celia saw Secret Santa as the perfect opportunity to tell her crush, Jake Morrisey, that she really liked him. Even though she surprisingly picked his name out of the bag, she knew Amber and Shawna wouldn't approve of him.
Amber and Shawna both have boyfriends already, but the one bad thing about them is that their boyfriends aren't seniors. Shawna is fine with her boyfriend, but Amber wants to be able to snag an upperclassman.
All five girls have their own motives, but will they end up with what they wanted? Tis the season to be... confused!
SECRET SANTA will put you in the Christmas spirit, even if it is only October. A quick and quirky read, Sabrina James makes you guess throughout the entire book on how the events will turn out. The perfect stocking stuffer and/or a book you can read by the fire with loads of hot chocolate nearby.
It's Christmas time and North Ridge High School has decided to take this as an opportunity to do a school-wide Secret Santa.
Best friends Noelle Kramer and Lily Norris are indifferent about this idea. Noelle takes it as a chance to finally connect and tell her longtime crush/next door neighbor, Charlie Grant, that they are meant to be together. Lily wants nothing to do with love or romance, since just before school started her boyfriend, Jason, decided to dump her for another girl.
Celia Armstrong is the new kid in town, but once she moved in she instantly became popular when Amber Davenport and Shawna Westin decided to befriend her. Unfortunately, Celia never wanted to be popular. She would rather have friends that didn't judge what she wore or made her do things she never wanted to do. Just like Noelle, Celia saw Secret Santa as the perfect opportunity to tell her crush, Jake Morrisey, that she really liked him. Even though she surprisingly picked his name out of the bag, she knew Amber and Shawna wouldn't approve of him.
Amber and Shawna both have boyfriends already, but the one bad thing about them is that their boyfriends aren't seniors. Shawna is fine with her boyfriend, but Amber wants to be able to snag an upperclassman.
All five girls have their own motives, but will they end up with what they wanted? Tis the season to be... confused!
SECRET SANTA will put you in the Christmas spirit, even if it is only October. A quick and quirky read, Sabrina James makes you guess throughout the entire book on how the events will turn out. The perfect stocking stuffer and/or a book you can read by the fire with loads of hot chocolate nearby.
July 15, 2010
Such a cute story! Just right for teenage girls. There's a snarling mean girl, romantic moments for the nice girls, and plenty of Christmas spirit.
The book is written sort of like a television show. We get to see several characters' stories from each of their points of view. At first it's a little confusing, but you get used to it after a while. I saw some reviews where readers said this really bothered them. Maybe the trick is to stay inside the book for a long period of time. If you read this book over the course of several weeks, I could see where you'd forget who's who. But I read the whole thing in a day, and by page 50, I pretty much understood which character was which.
The romance is top-notch and perfect for teenage girl readers. Not too racy, but peacefully romantic. The premise behind the story is this: a "secret Santa" exchange is going on at a high school. Both girls and boys draw names from hats, then they spend the week before Chrismas break leaving surprises for their secret Santa person. Some kids drew the name of their boyfriend/girlfriend; other kids drew the name of their crush; still others drew names they wished they hadn't. But in the end, it all works out, and the right people end up with the person they should--romantically speaking. Who that person is, sometimes turns out to be a nice surprise though.
I'll be adding this book to our school library's bookshelves when fall rolls around. And I'll recommend it to lots of girls too.
The book is written sort of like a television show. We get to see several characters' stories from each of their points of view. At first it's a little confusing, but you get used to it after a while. I saw some reviews where readers said this really bothered them. Maybe the trick is to stay inside the book for a long period of time. If you read this book over the course of several weeks, I could see where you'd forget who's who. But I read the whole thing in a day, and by page 50, I pretty much understood which character was which.
The romance is top-notch and perfect for teenage girl readers. Not too racy, but peacefully romantic. The premise behind the story is this: a "secret Santa" exchange is going on at a high school. Both girls and boys draw names from hats, then they spend the week before Chrismas break leaving surprises for their secret Santa person. Some kids drew the name of their boyfriend/girlfriend; other kids drew the name of their crush; still others drew names they wished they hadn't. But in the end, it all works out, and the right people end up with the person they should--romantically speaking. Who that person is, sometimes turns out to be a nice surprise though.
I'll be adding this book to our school library's bookshelves when fall rolls around. And I'll recommend it to lots of girls too.
December 16, 2015
This book was really cute. The only reason this is not a 5 star review is because for the most part the characters all act like middle schoolers when in actuality they are supposed to be high schoolers. I only found that mildly annoying. I guess it's better than the sex-crazed, acne-infested teenagers that a lot of high schoolers are. Now I sound like I hate the book. Don't get get me wrong, it was a really cute story full of little kid drama that I thought was funny. Most of the characters were likable and they were definitely well thought out and you either like them or you don't because they all have something to say. The book made me laugh out loud at times. There were "plot twists" that I saw coming a mile away and there were things that really threw me for a spin and made me think "wow I did not see that coming". And right now, 10 days before Christmas, the perfect time to read it. I got to read about the characters drinking hot cocoa while drinking hot cocoa. I got to read about the characters playing in snow while looking outside and thinking "wow why is it 70 degrees in December, Ohio weather you freak, you?" But my point, you should pick this book up today and read it because it's cuter than robert downey jr holding a puppy in each arm. Have fun and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did :)
December 25, 2024
Christmassy and nostalgic.
January 15, 2014
Cute high school romance. Received this as a Christmas stocking stuffer.
December 3, 2016
Secret Santa has been on my To Reads list since last year. I decided to give this book a go as I have been in a winter/Christmas read mood. I read all 368 pages of this book in one day. I could not put it down.
The theme of this book is unique, and though I have not read many Christmas books in the past, I feel it is very original and entertaining. The story takes place during a one week period at North Ridge High School. A memo is passed out indicating that the school would participate in a Secret Santa and the big reveal would be that Friday at the big Christmas dance. The story follows the point of view of multiple students, each who are excited for the opportunities it brings. This story brings about new relationships, realizations, destruction of friendships, and all the high school drama none of us miss.
The character I liked least was Noelle. She lives next door to her childhood love. She draws his little brother, who is the same age as Noelle, as who she will be Secret Santa to. Noelle takes it upon herself to leave little gifts for the brother that she loves and gets upset when friends point out that what she is doing isn’t healthy.
This is a Christmas romance, new relationships form by the end as each character learns more and more about their secret crushes/Santas. There are a lot of twists by the end and I was happy with every single one of them. This is all-in-all, a very cute read that does not take long. If you love Christmas as much as I do, you will surely enjoy this book as well!
The theme of this book is unique, and though I have not read many Christmas books in the past, I feel it is very original and entertaining. The story takes place during a one week period at North Ridge High School. A memo is passed out indicating that the school would participate in a Secret Santa and the big reveal would be that Friday at the big Christmas dance. The story follows the point of view of multiple students, each who are excited for the opportunities it brings. This story brings about new relationships, realizations, destruction of friendships, and all the high school drama none of us miss.
The character I liked least was Noelle. She lives next door to her childhood love. She draws his little brother, who is the same age as Noelle, as who she will be Secret Santa to. Noelle takes it upon herself to leave little gifts for the brother that she loves and gets upset when friends point out that what she is doing isn’t healthy.
This is a Christmas romance, new relationships form by the end as each character learns more and more about their secret crushes/Santas. There are a lot of twists by the end and I was happy with every single one of them. This is all-in-all, a very cute read that does not take long. If you love Christmas as much as I do, you will surely enjoy this book as well!
December 17, 2024
I read this as part of my book advent calendar and holy moly was it bad! I will happily adjust my expectations for YA books, but this felt less like YA and more like something I would have written in middle school about what I thought high school would be like.
Firstly, our premise is WILD. The ENTIRE school is doing a secret Santa. Mandatory. Announced the last Monday before Christmas break and apparently they have to give their gifts that week and then reveal themselves at the dance on Friday, which everyone is attending I guess. I love this premise because I know I would have gotten some kid who hadn't been to school in two months and didn't even have a locker.
Anyway, ridiculous premise aside, all our characters end up gifting to someone they at least know of. So that's good. Except everyone is super rude about all the gifts they get. And also people keep asking each other how they know each other except they're all in the same school and mostly in the same grade?? So obviously you know each other?
Anyway, I don't know if Sabrina James has ever been to a high school, but this book is making me think probably not. Don't even hate read this. Don't buy it for your middle school niece. It's not worth the paper it was printed on.
Firstly, our premise is WILD. The ENTIRE school is doing a secret Santa. Mandatory. Announced the last Monday before Christmas break and apparently they have to give their gifts that week and then reveal themselves at the dance on Friday, which everyone is attending I guess. I love this premise because I know I would have gotten some kid who hadn't been to school in two months and didn't even have a locker.
Anyway, ridiculous premise aside, all our characters end up gifting to someone they at least know of. So that's good. Except everyone is super rude about all the gifts they get. And also people keep asking each other how they know each other except they're all in the same school and mostly in the same grade?? So obviously you know each other?
Anyway, I don't know if Sabrina James has ever been to a high school, but this book is making me think probably not. Don't even hate read this. Don't buy it for your middle school niece. It's not worth the paper it was printed on.
December 14, 2018
The book I read was Secret Santa by Sabrina James. I loved this book it was cute and relatable the characters seemed like real people and overall was a really fun read. I think one of my favorite things about the book was how interesting it was and how it kept you wanting to read more. Sometimes you would even know something the character didn’t and you would just want to yell into the book what was happening. I love it when you get so invested into the book as if it were happening to you. It was such a good book it only took me around three days to read. I would 100% recommend this book to a teenage girl looking for a fun read. My favorite character of the whole book would probably be celia because she is super down to earth and just wants to be happy. In the book she has such a kind heart and doesn’t judge anyone for how they look or who they hangout with, it’s all about who they are as a person and I think that she was such a fun character to read about and we should all be more like Celia. This book was so good 10/10 would recommend.
May 3, 2018
Secret Santa by Sabrina James. This isn't easy to tell what went on in this story. Soo much was going on. It takes place with high school students who have a secret Santa project for a week of gift giving. Boys and girls liking different boys and girls. How they deal with it the week of secret gift giving. In the end some find out the one they had a crush on wasn't really the person they end up with and liking. Very interesting book. I would recommend it.
November 21, 2018
Oh my gosh. What is happening in my world with all these bad Christmas books??? This had a cast of many characters who were shallow and annoying. I’m pretty sure none of my friends and I acted like this when we were 16. Although this was written in 2007 and I feel the genre has gotten better since then. Yikes. The plot was obvious and boring. The characters had zero depth. What could have been a cute storyline was just not. The writing was bad. I hate to be so brutal, but this was just not good.
Reread? No way
Challenges:
2018 Goodreads Challenge
Reread? No way
Challenges:
2018 Goodreads Challenge
December 24, 2020
Cute story. The characters were crazy, and completely oblivious about each other. It was amusing to see how all the misunderstandings and the like snowballed out of control. I feel like I needed a flowchart to keep track of all the character interactions.
I was going to give 4, but I feel like I recently read another book with almost the same exact plot.
I was going to give 4, but I feel like I recently read another book with almost the same exact plot.
December 26, 2025
Thanks Siobhan for lending me this? I guess?
I thought maybe something in this book would save it for me, but it's truly a middle grade fantasy book about what high school could be like. There's so many characters to keep track and a lot of build up to the school dance which ends up only being 20 pages of after thought at the end.
LOL
I thought maybe something in this book would save it for me, but it's truly a middle grade fantasy book about what high school could be like. There's so many characters to keep track and a lot of build up to the school dance which ends up only being 20 pages of after thought at the end.
LOL
June 6, 2017
I rate this book 3 stars out of 5. It was an interesting quick read. I thought it was predictable in a way, but at other times the plot caught me off guard. I really wanted to find out the ending so I read fast!
June 12, 2018
As someone who read it in the 7th grage, it was cute and I liked all the different points of view. Sure a lot fo the characters were uncreatively stereotypical but i still enjoyed the quick journey all the same.
June 11, 2023
Got this book as a Christmas gift back in elementary school and read it over and over AND over again. I truly believe that this book sparked the hopeless romantic in me lol. It was one of my most tattered book,and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
July 4, 2023
I would've given this 4 or 3.5 if not for how annoying Noelle was for most of the book and because of what she and Lily planned for Charlie's scarf but this was a goofy, quick-read book and I enjoyed it! I really liked how the cast was rather big
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2024
A reread for me! The last time I read this was when I was in high school (I wanna say 9 years ago). I loved this book back then, and I still find it very cute and a good holiday read. But I just cannot get over all of the typos in it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews