12 Days of Book-Club-Mas

by Jessica Booth, Kristi McManus, Logan Ashley

You are never alone when lost in the magic of a book.

12 short stories comprise the Once Upon a Book Club Advent novella.

Genres: Christmas

378 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2023

About the author

Jessica is a lifelong reader and writer. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and professional writing before making a career in journalism and editing. Jessica has always dreamed of writing a book, and her love for novels spurred her into becoming an avid bookstagrammer (@readbelievelove).

Jessica grew up in North Louisiana, but now resides in Southwestern Ohio with her husband, pack of rowdy children, and a couple of hounds. They love to spend their time together visiting independent book stores, outside digging up worms, and transforming piles of sticks into castles.

Reviews

[Shannara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I get the 12 days of book-club-mas every year from Once Upon a Book Club for my birthday. That way I can count down to the 21st of December to celebrate. Each year that I’ve gotten my hands on has been fabulous, and this edition is no different.

There are 12 different stories written by 12 different authors. I won’t get into details because I don’t want to spoil anything for those who might still get their hands on this year’s box. But I will say that I absolutely adored each stories as they were all very different and too cute for words. Short stories are not my favorite because I find it difficult to relate to a character that I’ve only known for thirty pages or so. I did not have that issue with any of these tales. I fell for our main characters quickly and got into each story faster than I thought possible.

If I had to name a complaint, it would be that they don’t issue a count down box for every holiday!!! I highly recommend you pick up this box so you can read these adorable short stories. I recommend this to book lovers and those who like to care for oneself.

[Angela Verry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the company.
Love the gifts.
Not too into the stories this time.

[Shana C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a compilation of 12 short stories. My favorite was "app-arently it's love" and I also really liked "finding our magic" & "the exact right place" a couple of other stories I was really bored with and it was hard to even finish them.

[Chrissy Remsberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the gifts were better than the stories at times. But I did really enjoy about half the short stories and the gifts were even better than I expected. I would definitely go for this advent calendar again as it did not disappoint. And I discovered a couple new authors who I will hopefully get to read more from in the future.

[Kristie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounding up for the great gifts that came with this book.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really really enjoyed the short stories this year. Most of them transported me to a new place and I was able to fall right into the characters’ lives. Honestly I wish some of them were full novels. It was definitely longer than previous years but I was ok with that and I especially loved the style and font of the book this year. Also the gifts were some of my favorites that I have ever gotten! I can’t wait for next year.

[JaNelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the 12 Days of Book-Club-mas books and gifts. This year, the stories were longer, which I enjoyed. The last story was my favorite. It's really hard to top the previous years, but I think they did!

[Kimberly Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the 12 short stories in this series, I’d give 3 of them 4 stars or higher. The rest were cutesy and predictable, not my type of read.
So here are the outstanding stories:
5 stars:
Different Shades of Amira by Zaynah Qutubuddin I hope to read more from her in the future.

The Forgotten Library by Meranda Tuttle
I also hope to read more adventures from her.

4 stars:
Finding Our Magic by Jessica Booth

[Danielle Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 1st year doing this and I loved it. I ordered late so did not receive in time to coordinate the 12 days. Instead I read the entire book in 2 days. OUABC really out did themselves with the gifts. So much fun. I really enjoyed some of the stories, some not so much but were still cute easy reads. This idea of 12 stories and gifts is amazing and I cannot wait to do again.
My favorites: App-arently It's Love, Bound by Books, Finding our Magic, The Queen of Appalachia, Message in a Bottle.

[Michelle Holland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Book-Club-Mas book. It was a good mix of stories, and I loved a few of them.

[Krissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

The short stories were excellent this year! However, at 371 pages, this is no longer a novella. It's a full-blown novel. It can be difficult to find the time to read 70-80 page stories each day during the busy holiday season. I wish they would go back to the short little booklet of stories. It was much more manageable.

[Terri Seanard · Rating 4 out of 5]

12 short stories. Perfect way to count down days till Christmas. I got the box from OUABC that came with the gifts corresponding to each story. The stories were funny, sweet, and lighthearted. The gifts were pretty cool, too.
I have found my yearly tradition. A bookish/reading advent calendar.

[Vanessa Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my second experience with this anthology series and I must say all of the stories were even better than the previous year's.

❄️Day 1: "App-arently It's Love" by Kristi McManus

Mia and Evan are academic rivals at a prestigous New York University for computer programming. Both students are vying for the top spot in the program and dutifully working on creating a unique app. Mia is passionate about criminal justice and is working on an app to assist with criminal profiling. Interestingly, her app was born from a widely popular dating app - which she has also secretly created. Although Mia created the app to help with a break up and help others find partners, her friends covertly make her a profile. She quickly hits it off with her first match, but is he too good to be true?

This was a super cute and fun story to start off with.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5)

❄️Day 2: "Bound by Books" by Logan Ashley

Hannah, Cait, and Tilly have been best friends since childhood. On the eve of them all moving away to venture into adulthood, they decided to have a gift exchange. Hannah finds the perfect gift - which literally falls on her head in a thrift store. The friends decide to share this gift to keep them connected over the distance. Little do they know, this gift has some magical abilities.

Another fabulous story! I loved the concept of it and was totally getting 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' vibes.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5)

❄️ Day 3: "Ink & Intrigue: A Bookish Betrayal" by Mary B. Barbee

Alice is struggling to land a job right out of graduate school. Although she doesn't have the best relationship with her parents, she is dependent on them financially. Thankfully her friend and neighbor, Polly, offers some respite from her troubles by offering companionship and interesting stories from her youth. When Polly doesn't show up for their scheduled lunch, Alice is thrust into a real-life murder mystery. A shocking plot twist regarding her connection to Polly has her questioning who she can trust.

This story had me on the edge of my seat! And it managed to have some interesting plot twists I wasn't expecting that worked very well - especially for a short story.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5)

❄️Day 4: "The Queen of Appalachia" by Danielle Barr

Clea and her mom are on a road trip through Appalachia to get her pet bird to the Great Lakes for mating season. During their drive, they listen to the only radio station available - an AM radio show run by two locals. The show consists of local tales and one story in particular catches Clea's attention - the tale of the blue ridge bandit. A devastating event brings to light her very close connection to the tale she loves so much.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5)

❄️Day 5: "Message in a Bottle" by Adrianna Waters

Dani and Ella are strangers on the cusp of a major life transition - Dani is a recent college grad starting her new job and Ella is going into middle school. Their paths cross at a local Target when they both set their eyes on the same pretty water bottle. When someone else swoops in and takes the water bottle they both move on. The next day, the same water bottle appears in both of their possession with a mystery note inside. So begins a cycle of the water bottle appearing and disappearing. Additionally, the two strangers continue to randomly bump into each other and manage to provide each other with advice for coping with the new stage in their lives.

I really loved the concept of a magical water bottle that connects two strangers at a time they most need support. I definitely want to know where the characters end up after the story is finished.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5)

❄️ Day 6: "Adventurers" by Katie Evans

Kim leads a very structured, uneventful life as a programmer. One day she receives a phone call from 'the one that got away' (although she was the one who friendzoned him). Alex has a very important favor to ask her - serve as a prison escort for his father. His uncle, who raised him, is dying and he wants to reconnect the two brothers one last time. During her journey, she starts to regret the lonely life she has been living and vows to start taking risks after her task is completed. However, things take a turn and she is left feeling used and betrayed - the very same feelings that led to her lonely lifestyle.

This was quite an interesting story. The plot twists gave me whip lash - in the best possible way. I would totally like to see this story as a movie.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5)

❄️ Day 7: "Finding Our Magic" by Jessica Booth

Annie's grief over the death of her grandfather has turned her into a workaholic Vet tech. Her aunt insists that she take a break at the family lake house - the same place full of childhood memories with her grandfather. While settling in, she bumps into PJ, local bad boy/property manager, who also has plans of staying at the lakehouse for the weekend. They both decide to share the lakehouse while going through a list of childhood activities to take their minds off of their troubles.

I absolutely loved the concept for the story! It was so fun to see the list of activities they chose to do. I would love to see more of Annie and PJ.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5)

❄️ Day 8: "The Good Luck Girl" by Reilly Becker

Steph owns a pottery shop but business has been slow. As she is packing up her apartment to move into her new home, she has concerns about her financial situation. While moving into her new home, she discovers a messenger bag with a note from the previous owner wishing the new owner "good luck and success." As she begins using the bag, she starts to experience good luck in all aspects of her life. When she misplaces the bag, she starts to spiral and fears her success will be lost as well.

I absolutely loved the message of this story! I think many of us can empathize with Steph's feelings throughout the story.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5)

❄️ Day 9: "Yours Trulli" by Bonnie Callahan

Amelia has a rocky relationship with her father. Since his death, she has not been the same - she's even lost her taste for food. She is forced to face these issues head on while in Italy for her brother's wedding. While in her father's hometown she begins exploring and discovers a local bakery that brings back her love of food and also uncovers some information about her late father. Her dreaded trip ends up being just want she needed.

Another fantastic story! This is another story where I would love to see more of the main characters.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5).

❄️ Day 10: "Forgotten Library" by Meranda Tuttle

Leandre is hired by an elderly man, named Emil, to recover a missing family heirloom, a book. The location of the item is a forgotten library in the middle of a forest that no one has been able to locate for some time. As she embarks on this journey to recover the missing book, she encounters an expedition group seemingly on the hunt for this library as well. Once she discovers the library and finds this missing heirloom, she realizes Emil may not have been honest with her and she enters into a truly magical situation.

This was a fun adventrue that truly had me on the edge of my seat.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️/5)

❄️ Day 11: "The Exact Right Place" by Kim Chance

Ellie creates unique 'scent songs' for her homemade cosmetics and candles. While she is quite good at her job, she is stuck trying to make a scent that recreates an important memory for her. Years ago, Ellie was stuck living her life dictated by her family. This all changes when she meets a stranger, Theo, who challenges and encourages her to live her life on her own terms.

What a super cute and uplifting story! The cliffhanger-esque ending left me wanting more.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5)

❄️ Day 12: "Different Shades of Amira" by Zaynah Qutubuddin

Amira is constantly under critique from her family regarding her single status. Although she is successful in her career, cultural beliefs dictate that she focus on traditional duties expected of women. She feels even more pressure from her family during her brothers wedding festivities. Thankfully her soon to be sister-in-law provides her with a magical gift that allows her to live her life unapologetically.

This was a lovely story with a beautiful message. I really appreciate the inclusion of cultural traditions and the representation of other culture's fairy tale princesses.

(⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5)

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this box so much that I bought it for this year, too! I read and averaged all twelve short stories as I read them. When averaged, it came out to 3⭐️ but the stories I read that I really liked or loved, I felt very strongly for so I’m giving this 4⭐️. Many of the stories have an intergenerational connection, or characters who love books, so there was quite a bit for me to relate to! And the gifts that go along with the stories…magical! Pretty sure I’ll buy this every year. 🥰

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the idea of reading books and getting little gifts that relate to something in the book. This was the company's annual 12 days of Christmas one, with 12 short stories and 12 gifts. I like the premise that and author can submit a story for it. There were some stories where I wish it was longer. A lot of the stories were cute. Too many had magical items that "came at the right time" for my liking. I liked all the gifts and great choices for the stories, although I was really hoping for some recipe cards to make all those breads for that one story in Italy, but the book prompt cards were good too.
Overall this company's boxes have always been fun to do and definitely a great gift for any reader.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a Once Upon a Book Club subscriber, and received this book, which contains 12 stories written by 12 different authors. Each story had a wrapped gift associated with each story.
I am not a big fan of short stories but I LOVED the anticipation of opening a gift for each story. What a great concept. This was for Advent / Christmas. I highly recommend this idea for any time of the year.

It did feel like Christmas for me as I unwrapped each gift, one nicer than the other. Most all of them I am able to use (or gift).

Great concept

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this when buying the package from Once Upon a Bookclub. This had 12 short stories, and each story corresponded with a gift I got to open at a certain time in the shorty story. Overall a very good anthology of short stories. I definitely found some authors I want to read more of, some were a bit too short - like it could have easily been a full novel with more detail and fantastic-ness. Overall a very good time! I don't often read short stories, but these were nice.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This year was my first year participating in OUABC’s advent and I’m so happy I did! I didn’t love all the stories but that’s okay because I loved most of them and their short stories anyways! The gifts were great and useful. I did fall behind the original reading schedule for the book but that didn’t matter. Not all of the stories/gifts are Christmas or even winter based so they can used/read whenever. OUABC is great and so fun, I highly recommend to anyone considering!

[Patricia Hullett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed all the stories in the book so much. Also the gifts with each story were great!
This is a fun way to countdown to Christmas. This was a gift from my daughter and granddaughter,
and each morning we would read the story for that day and then talk on the phone and compare our thoughts on the story and gift. So much fun and family time.

[Heather Talley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I missed getting this before Christmas but it was just as enjoyable after! I loved reading the short stories and found some new authors to check out. I also love the extra joy of the stories being brought to life with bookish gifts. I look forward to hopefully getting this in time for Christmas next year! My favorites were Finding Our Magic and Forgotten Library but they were all enjoyable.

[Katelyn Furtick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I didn’t get to read this through advent like I wanted to, I still really enjoyed the stories and the gifts that went along with them! There was truly only one story that I didn’t love in this, so as a whole, it was a great story collection! I had so much fun with it. Definitely will be doing this again next year!

[Chanda M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my fourth installment of the Short Stories Special Advent Edition from Once Upon a Book Club. I enjoyed this one most of all. The stories were a bit longer than in previous years which really gave me the time I needed to invest in each story. A couple I even wished had a full length book available! This one was definitely far superior than past years.

[Di Davila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is based on the experience I had reading this book! It was my first time getting this 12 days of Book-mas book box from Once Upon a Book Club! I read one story a day leading up to Christmas and got a gift with each story so 12 short stories, 12 gifts! It was so fun and I loved all the gifts and the stories!
I will definitely be getting this box every year!

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology of short stories has been the best anthology that I have read in a while. I didn't care for all the stories, but I think overall, they have been written in a nice way. Sometimes, I feel like there is just too many negatives with different short stories that impacts how I feel about the book. That didn't happen in this case.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had so much fun reading the 12 stories in this book and opening a gift a day that goes along with each story. If you have never heard of Once Upon a Book Club, check it out. Takes reading to the next level.

[Sarah Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that I loved most of the stories in this but hated the fact that they felt unfinished. I know they have a page limit of 20-40 pages in length but they felt unfinished and I wanted to keep reading about specific characters.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the fun advent surprises that came with it, but the short stories weren’t very interesting to me and I didn’t finish it. They weren’t written badly or anything, I just think reading a bunch of short stories might not be my thing.

[Liesl · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of creative stories! I am not usually one for short stories but this was really fun.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had such a fun time reading all these novellas and the gifts were amazing!

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best collection of short stories yet from OUABC. Each one was complete and well written. This is a lovely volume for easy reading, with low stakes and low tension.