Carols and Crushes

by Natalie Blitt

Charlie's moment to shine has arrived: She's determined to land a solo in this year's holiday concert. With her best friend, Renee, and smart, cute Eric in chorus with her, the winter promises to be pitch perfect.

Until disaster strikes. The concert is suddenly in danger of being canceled. And Charlie has to partner up with annoying oh-so-perfect Matthew. If they can't work in harmony, Charlie's favorite time of year will be ruined. Will she be able to save the show from a blizzard of problems - and figure out who makes her heart sing.

Genres: Christmas, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Romance

243 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Originally from Canada, Natalie Blitt grew up on a steady diet of loyalist adventure stories. It wasn’t until she moved to Chicago after graduating from McGill and receiving a journalism degree from the University of King’s College, that she learned that not everybody sees the loyalists as the heroes. Now living in the Chicago-area, she dreams up young adult novels of a different sort: more kissing, less guns, but always a lot of loyalty. Natalie works at an education think tank and lives with her husband and their three sons. She knows a lot about baseball. She has no choice.

Natalie is represented by Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency.

Reviews

[Lia (Taylor's Version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me as a present by my teacher in 5th grade (2017)

I love this dearly, I read this every year during the holidays and it has so much sentimental value to me, its unhealthy.

Its so cute, and fun and heartwarming and perfect.
I defiantly don't usually read MG romance but I grew up with this and I surprisingly still love it.

read it. <3

12/9/21:
I literally was squealing like a little girl reading this, its adorable and it makes me feel young again. Its soooooo fricking cute, I cant even.

There were scenes where Charlie was acting stupid, and she was saying things that aggravated me, like "Renee cant like him, She cant talk to him, I like HIM!" And it was annoying, but she stopped doing that and she got better and this book is so cute (oml help me ahhhhhhh) There is a certain scene in here that is one of my favorite scenes ever (from any book)

Have I told you this book is adorable?
And it totally encompasses the Christmas spirit and the side characters and friends of Charlie were all amazing.
gods I love this <3

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute and sweet middle grade read with plenty of Christmas cheer. As a singer myself, I loved the musical aspects and the idea of bringing cheer to others through music. I also loved that the kids took their talents to the assisted living community and gave the elderly some Christmas cheer. The romance was super sweet and very light (since this is a middle grade) with that nostalgia factor of early teenage awkwardness around a crush.

[modezireads {slump}]

not. a. word.

[Common_reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have given it a 3 or 3.5 stars if I read it before. But this book helped me get out of my reading slump and I did enjoy it so 4 stars

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is on the verge of young adult. Can be read by a mature 6th grader or a more shy high school student. (Depends on the level of romance that they can handle. Basically having a crush and... spoilers... there is a kiss!)
I had a feeling I would enjoy this. It was sweet and fun. I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. This brought back the positives of 6th through 10th grade... that feeling of having a crush surrounded by the magic of Christmas and the difficulties of navigating that age/school range.

[Aleta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable. A fluffy read, great for Christmas!

[virtualb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute, easy read perfect for middle schoolers.

[Jennifer Notton · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Carols and Crushes, by Natalie Blitt, Charlie is a mid-aged girl and has an EPIC crush on this boy named Eric. Charlie thinks that Eric has an EPIC crush on her too but she is 100% sure. Her best friend, Renee, thinks that this whole crush obsession is just crazy. All three friends are super excited about the upcoming winter school music program. Charlie hopes to get a solo in the program so she can show Eric how talented her singing voice is. Renee on the other hand just hopes that all goes well for her friend.

Charlie loves Christmas but can’t really show it or just embarrassed to show it at school. Her mom only allows anything holiday themed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. At school, however, she can show her enthusiasm all she wants. Except she can’t because Renee is Jewish and she celebrates Hanukkah and that makes Charlie embarrassed. Bad news strikes. Her choir teacher is a new mom and can’t come to work. This means that the program can’t go on, but Charlie comes up with going into groups and each group will come up with their own songs. She ended up in a group consisting of Renee, Mathew, and of course, Eric. Charlie thinks that Renee has a crush on Eric but after a talk with Eric, Charlie realizes that she doesn’t have a crush on Eric. But who then? Read Carols and Crushes, by Natalie Blitt to find out.

I loved the plot twists in this book because they are really unexpected. I love to watch the characters develop new personalities and character traits. Once I read the end of the book, I was left in shock because the ending was so unexpected, but after going through what all happens in the book again, it all makes sense. This book is for girls mostly that are in elementary but it can be a fun read for everyone. So overall I give Carols and Crushes, by Natalie Blitt a 3-star rating. I hope you read Carols and Crushes, by Natalie Blitt.

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book we follow, Charlie who's passionate about singing and making the school concert the best it can be especially as she dreams of getting the solo and performing amazingly.



Only when her teacher leaves to have her baby the concert is thrown into jeopardy and as her group consists of her best friend, her crush, Eric and the popular guy, Matthew she doubts whether they'll be good enough or even get along well together to perform to a great standard not to mention how will she cope with her feelings towards the boys!



I really enjoyed the way the characters were thrust together and made to make do which obviously made great twists happen along the way. However Charlie was a great character whose judgement gets shattered and altered for the better by the end of the book she's definitely a better person. A sweet holiday read, curl up with a hot chocolate, blanket and prepare to fall in to a great musical adventure!

[Arllie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dropped this book quicker than I could blink. Since when is Christmas not about religion? Western countries may celebrate it as just a fun event for giving gifts and stuff but the true meaning of it IS religious in other parts of the world. Christmas songs ARE about Christianity and to look down on it (and changing the meaning of it) is just pure offensive. Literally the characters dismiss the religion side of it in a spiteful way, makes it about another religion and then turns the whole meaning into a stage show just about singing which quite frankly is disrespectful. Honestly, I don’t think people would allow this if it involved a Jewish/Hindu or Islamic religious event?

[squish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LIKED THIS MORE THAN SNOW ONE LIKE YOU.

i think this book is better than snow one like you, because the main character is so relatable.

charlie is super cute and her name charlie dickens is so fun!!! (matthew actually likes to say her NAME and he was't making fun of it)

MATTHEW IS SO HWEHUHWD... charlie and matthew were so cute together.

THE SCARF SCENE... THE BEST SCENE IN THE ENTIRE BOOK. I BET MATTHEW WAS BLUSHING THE ENTIRE TIME. also, the way he knew that she was in the hallway because HE NOTICED HER THE ENTIRE TIME. HE DEFINITELY HAD A CRUSH ON HER BEFORE.

bottom line: MATTHEW YEE THE BOY YOU ARE

[Madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not really enjoy this one. There is very little background on the characters. Charlie, the main character, was annoying. The author tried to include important issues such as difficulty with family members, anxiety, and struggles with learning differences. However, it was poorly executed. These issues are only surface level. Really disappointed as this book could have been so much more than it was. It was quick, which was nice. Overall I do not recommend this and will not include it in my classroom library. 1.5 stars.

[Jessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome from the first page to the last. I literally did not stop reading it from the moment I picked it up. I usually read books that are lengthier, but it was a nice and short book that entertained me. I liked the emotions and journey the author took you throughout the story. This shows the thought and care that was put in when writing the story. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to someone who loves coming of age books with a love story.

[Evelyn Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book the main character Charlie is dying for a solo in the winter concert. But, when bad happens at her school the choir has to split up into groups and of course she has to be with one of the most annoying and popular kids in the school, Matthew. Soon she looks that looks and acts can be deceiving and that Matthew isn't that bad. What the author is trying to say is that the way someone looks or acts maybe isn't the way they are at all. In the end perfect, popular Matthew may be better then smart, cute Eric.

[Ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable Christmas romance that any middle schooler who loves the holidays should read! It's the perfect holiday-themed book that is just right to read in the middle of winter. All four of these main characters are lovable and they truly come alive in the story, and the Christmas concert scene was beautifully written. Honestly I recommend this to anyone who loves Christmas, even if you're not in middle school.

[Jodi Johnson-Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute, a really fun holiday read!

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

i enjoyed it, it wasn’t heart wrenching and beautiful and stuff, but it was cliche and i like that.

[Lilly F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book, I enjoyed reading it a lot! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes singing and a little bit of romance.

[Book Hugger's Reading Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!

[Michale · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I were 12 I would have given this 4 stars.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute cute book!!

[Heather Sobek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even middle schoolers deserve Christmas love!

[Blaise Harman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024

[Rayliaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute Peak

[Zoey Gagnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this story! I recommend!

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. This book was cute and fun, but I think it is an especially perfect book for girls. The book starts off with the main character, Charlie (Charlotte) Dickens, is dreaming of having the spotlight solo with her crush, Eric. Charlie has wished since she was little that she would get to sing the solo in their school concert for everyone to see. However, the show is almost canceled, but Charlie thinks up a solution to save the concert. It isn't the same as she dreamt because instead a groups of four people are competing against each other to get the spotlight solo. Charlie is paired with her best friend, Renee, popular Matthew Yee, whom Charlie thinks is full of himself, and her crush, Eric! Charlie thinks that Matthew is only in choir not because he likes it but because he wants to make fun of it. While they the four spend more and more time together, Charlie realizes that Matthew is actually a really good guy and nothing like she thought he would be. Charlie thinks she might even begin to like him. Read the book to find out what happens to Charlie with Matthew Yee, Eric, and Renee and whether or not they get the spotlight song in the winter concert! I definitely recommend this book especially for romance lovers.

[Robin Sneed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review can be found at https://keepingchristmas365.com/chris...

[Ryanne Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is soooo cute!! I have to reread it every year during the winter season because it is so good.