A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle By: John Green Series: Let It Snow Book Number: 2 Star Rating: Sensuality Rating:

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Synopsis

On Christmas Eve, Tobin is enjoying a James Bond movie marathon with his two best friends, JP and Angie - who goes by the nickname the Duke - when his other friend, Keun, calls. Keun works at the local Waffle House and thinks that a Christmas miracle has just occurred, because a large group of cheerleaders whose train got stranded by a major snowstorm have taken over the restaurant. Keun all but orders Tobin and the others to come now and to bring a game of Twister. They have to hurry, though, because his two co-workers have invited their friends as well and have agreed that only the first group to arrive will be allowed in. With his parents stranded out of town by the same snowstorm, Tobin jumps into action, dragging JP and the Duke along with him. But rushing to their destination is easier said than done when the roads are covered in snow and ice. For the next few hours, the three friends engage in a madcap adventure, and along the way, Tobin discovers a romantic connection with the Duke that he didn't realize was there.

Review

"A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle" is the second novella in the series of connected holiday stories found in the anthology Let It Snow. In this one, we have three best friends, Tobin, the first-person narrator, Angie, who goes by the nickname the Duke, and JP. The trio are spending Christmas Eve together at Tobin's house watching a James Bond movie marathon. His parents are out of town at a conference and call to say that they're stranded by a snowstorm and won't make it home for Christmas. Tobin isn't terribly upset about this, knowing that he's welcome to spend the holiday with the Duke and her family. Then their fourth friend, Keun, who works at the local Waffle House calls, excited that the restaurant has been overrun by a group of cheerleaders whose train is stuck in the snow. He insists that they come immediately and bring a game of Twister, but his two other co-workers have also invited their friends. However, they've all agreed that whoever's friends arrive first will be the only ones allowed to stay so as to not overcrowd the restaurant. Thus sets off a mad-cap dash to the Waffle House in the midst of a blizzard that turns into a huge comedy of errors, but also leads to Tobin discovering feelings for the Duke he didn't realize were there.

"A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle" was a delightfully humorous romantic comedy. It was lighter on the romance than I was hoping, but I still enjoyed it. The chemistry between these three (well, four if we include Keun) friends was excellent. It's obvious why, because they fit together so well and have shared interests and a good sense of humor, as well as a thirst for adventure. This is something they definitely make use of as they race to the Waffle House, because things certainly don't go their way. I loved the way the story played out in my mind like a good movie, which is perhaps why this anthology was indeed made into a film. I also enjoyed how it tied in well with the first novella with several supporting characters showing up again. Keun was introduced in "The Jubliee Express" as were the cheerleaders and a man everyone simply calls "Tinfoil Guy," a conspiracy theorist who wraps his entire body in tinfoil. Then there was Jeb, an intriguing young man who was on the train, but who lives in the little town of Gracetown where the train got stuck. We see him again at the very end of "A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle" and it looks like he'll headline in the final novella. Hopefully I'll finally get to see what the deal is with him, which I'm looking forward to. The only reason I dropped a half-star on this one is because the romance took a back seat to other events and with it occurring so close to the end of the story, it didn't leave me with a good sense of whether Tobin and the Duke would be able to successfully navigate from friends to something more. Overall, this was a really fun read, and with a second winner, John Green has now earned a spot on my favorite authors list.

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Themes

Christmas Stories
Friends Before Lovers
G/PG-Rated Romance
Geniuses, Scholars & Scientists aka Geeks - Heroes
Geniuses, Scholars & Scientists aka Geeks - Heroines