This short story is about the pandemic, Christmas and Reagan (Cath’s roommate from Fangirl). Rowell has knack for satisfying storytelling. I liked meeting Reagan again, and it was very interesting to read something which deals with the pandemic experience so directly.

“We’re socially distanced over here,” her mom had called to tell her.
“You put the leaf in the dining room table,” Reagan replied. “That’s not social distancing.” ( )

I've always wanted to read this author's work and simply haven't gotten around to it as of yet. I was pleasantly surprised as it was very now with the pandemic issues, raw as it didn't pull any punches while apologizing for nothing along the way, nostalgic as it brought back holidays of yesteryear whether you ate green jello salad or not, and ultimately entertaining while being the perfect fit for the busy season! ( )

Just a quick little short story. Nothing special, I'm not sure I totally enjoyed it because of it being about Covid and everything and it's the first time I've read something with it. Also, a character's name was Caitlin so. It was an okay story I wouldn't recommend it but that's just me. ( )

Reagan was a pro at social distancing even before it was required. But she doesn't want her recently bereaved grandfather to spend Christmas 2020 alone and so she has isolated for two weeks and done everything to make a visit with him as safe as possible. And while she and her grandfather have never been particularly close, the visit holds several surprises including a chance encounter with the neighbour's son, Morgan.

I really loved this short story (really it's somewhere between a short story and a novella as it does have two chapters) featuring Reagan, who fans of Rowell will remember from [Fangirl]. While reading a pandemic Christmas story still feels a little raw (especially right now as omicron cases spike), the story is so lovely and entirely worth remembering what life was like a year ago. If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can snag the ebook for free so why not squeeze in one more short festive read during the holidays? ( )

This is a really cute story, and much more heartwarming than I had expected given that it's set firmly in the middle of the COVID pandemic. I loved getting to see more of Reagan—she was my favorite character in Fangirl—and the romance part of the story was very sweet. (Nothing more than kissing, but given COVID... that's plenty.) ( )