Last Christmas: The Private Prequel by Kate Brian

Title: Last Christmas: The Private Prequel
Author: Kate Brian
Genre: Christmas, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 7, 2008

Summary (from Goodreads):

Ariana Osgood has everything an Easton Academy girl could want: straight A's, the perfect boyfriend, and a coveted spot in exclusive Billings House. But on the first night of Christmas vacation, a blizzard traps her on campus with irresistible bad-boy Thomas Pearson. Alone. Instead of snuggling with her boyfriend next to a cozy fire in Vermont, she's huddling for warmth with Thomas in Ketlar House.

As the snow transforms Easton into a winter wonderland, Ariana finds herself falling for Thomas. But someone is watching their clandestine romance unfold, someone intent on turning their holiday weekend into a nightmare...
Last Christmas reveals the secret of what really happened before Private began -- and the shocking truth will change everything for fans of Kate Brian's bestselling series.

✼ We may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through links on our site.

About Kate Brian

Kate Brian

Kate Brian is the author of the SHADOWLANDS TRILOGY (SHADOWLANDS, HEREAFTER & ENDLESS), as well as the New York Times bestselling PRIVATE and PRIVILEGE series, and the wildly popular MEGAN MEADE'S GUIDE TO THE MCGOWAN BOYS. She also writes teen fiction under the name Kieran Scott.

Website | Blog | Goodreads

Also Featured In:

Last updated on May 17, 2026

Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless by Liz Czukas

Title: Top Ten Clues You're Clueless
Author: Liz Czukas
Genre: Christmas, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: December 9, 2014

Summary (from Goodreads):

Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe's Day

5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market

4) Crashing a cart into a customer's car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi

3) Trying to rock the "drowned rat" look after being caught in a snowstorm

2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)

1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees— of stealing upwards of $10,000

Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe's list of Top Ten Best Moments.

✼ We may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through links on our site.

About Liz Czukas

Liz Czukas

Liz Czukas is the author of fun YA romances like ASK AGAIN LATER (2014) and TOP TEN CLUES YOU'RE CLUELESS (2014), and THROWING MY LIFE AWAY (2016). She also writes fun New Adult romances like WHEN JOSS MET MATT under the name Ellie Cahill.

Website | Goodreads

Also Featured In:

Last updated on May 17, 2026

The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell

Title: The Death of Bees
Author: Lisa O'Donnell
Genre: Christmas, Contemporary, Mystery, Young Adult
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: March 1, 2012

Summary (from Goodreads):

Today is Christmas Eve. Today is my birthday. Today I am fifteen. Today I buried my parents in the backyard. Neither of them were beloved.

Marnie and her little sister Nelly are on their own now. Only they know what happened to their parents, Izzy and Gene, and they aren’t telling. While life in Glasgow’s Hazlehurst housing estate isn’t grand, they do have each other. Besides, it’s only one year until Marnie will be considered an adult and can legally take care of them both.

As the new year comes and goes, Lennie, the old man next door, realizes that his young neighbors are alone and need his help. Or does he need theirs? But he’s not the only one who suspects something isn’t right. Soon, the sisters’ friends, their other neighbors, the authorities, and even Gene’s nosy drug dealer begin to ask questions. As one lie leads to another, dark secrets about the girls’ family surface, creating complications that threaten to tear them apart.

Written with fierce sympathy and beautiful precision, told in alternating voices, The Death of Bees is an enchanting, grimly comic tale of three lost souls who, unable to answer for themselves, can answer only for each other.

✼ We may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through links on our site.

About Lisa O'Donnell

Lisa O'Donnell

Lisa O’Donnell winner of The Orange Prize for New Screenwriters with her screenplay The Wedding Gift in 2000. Lisa was also nominated for the Dennis Potter New Writers Award in the same year. She moved to Los Angeles with her family in 2006, penning her first novel The Death of Bees in 2010. Published to critical acclaim by Windmill Books in 2012 The Death of Bees will be published in the US by Harper Collins January 2013. The author is very excited!

Website | Goodreads

Also Featured In:

Last updated on May 13, 2024

Pretty Little Secrets by Sara Shepard

Title: Pretty Little Secrets
Author: Sara Shepard
Genre: Christmas, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Summary (from Goodreads):

Taking place between books four and five in the Pretty Little Liars series, Unbelievable and Wicked, Pretty Little Secrets is a very special Pretty Little Liars tale revealing the liars' never-before-seen misadventures over their junior-year winter break. With brand-new stories and ever-juicy secrets, this is the perfect addition to any fan’s Pretty Little Liars collection.

✼ We may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through links on our site.

About Sara Shepard

Sara Shepard

Sara Shepard graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. She has lived in New York City, Brooklyn, Tucson, Arizona, Philadelphia, and now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Sara's Pretty Little Liars novels were inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia's Main Line.

Website | Goodreads

Also Featured In:

Last updated on May 14, 2024

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards

Title: Five Total Strangers
Author: Natalie D. Richards
Genre: Christmas, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: October 6, 2020

Summary (from Goodreads):

A hitched ride home in a snow storm turns sinister when one of the passengers is plotting for the ride to end in disaster.

When Mira flies home to spend Christmas with her mother in Pittsburgh, a record-breaking blizzard results in a cancelled layover. Desperate to get to her grief-ridden mother in the wake of a family death, Mira hitches a ride with a group of friendly college kids who were on her initial flight.

As the drive progresses and weather conditions become more treacherous, Mira realizes that the four other passengers she's stuck in the car with don't actually know one another.

Soon, they're not just dealing with heavy snowfall and ice-slick roads, but the fact that somebody will stop at nothing to ensure their trip ends in a deadly disaster.

✼ We may earn an affiliate commission if you make a purchase through links on our site.

About Natalie D. Richards

Natalie D. Richards

New York Times Bestselling Author Natalie D. Richards is the author of eight “page-turning thrillers” (School Library Journal), including Five Total Strangers(2020) and Seven Dirty Secrets (2021). 15 Secrets to Survival is her first middle-grade novel. A champion of literacy and aspiring authors, Richards is a frequent speaker at schools, libraries, and writing groups. She lives in Ohio with her three children and (very) large dog, Wookiee.

Website | Goodreads

Also Featured In:

Last updated on May 15, 2024