Book picks similar to
My Secret Santa by Jaclyn Weist


romance
young-adult
high-school
christmas

The Ex Games


Jennifer Echols - 2009
    Now the two are "just friends," excluding the occasional flirtation.When Hayden wins the girls' division of a local snowboarding competition, Nick is unimpressed, claiming that Hayden wouldn't have a chance against a guy. Hayden calls Nick's bluff and challenges him to a head-to-head boarding contest. Their mutual friends quickly take sides, the girls on Hayden's and the boys on Nick's, making for an all-out battle of the sexes. This friendly competition is bound to get heated — and they might end up igniting some old flames.

Merrying in Alaska


Shannon L. Brown - 2016
    And a neighbor who needs cheering.When Leah returns to Alaska after years as a travel writer, she plans to make her log cabin a home. Christmas decorations fill every room. She spreads the holiday spirit by cooking for her neighbor. Having failed at romance in the past, she isn’t looking for love now.After losing his hotel management job right before Christmas, Ben’s staying in a friend’s cabin to lick his wounds and consider his options. The cute woman in the neighboring cabin is appealing, but he may need to leave the state for work. Is there a way for them to have a merry future together?Merrying in Alaska is a stand-alone book that can also be read as book 2.5 in the sweet and clean Alaska Dream Romance series. If you like charming holiday stories, adorable kittens, and happy endings, then you’ll love this novella. Includes two cookie recipes!Buy Merrying in Alaska to bring Christmas joy today!Previously published as a book by Shannon L. Brown.

Yours at Yuletide


Josephine Blake - 2019
     Charlotte Wilson is in her very last semester of college. Distractions are completely out of the question, which is what makes everything about Oliver Hull a very bad idea. The local firefighter is so far out of Charlotte's league that he should be classified as a different species. Handsome, charming, and dangerously persistent, Oliver is everything Charlotte cannot handle right now. The small town of Unity Springs is overflowing with Christmas Spirit, and Oliver's work at the fire station is keeping him more than busy. Then along comes Charlotte Wilson, and Oliver's aspirations fall to the wayside in his pursuit of just. One. More. Kiss. When tragedy strikes, Oliver and Charlotte's budding relationship is put to an unexpected test. Why does Charlotte keep running away from everything that makes her heart glow? Love and happiness are within her grasp. Is she strong enough to reach out and take it? ︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵ There’s always something happening in a town as small as Unity Springs. Immerse yourself in a snowy wonderland filled with love and laughter this holiday season as Bestselling Author, JOSEPHINE BLAKE, crafts a BRAND NEW SERIES that will steal your heart and warm your soul. Love in Unity Springs, Book Two, SECOND-CHANCE SANTA arrives on December 20th, 2019.

When We Fall (Holy Oaks Series, #1)


Madeleine Labitan - 2020
    Brooding. Impossibly intimidating.He also happens to be my boyfriend's best friend...and my best friend's boyfriend.They say fate has a twisted way of bringing people into your life. I just didn't count on it to come in the form of a jarring betrayal. Despite my best efforts, I find myself getting drawn to the emotionally unavailable boy who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.I don't expect to fall fast. I never expect to fall hard.But that's the thing about fate—it always gets its way.

The Grift of the Magi


Ally Carter - 2016
    To many it wouldn’t matter that she now uses her considerable skills to re-steal valuable works of art and return them to their rightful homes. She’s still a thief. So that’s why Kat’s surprised when an Interpol agent comes to her one snowy evening, asking for Kat’s help. The Magi Miracle Network was set to auction off a very rare, very valuable Faberge egg two days before Christmas, but the egg’s been stolen and now the charity’s reputation—and their future—is on the line. Kat’s family and Interpol might be opposite sides of most jobs, but someone just stole Christmas. Now it’s up to Kat and her crew to steal it back. The Grift of the Magi is a Heist Society novella and is approximately half the length of the other novels in the series. It stands alone, but if you want read more about Kat and her crew check out Heist Society, Uncommon Criminals, and Perfect Scoundrels.

XOXO, Piper


Ginger Li - 2021
    He hates donuts.2. He hates chocolate.3. He hates me.Ash may be East Beach High’s valedictorian and captain of the water polo team, but to me, he’s always been a grade-A jerk.Now, I'm taking on a project to help a local preschool, and guess who shows up to plan the fundraiser?Yup. Him.It doesn't make any sense. Why would Ash help someone he hates so much? And why does my heart race every time he’s near?XOXO, Piper is the first book in the East Beach High Series. Fans of enemies-to-lovers, first love, romantic grand gestures, and donut puns will adore this sweet novel.

Dancing Through the Snow


Té Russ - 2019
     Bonus throwback holiday short from 2016 included! Interior designer Noel Kendricks has a strict rule about not getting involved with clients. But when it comes to Adam Byrd, Noel quickly realizes that getting a little naughty during the holidays can be quite nice.

Adorkable


Cookie O'Gorman - 2016
    For reference, see Sally Spitz.Seventeen-year-old Sally Spitz is done with dating. Or at least, she's done with the horrible blind dates/hookups/sneak attacks her matchmaking bestie, Hooker, sets her up on. There's only so much one geek girl and Gryffindor supporter can take.Her solution: she needs a fake boyfriend. And fast.Enter Becks, soccer phenom, all-around-hottie, and Sally's best friend practically since birth. When Sally asks Becks to be her F.B.F. (fake boyfriend), Becks is only too happy to be used. He'd do anything for Sal--even if that means giving her PDA lessons in his bedroom, saying she's "more than pretty," and expertly kissing her at parties.The problem: Sally's been in love with Becks all her life--and he's completely clueless.This book features two best friends, one special edition Yoda snuggie, countless beneath-the-ear kisses and begs the question:Who wants a real boyfriend when faking it is so much more fun?

A Christmas with Snow


Ellie Danes - 2017
    This time I got him. Christian Snow is off limits — he’s my best friends’ brother. Now we’re spending Christmas together. I would have run if I knew he was going to be there. There are reasons I can’t be with Christian, reasons why I shouldn’t even try. I’ve got a secret weighing on me, But all I can think about is unwrapping the perfect Christmas package. A Christmas with Snow is a hot and steamy holiday romance with plenty of love, romance and steam with a HEA you'll love

Locked in for Christmas


Lola Winters - 2020
    M. Claud's, one of Manhattan's largest department stores. For years they've loathed each other, and the fact that they're vying for the same promotion doesn't help their relationship. But when they accidentally get locked in the store on Christmas Eve, sparks will fly and they'll discover just how perfect they are for each other in this sweet holiday romance.

Snow in Love


Melissa de la Cruz - 2018
    What's better than one deliciously cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story? Four of them, from some of today's bestselling authors.From KASIE WEST, a snowy road trip takes an unexpected detour when secrets and crushes are revealed.From AIMEE FRIEDMAN, a Hanukkah miracle may just happen when a Jewish girl working as a department store elf finds love.From MELISSA DE LA CRUZ, Christmas Eve gets a plot twist when a high school couple exchange surprising presents.From NIC STONE, a scavenger hunt amid the holiday crowds at an airport turns totally romantic.So grab a mug of hot cocoa, snuggle up, and get ready to fall in love...

Snowed In


Rhoda Baxter - 2017
    Now she’s not sure what she is. Uncomfortable with people and burned out from overwork, she retreats to a rural village in Yorkshire to find peace and solitude over Christmas.After being dumped by the woman he was going to propose to, lawyer Vinnie is not intending to trust anyone with his heart again. All he wants is to be left alone.When Tracey gets caught in a blizzard, the only place she can take shelter is Vinnie’s cottage.Trapped together in the middle of nowhere, will they learn how to melt the walls they’ve built around themselves?Snowed In is a standalone novella in a series of contemporary romantic comedies set in the rural Yorkshire village of Trewton Royd. If you like small town romances, beta heroes and sparkling dialogue, you’ll love this book by award nominated author Rhoda Baxter. Read Snowed In today!

The Cure for Second Lead Syndrome


Amanda Abram - 2021
    Symptoms may include wanting to throw objects at the TV and losing all faith in true love.Bria Copeland is addicted to K-dramas. She loves the romance. She loves the drama. And most importantly, she loves the second leads: the secondary male characters who are secretly in love with the female leads. They’re nice. Sweet. Caring.But they never get the girl.It doesn’t make any sense!So, when Bria realizes her brother’s friend, Caleb Nichols, is a real-life second lead, she just has to intervene. Caleb has been hopelessly in love with his best friend, Paige, for years now. And if he doesn’t act fast, he might lose her to the hot new surfer guy from California.Bria knows this plot well, and she knows exactly how the story will end.Unless she can rewrite it.When she proposes an idea to Caleb—to transform him into a male lead—he thinks she’s crazy. Maybe she is, but Bria is sure the plan will work. All they have to do is recreate some of the most clichéd scenes from K-dramas and Paige will be falling for him in no time!The only problem?If she's not careful, Bria may just end up falling for the second lead herself.

Curvy Girls Can't Date Quarterbacks


Kelsie Stelting - 2020
    I’m sick of hearing about it, especially since my doctor diagnosed me with PCOS. So when Mean Girl Merritt shot her mouth off about how fat people should just lose weight, I couldn’t take it anymore.And now I’ve got a huge problem. To prove curvy girls like me can get happily-ever-afters too, I have to get our school’s quarterback, Beckett Langley, to take me to homecoming. And he doesn’t know I even exist.But it’s not hopeless. Four other girls just like me are willing to help, because enough is enough.I will not lose this bet.

Twelfth Knight


Jessica Bucher - 2019
     Violet Noble loves a good challenge. That’s why her parents were so insistent on getting her and her twin brother, Sebastian, a scholarship to Shelfbrooke Academy. But when Sebastian bails on the plan, Violet is left alone in a strange land of rich kids and hot rugby players. When Violet discovers the academy’s online gossip forum, she finds the courage to comment... under her brother’s profile. Before she knows it, she's giving dating advice to the captain of the rugby team, Owen Duke, and flirting with his beautiful ex-girlfriend, Lily Thorn. Now, Violet is falling for Owen, and Lily is falling for fake-Sebastian, and everyone is miserable. Can Violet clean up the mess she’s made... and somehow keep her new friends in the process? Twelfth Knight is a modern retelling of the classic Shakespeare comedy. It’s the first book in the Shelfbrooke Academy series, a collection of retellings that promise to be a lot more fun than the originals!