I just finished reading Almost Midnight by Rainbow Rowell. For the past several Christmases, I’ve read a Christmas book every December (this year I read two!). I originally wanted to read My True Love Gave to Me, but it was already in use at the library. I really wanted to reread “Midnights” again. I remembered that Ms. Rowell published a book which contained that book and another Christmas story, and this one was available at the library.
I don’t usually comment about a book’s cover, but Almost Midnight‘s photo online doesn’t do it justice. This book is gorgeous and sparkly (I read the hardback edition). Another thing to note about this book’s physical format is that it’s dimensions are smaller than your typical hardback–it’s about the same size as my Kindle Paperwhite.
There are two stories in this book, “Midnights” and “Kindred Spirits”.
“Midnights”: This was the whole reason I checked out this book. It’s the story about Mags and Noel, who meet at a New Year’s Eve party when Mags is 15. Over the years, they become best friends and slowly fall in love. Every year, they hang out with each other until midnight… and someone else kisses Noel. It’s their first year of college. Noel was away at Notre Dame and Mags stayed in Oklahoma. She absolutely can’t handle watching him kiss another girl at midnight this year. Well… I won’t tell you what happens, but this story makes me happy cry.
“Kindred Spirits”: This was the first year I’ve read this story. Elena is a huge Star Wars fan, and she decides to get in line to wait for The Force Awakens to release. Coincidentally, the book’s climax takes place 4 years ago to this date. She and two other strangers wait outside the movie theater for four days. It’s not exactly what Elena was expecting. There’s a twist that occurs towards the end that I wasn’t expecting. This story has a great ending too.
This book is illustrated, and the illustrations are really cute. I love how the artist, Simini Blocker, captured the characters.
Both of these stories were wonderful and I would definitely read them again (even though I’ve already read “Midnights” three times now). They’re beautiful stories and Ms. Rowell definitely captures the hearts of these teens in this story.
However, this book is nearly $10 for two stories. Unless you really love the illustrations, it might make more sense to buy My True Love Gave to Me and then buy a used copy of “Kindred Spirits” in Paperback or on the Kindle. My True Love Gave to Me is currently $9.22 on the Kindle or $11.49 in paperback (or less for a used hardback), and you can get “Kindred Spirits” for $2.99 on the Kindle. For just a little bit more you get both of these stories plus several other amazing holiday stories. Definitely read these Christmas stories someday, but they’re available in more than one format and this may not be the best bang for your reading dollar.