Winter’s Kiss is an omnibus featuring two young adult novels: The Ex Games (2009) by Jennifer Echols and The Twelve Dates of Christmas (2008) by Catherine Hapka.
The Ex Games is a love story about highschoolers Hayden and Nick. In 7th grade, Nick’s friends dare him to take Hayden on a date. Now, four years later, Nick and Hayden are “just friends” but have amazing chemistry. When they compete against one another in a major snowboarding contest, their friendship gets heated and they finally give in to their feelings.
In The Twelve Dates of Christmas, the studious Lexi has been dating Cameron for most of her teenage years. Cameron is incredibly loving, caring, supportive, and polite. But Lexi is ambitious and has her sights set on college. She can’t stay with Cameron if he remains behind in their hometown after graduation. Lexi stages a breakup by encouraging Cameron to date other girls so he can move on without grief. When he starts dating the cute and bubbly new girl in town, Lexi starts second-guessing her decisions.
Winter’s Kiss is definitely YA all the way through and doesn’t cross over to the adult genre like some of these books do. Both stories make for light reading, but The Ex Games is far more intense than The Twelve Dates of Christmas, which is more comical. The Ex Games will probably be fun for sporty chicks who enjoy snowboarding or skiing. The Twelve Dates of Christmas might be more fun for studious girls who enjoy science and psychology.
Other books by Jennifer Echols include:
- The One That I Want (2011)
- Such a Rush (2012)
- Dirty Little Secret (2013)
What are your favorite YA love stories, and which ones do you recommend?
Last Updated on December 26, 2025 by Sarah Ann
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