Mint to Be (Scratch & Sniff Cover Edition)

It is an amazing book

I loved this author's previous book, *Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice*, but this one just didn’t really sing to my peppermint mocha-loving soul. It’s a cute story about a teenage couple who grew up together and eventually... what do the kids say these days? Oh yes, they caught feelings for each other—yet were incapable of saying the words out loud. Ugh. Not to go off on a tangent here, but this might be the main reason I don’t love romance. These reasonably intelligent people are always jumping to conclusions and suffering in silence when all their problems could be solved with a single conversation!Sorry, I digressed. So yeah, this is a case of “it is what it is.” I can’t get too upset with a book that follows the same old romance tropes: miscommunication, friends-to-lovers, annoying internal tantrums, passive-aggressive behaviors, etcetera, etcetera. I think this book could have been exponentially improved with a subplot outside of the romance. It needs a mystery to solve, or a mom-and-pop store to be saved, or perhaps a big peppermint mocha barista challenge in the town square! I just needed something else to move the story along.Also, I’m just wondering why these two think they could ever make it work. Our protagonist, Emma, has a zest for travel and adventure. She can’t get out of that small town fast enough and yearns to attend a college as far away as possible. Aiden, on the other hand, loves his life in Briar Glen and has no desire to move—which is TOTALLY FAIR! I don’t know if the moral of the story is to accept change and leave everything that makes you happy just for the sake of progress. But I don’t think these two should be together. As the kids say, that’s my “hot take.”Maybe I’m just not a big Emma fan. She brought her new boyfriend to her hometown without even giving Aiden a heads-up? I mean... who does that? Rude. It would be best for everyone if she went back to her fancy boarding school and pursued her path so Aiden can live his best life in Briar Glen.Although I didn’t love the romance, I did enjoy the Christmassy sights of Briar Glen and the little cameos from characters in the previous book. I would love another book about the coffee shop. Just putting that out there, Miss Katie Cicatelli-Kuc!

The cover came ripped

3.5 stars. This was a cute story and a quick read. Grab some peppermint hot chocolate, settle into a cozy chair, and get lost in Briar Glen for a while. Be sure to give Mackerel some chin scratches while you're at it.Emma and Aiden were both endearing characters. I enjoyed learning about their friendship, all the ways they've been there for each other since childhood, and how they're navigating this new phase of that friendship.I liked the flashback story structure, however, it was a bit jarring to have them in third-person while present day was all in first-person. Once I got used to it though, it didn't bother me as much.Overall, a good read and perfect for the holiday season!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic Inc. for the opportunity to read Mint To Be by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc.I think this has cute winter vibes for the season. The angst between Emma, Aiden and Sam is the main focus of the story and the winter vibes is the back drop. The dual timelines doesn’t really add much to the story, I believe it would have been better as a novella. This is every bit of YA. If you’re looking for a Winter YA, this is the book for you.