Amazon Original Stories, an imprint of Amazon Publishing, is back with a brand new collection of short stories to kick off your holiday reading. There are four short stories by best-selling authors and all are available now.
These stories are not available in print – only in digital or audio format.
They are available on Amazon and if you are a Prime member – they are free!
Click here for links to the stories – and you’ll also find past holiday stories, too.
MODEL HOME by J. Courtney Sullivan
Not happy? No problem. Fake it. From New York Times bestselling author J. Courtney Sullivan comes a sharp-witted short story about the reality of reality TV.
Judging by the popularity of her home-makeover show, Katie has it all: a sweet-natured husband, Damian, as her cohost; adorable tween daughters; a designer mansion; and a just-folks appeal that has made the happy couple home-renovation royalty. Out of the spotlight, it’s a different story. Katie’s marriage is disintegrating, her spoiled daughters despise her, and her money can’t do anything to repair her personal problems—or her professional ones.
With a contract up for renewal and Damian ready to bail, Katie can kiss her artificial world goodbye too. But if there’s one thing a pro like Katie knows how to do, it’s negotiate.
IF THE FATES ALLOW by Rainbow Rowell
After a long, lonely year, two people stumble toward each other in this holiday short story by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Fangirl.
Social distancing came easily to Reagan. Maybe a little too easily. She’s always liked people better from afar. But Reagan doesn’t want her grandpa to be alone for Christmas this year—he’s already spent too much time on his own in 2020. So, she heads back to her hometown with a dish of holiday Jell-O salad, hoping they can have a little normalcy. Hoping it will be safe . . .
She isn’t expecting to run into the boy next door. Mason is all grown up now. He’s considerate. He’s funny. He doesn’t mind how prickly Reagan is—he maybe even likes it. And it makes Reagan feel like her defenses are falling. She needs her defenses, doesn’t she? In a time when six feet is close enough, how long can they keep their distance?
THE MARRIAGE TEST by Suzanne Redfearn
From the bestselling author of In an Instant comes a heartfelt short story about one couple’s journey to discover if there really is a secret ingredient to happily ever after before their upcoming holiday wedding.
When Ava Barnes’s boyfriend, Justin, proposes after a whirlwind romance, the young couple embarks on a quest that will test their love. For generations, engaged couples in Ava’s family have traveled into the Everglades to retrieve the egg of the magnificent frigate bird in order to bake it into a marriage cake. Those who succeed live happily ever after, while those who fail are destined for heartbreak. With Ava’s beloved grandmother gravely ill, never has the marriage tradition meant so much. Ava’s dream is to pass the test so her grandmother can attend Ava’s holiday wedding to the man she loves. Is there any test more challenging than a test of love?
OH. WHAT. FUN. by Chandler Baker
Everyone is home for the holidays, clamoring for all the Christmas cheer only their mother can whip up. They can already smell the chestnuts roasting—or is that Mom’s hair on fire? From a New York Times bestselling author of The Husbands and The Whisper Network comes a laugh-out-loud short story for any mom who’d rather wreck the halls.
Tyler, Channing, and Sammy Clauster have descended on their childhood home, with significant others and four-year-old twins in tow, for another good old-fashioned Christmas. Overwhelming holiday magic, as always, comes courtesy of their mom, Claire. They know she’s thrilled to cook, wrap gifts, decorate, accommodate, play games, overprepare every Christmas Eve Eve Eve tradition, and still let Dad be known as the Fun One. It’s her thing, right? Maybe the family should have paid closer attention. Because this year, something is a little off-key—and it’s not just the carols.
My thoughts:
What I love about collections like this is that it gives me the opportunity to try out new-to-me authors. I’ve read J. Courtney Sullivan and Suzanne Redfearn before, but I’ve never read anything by Rainbow Rowell and Chandler Baker, so these short stories were perfect for seeing what I thought of their writing style. Plus, who doesn’t love all the holiday reads they can get right now?
I did end up listening to these, and if you are a Prime member, you have the option of either reading or listening to these for free. They are all rather short, but still quite enjoyable, with my favorite being The Marriage Test, followed closely by If the Fates Allowed – mainly because of the jello salad. Oh how that cracked me up because my family used to make jello salads All. The. Time!
What do you think? Will you be reading or listening to these? Or have you done so already? Let me know if you do!
