This stand-alone follow-up to Falling Like Leaves (2025), which centered on Ellis, follows Sloane, who loves wintertime but tries to avoid painful memories of her late father, who shared her enthusiasm for Christmas. Sloane’s mom, the mayor of Bramble Falls, surprises everyone by deciding to capitalize on the town’s popularity—videos of the Falling Leaves Festival have gone viral—and throw a Falling Snow Festival. When Mom pressures Sloane to help with the frantic, last-minute plans—dooming the New York getaway—she teams up with her best friend, the unconditionally supportive constant in her life, Asher Yoshida. After a meet-cute in which Sloane sleds into hockey star Micah Cook, her feelings for both boys complicate the festive season. Romance fans will swoon over the thoughtful and elaborate lengths Asher goes to in expressing his feelings for Sloane. Sloane’s fear of ruining their friendship and her grief over the loss of her father are palpable. The loving, joking interactions among Sloane’s friend group add dimension to the story, and readers will delight in the movie references woven throughout. They’ll also cheer Sloane as she figures out her feelings. Most central characters are cued white, and Asher is white and Japanese American.