For the Rest of Us: 13 Festive Holiday Stories to Celebrate All Seasons
edited by Dahlia Adler
HarperCollins
Published September 2, 2025
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About For the Rest of Us: 13 Festive Stories to Celebrate All Seasons
Fourteen acclaimed authors showcase the beautiful and diverse ways holidays are observed in this festive anthology. Keep the celebrations going all year long with this captivating and joyful read!
From Lunar New Year to Solstice, Día de Los Muertos to Juneteenth, and all the incredible days in between, it’s clear that Americans don’t just have one holiday. Edited by the esteemed Dahlia Adler and authored by creators who have lived these festive experiences firsthand, this joyful collection of stories shows that there isn’t one way to experience a holiday.
With stories by:
Dahlia Adler, Sydney Taylor Honor winner of Going Bicoastal.
Candace Buford, author of Good as Gold.
A. R. Capetta and Cory McCarthy, authors of the Once & Future series.
Preeti Chhibber, author of Payal Mehta’s Romance Revenge Plot.
Natasha Díaz, award-winning author of Color Me In.
Kelly Loy Gilbert, Stonewall Book Award winning author of Picture Us in the Light.
Kosoko Jackson, USA Today bestselling author of The Forest Demands Its Due.
Aditi Khorana, award-winning author of Mirror in the Sky.
Katherine Locke, award-winning author of This Rebel Heart.
Abdi Nazemian, Stonewall Book Award–winning author of Only This Beautiful Moment.
Laura Pohl, New York Times bestselling author of The Grimrose Girls.
Sonora Reyes, Pura Belpré Honor winner of The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School.
Karuna Riazi, contributor to The Grimoire of Grim Fates.
My Review
At this point, I’m pretty conditioned to expect great things when I see an anthology edited by Dahlia Adler, and this one does not disappoint! I opened the book without clocking which authors had stories included, so it was a joyful experience every time I turned the page to start another story and spotted an author I love. A few of the authors included in the collection are new to me, but I’ll be on the lookout for more stories from them, too.
I love that the collection is organized as if we’re moving through the Gregorian calendar. It made me feel as if I read through an entire year upon completing the collection. The stories are well-balanced in terms of welcoming readers into the traditions and practices of each holiday while delivering an engaging story. Sometimes the stories played on the themes of the holiday, while others framed life experiences through the lens of the holiday. Some stories are funy and upbeat while others are contemplative.
One of my favorites is Sonora Reyes’ short story about Día de Los Muertos. They use the story to explore how celebrating this holiday might be challenging for families whose loved ones died in difficult circumstances. Reyes deftly brings focus to how stigmatizing people who died with mental illness can further isolate and shame people. Their story shows the power of finding ways to cherish the good things about a lost loved one, even when it’s painful or complicated.
Readers who are curious about other holiday celebrations or eager to see their own traditions celebrated on the page will enjoy this collection.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 15 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. One scene implies a sexual encounter happened in a break between scenes.
Spiritual Content
The collection includes cultural and spiritual celebrations, including Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, Holi, Nowruz, Eid, Passover, Juneteenth, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Diwali, Día de Los Muertos, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.
Violent Content
One story contains references to death and suicide. Another includes a survivor of gun violence and a brief reference to what happened.
Drug Content
One story includes teens drinking alcohol.
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