Paperback, 272 pages
Published October 2006 by Ballantine Books
Dates read: Dec. 25-29, 2015
This is the only book I can recall reading that takes place around Christmas time that I read during the same time of year. It's a quick read by one of my favorite authors so I decided to give a shot to try meeting my reading challenge goal for 2015, despite the negative reviews and ratings I saw.
Since it's been two years since I've read this book, I am a little fuzzy on the details. What I do remember is that I was shocked by the sudden turn of events halfway through the book. I won't spoil the events because it was spoiled for me when I read a review. When reading my brief review on Goodreads, I mention that I think it made sense considering what happened a few pages before the plot twist. Then, fast forward to the ending where I was thinking "really?" because it just didn't seem all that plausible or realistic given what details Kristin Hannah provided, or didn't provide, throughout the book. Perhaps the holiday spirit is what propelled this story into being a warm-feel-good type book rather than realistic.
This story centers around Joy Candellaro, a recent divorcee who used to love Christmas more than any other time of the year. She's having difficulty mustering the enthusiasm she used to have for the holiday, and impulsively decides to buy a plane ticket to the Pacific Northwest and leave without telling anyone. Amidst a sudden turn of events, she ends up deep in the Olympic rainforest and decides to not return to her old life.
Deep in the rainforest, she meets Daniel and Bobby O'Shea. At six-years-old, Bobby closes himself to the rest of the world as he is unable to process the loss of his mother, especially now as his first Christmas without her approaches. Daniel is grieving in his own way and is at a loss for how to help his son cope, and is especially struggling with Bobby only speaking to his invisible friend. The three of them have a deep chemistry connection and are able to help each other heal through their shared similar heartache.
Then suddenly, their lives are ripped apart and hearts are broken again. As the Goodreads description reads, "On a magical Christmas Eve, a night of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, Joy must find the courage to believe in a love -- and a family -- that can't possible exist, and go in search of what she wants . . . and the new life only she can find."
My rating is 4 out of 5, which means that I enjoyed the book, I didn't quite love it. I would still recommend it though, especially to those who enjoy a good love story (albeit unlikely or unrealistic) set during Christmas-time. While it's not Kristin Hannah's usual style, based on Firefly Lane and The Nightingale, I still enjoyed and recommend this Christmas themed heartbreak story with a happy ending.
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