Ratings1
Average rating4
Donna VanLiere's Christmas books have enthralled millions of readers. Now she delivers a new inspirational novel about an unlikely friendship between two women—a friendship that will change each of their lives forever. Gretchen Daniels has recently moved into a condo with her two children to be closer to her mother, Miriam. As they build a life together in their new community, they notice a mysterious young woman, Melissa McCreary, who lives next door. She has few possessions, little personality, and keeps to herself. One day a local landlord who is looking for Melissa knocks on Gretchen's door for assistance. Melissa's mother has died and in the coming weeks the landlord needs Melissa to empty her mother's apartment. Gretchen reaches out and offers to help Melissa, but the apartment is a gut-wrenching shamble of a home. There is little worth saving except for a few photos and a note that is discovered on the crate beside the bed. It is unfinished, but in the two scribbled lines, Melissa discovers secrets about her family that she never could have imagined. Can two very different women embark on a journey that explores a long-buried need for forgiveness, hope, and redemption?
Featured Series
9 primary books10 released booksChristmas Hope is a 10-book series with 9 primary works first released in 2001 with contributions by Donna VanLiere.
Reviews with the most likes.
One of those books that escaped my reviewing for almost an entire year....thanks to a friend's rating and review, I realized I'd never marked this as read. I actually enjoyed this Christmas story last year!
It wasn't the greatest story ever, but the relationships felt authentic and interesting. The writing is stilted or weak at times, sometimes as though too much was being told within a paragraph for the actions to be shown...perhaps this was done for space, since it is a novella length work.
The family that came and landscaped the MC's yard, as she was gone, designs her new lawn...that was kind of weird. It didn't seem that her family knew her quite that well, but did it without checking on what her plans were. Not something my family, close as we are, would be free to do for each other. Also, the continued question of what her husband's actual prognosis was kept getting pushed back to the very end of the book. In fact, for a good portion of the story, I got the impression she was a widow.
All that said, though, it is a sweet Christmas tale with a good lesson and some nice festive activity. :)