Book Review: Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah

Book: 179

Rating: 3/5

Kristin Hannah is one of my favourite authors so it pains me to give one of her books a three star review.

Joy is gearing up to spend her first Christmas as a divorced woman; the first one since she saw her husband in bed with her sister. On a whim, she decides to board a flight for Hope, British Columbia, and after some brutal turbulence the plane crashes. A bit shaken up and disheveled from the crash, Joy still wants a temporary escape from her real life. She avoids the rescue efforts and finds herself in a picturesque small town where she ends up staying at a small local inn. Befriending Bobby, the nine-year-old who's father owns the inn, Joy bonds with him; teaching Bobby how to read and keeping him occupied during the Christmas season as it's his first Christmas without his mom.

There is much more to the story, but I don't want to give anything away. One of the reasons I enjoyed the second half more was because of a plot point that took me a bit by surprise... and dare I say the use of some Christmas magic?!

I thought the writing was great, but I really struggled with liking Joy. I definitely can't relate to her situation; and maybe because I tend to gravitate towards more light and uplifting holiday stories, this one didn't do it for me. This one is a short read, clocking in at around 250 pages, so if you're a fan of Hannah's or don't need your Christmas books to be light, give this one a read.