Merrily Yours by Jessica Marie Holt

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

Merrily Yours: An ’80s Christmas Novella by Jessica Marie Holt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s almost time for June, a busy wife and mother who strives for perfection, to put on one of her popular Christmas parties. But her cranky next-door neighbor, Mr. Krantz, seems determined to target June with the opposite of Christmas cheer. So June teams up with her friend Ellie to take action against one of Mr. Krantz’s most bothersome doings in Merrily Yours by author Jessica Marie Holt.

Confession: I haven’t read any of the four preceding books in The Granny Pact series yet. Jumping into this Christmas novella, a decidedly ’80s throwback tale, was a leap of faith for me, given that I’ve really enjoyed short works by this author before.

While the first half or so of the read didn’t really grip me, it’s possible I would’ve been more interested in the small details and simple happenings if I’d already been acquainted with the main characters and their families.

But I got much more into the story in the second half, particularly as it became all the more Christmassy and different aspects of the story started coming together. And a specific turning point along with the incorporation of what June eventually comes to realize—I found it so compelling. This fun little read isn’t simplistic holiday fluff.

Now, the moderate amount of incorrect or otherwise missing punctuation was somewhat distracting for me. It wasn’t enough to make me stop reading, though.

So now that I’ve had this inspiring jump into the series, I’ll later be going backwards in books (but forward in time!) to read more.

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The Granny Pact Series

Lost and Found by Jessica Marie Holt

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

Lost and Found by Jessica Marie Holt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loss.
Grief.
Compassion.
Wisdom.
Changes of heart.

Hope.

Yes, Lost and Found by author Jessica Marie Holt is only about thirty pages long. But by no means is it a light, thin, or simplistic tale.

This powerful story is as contemplative, understated, and lovely as its book cover, with a depth of emotion and understanding. The few characters feel like real, ordinary people, experiencing the painful and beautiful wonder that is life. Life that goes on.

I never say anything too specific about the events in this author’s short stories. I really couldn’t do the plots justice without giving too much away. But I can’t recommend her short stories enough, especially to fans of serious, substantive, and ultimately uplifting fiction.

As I’ve said before, this author is one of the best short story writers I’ve found. And maybe one of these days I’ll get through one of her quick reads without crying.

Just maybe.

Not in the Plans by Jessica Marie Holt

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

Not in the Plans: A Christmas Novella by Jessica Marie Holt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Jackson worked hard to arrive at this place that would be perfect for raising a family, but he hadn’t banked on having no family to raise. Emory is doing her best to hold together the broken pieces of her life for the sake of her little boy. And both Jackson and Emory may be in for a Christmas that’s…Not in the Plans by author Jessica Marie Holt.

From the start, I was so drawn to this novella’s cover. A bright red door decorated for Christmas: simple but vibrant, striking, and festive all by itself, with clear, white typography that takes a prominent place without getting too fancy.

Oddly enough, Emory’s mother turned out to be the character I liked most in this story. She’s got some “oomph” to her. Besides that, the read was pretty slow for me in places and could have used more originality, including where a lot of the romantic phrases and descriptions are concerned.

Even so, I enjoyed the climax the most, and although this tale held no surprises for me, it’s the kind of wholesome love story that makes for comfortable reading, especially at Christmastime—or any time when a dose of holiday warmth is in order.

Just Before Dawn by Jessica Marie Holt

Book reviews are subjective. I tend to rate books not according to how “perfect” they are, seem to be, or are said to be in general but rather to how perfect they are to me.

Just Before Dawn: A Short Story by Jessica Marie Holt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jesse and Grace’s happy marriage shifted when tragedy struck, and positive news might not bring an easy fix for the couple in Just Before Dawn by author Jessica Marie Holt.

This makes the sixth work of short fiction I’ve enjoyed by this author so far. While I found this one labeled as a short story, I’d say it’s a novelette at least.

And it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, given that I didn’t read the blurb beforehand. Although Grace graces the book cover of the edition I got, the story comes from Jesse’s point of view, and it takes a real, pretty nuanced look at depression without being too dismal a read. It has a smidgen of humor and some sweet moments, but it isn’t sugary, and I must say I even found it slightly disturbing at times, which works in favor of the plot.

Now, there’s one character I never fully made heads or tails of, and I think some rushed development in a key area didn’t serve that character well. Also, a few punctuation errors were a bit distracting here and there, particularly some extra quotation marks popping up in the wrong spots.

Nevertheless, this was a satisfying read overall, and it’ll be nice to see what happens in the sequel. (I won’t be reading that blurb beforehand either.)

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The Unsung Legacies Series