My Thoughts:
This whole
book just made me smile. I fell in love with Joy the moment we were introduced
to her. She is an older lady who is moving to Phoenix to live near her
children. What she fails to tell her neighbor, Miranda, is that she has some
health issues that are prompting the move. Instead she “guilts” Miranda into
joining her on an RV adventure across the country.
Personally,
I think a few weeks in a motorhome on the open road sounds amazing, so this
story really spoke to me and made me a little jealous of the characters and
their freedom to simply move across the country on their own timeline.
Miranda has
been through some tough years in her life, but I love how she cares for Joy and
treats her like family. It is obvious that the bond between the two ladies is
very close and so heart-warming.
As the
Christmas Joy Ride gets underway, it becomes very obvious that Joy has a very
specific plan in mind. Miranda is simply along for the ride. But we also
quickly learn that Joy is very aware of things that could take place along the
trip and has made provisions for such events. Her detailed planning and motives
are some of the sweetest I’ve seen in so long.
I love these
characters. I love this setting. I love this story. And I especially love the
perfectly happy ending that we get at the close of this book. This is a
must-read for your Christmas season.
Melody
Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them
Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book,
The Christmas Bus.
She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.
Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.
