For December, I thought I would be basic and choose a holiday theme for the books I read.
Kicking the theme off (for me) is Christmas Joy by Nancy Naigle. (This book would actually be a nice transition, IF I had watched the Hallmark Channel's movie. Which I did not. If anyone happened to be around Tuesday, December 4th, Hallmark did show the movie! Totally not a sponsored shoutout. The Hallmark Channel doesn’t know this blog exists. Haha)
I found out about this book when I was looking up holiday books. Never heard of it until then. I've never read anything by Nancy Naigle either before this book.
This book did skew my schedule for December. Mainly because it took forever and a day to read.
I found this book to be one that was painfully boring. There was nothing that grabbed at my attention and held it. Once I was done reading it, it promptly was donated to the book nook at work.
Christmas Joy is about a woman (who is around my age?) named Joy (shocker). Joy is go-getter, hard working marketing research analyst. She's always putting her job first before her family. Joy's only surviving relative, her aunt Ruby falls and break her ankle. An injury that requires surgery! Due to the extent of Ruby's injury, Joy goes down to North Carolina to be with her.
Like any good Christmas story, there is turmoil! Ruby's injury happens weeks before the annual Cookie Crawl!! (Oh nooooo!) But it's a good thing that Joy will be coming down. Ideally, she'll be able to help decorate Ruby's house and work with the handyman Ben.
I think that this is the point in the book where I became TRULY annoyed with Joy and the entire scenario.
Instead of accepting the help from someone who is aware of the efforts and the demands that are associated with decorating and prepping for the cookie crawl; Joy decides that she's able to do everything all on her own and that she doesn't any help from Ben.
Of course, while she's struggling to deal with her past and what's going on in the now- she has several epiphanies! All of which Joy basically fights- she accepts them but then she fights Ben still.
The book was just boring (Ugh. It wasn't even boring because Ben was an accountant.) There wasn't a spark between them. There wasn't any development between Ben and Joy as characters. Then out of nowhere, Joy's ex-boyfriend, Todd shows up! The book also just abruptly ended.
I am confidently going to give this book 2.5 coffee beans out of 5. I feel like that rating is rather unfair but I just could NOT stand it. I could not stand Joy. She was self described as being stubborn. I just don't feel like that was the best way to describe her? That really would not be the adjective that I would choose to use.
Joy's attitude really ruined the book for me. As silly as that may sound.
I wish everyone a Happy Holidays!
~ Jillian
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