The Christmas Note by Donna VanLiere ~ review

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (October 25, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312658966
• ISBN-13: 978-0312658960

A copy of this book was provided by Booksneeze for review.

About the book:

From author of The Christmas Hope series, which has enthralled millions of readers, comes a new inspirational novel about an unlikely friendship between two women, but one that will change each of their lives forever.
Gretchen Daniels has recently moved into an apartment with her two children to be closer to her mother, Miriam. She and her children are building a life together in a new community when a mysterious young woman, Melissa McCreary, moves into the apartment next to them. 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, 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 she has a brother and a sister that she never knew about. Even more shocking, she begins to uncover family secrets that show her who she really is. Can two very different women embark on a journey that explores a long-buried need for forgiveness, hope, and redemption?


My take on this book:
 Gretchen Daniels and her two children Ethan age six and Emma age eight move into a condo to be close to Gretchen's mom Miriam ,who lives just three blocks away.Gretchen is just waiting for the day when her husband Kyle return home after being injured overseas while serving in the army. They meet their next door neighbor Melissa, who seems to keep to herself. After living for one day in the condo the landlord shows up at Gretchen's door looking for Melissa with the message that her mother has passed away and he is giving her one week to clear out her mothers apartment. Gretchen offers to help Melissa with the task and finds a note written to Melissa from her mother, a mother whom Melissa didn't have a very good relationship with. The note Gretchen finds will change Melissa's life, and the friendship that forms between the two women becomes something they both need.


While I would consider "The Christmas Note" a novella, that I was able to read in just a few hours, it wasn't short on story or characters, and the Christian message of God's faithfulness really touched me. There were so many things to like about this story, the characters were easy to connect with, and Gretchen's story of looking for a job as well as missing her husband was very easy to imagine, and also was very timely. I liked the way the author allowed us not to only get the point of view of Gretchen but also allowed us to experience Melissa's thoughts and feelings as well.
If you enjoy stories that will put you in the mood for the holidays, filled with love, faith and finding forgiveness then your going to want to read this one. This is the first book that I have read by this author but this story has me wanting to read all of her work. Highly recommended!


*A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review*