Saturday, December 12, 2015

The Christmas Joy Ride: A Book Review

**Book received for review. All thoughts are my own.

If there is one thing that I know very well, it's road trips... more specifically, Christmas road trips! You see, for the first six years of our marriage, we lived across the country from all of our friends and family. And every year at Christmastime we would back up our vehicle and make that drive from California to Indiana/Illinois. Yes, many of my Christmas memories are tied up in those road trips we made throughout the years. Mostly, I look back on them fondly, but if there is one thing I've learned about holiday road trip is that- good or bad- they are always exciting! Much like the story in Melody Carlson's new book, The Christmas Joy Ride:



Miranda did not put adventure on her Christmas list, but thanks to her eighty-five-year-old neighbor Joy, that's exactly what she's getting this year. When Joy tells Miranda that she plans to drive an old RV decked out in Christmas decorations from their Chicago neighborhood to her new retirement digs in Phoenix--in the dead of winter, no less--the much younger Miranda insists that Joy cannot make such a trip by herself. Unemployed and facing foreclosure, Miranda feels she has nothing to lose by packing a bag and heading off with Joy toward Route 66. But Joy has a hidden agenda for their Christmas joyride--one that could derail the whole venture.

No one captures the heartwarming fun of the Christmas season quite like Melody Carlson. Fasten your seat belt, because it's going to be an exciting ride!


Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than two hundred books with combined sales of more than six million. She is the author of the bestselling The Christmas Bus, The Christmas Dog, Christmas at Harrington's, and The Christmas Cat. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series and Finding Alice. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at www.melodycarlson.com.


I first became a fan of Melody Carlson back in high school. Her series Diary of a Teenage Girl and True Colors were among my favorites. They were real and relevant to teenagers. It wasn't sugar coated or watered down, but they truly talked about the issues that teenagers faced in a way that teenagers got. It was really hard not to fall in love with her books then. Now that I'm older, I have to say that I love her adult books just as much- if not more- than those young adult favorites! They are wonderful and have a way of drawing the reader right into the story.

Christmas Joy Ride truly is a fun, must read book this holiday season- full of the excitement and adventure that every Christmas road trip should bring...and great reading for your own road trip too! I could not help but fall in love with these characters, and wanting to read more and more! If you're looking for a good Christmas read, look no further!

It is available to purchase now at your favorite Christian book retailers.

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