Journalist Avery and photographer Gavin are sent on a road trip to do a Christmas story for their newspaper; as they travel with her 15yo son Eli towards Nowhere, Oklahoma, they face a series of complications and mishaps, only redeemed by good humor and new relationships.
Notes from July 2018:
Plot and Setting: 5 -- Plot is engaging from start to finish, incorporating many unique elements and skillfully wielding the elements of story. There are no major plot holes, and it has a good sense of focus. Sub-plots add to the overall cohesive whole. So many crazy mishaps could easily have become repetitive or ridiculous, but it didn't. A good mix of emotional depth with scenes that had me giggling madly, and all with a purpose. Great stuff. Setting and timeline are clear and consistent.
Characters: 5 -- Dynamic, relatable, realistic characters. The hurts and challenges that brought Gavin and Avery to where they are make them feel very real, and they interact with each other and with Eli with humor and love in the face of one difficulty after another. Minor characters are appropriately developed and have depth. Every person they interact with for any length of time has a distinct personality, and as Avery emulates Gavin's genuine interest in people, she (and we) learn their stories and see their humanity. The relationships between characters are varied, believable, and interesting.
Mechanics and Writing: 4.4 – Few typos, punctuation issues, or word errors. Errors are the type that interrupt my reading without seriously hindering understanding -- silly typos, missing or misplaced punctuation, homophone or compound word confusion, formatting issues, etc. Good use of POV. Alternates between Avery and Gavin, with one minor bit of head-hopping. Skillful writing that adds to the story.
Redeeming Value: 5 -- Completely clean -- no violence, substance abuse, sexual behavior, or crude language. It does mention that Avery got pregnant with Eli thanks to her duplicitous, manipulative college boyfriend, but it's also clear that that was a one-time mistake. Hints at mistakes and temptations in Gavin's past, too, but he is also set on making better choices now. Powerful, positive themes or lessons. As the characters open up to each other, they cover a range of deep topics, from his mom's illness and death (in which he felt he failed her by not being able to protect her, but Avery suggests that his devotion and love for her in her final days was a very real success) to her concerns about her son's faith (which Gavin suggests is something she can't do for Eli, but which Eli must practice doing for himself). And I loved the overall lesson on how God sometimes takes us the long way around for our own good.
Personal Enjoyment: 5
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