Comfort & Joy

The book starts off with a fantastic premise that should interest most readers. Joy's sister slept with her husband (now ex) and then Sis has the absolute fucking gall to invite Joy to her wedding (to said ex!!!) Feeling pretty terrible (as you can imagine) Joy decides to 'run away' and has quite the experience that readers should enjoy reading about. I know I did. Yes, it requires a slight suspension of belief, but it was still fun to read. Then, bam! There's a pretty big surprise at the end, but don't worry, it gets better. I was rather satisfied with it overall.

But what made me drop the rating to a 2 was the fact that Joy just forgave her sister. Bam, just like that, let's sweep it all under the rug. That will let Sis and ex-hubby show more think that what they did to her really was no big deal, and it makes light of adultery. There are some things that should never be done especially when it's your own god damn sister's husband, or your own god damn wife's sister, and when Joy forgave them, she was just this... doormat. Whoop dee doo. I was terribly disappointed in that after seeing her character develop so nicely before. show less

Heartbroken after her husband falls in love with her sister, who is now pregnant with his child, Joy Candellaro impulsively decides to leave town right before Christmas and hops on a plane to Canada to get away. But her plane crashes and Joy wanders away only to end up at a fishing lodge owned by Daniel O'Shea, who has a young son, Bobby. Joy immediately bonds with Bobby who is still dealing with his mother's tragic death. She doesn't bond as easily with Daniel who has problems of his own - he was divorced from Bobby's mother and is struggling to establish a relationship with his young son. But just when Joy thinks she might be falling in love with Daniel, she is pulled away from them and has to fight her way back. While trying to do show more so, she begins to realize that things aren't what they seem and she begins to question what is and what isn't real. But in her heart, she knows she needs to find Daniel and Bobby before she'll be whole again.

"Comfort and Joy" is a unique type or romance and while it doesn't quite work in the end, Kristen Hannah deserves a lot of credit for attempting it. Joy is a believable heroine, devastated and needing to get away after the betrayal of her husband and sister. Bobby is very cute and very real, prone to having imaginary friends and seeing his dead mother, he very much needs loving parents. Unfortunately, not only because the book is from Joy's viewpoint but because of the whole premise of the book, Daniel is never a fully developed character and the romance between him and Joy never really worked for me. The book is divided into two parts and the second section goes in a totally different, Sixth Sense type of direction that may take readers off guard. It wasn't until I reread certain parts of the book that I realized how cleverly Hannah devised certain plot lines (like the way Joy was able to play games with Bobby and Daniel and a phone call she made) and how she placed little hints as to what was going on. Again, it ultimately didn't work, but it was a good attempt and well done. show less

A fable for adults.

Joy is having a bad year. Her mother has died. She is recently divorced. She just cannot face Christmas, which was once her favorite holiday. She decides she needs a change of scenery, NOW. So, she goes to the airport and buys a last-minute ticket on a charter flight to Canada. Joy winds up at a lakeside resort where a young boy and his father are also reeling from the loss of their mother/wife.

Can love – not romance, but love – heal? Can faith and hope see us through? How far would you go to follow a dream?

I found this a rather strange tale. I kept letting reality get in the way of just enjoying the magical realism of the story. And yet, I grew invested in Joy and Bobby and Daniel. And was cheering for them all show more to find a happy ending. Yes, it’s sappy. But who cares? Warms the heart on a cold winter’s day. show less

An interesting premise, but really quite unbelievable. After the 'twist', I had to go back and read some parts over and still finished this book in one evening, so it's a very quick read. It could do with a bit more fleshing out, really, and the ending was very pat and abrupt and I didn't believe it for one second. Magical realism is fine when character motivations and consistency are believable. I'm more willing to accept the 'supernatural' element of this book than the 'love' between the two characters.

Okay. So.... How do I put this nicely? I just didn't like this book.

Kristin Hannah's book The Nightingale put me on a trajectory to try to read as many books of hers as I can. Thankfully, this wasn't the first book I read or I might have been running away.

This is set up to look like a Hallmark Christmas love story, but instead it features a woman who is far too forgiving over a sister who slept with her husband is now pregnant (when our lead desperately wanted a baby), and a mystery that is far more fantastical but isn't really hinted at throughout the book.

Honestly... This was almost a DNF and I started kind of "not reading" the book. I was reading, but I don't think I was all that present for a bit. I would hardly call it a romance, show more but it hints a romance may pop up soon... Honestly, this book was mismarketed. Severely so.

Two out of five stars. At least it was readable. show less

This wonderful book is a classic example of the enormously touching and thought-provoking stories that are Hannah's specialty. The warmth and complexities of these characters grab hold of you.

Newly divorced and estranged from her sister, Joy is ready for a change, especially as the Christmas season approaches. She makes a spur of the moment decision and boards a small plane for Hope, a rural town. As her luck would have it, the plane crashes. She survives and limps away. Not ready to give up on her solo adventure, she finds a room in a rundown lodge and meets an unhappy little boy and his concerned father. Don’t try to guess where this headed, you won’t even be close. The main characters are delightful, especially the little boy, and it’s a well thought-out plot. It’s a wonderful Christmas tale, full of the magic of the season, and sure to give readers a warm, fuzzy feeling when they finish the book. I just wish the show more ending had been a little less abrupt, or had been followed by an epilogue. show less