Melody Carlson’s “The Christmas Joy Ride” is a sweet and delightful tale that will leave you with a smile on your face.
Joy Jorgenson, 85, is moving to live nearer her sons in Phoenix. She convinces her 37-year-old neighbor, Miranda, who has been down on her luck recently, to join Joy on a “Christmas Joy Ride” from Chicago to Phoenix in her Christmas-decorated RV.
Joy, who writes a Christmas blog, is planning on making six stops to reward her readers with Christmas cheer — a nursing home, a diner owner with a Down’s syndrome daughter, a hair salon owner battling cancer, a family caring for six foster children, an addiction rehabilitation center, and a young girl whose family hasn’t celebrated Christmas since her mother died when she was 3.
Carlson takes you on a fun-filled journey as Joy and Miranda spread Christmas joy all along Route 66. And, as Miranda learns the art of giving, she just might be blessed herself by finding her own Christmas joy.
“The Christmas Joy Ride” reminds us how easy it can be to make a difference in the lives of others, and to always search for a way to spread joy.
This short little novel from Melody Carlson will be sure to warm your heart this holiday season.
Five stars out of five.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.