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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I did enjoy this book, but I kind of forgot it was a Christmas story until the end. It was interesting to read about a young Amish woman and her determination to help the Amish community to be more healthy. It was a pretty quick book and I will look for more books by this author.
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
I meant to read this for a few years now, and am so glad I finally made time to. I enjoyed the medical aspect to this story and thought it was a fresh perspective in many ways, both to Amish fiction and the world of Christmas novellas.
I’ll look forward to reading this one again next year!
I’ll look forward to reading this one again next year!
Delightful story featuring the Amish community. Only this title merges Amish with English. There is some romance involved, but the primary theme I got was the idea of working together for the common good.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
The Christmas Remedy (2018) by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall is a sweet, standalone Amish Christmas Romance. This book comes in all forms including eBook, and is 208 pages in length. With a full-time job and a busy six-year old at home, this book took me two days to read. I received a copy of this novel in paperback form from the publisher, WaterBrook, to read and review. In no way has this influenced my opinion of the story. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give The Christmas Remedy 4 STARS.
I adore everything Cindy Woodsmall writes. She has an amazing way with writing stories that grab the reader from page one. Independently Cindy’s works are fabulous, but I really love all she has produced with her daughter-in-law, Erin. I have read and greatly enjoyed everything they have collaborated on, and this novel is no different. Together, Cindy and Erin make a superb writing team. If you are in the mood for a well-written, fast-paced, sweet romance, then The Christmas Remedy is the book for you!
The heroine of The Christmas Remedy, Holly Noelle, works as a pharmacy tech in a quaint, old-school pharmacy owned and run by a sweet man named Lyle. Lyle is not only a mentor to Holly, but over the years he’s grown to be a father figure as well. At the start of this story Lyle gets sick and it rocks Holly’s world, but because Holly isn’t actually family she can’t legally help him through his illness. Enter Lyle’s estranged son, Brandon. I struggled with Brandon’s character at first. He appears to be the quintessential Millennial so caught up in his own life that his dad’s illness is nothing more than a bother and burden keeping him from the life he thinks he should be living. But slowly over time Brandon’s perspective shifts, and he sees how lucky he is to have a second chance with his dad. Life is so tenuous. We truly have no idea how much time we or our loved ones have on this earth. It is imperative that we make each day count. This means that every day we need to make sure our loved ones know they matter. I speak from personal experience — in the blink of an eye, our loved ones can be taken from us. Do your loved ones know you truly love them? If your mom, dad, son, daughter, or friend died today, would you be confident they died knowing you loved them? This is something worth pondering.
While I very much enjoyed my time with this novel, there is one thing Holly says that bothered me. Holly is very dedicated to making sure that her Amish community has access to and understanding of basic medicine and health practices. Her father died when Holly was young from something that could have easily been treated and fixed with the right medical attention. Naturally, her father’s death has left a lasting impression. In a moment where she is passionately defending her near-obsession with her community getting proper medical care, Holly explains that “life is serious…people who take it lightly are more likely to die before their time” (81). I take issue with this notion that people die “before their time.” People die young, and that seems wrong to us. People die viciously, and that seems wrong to us. BUT no one dies before their time. In Psalm 139:16 (ESV), David writes, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Before we were ever conceived in the womb, we each were seen by God. He wrote our entire story in His book. Every single day we have here on earth has been penned by God. My problem with saying someone has died “before their time” is that it implies that God is not in control. God is 100% in control, and Psalm 139:16 proves this. My issue isn’t really that Holly says this. She is 20 years old. To a 20 year old, any young person dying feels like that person has gone too early. My problem is that this line of thinking never gets corrected. I kept waiting for a wise man or woman to correct Holly’s theology in this case, but it never happens, and to me this is a little disappointing.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with The Christmas Remedy. I very much loved the unique and endearing characters, and the story line is quite engaging and fast-paced. And, I enjoyed the sweet romance weaved through the story line. I very much recommend this enjoyable novel.
I adore everything Cindy Woodsmall writes. She has an amazing way with writing stories that grab the reader from page one. Independently Cindy’s works are fabulous, but I really love all she has produced with her daughter-in-law, Erin. I have read and greatly enjoyed everything they have collaborated on, and this novel is no different. Together, Cindy and Erin make a superb writing team. If you are in the mood for a well-written, fast-paced, sweet romance, then The Christmas Remedy is the book for you!
The heroine of The Christmas Remedy, Holly Noelle, works as a pharmacy tech in a quaint, old-school pharmacy owned and run by a sweet man named Lyle. Lyle is not only a mentor to Holly, but over the years he’s grown to be a father figure as well. At the start of this story Lyle gets sick and it rocks Holly’s world, but because Holly isn’t actually family she can’t legally help him through his illness. Enter Lyle’s estranged son, Brandon. I struggled with Brandon’s character at first. He appears to be the quintessential Millennial so caught up in his own life that his dad’s illness is nothing more than a bother and burden keeping him from the life he thinks he should be living. But slowly over time Brandon’s perspective shifts, and he sees how lucky he is to have a second chance with his dad. Life is so tenuous. We truly have no idea how much time we or our loved ones have on this earth. It is imperative that we make each day count. This means that every day we need to make sure our loved ones know they matter. I speak from personal experience — in the blink of an eye, our loved ones can be taken from us. Do your loved ones know you truly love them? If your mom, dad, son, daughter, or friend died today, would you be confident they died knowing you loved them? This is something worth pondering.
While I very much enjoyed my time with this novel, there is one thing Holly says that bothered me. Holly is very dedicated to making sure that her Amish community has access to and understanding of basic medicine and health practices. Her father died when Holly was young from something that could have easily been treated and fixed with the right medical attention. Naturally, her father’s death has left a lasting impression. In a moment where she is passionately defending her near-obsession with her community getting proper medical care, Holly explains that “life is serious…people who take it lightly are more likely to die before their time” (81). I take issue with this notion that people die “before their time.” People die young, and that seems wrong to us. People die viciously, and that seems wrong to us. BUT no one dies before their time. In Psalm 139:16 (ESV), David writes, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Before we were ever conceived in the womb, we each were seen by God. He wrote our entire story in His book. Every single day we have here on earth has been penned by God. My problem with saying someone has died “before their time” is that it implies that God is not in control. God is 100% in control, and Psalm 139:16 proves this. My issue isn’t really that Holly says this. She is 20 years old. To a 20 year old, any young person dying feels like that person has gone too early. My problem is that this line of thinking never gets corrected. I kept waiting for a wise man or woman to correct Holly’s theology in this case, but it never happens, and to me this is a little disappointing.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with The Christmas Remedy. I very much loved the unique and endearing characters, and the story line is quite engaging and fast-paced. And, I enjoyed the sweet romance weaved through the story line. I very much recommend this enjoyable novel.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a nice romance/mystery. It was easily read and enjoyable. Very feel-good. When Holly wants to save the pharmacy she works at and the health of her Amish community, she has to challenge traditions to try and carve out a life that is uniquely hers while keeping her faith.