There is one thing you can trust you will find with a novel by Camron Wright... a story that will make you think and touch your heart. This one is definitely no exception. Read my full review below...
Christmas by AccidentAdult Fiction, Romance, Christmas
Hardcover, Audiobook & ebook, 240 Pages
September 25th 2018 by Shadow Mountain
Summary
Carter is an insurance adjuster whose longing for creative expression spills over sometimes into his accident reports. Abby works for her adoptive father, Uncle Mannie, in the family bookstore, the ReadMore Café. Carter barely tolerates Christmas; Abby loves it. She can't wait past October to build her favorite display, the annual Christmas book tree stack, which Carter despises.
When an automobile accident throws Carter and Abby together, Uncle Mannie, who is harboring secrets of his own, sees a chance for lasting happiness for his little girl. But there are so many hurdles, and not much time left. Will this Christmas deliver the miracle everyone is hoping for? Where love and Christmas are concerned, there are no accidents.
My Review
CHRISTMAS BY ACCIDENT is a story that lures its reader in at the beginning with humor, likable characters, and the start of a cute romance, but then takes them on an emotional journey. It's a story that faces cynicism about the holidays, questions miracles, provides its characters difficult choices, and pulls on emotions in a heartfelt way. A perfectly charming Christmas story that will tug on readers' hearts, worth reading at any time of the year.
From the start, I liked these characters. Carter is a little awkward. He feels stuck and is trying to stay sane by allowing his creativity to show in a very non-creative job. He's a little mischievous, but also a mix of confident and charming. He's also quite talented. Abby... she's sweet, fun, comfortable in her own skin, pretty, smart, and loyal. She is the perfect girl-next-door, small-shop-owner heroine (think Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail). Then there's Mannie who is definitely mischievous in his own right, quite talented as well, and loyal (he completely changed his life to raise Abby, his niece, when her parents died). Then there are these quirky side characters, like Carter's co-worker and roomate and then Abby's co-workers, who bring more life to the story and create some eyebrow raises and laughs. There's Carter's somewhat estranged family as well. All of them felt fairly well drawn out with strong enough personalities and roles that they were distinct characters—I had no issues with confusing any of them.
So, as I said, I liked these characters, but as the story went, I learned to love them. I felt Mannie's fears and hopes, the same for Abby and Carter. I laughed. I wanted to sigh at some of the perfect and spontaneous romantic moments. I stressed over what decisions should be made and what would happen. I joined in the confusion. I thought about Carter's disinterest in Christmas and Abby's choice to love Christmas. I even shed a few tears at one point. This author is a wizard at leading his readers where he wants, but letting them find and connect their own moments. I love that. I love that he can take me on this emotional journey and that at the end, I'm so contentedly happy. Then there was the added surprise of a few recipes at the end of the book. What a very sweet surprise (and one I will use)!
I will admit, at the beginning of the story I was a little afraid... I've developed an expectation for this author writing meaningful stories with depth. Was this going to be too fluffy, or not quite meet my expectations? There were two moments, one at the beginning and one at the end, that felt very The Age of Adeline. It also took me a bit to fall into the writing style at first. I then questioned, as Carter struggled to write, if the author was poking just a little bit of fun at Christmas stories and his own struggles as an author. These were all things at the beginning that made me wonder. However, there was no reason to worry as I enjoyed this story immensely and will be recommending it to everyone.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This is such a fun, sweet, funny, warm, emotional story. It's definitely worth picking up, especially at Christmastime. I couldn't have loved it more!
Content: Clean
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.
About the Author
Camron Wright was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has a master’s degree in Writing and Public Relations from Westminster College.He has owned several successful retail stores in addition to working with his wife in the fashion industry, designing for the McCall Pattern Company in New York.
Camron began writing to get out of attending MBA school at the time, and it proved the better decision. His first book, Letters for Emily, was a Readers Choice Award winner, as well as a selection of the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild. Letters for Emily has been published in North America, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Korea, the Netherlands, and China.
His next book, The Rent Collector, won Best Novel of the Year from the Whitney Awards and was a nominee for the prestigious International DUBLIN Literary Award. The Orphan Keeper won 2016 Book of the Year, Gold accolades in Multicultural Fiction from Foreword Reviews, and was winner of Best General Fiction from the Whitney Awards.
Camron lives with his wife, Alicyn, just south of Salt Lake City at the base of the Wasatch Mountains. He is the proud father of four children, all girls but three.
Have you read any of Wright's other books? Any thoughts on this one or on my review?
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