phyllish
Written on Sep 2, 2018
A Mistletoe Mystery
My rating is 4.5 stars
Marissa had spent her entire life trying to measure up. She never felt that she was good enough and felt like she had to earn love and grace herself. Granted, she had a family who made her feel that way. There were expectations she needed to live up to. Accomplishments she needed to reach.
Tandy simply felt like she didn’t need grace. She had been trampled on, misunderstood, treated unfairly. She had a bit of a chip on her shoulder and a bit of an air of superiority. But deep down inside, she was hurting and wanted things to change.
I love the way that author Angela Ruth Strong deals with heavy heart issues like this in a genuine yet hilarious way. A Caffeine Conundrum had me laughing all the way through it. At Marissa’s bumbling. At Tandy’s snarkiness. At the other folks in the small town. And it had me reflecting as well, remembering that Jesus’ grace is all I need. I don’t need to measure up to anyone else’s expectations as long as I am pleasing Him.
One of the fun events that ran through the book was awkward mistletoe moments as Marissa’s friend tried to help her reconcile with Conner and as they kept finding themselves in doorways adorned with the little plant. What I deemed “Mistletoe Manipulations”. Hmm. That sounds like a great book title!
This review was originally posted on Among the Reads
I would like to thank Angela Ruth Strong for giving me a copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.