The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle by Joanne Huist Smith Review

 Hello Friends :)

I hope you've all had a great week, and this this weekend is finding you with plenty of time to spend with our Lord and your families :)

I want to welcome you all to the sixth day of Christmas in July here on the Preppy Book Princess.

I have a little bit of a different story to share with you all today, as this one is actually based on a true story.

Keeping reading to find out what I thought about it!

The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle by Joanne Huist Smith:

Source: Libby App

Publisher: Harmony

Publication Date: October 22nd, 2014

Genre: Memoir/Christmas Story

Synopsis:

For readers of Richard Paul Evans and Greg Kincaid comes The 13th Gift, a heartwarming Christmas story about how a random act of kindness transformed one of the bleakest moments in a family's history into a time of strength and love.

After the unexpected death of her husband, Joanne Huist Smith had no idea how she would keep herself together and be strong for her three children--especially with the holiday season approaching. But 12 days before Christmas, presents begin appearing on her doorstep with notes from their "True Friends." As the Smiths came together to solve the mystery of who the gifts were from, they began to thaw out from their grief and come together again as a family. This true story about the power of random acts of kindness will warm the heart, a beautiful reminder of the miracles of Christmas and the gift of family during the holiday season.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this one, but I was in the mood for a sweet holiday read, and this one looked like it would fit the bill. I have to be honest and say that it didn't end up being quite what I was expecting, and honestly, if it hadn't been a true story, I'm not sure I would have ended up enjoying it at all.

Being that it was a true story, I appreciated how a beautiful act of kindness gave hope and healing to a grieving family during the holiday season. It's a beautiful reminder that giving doesn't always have to be grand, expensive gestures, and I loved how even though this story takes place during the Christmas season of 1999, it's still something that means so much to the family to this day.

However, I thought certain parts of the story didn't really make much sense. For instance, their family has to adjust from being a dual income family to a single income reporter's salary, and yet when friends of the family gift them generous amounts of cash and gift cards, it all gets spent on extravagant Christmas presents. Also, it felt like a lot of the family was pressuring them to move on and move past their grieving, but Joanne's husband had only passed away a couple of months prior. I don't know many people that would be ready to move on in that short of time frame, and it just seemed a little out of place to me.

Overall though, this is a sweet, heartfelt Christmas story that definitely tugs at the heartstrings and reminds the reader that there is still those who choose to shine a light in such a world of darkness. I'm glad I took the time to read it, but it won't be a reread for me personally, and wouldn't be one of my top Christmas story recommendations.

Final Rating: 3/5.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.