The Christmas Bus by Melody Carlson Review

Good Morning All My Beautiful Bookish Lovelies :)

It's been far longer than my last post than I had intended, and for that I do apologize.

This year has unfortunately been one of the toughest I've ever personally dealt with, and sometimes as I was dealing with hard circumstances that were out of my control, I ended up having to take a step away from my blog.

I've also dealt with some personal hurts that have come about from the Christian book community this year especially, and it's made wanting to be present in this community a bit harder.

That being said, I've prayed a lot about it, and I do still feel like God has a purpose for me and for my blog going forward, so I'm going to be doing some reevaluating about how to best grow my blog and bookstagram and the like for Him in the weeks to come.

Regardless of everything that's been going on, I'm thankful more than ever for this advent season and the time it's given me to reflect on the greatest gift we ever could have been given.

Today I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and share one last book review to wrap up 2024 on The Preppy Book Princess. I'm going to take off a few more days after today to spend some time with my family, but I'm looking forward to diving right back in come January.

So without further adieu, let's dive right into today's review.

The Christmas Bus by Melody Carlson:

Source: Bought For Myself at the Used Bookstore

Publisher: Revell

Publication Date: October 31st, 2006

Genre: Christian Fiction/Christmas Book/Novella/Contemporary

Synopsis:

The people of Christmas Valley always celebrate Christmas to the fullest extent. The mayor plays Santa, every business is holiday themed, and there's a nativity for the kids each Christmas Eve. This town knows Christmas.

But this year nothing goes according to plan. Shepherd's Inn is full of strangers, Mad Myrtle is causing problems, and a young couple with a baby due any minute rolls in to the middle of town in their Partridge Family-style bus. It's hardly the holiday Christmas Valley wanted--but it may be just what they need. This charming novella is sure to become a new Christmas tradition for readers who love a great holiday story.

(synopsis from Amazon)

My Review:

I've pretty much enjoyed every single one of Melody Carlson's Christmas novellas that I've taken the time to read, and I wasn't expecting this one to be any different.

A sweet, heartwarming story about showing hospitality to strangers in the hope that "we might just entertain angels unawares", The Christmas Bus is a wonderful story that's truly the author at her best. I can see myself wanting to reread this one for many Christmases to come, and I'm only sorry it's taken me this long to discover this beautiful tale.

When our main protagonist Edith has to grapple with the reality that not one of her children or their families will be joining her and her husband for Christmas this year, she decides to take matters into her own hands and celebrate the season a bit differently. Her and her husband run a wonderful bed and breakfast that they've named Shepherd's Inn, and this year she decides to open the inn over the Christmas holidays for whoever needs a place to stay. Along with the invitation comes lots of drama, crazy guests, and town chaos, but amidst it all, Edith is determined to shine a light for Jesus, and showcase to her guests, her town, and herself and her husband that true hospitality means taking in those that might make it hard to love them.

A truly wonderful read that highlights the true reason for the season and gives all the warm Christmas feels, The Christmas Bus is a new favorite holiday read, and I can't possibly recommend it enough.

My only minor complaint was that I wished the author hadn't chosen The Message to have taken the scriptures from, but it was still a wonderful tale that I'd highly recommend for anyone looking for a lovely, faith based read this Christmas season.

Final Rating: 4/5.

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, and this is my honest review. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.

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