With shades of It's a Wonderful Life, one man must face his past to find his future this Christmas.
In the last year, George's life has drastically changed. The formerly homeless veteran now has a job he likes, a family in the residents of Darling, VT, and for the first time in years, a home. But while his present is good, he's still haunted by the past, a past that appears shortly before Christmas when the older sister of his brother-in-arms hunts him down and finds him in Darling, working at the Ladybug Garden Center.
Amy's looking for closure for her family after her brother's death in the Middle East, but the serious man she finds working in Vermont doesn't resemble the soldier she remembers from years before. This man is hardened and yet somehow fragile, too, and in her desire to find out what really happened to her brother, she learns more about George than she ever expected.
With a little Christmas magic and the whole town supporting them, can these two bruised hearts make a future together?
Terrific novella. George was a secondary character in the earlier Darling, Vermont, books. He is a veteran who lost his best friend in combat and blamed himself. After returning from his last deployment, George spiraled into PTSD induced depression, ending up homeless. When he landed in Darling, he drew the Gallaghers' attention, who, with kindness and patience, helped George get the help he needed. Now he has a job he likes, a family of sorts, and a place of his own. His somewhat fragile peace of mind takes a hit when that friend's twin sister shows up in Darling, looking for answers about her brother's death.
Amy has searched for George for fifteen years. The last time she saw him when the guys visited before they deployed, she and George connected. When Ian died, and George disappeared, she was left with lots of questions. Now that she found him, the changes in him shock her.
The development of George and Amy's relationship is full of ups and downs and incredibly emotional exchanges. When Amy first shows up, George feels blindsided by the memories she stirs up. He's quite blunt when he tells her that he doesn't want to talk about it and she needs to leave him alone. Amy isn't one to give up easily, and something in his eyes told her that he needed to tell her as much as she needed to hear. She also realized she needed to soften her approach. I loved seeing her show up the next day with lunch and a willingness to be there and not push for answers. Over the next few days, they rekindled their earlier friendship and began to exchange stories.
I liked how Amy shared her past and problems and the way it opened George's eyes. He wasn't the only one who felt broken, which made it a little easier for him to open up. My heart broke for him as George finally shared what happened and his feelings about it. The depth of his pain leaped off the page as he broke down in Amy's arms. I loved her statement, "I wish it hadn't taken fifteen years for me to tell you that it's okay and that…I don't forgive you because there's nothing to forgive."
I loved seeing the changes in George as he began to move forward. He and Amy spend a lot of time together, and the old attraction between them begins to simmer and grow. But both of them are exceedingly wary. Amy still suffers from her marriage's hurts and disappointments and is reluctant to risk her heart again. George has quite a few insecurities of his own, especially seeing a significant gap between his circumstances and Amy's. When George realizes how much his feelings for Amy have grown, he reacts by pushing her away. Some harsh words fly between them, and both retreat into their pain. While both kick themselves for over-reacting, neither is quite sure how to fix it. I loved the talk that Amy had with Willow, which gave her a starting point. My heart cheered for George as he learned what he meant to the people of Darling. The book ended on a huge emotional high as George and Amy found their way back to each other and took an honest and heartfelt look at the possibilities for their future. I loved the finale of Christmas Day with Amy's parents and what it meant to George.
I loved that this story didn't hesitate to show the reality of George's struggles upon his return home. Guilt, shame, and fear were his daily struggles, and successes sometimes seemed to be few and far between. I loved how his friends were so proud of him and wanted him to be happy. I especially loved Laurel's confidence in George and how she showed it.
