The Cranberry Inn by Barbra Josselsohn #BlogTour #BookReview #Christmas

What I Enjoyed

The Cranberry Inn by Barbara Josselsohn is a holiday tale that will make you look forward to visiting your family over the holiday season. The re-found family love and connection theme is pervasive. And the distance that had happened before the story opens is infinitely relatable as college, work, and marriage takes many of us away from our family as adults. The togetherness is challenging to maintain when you have so much geography in between you. It is heartwarming to see a family come back together, resolve their issues, and follow their hearts. Only good things can come from that.

I love the setting and the role it plays in the central theme of the story. Laurel comes home to her family Inn at her father’s insistence just to find him gone and the Inn that her mother had lovingly taken care of before she died in a state of disrepair. Her determination to get it back up and running is heartwarming, just as the descriptions of the Inn itself made me feel warm and cozy. The revitalizing of a family business that is the perfect holiday destination touched my heart and senses on so many different levels.

I also loved how all of the notable characters found a place to explore their best self and feel at home as a result. Don’t we all want to find that place if we haven’t? And what a perfect gift to the readers to make us feel that love and acceptance in a way we would never have expected.

The romance is surprisingly complicated. Everyone thought Laurel and Joel were an item in high school – that is, everybody except them. That made their discovery of what everyone else already knew more natural and a very low-key element in the story. The discovery of their mutual feelings fits perfectly into the central theme of the book. And, lastly, I love the story’s focus on the theme. Every little element is included, which creates a relatable, compelling, and heartwarming read.

What I Wish

I thought one particular aspect of the story peaked and was concluded oddly quickly, so my only wish is that Laurel’s issues with her father had been resolved more naturally. Or not fixed, and she worked through them within herself until she was at peace with her insecurities and choices regardless of her perceptions of what her father thought and felt.

Characters

Laurel is the main character. An interior decorator assistant in New York, her dream is to create beautiful and meaningful settings of her very own. She is a single mom, and her son Simon is a delightful reminder of how important a supportive environment really is.

Both Laurel and Joel left Lake Summers because they thought that was what their parents wanted for them. Joel has come back because of the death of his mother. He gets to explore his original love of construction as he helps Laurel repair the Inn. It takes restoring the Inn and all that it stands for to make the pair follow their hearts to fulfill their dreams and find each other.

I have to mention Christopher too. He is an actor that rented out the Inn while they updated it because he just had to get away and be alone. He pretends to be a teacher and provides bits of humor in the story as it unfolds.

To Read or Not to Read

If you are looking for that holiday story that will have you clamoring to spend time with family this holiday season, The Cranberry Inn is just the book you are looking for.

My Rating