Let's Bust a Recap : Oh My Stars

Sometime before Christmas back in 2022, I was browsing a secondhand bookshop and came across this cute little number. When I peeked inside it and read the opening lines of the book, I was sold.

"And it came to pass in those days, that a decree went out from my mother that I would be playing the Virgin Mary in the Dollar General drive-through Nativity whether I liked it or not. Never mind the fact that my name was not Mary, that I was not a teen, and, most importantly, not a virgin. Still, decrees from my mother were similar to those from Caesar Augustus: both had to be obeyed."

I figured I'd bring it home and read it during the Christmas season, but then the World Cup started and pretty much all reading was forgotten. But last month, after I finished up Miracles by C.S. Lewis, I decided to pull this one off the shelf and ended up finishing it the day after Christmas. This 2018 offering from Sally Kilpatrick follows your basic Christmas Hallmark movie storyline—big city doctor comes back to his small hometown and falls in love with the town's young widow after the two of them find an abandoned baby in the drive-through Nativity's manger while they're portraying Mary and Joseph together. 

Hannah! Spoilers! I know, I know, but seriously? You can see every "plot twist" coming from a mile away in this book, and you are very aware of where Kilpatrick is taking this story from the first chapter.

Even having said that, Oh My Stars was a much more enjoyable reading experience than my last Hallmark book fiasco. The characters were much better drawn, I liked the alternating viewpoints between our male lead Gabe and our female lead Ivy, and, although the ending of this story might not have been entirely realistic, it worked for me. I appreciated the way Kilpatrick created flawed but likable characters and the way she developed the whole story (even though it was totally predictable). Her writing isn't great, her storytelling leaves something to be desired, but she had the bones of a good idea and I was with her on the journey. 

On a personal note regarding a pet peeve of mine: the editor has some explaining to do. This book was riddled with common spelling and grammatical errors on nearly every page which definitely detracted from my reading experience. But I don't blame Sally Kilpatrick for that. 

All said, this was a fun book to pick up during the holiday season, and I wouldn't not recommend it, but I would probably steer you to something better if you asked for my opinion. 

Do you like reading holiday-themed books during the holidays?