The 13th Gift Book Review

 About the Book 

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. (Goodreads)

My Review

* For my usual readers, this book does have some strong language

 This is one of the best Christmas books I have ever read!! I loved this book and I love it even more knowing it's a true story. The book stars off with Joanne in a hurry taking her kids to school, muddling through the day to day, and dreading the holidays. With her husband recently having died their life has been spun upside down. I love how this book is written with honesty and fun. The family is struggling getting through the first Christmas without their dad until mysterious gifts start appearing. Nothing fancy just simple thoughtful gifts that go along with the song 12 Days of Christmas. The act of kindness from the mystery friends leads the family into the holiday season with a different perspective. 

Once shown kindness the family wants to do the same for others, which leads to many other great stories. 

This is a great book and a wonderful idea to share kindness for others. It doesn't mean money or a ton of time, just thoughtfulness. Of course this is all year round but it fit nicely into this Christmas story. 

Great book highly recommend!!

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for free in exchange for an honest review."