About the Book

Book: Catching Christmas

Author: Terri Blackstock

Genre: Christian Fiction, Romance, Christmas

Release Date: October 9, 201

This Year, Christmas Comes Just in Time

As a first-year law associate, Sydney Batson knows she will be updating her resume by New Year’s if she loses her current court case. So when her grandmother gets inexplicably ill while she’s in court, Sydney arranges for a cab to get her to the clinic.

The last thing cab driver Finn Parrish wants is to be saddled with a wheelchair-bound old lady with dementia. But because Miss Callie reminds him of his own mother, whom he failed miserably in her last days, he can’t say no when she keeps calling him for rides. Once a successful gourmet chef, Finn’s biggest concern now is making his rent, but half the time Callie doesn’t remember to pay him. And as she starts to feel better, she leads him on wild goose chases to find a Christmas date for her granddaughter.

When Finn meets Sydney, he’s quite sure that she’s never needed help finding a date. Does Miss Callie have an ulterior motive, or is this just a mission driven by delusions? He’s willing to do whatever he can to help fulfill Callie’s Christmas wish. He just never expected to be a vital part of it.

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My Thoughts

Terri Blackstock is one of my favorite authors, and I will continue to read her books, but I was disappointed in Catching Christmas. Or maybe not disappointed, exactly, but depressed. The story is a meaningful, timely reminder that Christmas isn’t always full of children’s laughter and extended family. Many people aren’t busy and festive this time of year. Too many people are alone.

Ms. Blackstock is a skilled writer, so it’s a well-crafted book (if you like first-person present-tense format), but it’s a sad, sad story about a man who neglected and avoided his own dying mother and a woman who is frantically focused on keeping her (lousy) job. They’re both mired in guilt, so they are doing their best to care for the elderly Callie.

Callie is an extremely well-written character, typical of many lonely and confused elderly people who find life especially hard in the holiday season. Her fixation on finding her granddaughter a date for Christmas day and uncharacteristically rude comments (referred to as “losing her filter”) accurately represent a person in that stage of dementia.

Finn, the cab driver, is burned out after losing his restaurant. He’s spiraled down into depression and ended up driving a cab. Sydney, the granddaughter, has a precarious job at a rather shady law firm. While I could see how a new college graduate, burdened with student loans, might feel desperate to keep her job, it didn’t ring quite true for a smart young woman with moral standards.

The ending implies a more promising direction for both of the young people, which is encouraging. Overall, I think this is a meaningful and good book for reminding us of the frailty of life and our responsibility to care for our elderly family and friends.

I look forward to Terri Blackstock’s next book!

About the Author

Terri Blackstock has sold over seven million books worldwide and is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of Intervention, Vicious Cycle, and Downfall, as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, and the Restoration Series. Catching Christmas is her first Christmas romance. Visit her website at www.terriblackstock.com Facebook: tblackstock Twitter:@terriblackstock