"I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Julie L. Cannon

I've had this book on my shelf for over a year. Since the book appeared to be set at Christmas time, I was going to read it in December during the holidays. However, when I picked it up at the end of last year, I had to set it aside as the narrative was slow and I was not connecting to the characters. The only reason I went back to this book is because one of the books I have to read to complete my reading challenge for the year needs to be set during Christmas (information on the reading challenge I am doing this year can be found here).

I'll be Home for Christmas is a love story set during World War II. William Dove cannot join the military and go fight the Nazis with the rest of his friends because childhood polio left him with a disability. He feels even more crushed after his best friend and the love of his life Maggie Culpepper decides to join the Navy's WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service). Maggie tells herself that she joined the Navy in order to help her country fight the war. But that is only part of the story. What she is really looking for is an escape from bone-crushing grief she feels after losing her mother to cancer. She feels angry at God, desperately misses her mother and feels undeserving of any kind of happiness. She also does not want any reminders of her mother. So she runs. In the meantime, William is determined to marry Maggie and keeps sending letters to her, which she shoves into a footlocker unopened. You will have to read the book to find out the rest of their story.

I feel conflicted about the plot. On the one hand, I like Maggie's journey back to God and happiness. But I also felt that the way she kept ignoring William was selfish and unfair. And William himself seemed too naive and forgiving to me. So I would say this is an ok story to read at Christmas. There are definitely some nice inspirational parts in the book. But overall, it is filled with cliches and tropes that many Christian fiction novels are guilty of. 3 out of 5 stars.