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Ratings & Reviews for

An Informal Christmas

Heather Gray

Rate this book

5 stars

213 (38%)

4 stars

177 (32%)

3 stars

105 (19%)

2 stars

35 (6%)

1 star

20 (3%)

Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews

Rachel

353 reviews42 followers

June 24, 2016

I absolutely LOVED these books!! They are well written and draw you in emotionally to the characters lives and what they are going through. Although each book can be read as a stand alone, you'll not want to miss the other books in the series!

This author has a good sense of humor and you will find yourself chuckling at the humorous things that the characters say or do. I love a book that not only gets to you emotionally but also makes you laugh. All three books have a medical background that I enjoyed although there is some medical jargon that I had to skim over because it didn't mean anything to me. :) The author also did a great job with the Christian aspect, in my opinion. Without being preachy, each book had some deep insight and moments of drawing back to God that I thought had some really good points. Last but not least, I really enjoyed the romances in these books. They all moved at a steady pace and didn't feel hurried or unrealistic. There were humorous moments, uncertain moments, lonely moments, and tender love moments. These are great romances that are an easy but captivating read that will warm your heart and feed your soul. :)

*Thanks to SLB Tours and the author for a complimentary copy of these books for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*

2016-e-reader 2016-new-author read-2016

Toni Shiloh

Author 54 books1,530 followers

January 13, 2016

An Informal Christmas is a heart tugging short read. This novella touches a subject, so many books gloss over or ignore: cancer in children. As a mother of a child who has had his fair share of hospital visits, this book made me tear up. But the way Ms. Gray shares the comfort of the Lord and how others can help you through the tough times was worth the tears. Of course, the happy ending helped as well. I will definitely read more books by Ms. Gray.

short-read-favorites

Crystal (Books Are Sanity!!!)

765 reviews38 followers

March 28, 2017

So this is a Christian romance novella. The subject matter with the main character Rylie working with kids who have cancer is definitely heavy. But it really gets you into the world of childhood cancer and how the patients, their families and even those who work with them are affected. The romance between Zach and Rylie was slow to happen but it made for a more realistic relationship. My only criticism of the book was what I felt was an abrupt ending. I was expecting more and was shocked when I read The End. Surely this is not the end of Rylie and Zach's story? I felt like we were just starting to get somewhere!! I won't ruin it for any potential readers, let's just suffice it to say that I want more!

christmas clean-reads contemporary

Tina at Mommynificent

634 reviews16 followers

November 15, 2015

This very moving novella is so good, but rather poorly named in my opinion. This is a very emotional story that begins in July and happens to end at Christmas, but it isn't really about Christmas. The main Christmas event in the book is actually a Christmas formal put on for the kids in the pediatric oncology ward at the hospital the main character works at, so I found the title a bit ironic. Nonetheless, this is a wonderful story. It is about a woman who works with children suffering from cancer, the kids she works with, and a man who keeps bringing in loads of donations but no one can figure out why. The journeys of the two main characters as well as those of several of the children are so well expressed, and the mystery of why he keeps coming back is revealed beautifully. I loved this story, and I hope to read many more of similar quality from this author.

2015-pleasure-reading

Lori

1,892 reviews124 followers

June 19, 2016

I liked this book. I had to snicker at some of ir, cry and rejoice.
This is told from a kids hospital of view. We have a very special nurse (Riley). She likes to speak before she thinks about how it would sound to others. She also knew that from early on what she wanted to do. I admire her work ethics and especially her faith in God.
I loved how she talked to him on a daily basis which us what some of us forgets to do.
Then we have Zac who loves donating to the children.
I think it's weird how you meet your love in places unexpected. I met mine at Walmart through my cousin.
I gave thus book 5 stars because it certainly deserves it. it keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what would happen next.

Janice Sisemore

1,555 reviews14 followers

November 15, 2015

Rylie works at a hospital where children have cancer, Zach keeps donating to them, she thinks there has to be a reason and finally she finds out. Rylie does her best to made every holiday a special one for the kids. This is a very good story, love the characters so much.

read-in-2015

Joleen

2,401 reviews1,219 followers

June 7, 2023

"I still don’t understand why life is what’s right for some and death is what’s right for others. Was it death, though? Or was it the best life, life lived out millennia upon millennia in the presence of one’s Savior?
Who was she to question the heart or mind of God? His love was beyond anything she could comprehend, and His will was perfect whether she understood it or not. Dying was a part of living, and while she couldn’t control the one, she could do something with the other."

I think this is the first time I started a book where I didn’t like either of the main characters. For whatever reason, neither of them seem to like each other, both seem to be irritating to the other, and neither one could do anything right. It turned out there were reasons for all of this, and once they got beyond it, I began to appreciate both characters — Zack far more than Rylie, though.

This is a story about a young lady (Rylie) who works as the Child Life Specialist in the children’s oncology unit of Northern Virginia Children’s Hospital, And she’s very good at her job. Meanwhile, Zack York seems to be bringing things to the hospital for the children that are taking too much space in whatever storage they have. Because of this, they simply don’t seem to like each other much. I know it’s a little strange, but it really works out in the end… actually a little too quickly for my taste. But it’s still a very good book with amazing faith messages.

I so appreciate Heather Gray. I’m just sorry I've finished the only books I have of hers, and don’t have any more in my library to look forward to.

cancer children

Gail

868 reviews8 followers

March 11, 2023

I enjoyed the story of Rylie as she works as a Child Life Specialist in a hospital. She goes out of her way to care for the children who are battling life-changing diseases. Zach shows up to donate toys, and they clash from their first chance meeting. As a matter of fact, every time Zach appears, Rylie is angered about something. When they have to work together on a project for the children, quiet and unflappable Zach questions Rylie about her actions. Rylie begins evaluating her life, and 2 hard truths are stated, "When did I stop looking to You [God] to feed the hunger in my soul?" and "If you don't accept how weak you are, you'll never step aside and let God take the reins." Zach avoids the hard questions, but for how long? When truths finally come to the surface, how will the Zach and Rylie respond? A great clean romance with humor and reality of life's circumstances intermingled that I wholeheartedly recommend!

Michelle Lunsford

391 reviews7 followers

November 22, 2016

Perhaps I was in just the right mood for this one, but it seemed everything about this book clicked with me. I enjoyed the chemistry between the leads. The setting and Rylie's job serving children cancer patients and their families provided moments of both joy and struggle. The way the couple grew together through both personal interaction and email correspondence had me giddy. And I thought Gray nailed the faith aspect perfectly, painting a beautiful picture of trust in God even when life is tough and suffering seems so very unfair.

As a holiday novella, it's a quick read. But one I found to be worth every sweet moment.

christmas

Judith Cowley

229 reviews3 followers

December 12, 2022

Trigger alert-this book is about a woman who works with pediatric cancer patients. It is well handled with a positive outlook. I enjoyed it because the main character, Rylie, is a Child Life Specialist at a children's hospital-a different career than you generally read about. At the beginning of the book she is struggling a bit with the challenges of working with sick/dying children, but she works it out through prayer. There is quite a bit of spiritual discussion, but I didn't feel that it was preachy. I enjoyed the characters and their evolution, and the positive outlook in spite of the setting of a children's hospital.

Emily F - Seriously Sweet Reads

739 reviews20 followers

May 28, 2018

Cute and sweet

This was a cute, sweet, and fun read! I enjoyed the setting - pediatric unit of a hospital and how the unique circumstances of this unit helped bring two characters together. There were Christian elements, but they fit well with the rest of the story. This was sweet and clean, I'd rate it PG, only because some of the secondary characters were in the pediatric unit for life-threatening conditions.

Pam

964 reviews

August 21, 2018

Rylie is a Child Life rep for a children's hospital. Already in a bad mood, she gets off on the wrong foot with Zach, who is at her office to donate some stuffed animals for the children. Each month he comes back with another donation. They finally start working together. He has plenty of questions for her but doesn't share about himself or why his eyes look so sad. I enjoyed this cute, though sad at times, romance.

Hanna

892 reviews3 followers

January 2, 2020

Not Appropriately Marketed

While I usually enjoy Christian romances, parts of this one read more like a Bible study than a novel. I did not finish it, in spite of interesting characters and adequate writing. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with a strongly religious book, it is wrong not to market it as such. A book that is this preachy should not be marketed without being very upfront about it.

Robin Clemons

201 reviews1 follower

December 10, 2017

Interesting

The story was interesting but not enthralling. Normally I would read a book from cover to cover in a few days, however this book did not capture my attention to the exclusion of all else. The characters needed further refinement and the back story could use some cleaning out.

Kim

219 reviews4 followers

December 31, 2017

Wonderful story!

Make sure you have tissues! This was the first story I read by Heather. You will learn a lot about children in the hospital and their families. You want to pray more for families whose children are sick or who have died. There is a great Christian message about how to turn to God even in difficult times. A great story too!

Chanover55

549 reviews4 followers

January 6, 2018

Ryle is a Child Life Specialist in a northern Virginia hospital when she runs into Zach, an unexpected donor to the children'S wing she works on. She is not at her best when she meets him and he is a bit standoffish. Can these 2 work together? While I enjoyed the story, it seemed to end aburptly; this was not billed as a short story but comes across as such.

Ellen White

7,605 reviews44 followers

February 28, 2019

Rylie has a difficult, emotional job, keeping spirits up for her young patients. Zach comes with toys, she wonders why. Time spent together, they learn, that both have bruised spirits, and God and being together help heal the hurt, and bring a better spiritual path for the,. Good heartfelt book to read, either in July as this starts or in Dec

Beverly

1,200 reviews

October 18, 2018

Will make you cry

The author was able to give the reader romance while telling he story of pediatric cancer patients and the staff that work with them. The details were so vivid, I felt like I was right there. The Bible verses were well chosen. Would have liked a happy ending for the niece in Japan and more about their romance after Christmas.

Kay

487 reviews11 followers

November 17, 2019

This is an interesting and touching Christmas novella. I loved reading about the children, the hospital and especially about Rylie’s job. Rylie is a child life specialist and a loving, compassion person. Although Zach is an amazing philanthropist, I never did make a personal connection with him. I still enjoyed the story.

christmas

esc

98 reviews3 followers

May 8, 2017

Rather Boring

I stopped at 60% because I didn't care to read a story with the main focus on the cancer patients with slow moving interaction between the two main characters. The other two Informal Romance books are much better.

Courtney

4,290 reviews

February 5, 2018

This was a lovely story with a realistic plot. The characters which led this story and held together everything which made up this novel were fantastic at what they set out to accomplish. If you would like to place yourself into a book, to become that character, then this is the novel for you.

2017

Katy Eeten

Author 5 books8 followers

September 16, 2018

Really well done and sweet!

This was such a sweet, relatable story of leaning on God through the ups and downs. It was well written with a strong plot while having the right amount of romance thrown in. Definitely recommend!

Rachel Heueisen

5 reviews

January 7, 2019

I feel like the main character was nicely developed, but the other characters fell a bit flat and needed more description and development. Overall though, an easy read. Would read more by this author.

Barbara Clower

3 reviews1 follower

April 1, 2020

Great read!!

I enjoyed AN INFORMAL CHRISTMAS very much. It the first book I have read by Heather Gray, but I look forward to reading more of her work. She has a way of drawing you into the lives of her characters, making you feel like you are right there with them.

Dana Jacobs

29 reviews1 follower

February 5, 2017

Liked but not loved

I liked the content of this book. I wanted more of an ending and hopefully in the next book in the series it will talk about previous characters.

Lynda Knapp

488 reviews2 followers

October 29, 2017

Enjoyable!

I would read more by Heather Gray. This story was well-written. This was a light and easy read. I do recommend this book.

Lynn Schafer

37 reviews1 follower

December 6, 2017

Avid Reader

The book was very good. It had a unique plot, stayed clean throughout with romance included. The vocabulary was good and she had a good editor. I highly recommend it.

Karen

665 reviews

December 6, 2017

It was a great book

This was a great short story. It was clean without any bad language or graphic content.

Mary Beth

1,915 reviews9 followers

December 12, 2017

Rylie Durham is used to dealing with all sorts of people and situations in her role as a Child Life Specialist at a local hospital. Why, then, does Zach York bring out the worst in her?

Bridget

211 reviews

December 17, 2017

3.8 got it for free from amazon. it was a christian romance which i don't have a problem with but can see it being off putting to others.

Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews

Ratings & Reviews for

An Informal Christmas

Heather Gray

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