Time For Me to Come Home
Heath Sawyer, a headlining country-music star, has been on the road and avoiding his family for six months. Now, two days before Christmas, he’s just finished his tour with a big concert in New York City and suddenly decides it’s time to return to the fold, at least for the holiday. With rough weather looming in the Midwest, though, getting there turns out to be a challenge. Stranded in a snow-bound Chicago on Christmas Eve, Heath shares a cab to the hotel with Cara, a woman he met at the airport, and that’s where their journey begins. From canceled flights to derailed trains and finally driving through a snowstorm, this book resembles nothing so much as a romantic retelling of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Heath’s heavy drinking and sometimes childish narcissism are an odd match for Cara’s teetotaling, upright tendencies, and their story is a humorous litany of stereotypes and clichéd, introspective moments. Light on depth but heavy on warmth, this Christmas tale will appeal especially to country-music fans looking for a feel-good read. --Cortney Ophoff