Starred review from September 2, 2013
Murray’s tale is a genuinely heartwarming romance starring a broken heroine in need of mending. Hope Warren, an African-Bahamian-Canadian with an M.F.A., works glumly at a Brooklyn print shop. She’s been miserable for eight years, ever since being dumped one Christmas Eve. With charming persistence, kind-hearted Irish-American Dylan Healy, owner of a greeting card company, coaxes Hope out of her shell. After she draws a doodle that he turns into a popular card, both come closer to their dreams: Hope’s is to own a beachfront house and Dylan’s is to open an art-themed daycare center. But Hope has to take care of her pressing health needs, including depression and anorexia, before she can see the true magic of the holidays and Dylan’s love. Murray (A Good Man) shows tremendous sensitivity in the handling of Hope’s illnesses, and caps the powerful story with a tear-jerker ending. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Literary Agency.