1) I love that Mary begins as a skeptic, but begins to believe in Santa as her friends are losing belief. As a child who must deal with…suboptimal parents, it’s easy to be torn between reason (seeing her parents as they truly were) and fantasy (hoping they can change).
2) I love that the program is named “Sub-for-Santa,” as the people who donate are literally substitutions for Santa. To what extent can people have adequate substitutes for the people they need? And how hard can it be to accept a substitute parent, child, mentor, or friend?
3) These layers of hurt and love inside Mary ensure that there will be plenty of drama and emotion in the book. Even though she has hardened her heart to some extent because of her past, deep down, she wants the romance and wants the kids that she denies wanting.
Check out the author’s web site and read her book!
