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Book Review
Reviewed by Natasha Jackson for Readers' Favorite
Keren Joel suffered a childhood trauma that forever transformed
how she looked at the world: every stranger is a potential threat to her
life and well-being. Decades later, seeing her own son Sawyer escorted
away from home by a strange man brought all those memories crashing
back, and in the process, severely traumatizing the little boy. But with
the help of The Gingerbread House and her childhood best friend Jared
Oath, Keren and Sawyer both start the long journey to healing. Sawyer is
immediately taken with Jared as well as the therapeutic version of his
own mom, Kizzy. Keren, however, is taken with the grown-up, all male
version of her best friend. Jacqueline Hopper does a good job of
painting Jared perfectly without making him seem too perfect. He is
handsome, he’s kind-hearted, and he helps give Keren's son a chance at a
real childhood without fear.
The Gingerbread House is short but it is in no way unfinished or
incomplete. The story of Keren and Jared is heartfelt and highly
emotional. They both struggle with guilt from long ago sins, making it
impossible to see the other for the person they have become. Jacqueline
Hopper’s genius in this is illustrating their healing through Sawyer,
Kizzy, and Tenny rather than an angst-filled plot between the adults. It
lightens what is a heavy subject matter and infuses it with the cute
and the adorable. The romance doesn’t build as quickly as you would
think and I think that was a perfect plan. There was a lot of healing
and forgiveness that needed to take place before Keren or Jared could
open themselves up to real adult love again. The Gingerbread House was a
fantastic tale filled with amazing characters.
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