Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Dreidels & Do-Overs 

AUTHOR:  Kim Fielding

PUBLISHER:  Tin Box Press

LENGTH:  67 pages

RELEASE DATE:   November 16, 2020

BLURB:

Caleb Stern was the high school hotshot, but a bad attitude and poor decisions led to years of misery. Now he’s trying to do better, and a job on the cleaning crew at a holiday craft fair could be a new beginning. What he didn’t expect was that his new start might be tangled up with ties from long ago.

Jasper Adams left an unfulfilling career and unsupportive boyfriend to follow his dreams. His handmade journals are a big success at the craft fair, which is great, but the real holiday miracle turns out to be a blast from his past.

Hanukkah nears, and both men yearn for holiday happiness. But moving forward often means first making peace with where you’ve been.

REVIEW:

Caleb has gotten a second shot after really kind of screwing up his life.  He’s back living with his mother, but he’s making an honest living.  He’s putting one foot in front of the other and keeping his head down.  At the annual Holiday fair at the hotel he works at, he bumps into an artist who recognizes him.  It happens to be a former high school classmate.  Caleb is a bit embarrassed because he doesn’t recognize the other man and also he was kind of an asshole in high school.  So he gives a blanket apology.

During the course of the event, Caleb continues to admire Jasper’s work.  He watched Jasper’s booth while on his break.  As they continue to talk, there is definitely something between them.  When they finally manage to get a dinner out together, the walls come down and they have a really honest conversation.  It could be the beginning of something good – for both of them 🙂

I’m such a sucker for mature characters, holiday, and second chances stories – especially involving underdogs and personal growth.  In this case, I hit the jackpot 😀  As this story went on and the backstories of both Caleb and Jasper were revealed, I just wanted to hug them both.  Caleb had caused a lot of his own issues, but he has taken responsibility and has rebuilt his life. It’s not necessarily that life he had envisioned, but it’s a life that he can take some pride in.  His surprise reunion with a former high school classmate causes him to reflect on this past, the mistakes he’s made and the also the hard work and changes he’s made.  He’s hopeful that this will give him a shot at having at least a friendship with Jasper.  Jasper for his part also has done some personal work and reflection on what he really wants in life.  He’s changed careers to something that brings him joy and fulfillment and refused to settle for an unsatisfying relationship as well.  The gentle unfolding of their relationship was really sweet and rang true for two men who were both a little gun shy and maybe not the most confident.  The supporting characters of Jasper’s parents and even Caleb’s boss rounded out what is a small cast of characters perfectly suited to this lovely short story.  Also, I really love a good Hanukkah story and they always seem to be in short supply.  This was a truly lovely story of second chances at life and love that left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling in my heart and a smile on my face.  Highly recommended and another gem from this master storyteller!

RATING:

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