The Christmas Remedy by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall – Review

About the Book

When an Old Order Amish woman takes a job at a small-town pharmacy struggling to survive in a world of “big box” stores, her motive is to help her Plain community. But the advent of the holiday season brings an unusual mystery to the surface–and possibly love.

Twenty-four-year-old Holly Zook lives a unique life for a young Amish woman. Years ago, her bishop allowed her to continue her education and become the lead technician for Greene’s Pharmacy, an old-timey drugstore that looks out for the Amish community–a group largely without secure healthcare plans. She knows she can’t marry and hold onto her professional job. She’s Amish, and she can only have one or the other, so she spurns love and works toward addressing treatable diseases–like the one that claimed her father’s life.

As long as Holly continues to avoid Joshua Smucker, the one man who draws her like a warm hearth in winter, she should be fine. When something unexpected threatens Greene’s Pharmacy, Holly and Joshua must work together to unravel what’s happened and find the “missing” patient before the Board of Pharmacy shuts them down. As the snows of December arrive, with Christmas in the air, will Holly succumb to the generous spirit of the season?

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In My Opinion

I don’t read a lot of books in the Amish genre but do know the name Woodsmall. The Christmas Remedy is a blending of Amish and English communities and gives readers an interesting perspective of the Amish where medicine is concerned.

Add in a young Amish woman who longs to teach her community the advantages of regular doctor visits and the importance of medication and a cozy mystery set around the pharmacy where Holly works, and the plot of this little novel moves at the perfect pace.

All of the Christmas themes and connections are packed into the second half of the book, but I would have enjoyed this sweet story if it were set in any season.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.