This short lighthearted story is about Megan Murphy, a potter, horse sitter and a weekend aid in Colonial Williamsburg who meets Patrick Hunter a pediatrician who just finished his education and is now starting a practice in town. The two meet when Patrick’s escaped rabbit finds her sitting in a park and begins eating her colonial style dress. The connection they share develops quickly when one of Patrick’s patients, a young mother leaves her son with Patrick and Megan. The three become an instant family just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. This short story includes many subplots that don’t carry through to the end, which left the book feeling incomplete in some areas. Overall, Evanovich brings the Thanksgiving holiday into a romance novel in an entertaining and sweet story.“Pat slouched in the passenger seat, pressing the ice and a towel to his bloody nose. “Fix Daddy some lunch,” he mumbled. “What does he eat, raw meat and Christians? He ever been accused of police brutality?”“He is really very sweet. He just got excited.”"Appeal Notes (May contain spoilers):Pacing: MediumCharacter: Megan and Patrick are the main characters. Very little character development otherwise.Language: Light and humorous.Comments: I was looking for a light fictional story that involved the Thanksgiving holiday. This might have been a little too light for my taste, but was still an enjoyable story. I especially liked the Thanksgiving celebration with the families and wished more of that story was in the rest of the book. There were many dropped characters and subplots that left the story feeling unfinished, what happens to Timmy, his mother, the rabbit, the ex-boyfriend, the parents, the horse…we may never know.
So, imagine those Hallmark and Lifetime holiday movies. This book is exactly that. Predictable and unrealistic but a decent romance non the less. Thanksgiving is a formulaic romance book Evanovich wrote in the late 1980's, with a mix of some American Holiday chaos. The romance between Megan's and Pat starts with a runaway bunny (Pat's), a baby (young Tilly's boy left to Dr Pat while she runs off for 2 weeks without contact) and then a horse giving birth (Megan's Aunt's horse). All unbelievable stuff, but needed in order to create the need for a family life for Megan and Pat. But in the mix of all this start-up-family life and instant-love-at-first-sight is a Thanksgiving chaos. Pat and Megan's families all together for Thanksgiving dinner was a little cute.I didn't care much for Megan's as she felt to wishy-washy to me. I did like Pat though. There's not much character development. And the constant change of point of views from Megan and Pat made it a little hard to really like a character, let alone feel connected to them.In all this is a cute chick lit holiday read. The beginning was good, but the ending was a little slow and too long. It did remind me a lot of the Hallmark and Lifetime movies that I watch. They're nice to watch a couple of times during the holidays, so as to brighten the holiday mood. I did like Evanovich's description of the town. That helped bring the Thanksgiving theme to life in the book.
What do You think about Thanksgiving (2006)?
Megan Murphy is a potter living and working in Colonial Williamsburg. A chance encounter puts her in the company of Dr. Patrick Hunter, the town's new pediatrician. Another freak encounter puts the two of them in charge of a baby. (That would be the romantic literary device of "putting the main characters into an improbable situation that forces them to remain in each others' company.") It pains me to give Janet Evanovich so few stars. I love the Stephanie Plum series. I've re-read them multiple times and recommend them highly. This book was written back in 1988, before the Stephanie Plum series began, and is a reprint. I think I'm going to stay away from her reprints from now on. I found the book in the trunk of my mother's car. The cover shows what looks like a dead rabbit in front of a fireplace, so I was sort of hoping this would be a mystery, but no such luck. It's a straight up romance novel, and a weak one, at that. The whole thing is pretty ridiculous, from the childish behavior of the characters (and their parents) to their shared moment in a barn. (And no, it isn't a sexy moment. It's totally out of left field and yet another device - this time the "action that causes the MCs to realize their love for each other" device.)I feel justified in saying that Evanovich's writing has come a long way since she wrote this. The upside is that it's quick and it has me all ready to eat Thanksgiving food next week. I felt a strong craving for sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie the whole time I was reading it.
—Alexis
What is a rabbit doing running around loose? This is what Megan wonders as she sits down for lunch and finds the wiggly nosed creature nibbling on her skirt. Megan works part time at Colonial Williamsburg and also spins pots foe a living. She soon finds out that the runaway rabbit belongs to the new pediatrician in town, Patrick Hunter. When she shows up to return his bunny the attraction begins. When Tilly Coogin drops off her son, Timmy, with Doctor Patrick and then disappears the fun really begins. Megan is enlisted to help watch Timmy while Patrick works and a mutual attraction to young Timmy develops which draws Megan and Patrick together.All this revolves around getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner.This is another of Evanovich's early lighthearted romance novels. A good laugh is had by all who take the time to enjoy these pre-Stephanie Plum novels.
—James Sorensen
3.5 starsI liked it, in the way that I occasionally like to watch Hallmark movies because they are light and cheesy and they make me smile. This is, by no means, a literary classic, but I was in the mood for something lighter to read. I enjoyed the colonial Williamsburg setting, and I am definitely counting down the days to Thanksgiving now. Megan and Pat had me laughing with their antics, although I will admit that I did start to get frustrated wondering if they were ever going to get together. Also, just a random sidenote, I HATE the name "Pat" for a male lead in a romance novel. I dunno, I'm weird, I just didn't like it. Overall, nothing too serious, but just what I needed to break my reading slump.
—Jess
