Unraveling Destiny: A Heartwarming Journey in ‘Through the Snow Globe’ by Annie Rains – A Book Review

Through The Snow Globe is a time-loop story of one woman who is given the chance to repeat one day in order to be with the man she loves.

From The Publisher:

What if you could have one more day with someone you lost?

Diana Merriman, a physical therapist, is probably the only person in the small town of Snow Haven, North Carolina, who isn’t looking forward to Christmas. It’s been three weeks since her fiancé Linus was critically injured when a car hit him as he biked home from the toy store he owns and manages. Watching him open his eyes is the only gift she wants, but she can’t help losing a little more hope every day.

But an unexpected visit from a friendly neighbor and finding a snow globe of Snow Haven—a gift Linus had hidden in the closet—the night before Christmas Eve changes things in ways Diana never would have imagined. Because on Christmas Eve Diana wakes up to find that it’s not—Christmas Eve, that is. Instead, it’s somehow December 4 all over again, the day Linus got hurt, and as mystified as Diana is, she immediately starts a plan to save her partner from his fate. 

Nothing is that simple, of course. Instead of a single repeat of that day, Diana finds herself in an endless loop of December 4, experiencing every possible variation of events. Along the way, she uncovers startling truths about herself, her relationship, and even her career that illustrate the ways she’s retreated from her life—and in the face of life’s slights and outright blows, from her deepest feelings. Suddenly hope is second only to joy as Diana opens her heart to the people she loves in every way she can.

My Thoughts:

Annie Rains has written a heartwarming and emotional story of a woman compelled to look at her life in order to change how she relates to others.

It’s December 4 and Diana Merriman starts her day with her fiancé Linus. The two had quarrelled the night before as Linus begins to push Diana to start planning their wedding. Diana tells him she wants to wait until after she interviews for a promotion. The weather has turned cold and Linus heads to his toy store reading his beloved bike as he forgot to gas up his truck. On his way home from work, he is struck on his bike by a delivery truck and slips into a coma.

Skip to December 24. Diana stumbles upon a wrapped gift that Linus has purchased for her. She opens it and finds a one-of-a-kind snow globe of their small town. Her elderly neighbor visits and Diana shows her the snow globe. The woman places an enchantment on the snow globe that allows Diana to repeat one day in her life. She is warned that this enchantment will not change the course of events. She chooses December 4 in hopes of preventing Linus’ accident. What she doesn’t know is that she’s about to repeat this day over and over again.

I loved the intensity and consequences of Diana’s time loop as she tries to live a life without Linus. Time loops tend to become a little monotonous and if I’m honest I could have done with one less repeat of December 4. Having said that, the book is a lovely Christmas read and is full of the magic of the holiday season.

I recommend this book to those that enjoy time-loop women’s fiction and romance.

Some of the Other Books I’ve Reviewed Written by Annie Rains:

The Good Luck Cafe

The True Love Bookshop

The Christmas Village