The Christmas Throwaway by R.J. Scott

The Christmas ThrowawayThe Christmas Throwaway by R.J. Scott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am not always in the mood for sappy, but when I am I like the syrupy goodness to coat my throat as it goes down. The Christmas Throwaway is by no means noteworthy. It reads like a public service announcement for homeless LGBT teens that would air on Lifetime or the Hallmark channel. However, it checks off the list of over sensationalized emotions that you want to feel when picking up a book like this to suit a sappy mood.

You will hate Zachary’s family, love Ben’s family, want to reach in the book and hug Zach and care for him and you will adore Ben for doing so. By the time you turn the last page, you’ll be on the phone with county foster or walking the streets searching for your own Zach to rescue and give a fairytale, “Hamilton family” ending to. It will leave you with a notion that those who are lost will be found and those who are abused will be rescued and we can all ride into the sunset together. If that is the mood you are in, pick this one up, it will suit it well.

With that said, after reading this review, go read T.A. Webb’s review. And keep in mind that at the core of this sweet, sappy tale is a reality of gritty, heartache that rarely ends with such gaiety. R.J. Scott brings attention to a growing epidemic in this country that needs more happy endings like the one he provides in The Christmas Throwaway. But T.A. Webb is the one who made sure I wasn’t allowed to gloss over the issue at the center of this story. And any emotional highs I took from R.J. Scott’s fictional story were quickly replaced by an emotional punch in the face by T.A.’s non-fictional one.

I will pray for the “throwaway” who is currently wandering the streets right now that he finds a Hamilton family of his own or at least, that T.A. gets another chance to help him.