Christmas Baggage by Deborah M. Hathaway

⚠️ Moderate Illness Exposure (Food Poisoning, GI Symptoms)

This holiday romance includes a multi-chapter food poisoning storyline involving one of the main-ish characters. The illness is discussed repeatedly over several chapters and includes references to nausea, stomach distress, diarrhea, and general GI upset. There is a brief period where the character worries it might be a stomach virus, but it’s clarified fairly quickly that the cause is food poisoning.

This book offers exposure opportunities such as:

• Ongoing discussion of food poisoning

• References to diarrhea and stomach issues

• Brief worry about whether an illness could be a virus

A solid mid-level exposure pick for practicing tolerance of GI-related symptoms and illness uncertainty, without prolonged or graphic vomiting scenes.