How can you pass up a book about personal journey that involves befriending a stray dog along the way? It is impossible not to be drawn into this premise.

A lovely gentle story about Cara taking a road trip across America towards Key West after a trouble life has brought her to a crossroads. She is befriended by a stray dog along the way, who she calls Hemi (short for Hemingway) and they come together and work their way through their journey together.

This is basically a love story, between a woman and her stray dog but there is also a humanity about Hemi as he is the one to open Cara’s heart instead of breaking it and teaches her to love again..

Format: Paperback
Once again, Kay had me up until the wee hours of the morning because I could not put this book down. I felt compelled to read "just one more chapter" until I reached the end. She creates characters and situations that are both believable and realistic. This another one of her books that I continue to think about long after I've finished. Great job, Kay. Keep writing!!

Cara Butter is on a journey (by foot) to Key West, FL to visit the home of Ernest Hemingway. Along the way, she picks up a stray dog, whom she names Hemingway after her favorite author. Since Cara was young she has had trust issues. As a child, Cara and her twin sister, Hanna, were tossed around from foster home to foster home. They learned at an early age to not depend on anyone but each other. Along the way Cara meets caring and helpful people who start to break down the wall she has built up around herself. They help her by giving her food, clothing, shelter, a warm shower, care for her dog, a bike with a trailer for Hemi to make the journey go faster and easier. Cara learns that people are not all bad.

One of the things that I loved about this book was how Cara transformed before our eyes. She was weary of people and Hemingway too, initially in the book. As the book progressed and she continued on her journey, you could almost feel her relaxing and learning to trust. I loved the unconditional love that Cara and Hemingway had, the way they depended upon each other and protected each other. Cara became this strong, self-reliant, confident young woman who realized she has so much to give to others. I highly recommend you read this book and read Cara’s story for yourself.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced readers’ copy of WISH ME HOME by Kay Bratt.
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Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to have read this beautiful book. I don't normally read woman's fiction, but this was really a nice story. It was heartwarming, and perhaps just what I needed to break the crime fiction spree I'm on. Recommended if you love a sweet, endearing read.

This novel was a wonderful combination of serious topics, mystery, and joyful moments! I enjoyed the characters introduced throughout the story and the dogs. Cara and Hana are twin sisters who lost their mother when they were seven. They lived in various foster homes until the age of eighteen. Twenty some years later, Cara has left Hana where they live in Georgia to travel to Key West in Florida. Cara travels some by car, some by foot, and some by bicycle. As she travels, memories of their past come back to Cara. There is a sense of mystery as to why Cara has left Hana behind. Along the way, Cara meets some special people who help her with her journey. She also is adopted by a dog who protects her and keeps her company. She finally reaches her destination of Key West and begins a new life. But then things change suddenly with her new friends. We find out what happened between Cara and Hana. This novel is Cara’s journey to deal with the past and heal, so that she can move on into her future and find her home. I highly recommend this novel to you! It was very well written and heartwarming.

This book is the best novel I've read and received an ARC here from Netgalley. Everything about this book is to be loved: from the plot and pacing of the story, characterization, setting(s), and most especially Hemi the Dog. If you are a dog lover like I do, you will definitely enjoy and love also this poignant and spectacular novel. There are several tear-jerking scenes in the story especially the part where Cara just left Hemi in the care of Luke and Toni because she needs to run and hide, fearing that the authorities are pursuing her.

One great novel that will leave you a lot of emotions from sadness, happiness, hope, and love. Lastly, it teaches us that it's okay to be vigilant; but we must still learn to trust and face the fact that there are still a lot of people out there who are willing to help us in our life,

Thanks to NETGALLY and Kay Bratt for allowing me to read and give an honest review.
There’s a dog on the cover, so I already knew that I would love this novel.
Sister’s, Cara and her sister see their mom taken away in a squad, they were told she has died. They were taken into the foster care system, going from one family to another, most of them, really bad. Hana had depression issues, was suicidal. Cara always felt the need to take care of her, then something horrible happens and Cara feels the only answer is to run, and run she does.
Cara’s favorite author is Ernest Hemingway ,so she decides to head to Key West.
She walking, with little money, little provisions, however she runs into a stray, I love that she shares what little bit of food she has with the stray. Cara ends up taking the stray with her, she names him, ” Hemi”, of course the plan is to take him to a rescue, but she falls in love with “Hemi”.
Along her travels, Cara meets some interesting people, she meets people that are really nice, and caring, this is very new to her, she is beginning to wonder if maybe there are nice people. Cara meets Luke, Ava and Tori , they run a rescue in Key West, she gets a job there,  and she can keep Hemi with her.
This is a whole new beginning for her, she is learning to trust, and learning to love. Of course there are many ups and downs, but Cara begins to feel that life is good, she begins to relax, and she feels love. This is all new for her.
This novel is full of love, sadness, family, a huge love of animals, most of all, its all about new beginnings.
Thank you, NETGALLEY.

A stray dog attaches himself to Cara, a homeless 29 year old woman. This is the tale of their journey within America to find a forever home.

I was attracted to this book by it’s cover. There is something about the bond that holds between a dog and their owner. Although the blurb for this novel describes it as contemporary women’s fiction, I feel that this will also appeal to male dog owners too. I think that this story would be a good holiday read as when you are away from your home, you have only the basics around and are temporarily homeless too.

Wish Me Home covers a lot of issues. Homelessness, foster care, the kindness of strangers, dog welfare and the dynamics of a family. I liked how this story was told and I very quickly developed an empathy for Cara. I thought it was good how Cara’s situation focused highly on what is really important in life and how the stray dog became dependent on her, giving all his trust and love.

Wish Me Home was a very pleasant read. The pace was comfortable and there were loads of feel good moments. I liked all the dog parts of this story and the romance was gentle too. No harm came to any animal and there was no gritty sex to read through. It was a nice cosy warm read that makes readers who have both a dog and a home feel really good about themselves.

Okay, the generosity of strangers was rather unrealistic but don’t let that put you off this story. I found Wish Me Home to be a GOOD holiday type read and it does have a happy ending. This book gave me that nice passing through feeling, as though I had met Cara on holiday for 14 days but we would never meet again. A book that leaves such a nice resonance behind gets 4 stars from me.

Kay Bratt has written a remarkably heartfelt lovely story of a woman on her own journey to healing. This is a must read book that I enjoyed from cover to cover. The story of Cara, her road trip and her Friendship with her dog was truly transformative. I loved this book . I find her writing style a delight to read and always enjoyable. I thank the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this wonderful book. The characters are well crafted, the locations are beautifully drawn upon and the strength of Cara remarkable.

Loved this book! Cara is a terrific character. She's wounded but not so much that she's not completely attuned and sensitive to her dog Hemi and to the people she meets on her journey. Loved the fact that she's a Hemingway fan- an unexpected twist for a very young woman. Mostly I loved that this is ultimately a hopeful and positive book. There are a lot of underlying issues: foster care, abandonment, depression, and so on. However, most, not all, of the people Cara meets help her. She learns a lot about herself, enough to help her sister. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. This is a winner.

I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this book. Cara's character is complex. In the beginning, I couldn't find any way to relate to her personality, and found her overdramatic with a tendency to state the obvious. However, as the story went on and her journey to Key West progressed, she grew on me.

As for the story itself, I liked it. Kind of Lifetime movie-ish, kind of too coincidental and cheesy at times... Once Cara reaches the Hadley House I ended up really liking it. So 4 stars instead of 3. I was going to give 3 because the writing was awkward, especially in the dialogue, and the word "had" was used about three hundred times. If you can get passed that, I think you'll enjoy this story.

I loved the cover of this book, and I hadn't read the author yet. I love the setting of Cara, the main character, and her companion, a dog. It made me think about how close animals can be to us, and how much they can make a difference in our lives. I enjoyed the book. Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As I read this book I kept hoping I'd find why Cara was running and so afraid. Then I did. I felt like i had wasted the time I spent reading the book. I didn't find the characters or story compelling and by the time I knew Cara's reasoning, I really didn't care anymore. I just wanted to finish the book.

An uplifting read to warm the heart, while tugging at the heartstrings along the way. We meet Cara at the beginning, trudging along the interstate in Georgia where she meets and falls in with a dog who is also limping along. She can't shake the dog off, and he has an injured paw so she looks after him and he stays with her. Cara names the dog Hemingway, Hemi for short, after her hero. We don't know why Cara is on the road, with no home nor transport, and at first I made the assumption she was homeless. It soon becomes clear there is more to her story, and she decides to head for Key West to pay homage to Hemingway. Initially Cara is suspicious of everyone, and with good reason as we learn of her roots, and the awful childhood she has experienced. We know she is without her twin sister for the first time ever, but we don't know what has happened to Hana, and why Cara thinks she is wanted by the police. On her journey, Cara meets some lovely people, who restore her faith in human nature, although there are some low points along the way. Finally in Key West, she takes a chance on another helpful stranger and ends up in a home for dogs, where she finds refuge. Gradually we discover her background as she begins to trust Luke, and we see progress being made as Cara comes to the realisation that she can't continue the same relationship with her sister that has damaged her throughout her life. The discovery at the ending is shocking, and while it may bring closure to the girls, I was horrified that this could have happened. A truly engaging read, a love story, and one of self discovery.

Wish Me Home is such a beautiful story, showing the power of love and kindness. Cara and Hemi, short for Hemingway, hit it off in a big way when they happen to stumble upon each other out on the road. They are both in desperate need of a good friend and the connection that they have from the very beginning is so heartwarming.

One of the first things I wondered throughout the story was why is Cara homeless and alone? Where is her twin sister and what happened to make her leave home so fast, leaving her sister and everything else behind? As Cara travels along the road, trying to escape her life, she decides to head for Ernest Hemingway's home in Key West. She has the companionship of the stray dog and lots of good people along the way who help her out more than she thinks she deserves.

Not to say that she didn't run into some bad people too, people who caused her to lose almost everything she owns. For the most part though, she receives kindness and wisdom from so many good people. People came into her life just when she needed them and offered her comfort and solace. Along the journey, Cara and Hemi learn so much about themselves and those around them as they both start to heal and move forward with their lives.

This is a story that really touched my heart and if you have ever loved a dog, you will understand the connection and love that Cara and Hemi have for each other. It really was amazing to witness that connection, that strong bond. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved experiencing the adventures, and the ups and downs, right along with Cara. I loved the wonderful characters she came across and missed them as much as she did when they parted. I look forward to reading more of Kay Bratt's work in the future.

I have read other books by this author, about her adoption and novels of China and I really like her writing style. I was very interested to see how she wrote for general woman's fiction and this story did not disappoint, as it had some elements that I love from other favorite stories such as walking, meeting people who promote growth, etc..
This is a story about twin sisters, Cara and Hanna who were sent from foster home, to foster home, never finding the right fit. As the girls grow older they learn to rely on no one but themselves, and once out of the system, they create there niche, sticking together as much as they need to.
When something happens, and Cara decides it would be better to separate herself from her sister for awhile, she decides to head to key west to see where a favorite author of hers lived, Ernest Hemingway.
First the car she had breaks down, and she decides to continue walking, all of a sudden she is being followed by a dog with a foot injury, finding out that he is not going to leave her, she names him Hemi, after Hemingway. Along her journey she meets some wonderful people, who take her in for a night or two, feed her and her dog and slowly break down the walls she had built up around herself since childhood.
She has a lot of adventures and experiences that give her the confidence she needs in her life, and once arriving at her destination, meets people that will change her life forever.
I am really looking forward to another of her stories.
I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.

Cara and Hana are twin sisters and when there mother dies when they are seven they are put into foster care and they find that they only have each other to rely. Hana is the more rebellious twin and keeps getting them into trouble with Kara always trying to calm her down

As an adult Cara needs to get away and so sets out on a journey to Florida leaving her sister behind. She gets joined by a stray dog and so with little money they make their way together - but can Cara really leave the past behind or will it catch up with her?

A lovely story with great characters - especially Luke and of course the dog!

Familial relationships will always be a source of quality story telling. The journey of Cara from someones sister to her own woman on her journey from Georgia to Key West. In her travels the people she meets, while convenient, all play their role in telling her story and helping her find herself that it's impossible to think of those meetings as contrived.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will be looking forward from more from this author in the future.

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