A good debut novel.  McKenzie writes well but the book may have worked better if the focus wasn't split between so many topics.  It was primarily a romance between Lauren, a single mother trying to start a new life for her and her daughter, and Sarah, the school counselor who befriends them.   At times, the romance was sidelined as McKenzie introduces a number of subplots around Lauren's separation YA romance, bullying, abuse, etc.   On their own, any of those subplots could have stood on their own, but threading them all into this one novel didn't give them the time to explore or the level of depth that they deserved.  I'll be on the watch for McKenzie's next book as I did like this one.

Where Love Leads – Erin McKenzie


This is a story about four women, all-dealing with their personal issues.

Sarah O’Shaughnessy a high school counselor still dealing with the lose of her wife.
Lauren Emerson running from her abusive husband, her teenage daughter Kat distressed after a horrendous bullying experience and Bridget with her pink tipped hair and her passion to help others.

The story is slow and follows the four women as they adapt to new situations, open their hearts and search for the happiness they long for.

I thought the way the author dealt with the two different relationships, how they developed and the pace was well handled.

You have the two teenagers, Kat and Bridget stepping out into the world, fresh, and unafraid. Loving and excited for their future. 
Sarah and Lauren are tainted by life and in comparison need longer to open up, to trust, to let go of their insecurities and open their hearts. 

Where Love Leads is an enjoyable book, the characters well developed and the contrast between the fast and furious young love of Kat and Bridget and the slow smoldering mature looks of affection and understanding between Sarah and Lauren was wonderful.

I was unable to review this book because of a conflict in my schedule. Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused the publisher or the author of the work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review for you and  I look forward to reviewing for you in the future.

You know what, this book wasn't half bad!  It doesn't necessarily tread any new ground in the world of lesbian romance plots, but the one it primarily does cover (the "straight" best friend) is a classic.  The book covers a range of heavy topics between bullying, sexual abuse, coming of age, homophobia, alcohol abuse but it also just touches the surface of some of these topics before moving on to the next.  It almost felt like the author was given a checklist of hot button issues and she felt the need to insert all of them.  The result is that none of these very weighty topics feel properly dealt with.  The romance aspect is given the same "as much as you could cram in!" treatment  following the budding romances between two adults as well as two teenagers.  The adult characters really held and carried the book, whereas the teenagers felt bland and under-developed.  Thankfully, the teenage perspectives in the book are very short comparatively since they don't tend to move the story forward.  That complaint aside, I thought the chemistry between Sarah and Lauren (the adults) was definitely there and believable--a huge credit to this new author.  Though what I did find a bit strange was the body-shaming Sarah put herself through.  I may have been able to ignore it if it was just one throwaway line, but there are at least three distinct times in this book where Sarah internally beats herself up about her weight/body.  With all of the other intense topics, this is never covered verbally or between the characters, but is instead just a very strange character trait with no payoff.
With these well-worn plot types, it's hard to put a fresh spin on them, and while this author doesn't exactly do anything new or different, she at least populated her world with a couple of characters who truly seem to like each other.  Hopefully in future books, there will be a heavier-handed editor to tighten up loose and unnecessary plot threads.  However, not a bad debut offering.

Great book, different than what I'm used to but never hurts to try new things and it was definitely worth it.

Beautiful Cover, Enjoyable Read

Thank you to both Net Galley and Bold Strokes Books for this advanced copy of Where Love Leads in
exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to begin with why I even picked this book out to read and that is the fantastic cover. The
colors and simplicity of image drew me right in I had to find out if this book was for me and it was.
Congratulations to Erin McKenzie for a well written first novel. I look forward to her future titles.
While not a great book it is a solid story and I would definitely recommend it to others.
While reading this story I really loved it, in the beginning and middle, but the ending kind of made me
feel less enamored with it.

The story is about Sarah O'Shaughnessy, a high school counselor and Lauren Emerson, the mother of a
teenage daughter who has been bullied by her classmates to the point of cutting herself. Lauren's
husband is unsupportive and becomes verbally abusive when he drinks which has become more and
more frequent. Lauren decides to make a change and moves with her daughter Kat from their
Alabama home to her hometown in upstate New York.
The first day of school introduces Lauren and Kat to Sarah and thus begins a friendship between
Lauren and Sarah. The first day of school also introduces Kat to Bridget James, one of the most
outgoing students who walks to the beat of her own drum.

What I did love about this novel is the development of the relationships between the two leads, Sarah
and Lauren, and also between Kat and Bridget. While Kat and Bridget's story is minor to Sarah and
Lauren's, there are chapters where we see the story from their eyes too. Usually we see the story
from only two perspectives and I really liked and appreciated that Kat and Bridget also had a voice and
we weren't hearing about them through one of the leads point of view. What is also unique about
this novel is that we see both the mother and daugther's awakening in lesbian relationships at the
same time. I have read stories where the mom is a lesbian and the daughter discovers she is a lesbian
too but in this case the daughter pretty much knows she is a lesbian and the mother is discovering it
for the first time.

The ending is what made me feel a little lackluster about the book because it literally ended after the
first and only love making scene. I mean it's two or three pages of them in bed and then the end.
It isn't unusual for there to be only one love making scene in a lesbian novel but it wasn't a great love
making scene after chapters of build up and then to just end right after it left me feeling let down,
gypped, anti-climatic (yes, pun intended!!!).

For a debut novel I think this one is really good.  I enjoyed the characters, and I love books with Moms.  I enjoy reading about characters that are not 25 and super hot, and have zero baggage other than relationship issues.  This book covers all of the good points for me.  My biggest issue with the book isn’t original.  It appears everyone picked up on it pretty quickly.  There is a LOT going on in this book.  I commend McKenzie for hitting on several issues, but for a reader it is a bit much.  Still a solid first novel, and an author I will hopefully be reading again in the future.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆
Our main characters are Sarah, a high school counsellor who lost her wife four year ago, and Lauren, who has moved to New York with her teenage daughter, leaving her husband behind in Alabama. Sarah and Lauren become friends, their move to romantic partners is a lovely slow burn. Sometimes a little too slow for me, but there are other threads in the story that kept me reading.

The romance between Lauren's daughter, Kat, and fellow student Bridget is really sweet. Kat's struggle with panic attacks, Lauren coming to terms with the end of her marriage and realising she likes Sarah as more than a friend, and her issues with her husband are some of things that kept me turning the page. But for me, the highlight of the book is a fantastic scene at a PFLAG meeting that left me in tears.

Where Love Leads is a lovely story, but sometimes I found there was too much tell and not enough show and as a result, I didn't connect with Sarah and Lauren as strongly as I would have liked. But all in all, I enjoyed Where Love Leads. Given it is a romance that is heavy on the story and light on the steamy scenes, I think it would make a good first f/f romance for anyone wanting to try the genre.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This story of the romance between Sarah, a high school counsellor, and Lauren, a new parent, is sweet and slow. Lauren and her daughter, Kat, move to New York after Kat has some awful experiences in her former school. And as Sarah helps to settle Kat into her new school, she finds herself attracted to Lauren.

I’ve never before read a book which follows the romantic relationships of both a parent and her child. This story mainly focuses on the adult relationship between Sarah and Lauren, but a third of the story follows Lauren’s daughter Kat’s first lesbian relationship. At times, the result is sweet but at other times there is a little bit of an ‘ick’ factor as it becomes difficult to separate Lauren and Kat from their roles as mother or daughter.

I feel like Kat gets lost at times. When the story starts, she has had some horrific experiences but there really isn’t enough focus on her to fully explore her feelings and reactions. Lauren’s reactions to Kat’s experiences are explored in more detail and actually feel genuine. I think the story may have worked better if the focus had remained on Lauren and Sarah with Kat’s experience only explored through the adult characters’ perspectives.

It was Sarah’s character that caught my imagination in this story. She is a complex character and when we meet her, the popular school counsellor is isolated and lonely even as she spends her time caring for her students. I loved the details about her work and I really enjoyed her students. Her secrets are revealed slowly and I enjoyed the growth we see in her during the novel.

Lauren is mostly viewed through Sarah’s perspective. I was intrigued by her, but slightly skeptical of the gay-for-you storyline. I loved the companionship and tentative friendship that builds between Sarah and Lauren but I struggled to believe there was any real passion between them. The coldly reasoned timeline for their relationship certainly didn’t add any intensity to this pairing. Lauren is interesting and warm and I easily understood Sarah’s instant attraction.

This story tackles many important issues, but there were times that this felt like a Stonewall infomercial or an After School Special film. There are possibly too many issues introduced into a single novel and at times, the characters feel like vehicles for concepts.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and I’m looking forward to watching this author develop as a writer.

Apparently this is a debut novel for McKenzie.  For a first it is pretty well done.  I gave it 3.5 stars. The story is really good and well told but my concern was that there was very little in depth, more that she covered issues are just touched upon.  She could have made three or four books out of the one story.  Would have been an excellent series.

There are four main characters in the book. You have Sarah a high school councilor, Lauren who is the parent of the third character Kat who was bullied at her previous school and Bridget the out going new friend and partner of Kat.

Now McKenzie dealt with several issues.  You have Sarah's recent loss of her wife. Lauren leaving her abusive husband and filing for divorce. Moving to a new area to start again. Kat being bullied. I won't go into too much detail here but it should be an essential element of the book but it was just touched upon.  I did really like Bridget she is feisty.

Overall I really enjoyed the book and Yes I would happily recommend it.  But saying that someone should tell the author to ease back a bit.   As I said at the beginning of the book she could have gone more in depth into the topics and created a series. Instead it felt a bit like a melting pot.  All in and stir once and bake.  Enjoy!

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2020792026

https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RIM3AO27T5TDZ/ref=pe_1572281_66412651_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Please see Notes for Publisher above in the Reviewer options section

awesome first book!! i can't wait to read another!!!!!

Very good storyline. Some mistakes. Good characters. I'd read again and would recommend to others. Thanks netgalley for allowing to read.

This is a book that allows you to follow two stories at a time. Mother and daughter carried by the circumstances must leave their home in Alabama to find a better place to overcome a terrible experience. The mother, Lauren, returns to her hometown, which she had to leave at eighteen because the lost of her parents. The daughter, Kat, tries to start anew in an environment more open minded than that they left behind. Both, mother and daughter, are able to find what fills their wills and needs and the book leads us parallely through both stories. Even though I have enjoyed the book a lot, I consider that both stories could be more thoroughly developed. Notwithstanding, the story overall is great and is also a recomendable read.

I loved this book it touch on a few topics and were nicely done can't wait for the author next book.

Review by Caissa (to post 6/16)

I wrote a tweet after finishing this book, saying “My notes for my latest book review include “yes,” “YAAAAAY,” And “saaame.””

I could leave it there, but I won’t.

This book. Oh man. So many feelings. I read most of it on a long bus ride, where I felt everything from heartbreak to smitten to, well, hot and bothered. Not gonna lie. Oops!

In June’s Top of the Stack post, I wrote that I was hopeful for this book because there aren’t many out there like it - about older women finding love. I’m happy to say my feelings were right. I loved it.

We learn a little bit about the main characters, Sarah and Lauren, before their paths cross in a unique way - at Lauren’s daughter Kat’s high school - where they both used to go. Sarah is her counselor, who introduces her to a punky and optimistic girl Bridget. The two become fast friends.

Meanwhile, Sarah finds herself trying to deny her growing feelings for Lauren. Not only does she find it in bad taste because of her relationship with Kat, but she’s still dealing with the death of her wife. Not many books deal with something like this, so it was nice to see in a sad way.

We also learn why Lauren and Kat moved back to Lauren’s hometown in New York, and it broke my heart. Lauren’s parents died soon after she graduated high school, so she moved to Alabama with her high school sweetheart, Trent. They married after she got pregnant with Kat, but things got worse when he began to emotionally abuse the two. After Trent wrongly accuses Kat of starting a controversy to impact some athletes, Lauren decides she’s had enough.

Later on, after a panic attack, we learn Kat was raped. It was tough but I loved her scenes about it with Bridget (because surprise! They get together!). Kat eventually gets the strength to say the word rape (shoutout to therapy!). “I need to talk about it so you’ll know,” she tells Bridget. “Nothing about that experience comes to mind when I’m with you. Everything about you makes me feel safe, happy, and loved. … Together we have to let it go, you know?” As a survivor of sexual assault myself, with a partner who makes me equally as happy, those scenes hit home.

But let’s get to my favorite thing about the book - all of the flipping cuteness. At times it seemed like Lauren and Kat were living the same life; both were trying to hide their feelings for their eventual partners but eventually giving them some of the overabundance of love they have. There are also some sex scenes in the book that were very descriptive…in a good way. ;)

I do have some small issues with the book. I wish it delved more into some of the backstories, including Kat’s love of art and what happened to her and Bridget. However, let’s just say the end of the book is worth it.

I hope Erin McKenzie keeps writing. If it’s anything like this important but adorable debut novel, she’ll go places.

Where Love Leads is one of those sweet and slow romance novels for those of you looking for something a bit tamer. That's not saying there isn't any intensity. The author deftly knows how to build intensity between Lauren and Sarah who also face choices on how to pursue their relationship because Sarah is also Lauren's daughter's school counselor. What I liked most about this book was the characters and how they slowly built and expanded their family while also healing from traumatic events. I really got to like and care about these people and their family. Give them a chance and you might, too.

3.5  stars

Sarah O’Shaughnessy is a counselor at the local high school. Dedicated to her job of supporting students during their difficult adolescence, Sarah is still grieving the loss of her wife and keeps to herself outside school hours.

A new student arrives at the start of semester, anxious and traumatised from a bad bullying experience at her previous school. Kat is accompanied by her mum Lauren, both of whom have escaped the increasing aggression of Kat’s dad.

It isn’t long before Lauren and Sarah realize they graduated in the same year at the school, and their friendship develops. When their attraction surfaces, Lauren’s marriage, Sarah’s grief, and Kat’s trauma make it all impossible.

Sarah, Lauren and Kat are all good characters. It was lovely to see a well-written part for a 17 year old, as well as the more adult romance and emotions of her mother and Sarah. McKenzie clearly has experience with teenagers, and with counseling. Her bio suggests she has experience as a school counselor, and I have to say, it shows.

However, there were a few places, particularly early on in the book, in which the dialogue from Sarah becomes a little preachy. Fortunately it didn’t last long, and the character grew out of that to become a more interesting character. 

There weren’t many flaws in the two main characters, and they seemed a little perfect. They were very likable though, and it was very easy to spend a couple of hours with them in their world. 

McKenzie did a good job of setting the scene, and the plot was realistic, and believable. Where Love Leads is her debut novel, and I can see a bright future for her within the lesbian romance genre. This is a good start, and I’m looking forward to reading her next book.

Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

This debut novel by Ms. McKenzie is a very sweet romance.  From the very first chapter, I was hooked on this book.  Although the plot was predictable, I enjoyed reading something with a “happily ever after” story.

There are four main characters in this book.  Sarah O’Shaughnessy, Lauren Emerson and her teen daughter, Kat, and Bridget. Lauren and Kat leave Alabama and settle in upstate New York where Lauren grew up.  They first meet Sarah when Kat is starting her first day of school.  Sarah is a counselor at the school and arranges for Kat to be escorted around school by Bridget.  Lauren has left her abusive husband.  Sarah’s wife died several years ago and Sarah has found it difficult to move on with her life.

Lauren is drawn to Sarah and uncovers latent feelings towards women. Over the school year, Lauren and Sarah work on their relationship.  Kat has experienced a great deal of bullying and abuse from students from her old school.  Bridget helps Kat to work through trust concerns and young love blossoms. 

There are many issues addressed in this book and they are handled quite delicately.  Most readers have experienced at least one of the situations addressed in this book.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a romance with a happy ending. I rate this book 4-1/2 stars out of 5.

I was given this ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

I wish I could give half stars because this book is 3 ½ – it was hard to rate. The books scratches a lot of different topics like bullying, death, scattered family life, romance and YA novel elements. It touches all of those points but doesn’t go deeper with any of them. It also has two romance stories in it, which is nice but I felt like they both were lacking at some point.
I think the characters could have been developed a bit more – I could feel the chemistry between Sarah and Laura but not really between Kat and Bridget. I kind of had trouble with the Bridget character – she seemed to change a lot for me and not being constant – but that could have been just me and my feeling.
All in all I would recommend this book – it was a nice read and I enjoyed it.

This was an okay romance, by new author McKenzie. I thought the writing was pretty well done for a debut author, but I think next time McKenzie sholud work on getting the reader to feel for the characters a bit more. As other reviewers have noted, McKenzie tried to hit on a lot of different themes, with this book. I think she would have been better off just focusing on one or two, and doing them really well.

The story is about a mother Lauren, and her daughter Kat, who move to New York State to escape an emotional abusive husband, and bullies from Kat's school. Kat, has had a hard time dealing with her sexuality, and Lauren just wants her to be safe. At the new school, they meet Kat's counselor Sarah. Sarah can tell Kat has been through a lot, she wants to help Kat, find a place in the school. As Sarah tries to help Kat, she grows closer to Lauren. Can a real relationship work for them, or a they destined to be nothing more than friends?

Instead of just having Lauren and Sarah as mains, this book also is about Kat and Bridget. I would say about 1/3 is YA and 2/3 is an adult romance. That was one of my issues with the book. While Kat was going through a lot, I don't think her POV was needed. I didn't really get the "feels" from her story-line, that you do in most YA's. I think McKenzie would have been better off having the whole book through Lauren and Sarah's POV, or make the whole book YA.

As I mentioned before, Kat's character was dealing with being bullied. I want to be careful what I mention so it does not spoil anything, but another huge issue arises for Kat. This ended up being another problem for me. McKenzie, decided to tackle another huge, tough topic, and it just did not work. I didn't see why it was needed, almost purely to throw more drama in. Then almost nothing came of it, and it was almost just swept under the rug. Not the way to handle such a tough subject, it just should have been taken out of the story-line.

This is a very slow romance. I like books that are not insta-love, so I was happy about that. My problem was it was so slow, that it lost some of the chemistry. Lauren and Sarah, came across more as best friends than lovers, for me.

While I obviously had some issues with this book, overall I think the story flowed well, and was written well. I just think McKenzie tried to tackle too many things at once. If she can narrow her ideas down, I might just enjoy her next book. I will absolutely give her another chance.

An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.