It may be said that you can't go home again, but you can. The scenery will probably be a bit different, but the people will be the same - especially in a rural area. Jane Willow fled her hometown shortly after high school, becoming a well-known film critic in L.A. A family tragedy occurs and she is forced to return to her home town for the first time in years. The story slowly unfolds, along the way providing a lovely homage to the Midwest, but especially to Iowa.
It is the story of a woman who is afraid to face her past, and the community she left behind, but must. It is the story of second chances.

Not at all what I expected, which made it even more of a delight to read. Jane Willow, born and raised in Iowa, lives and breathes movies. She moves to LA and becomes a famous if quite acerbic movie critic. 18 years later, upon the unexpected death of her parents, she must go back to Iowa and face the event in her past that drove her away and the people she abandoned there. Along the way, she discovers that everyone has secrets in their lives, everyone needs a friend, everyone needs redemption of some sort. Full of the goodness of small town America, friendship, heart, hope, witty dialogue and moving events, this was just a wonderful story. Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the e-arc! Loved it! 4+ stars!

Jane Willow left home and became a pretty well known movie critic. When she gets a devastating phone call, it wasn’t a question that she needed to go back “home”. The place she swore to never step foot in again. But when it comes to family, it’s what you do.

I found Jane to be quite refreshing. She is blunt, feisty and reviews her movies with tenacity and no holding back. But going home brings out a different side of her. It means she will have to deal with the tragic accident as well as whatever made her leave in the first place. What caused her to leave the place she grew up in? What caused her to never look back? Those are the questions we learn slowly about.

The setting of the small town, True City, Iowa, where everyone knows one another in some way or another. Either family and friends of family and friends of friends. I really enjoyed the small town setting, it reminded me of the town we live in. The townspeople were just amazing, especially Charlotte. The best friend that Jane left behind all those years ago.

The movies being woven in throughout this was a bonus to me, I liked seeing her take and how they played a part in her going back home. Jane’s story had plenty of sad moments of loss and heart break that brings tears to your eyes, I know it did mine. But it also some laughable moments as well.

The biggest part of this that I enjoyed so much was that this is a story of self forgiveness and redemption. I think fans of contemporaries will enjoy this one.

I am not a movie person... I am especially not a musical person. Please don't get me started on how someone can just start singing and then whip everyone nearby into the same frenzy and everyone knows the dance moves.

Maybe I'm old...maybe its because I have only 1 parent and I lost my mother in law a year ago.. I get it - your parents are annoying, are nothing like you and you hate where you came from. That's how everyone feels. Sometimes I'd rather live some other than Southern California with our socio-economic class systems, super intense water restrictions and almost constant fire danger. The life outside of tinsel town seems better and better all of the time.

I didn't like Jane..and when you don't like the main character you most likely will not like the book.

Loved this book. Didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend.

Love love love. Incredible book. Fabulous book club pick too

I’m torn in my feelings for this book. It was a sweet story with heartfelt sentiments about love and redemption and second chances. It pays homage to the beauty and magic of movies, classics, blockbusters and cult favorites alike. Sadly, despite all the positive pieces, I didn’t care for the writing and that made it difficult for me to finish the book. I pushed myself to do so but I’m not sure I’ll be recommending this to any of my friends.

Jane Willow left her hometown of Iowa and never looked back. Now a famous movie critic in Los Angeles, she is forced to head back to her hometown to take care of family matters.
Unfortunately, this book was just not my cup of tea. I did not finish it.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy to review.

This book put me through the emotional wringer - laughter, tears, annoyance, indignation, disbelief, and happiness. Jane is Cinegirl, a film critic that is based in Los Angeles. She is living her dream life, reviewing movies and her parents always, always come from Iowa to visit her. When her parents die a tragic death she goes home for the first time since she left years and years ago. Coming home forces her to confront why she left and never came home and the best friend she left behind. She is also involved in an incident that she is desperate to make right. A story of life and home and the choices we make to survive.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book.
I thought it was a beautifully written story about forgiveness and second chances.
I loved this story, it had me laughing and crying.
I also liked the author’s writing style, how she told the story by alternating between time periods and how she used movie references throughout the story.
I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to netgalley for this book.
It's another new author for me and a fun read. It's not my usual style but I finished it and I enjoyed it.
A film critic leaves Hollywood to go home to where she was brought up in Iowa. Her parents have died and she's not been home in 18 years. She has alot to contend with and alot to come to terms with.
Movies are woven into the plot and it rewlly was a fun read.
4 stars are given instead of 5 because the ending was a little different.

The Lost Queen of Crocker County is charming and enthralling at the same time. I found myself enveloped on the opening page as I stepped into the life of Jane Willow. Having lived in Iowa, I instantly recognized the richness and depth of soul one finds there. I cheered and cried for Jane as she faced her past and her future at once. An endearing tale that feels good from start to finish, you won't want to miss this one!

Jane Willow gets bad news and heads home to small town Iowa, where she hasn’t been back for years. This is a story of second chances, of mistakes made, choices that were meant to hide it but come back to force attention to the past. Jane was Janie in Iowa, a corn queen, not the Jane “Cinegirl” known for her wicked movie reviews. Jane is a strong female character, and the old time movie references add a unique dimension. Recommended.

I love the title of this book and rather expected a quirky Southern story about a female heroine that was formerly a county fair queen. I was surprised to find that the female lead is living in Los Angeles and works as a movie critic. She has avoided going back home to the Midwest, not the South, because of personal secrets. Due to a tragedy, she has to return and deal with the demons she has avoided. This book has some funny scenes and the characters are fun. It is always good to see female leads show strength of character and for them to recognize the support they need and to be strong enough to embrace it.

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this novel where a popular film critic from Hollywood heads back to Iowa on the death of her parents. She hasn't been "home" in 18 years and there's a lot she needs to come to terms with. besides the aching loss of her parents. I especially love how the author wove movie references throughout the story. I had to look some of them up (and loved what I found!) but most I was familiar with, and enjoyed how each reference to a film took me deeper into the mind of the main character. Well-written, intriguing and believable characters, forward-moving plot that kept me turning the pages. A beautiful story of self-forgiveness and the power of community.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an e-ARC of this title. First, I loved the cover! It screamed Midwest, and you just want to be there. I'd never heard of this author, and wasn't sure if I'd like the book. I loved it! I am only not giving it a 5, because I wish the ending had been wrapped up a bit more (although I see the purpose in leaving it open a bit...might we have a sequel??) The author did a good job in the alternating time periods, which kept me reading "just one more chapter..." I also loved the way movies were woven into the plot and the Jane's character. There are a few phrases used by the author's dad that I loved, but they were used just a little too much. That said, I wonder if they might mean something to the author? Either way, I felt like the characters were all so well developed...past and present. I will definitely be following the author's future books, and I've already downloaded 2 previous. Highly recommended. PS Actually....at the last minute, I realized how very much I did love the characters....I'm upping my stars to 5!

Jane Willow loves movies and is a famous film critic in Los Angeles. She isn't afraid to call the most anticipated film of the year a piece of crap. Jane hasn't been back to her hometown in Iowa in eighteen years and is even in the process of buying her parents a townhouse in California so they will be near her. Then it all changes when she gets a tragic phone call and finally heads home. During Jane's trip home, she comes to terms with the secrets that kept her away for so long and makes up with the best friend she ignored for all those years.

This was an amazing book. I may have shed a few tears while reading but there was also laughter. The book constantly had me smiling and I loved Jane (Janie once she arrives home), she was a great character. Some of the parts that put a smile on my face:
* Happy Days Funeral Home. Yes, the funeral home was named Happy Days and Janie was
quickly points out that the director doesn't look like the Fonz or one of the seven dwarfs.
* Janie's friend Charlotte answers phone calls for a Meatloaf Hotline and asks the callers what
their meatloaf emergency is. By the way, it's for the food not the singer. Weirdly enough, she
gets a lot of calls from people who can't properly make it.
* Silence of the Lambs. Neighbors happen to stop over at the house on the day of the funeral to
drop off some casseroles right as Buffalo Bill is doing his naked dance. They pretty much
though Janie was crazy!!

The whole book just made me smile. I can;t wait to read more books by the author. I loved the characters, story line and writing style. I definitely recommend the book.

Thanks to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and the author, Elizabeth Leiknes, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

Jane Willows left Crocker County, Iowa years ago, leaving her life as the “corn queen ” far behind, to make a new life as a film critic in Los Angeles. Now, tragedy pulls her back and she has to face the mistakes and embarrassment she left behind nearly twenty years before. I loved this story, it was sweet, sad, snarky and Jane felt like an old friend