With This is Home, writer Lisa Duffy has officially cemented herself as one of my favorite authors. Much like her first book, The Salt House, Duffy makes it next to impossible not to care deeply for the characters she creates.

In Paradise, a small town close to Boston, almost 17 year old Libby lives in a three decker home with her dad, Bentley (Bent). Bent’s two overprotective sisters live on the third floor, and Bent has just recently helped a mysterious woman, Quinn, into the first floor apartment. Quinn is struggling with the disappearance of her husband, John, who has been struggling since his return from two tours in Afghanistan. Slowly their lives start to intertwine in ways none of them ever saw coming.

I LOVED these characters. LOVED THEM. Quinn and Libby especially, who despite a rocky start, begin to realize they have some things in common. I cared for both of them as if I knew them personally and found myself so invested in their lives: my heart hurt when they were hurting, it swelled when they were happy. It might sound cheesy, but it’s the truth. Duffy has a gift for writing these characters that I feel like could live right down the street from me. And I loved how she weaves the characters into each other’s lives in unexpected ways, even the minor ones. I almost wish there had been fewer characters just to spend more time with the main ones, but even the side characters played their parts.

There was some, I think, really well-written parts about being the wife of a soldier. I don’t have personal experience, but Quinn’s feelings were raw and real, and the way John was described allowed the reader to feel empathy and anger toward both of them at times.

There are just so many pieces and parts and layers to this story that I could gush about it all day. There were a few bits that felt a little too neat, but I didn’t mind them at all. These characters were flawed and struggling and even the too-tidy bits were believable simply because you were rooting for everyone. I wished it had been longer because I wasn’t ready to let these characters go.

”… ‘There’s no place like home.’ - Dorothy

Books like This is Home are why I read. The hope that I will find some connection, feel some sense of this created world, these people, the place, the struggles they face, and the joy they manage to find despite the many obstacles, to feel it all, the hearts broken, and the ones healed. We learn so much, about the world, and about ourselves, when we walk in another person’s shoes.

Engaging from the start, this story is about love in its many forms. From the love of young couples suddenly faced with tough decisions, to men at war, whose lives depend on the willingness to put their lives on the line for the safety of others, the way they carry those moments home with them creates a bond that is difficult for some to understand. The PTSD that bleeds over onto spouses and family members adds a sense of heartbreaking realization of the damage people carry inside.

Set in the fictional town of Paradise, Massachusetts, where Quinn Ellis lives, a young woman married for the last five years to John, who was deployed twice during that time. Stateside now, John disappeared soon after his latest tour ended, and when Quinn isn’t working as a nanny, she is trying to find him, or hoping he will contact her. When she receives a notice that threatens to leave her homeless, Bent Winters, one of the local police officers, offers her a small apartment on the first floor in his triple-decker house. His two sisters, Desiree and Lucy, live on the top floor, he and his teenage daughter, Libby, live on the middle floor with Rooster Cogburn, a dog he rescued.

In the traditional sense, they are not a family, but over time they grown to be one, looking out for one another. Finding ways to connect and share their lives. I tend to think of family as being a unit that belongs to one another, a bond formed through shared experiences, shared feelings, hopes and dreams. And this is what they have, a bond formed through everything they’ve experienced, all the moments in their lives that have made them the person they are now, that allows them to let down their own walls, to rebuild with a new definition of how they see themselves, their lives, and life, in general. And with this, allowing joy to enter their lives and build on that feeling. Eventually, we all want to, need to find the place where we can say: “This is Home,”

My thanks to my goodreads friend Susanne, whose lovely review prompted me to add this one.
Her review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...



Pub Date: 11 Jun 2019


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atria Books

5 Heartfelt Stars. One of My Favorites of 2019!

There is this feeling that overcomes you as soon as you open “that book” - that one special book. The ones that are few and far between. It’s like when you strike that match and it lights. A glow, an ember of orange fire takes hold and whoosh: flame. A warm feeling took hold of my entire heart when I began reading “This is Home” by Lisa Duffy. It was as if a flame ignited inside of me and I knew, I too, was home.

There are two young women who are desperate for safety, security and stability. A man named Bent provides it for both of them. Libby is a teenager and is Bent’s daughter. He always took on the role of mother and father. Quinn is a woman in her late twenties. Her husband John deserted her after two stints in the war. Bent served with John and did his best to take care of him, and now he’s doing the same for Quinn. Bent is now a Police Officer, Taking care of people is what he does.

To know these characters is to love them. There are no secrets here. Bent stole my darn heart. I wish HE was my next door neighbor! While Bent stole my heart, both Libby and Quinn sort of of broke mine for different reasons (none of which I can go into - you must read this for yourself!). Lisa Duffy writes in such a fluid way that I was immediately drawn into this story. It was almost like I was taken away on a cloud and I drifted along.

Simply put: “This is Home” by Lisa Duffy is literary fiction at its best. It’s a book that opens your heart from the very first. My eyes filled with tears over and over again. This is a book that reminds you about the important things in life: to always let the people in your life know how much you love them and to stick by them. It’s a story that makes you take notice and be grateful for everything you have. In case it’s not obvious, it’s a story that I adored and it will be on my best of list for 2019 and is one I hope all of you will take a chance on. It is so very worth it.

Thank you to Megan Rudloff, Atria Books, NetGalley and to Lisa Duffy for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 4.7.19.
*Will be published on Amazon and Twitter on 6.11.19.
Excerpt to be published on Instagram.

Lisa Duffy beautifully crafts a story about finding love and connections with others in the most unexpected ways.

This truly was a masterpiece of a story and left my heart full of happiness.

I think this book came at the best time in my life right now. It's been so hectic and crazy with wedding planning and Lisa's talent and voice soars through this novel. Lisa creates unforgettable characters that will leave you aching for them, loving them, and crying for them. I was absolutely floored with Lisa Duffy's talent and not sure why I haven't read her work before!

Our main characters in the town of Paradise face challenges but are never left alone. This is a true reminder of how powerful love and making connections with other human beings is. I highly highly recommend this book... and this is one not to be missed.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!

I would give this 10 stars if I could!!!!

Thank you so much to Atria for the advanced arc via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 6/25/19
Published to Goodreads/instagram: 4/1/19

This was a thoroughly satisfying novel where every character was believable and completely real. I couldn’t stop reading to see what happened with Quinn and John, Libby and Flynn (or Jimmy), and most of all Bent. The supporting characters were unique and intriguing as well. The ending was a bit sad but not surprising, and at the same time uplifting and positive (a difficult feat to achieve as a novelist I am sure!)

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This Is Home is heartwarming and heartbreaking. The author created a captivating storyline that keeps you interested the entire way through! Great characters, great read! My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I initially really liked this book. I thought the characters were good unbelievable. However, there's really seem to be no plot. About halfway through I started to care Less and less about the characters and the outcome. I reluctantly gave the book 3 stars. It was a struggle to finish.

I enjoyed this book. The story about the young girl coming to her own and the women that needed friends.

I looked forward to this book and I can honestly say it was worth the wait! Duffy gives us a cast of characters we can get so close to, we feel the heat coming off their skin. We ache for them, we cry for them, we hope for them.

This Is Home is a novel that will surely touch your heart! Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, Lisa Duffy has created a riveting storyline that will keep you hooked the entire way through!

From the very beginning, I adored these endearing characters! Both the main and supporting characters all added so much to this novel—in saying that, I would LOVE if this novel turned into a series and focused on some of the supporting characters in future installments! With the characters facing several obstacles and struggles, I found myself connecting to issues I have never personally gone through — that’s a true sign of fantastic writing! This Is Home is a 5 star read that would make the perfect beach/vacation read! This is my first Lisa Duffy novel, but I have already 1-click The Salt House (Lisa’s debut novel) because she has wow’ed me that much!