The Family Journal by Carolyn Brown is a story about a woman who finds herself by going home. Lily is a single mom who has two out of control teenagers. She moves from the city back to her childhood home to try to save her children from themselves. Mack has been renting the home for a few years and they work out an agreement to share the house. Lily discovers an old journal in her mother's desk. The journal has been passed down in her family for over a hundred years. Lily can see similarities in her life and her children's lives with their ancestors. Through the journal entries she can see that she comes from a long line of strong women. There is a sense that Lily is being guided by her mother through the journal and her memories.

This sweet story is full of family, small town values, and love. I enjoyed this book and found the characters to be very likable. I would definitely read more books from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

General Fiction (adult)
Romance
Release date: November 12, 2019

Reading a Carolyn Brown book is like coming home again. You feel joy, contentment and love.

Single mom Lily Anderson found her fourteen-year-old daughter Holly in the library bathroom with a marijuana joint and that was the last straw. When Lily confiscates all of Holly's electronics as punishment Holly tattletales on her twelve-year-old brother Braden by telling Lily that he has been sneaking out and smoking cigarettes and drinking beer with his friends. That revelation gets Braden's electronics confiscated also and finalizes Lily's decision to move the family away from the city of Austin, Texas to the small town of Comfort, Texas where Lily was born and raised and from which she couldn't wait to escape come time to attend college. Going home to Comfort, Texas where she inherited her childhood home after the deaths of her parents. Going home to the house she and the kids will be sharing with Mack Cooper who is renting there. Would this move bring Lily's family back together again? Is Lily making the right decision?

Carolyn Brown always somehow stikes right to the heart of the matter in her stories. She portrays her characters' faults as well as their positives and their weaknesses as well as their strengths. Thus she brings her characters to life on the pages of the book and makes the reader want to get to know them. She tells the story here of a divorced mom who moves back home to better her life and the lives of her children who all benefit from the entrance of vo-ag teacher Mack Cooper into their lives. Carolyn Brown does an excellent job of contrasting Mack with Lily's ex-husband Wyatt. The reunion of Lily with her two best friends from high school added additional joy to my reading of this story. This gave me a sense of how these three women were truly sisters of the heart. The introduction of Granny Hayes delighted me as this character helped portray the essense and goodness of small town living. The family journal was an excellent bridge to Lily's healing of her doubts as well as an opening to reconnect with Lily's rebellious daughter. I'm sure the reader will feel good after reading this story and close the book with a sigh of contentment for a story well-told.

Congratulations to Carolyn Brown on this her 100th book!

This book was great! Maybe a little unrealistic in the fact that I doubt a lady would take her two kids and move in with a man she knew in high school out of convenience. However, their story is a great one! I love how strong she is as a mom and that she takes the kids out of the environment that is causing them problems! Great book!

The Family Journal by Carolyn Brown a noteworthy four-star read. This is my first read by this author, and I don’t know how as I will be going back and checking the huge back catalogue out as the writing style is very nicely done. The web of tales that are weaved in this novel will keep you hooked, it does wander a little at times and that’s why I only gave it a four, but it has the bones of a very good story. The characters all have a great role to play, Lily was a great character and one who made me think fondly of my mum when I read of her struggles with Holly, it reminded me of mine with my own mum many years ago. When you add the history with the journal it gave you a great grounding. When you add Mac and his trouble with his twin, it adds a sense of drama and passion that will whirl you up. If you like your romance with history then you wont want to miss this story.

Lily's world has been upended and her kids Holly and Braden are acting out in ways that are deeply disappointing. Her solution is to move home to Comfort, Texas, where she thinks they won't be exposed to so much. Turns out she's going to have a room mate- Mack, a teacher who doesn't know what a good guy he is. Mack's brother Adam managed to outshine him at every turn, especially with women. This would have been the usual sort of two damaged people heal each other story except that Lily finds a journal - a family history. She reads it along with Holly, and it changes how they view each other, their past, and their future. Oh, and there's the romance with Mack. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A sweet read.

Another great read from Carolyn Brown! This book is more women's fiction and centered on family than others that I've read but it's still very good. I really enjoy the relatable characters and settings. Highly recommended!

I have received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Family Journal is a women's fiction book. While it is not western romance that I have grown accustomed to with Carolyn Brown, it was an amazing read!

The story follows Lily, a divorced mother of 2. When she realizes her children are out of control, she takes matters into her own hands. Without much help or support from her ex husband, she moves them back to her small hometown.

While there is a romance, the story is not centered on it. It is centered on a mother doing her best for her children. This was a very refreshing read!

Lily has decided to move back to Comfort Texas, taking her children with her , her daughter has been caught in the bathroom with a joint, then she finds out her young son has tried alcohol. Going back to her childhood home.... only someone she grew up with is renting from her Mack, Arrangements will have to be settled when they get back home to the goat farm... as time goes on things will workout, Lily finds a journal that many family members from the past hundreds of years ago have written in,... I found this to be a very intriguing a story I just couldn't put down and normally I don't read a book into settings but I did this one I love this story.and I truly would recommend it to anyone normally books do not ever bring tears to my eyes but this one had a couple spots.. Granny Hayes.. was one of my favorite characters...
Thank you. Netgally for this Early read..Thank you Carolyn Brown for this wonderful Story..

Carolyn Brown always writes a great book. She has her characters face every day issues in a way readers can relate to. In this book she also brings in the past in the form of a journal that contains writings of many different generations of ancestors

Carolyn Brown takes the issues women are dealing with now and entwines them with another home run family drama. The impact of electronics juxtaposed with historical writings that impact her family is a brilliant plot device. Connecting with Lilly and her family is instant as many women could put themselves in her place. A feel-good story with great lessons. Thanks to Net Galley for providing a copy of this book for this honest review.

I love Carolyn Brown’s ability to deliver a great book. The Family Journal is an exceptionally well written romance. Great plot and believable characters. I highly recommend this book. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Fantastic. Grabs your interest. Love the characters. Nice to see a mom take life and put rules down for her children and stick to her convictions. Kids will be kids but parents have to lead the way. Loved the book.

Every time I pick up a Carolyn Brown book I find myself lost in a world of family, friends, togetherness and most of all love. That doesn't mean it's an easy road for the characters but it's one that I adore reading about. The Family Journal is much of the same. No matter what was going on - or wrong - Lily, Braden and Holly were surrounded by love in each and everyway! Bravo on another perfect story!

When Lily Anderson, a divorced single mom of two kids, decided to move her children from Austin, Texas to her hometown of Comfort, Texas, she had no idea how much her life would change. In reconnecting with her roots, she found a new love, a new career, and a new insight into the history of her family. When she moves back home, she discovers an old journal. This journal had been written in by matriarchs of her family since 1862, passed down through the years until it became hers five years after her mother’s death. Her children, Holly and Braden, don’t like the adjustment at first, but quickly grow to love their new life. Their housemate, Mack Cooper, a teacher, quickly adjusts to their presence as well. Lily and him eventually fall in love. As time goes on, the kids form new friendships, find new hobbies, and decide they never want to go back to Austin. Lily finally moves on from her divorce and lets Mack in.
I loved this book, with its connections to history, its sweetly simple romance, and its strong female lead. Lily is a strong, loving mother who wants what is best for her kids, even if it means they hate her. Although I think the kids’ turnaround is slightly unrealistic (I would imagine they would rebel quite a bit once they had moved before they finally changed), their character arcs are believable because their core selves don’t change. In learning their family’s history, Lily and Holly bond over the women and their lives. These histories aren’t perfect – there are gaps, sometimes of a decade, between entries; each woman only writes a few entries before passing the journal on – but they tell the stories of women who rose above their circumstances.

THE FAMILY JOURNAL by Carolyn Brown is a wonderful journey joining the past with the present. Carolyn Brown is as always an amazing storyteller. A family journal passed on from generation to generation provides insight and an amazing bond between Mother's and Daughter's. After a devastating divorce and children heading towards trouble. A mother makes a big change, moving back to the small town she was raised in to her Grandmother's home. A five 🌟 read for sure!

Lily , a divorced mother , has reached the end of her rope. Her kids are acting out and hanging with the wrong people. She takes away all their electronics and moves them back to her hometown. A very small hometown.
Unfortunately, she has to share the house with her renter,Mack
Such a beautifully written story and one we all can relate to.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for my advance review copy, all opinions are my own .

I feel sorry for parents in these situations. The threat of going to live with the other parent is always there.

Victoria sounds like a twat.

If it was my mother, she would have slapped me.

I so would not like Adam.

Whoa, Sally has some serious kid juju.

It's not the love of your life if your twin brother can steal her away.

I like the Civil War storyline.

How old do you think your mother is, Braden? Outhouses?

Holly sure gets polite when she wants something.

Attaboy, Braden.

Aw, Isaac is a cutie.

Is ignorance bliss?

The Torres parents did good. Rose and Ivy's, not so much.

Such a twat. Wyatt and Adam should form a club.

Well, her life would have been better, but without Wyatt, there is no Holly and Braden.

Son-of-a! I hope she has her toe-bending hands warmed up for round two.

I know, honey. But calm down before we both have a heart attack.

"Reclaim your balls," ha!

Okay, I like the principal.

Poor Sally, this is a lot of responsibility.

I love the music that Ms. Brown introduces me to with every book.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet heartwarming tale of generations of strong women.
Lily Anderson has reached the end of her rope. After getting divorced by her cheating ex Wyatt, who was an more interested in his rich new wife than his kids, she found out, to her dismay, she didn't know her kids as well as she thought.
Packing them up and returning to the small town in a desperate attempt to get closer and change their path was the best solution she could think of, one that they hated.
Since she had already rented her childhood home out to Mack Cooper, an old childhood acquaintance and didn't feel right about kicking him out, she offered to share the house and split the costs and he gratefully accepted the offer.
Mack along with her childhood girlfriends and a friend of her mother's helped her change the young teens' attitudes.
Among her mother's possessions was a family journal, written by some of the women in her family dating back to the civil war. The simple journal .. a few entries from each generation became an important tool, one that brought Lily and her daughter closer, and also helped Lily deal with some hard truths that she tried to ignore.
Skillfully written, you become deeply drawn into the lives in the family, as well as their friends. Filled with mostly good christian folk, living their lives, dealing with their own problems, but coming together to help one another out, making this a fantasy town. If it was real, I'd already be packed and on my way there.
I love how Ms. Brown brings her characters to life, realistically, we all have flaws, but focuses on the positive. Her descriptions of the places are so good, I could actually see them in my mind.
I requested this ARC from NetGalley as soon as I saw the author and blurb and was delighted to get it. I plan on buying it as a present for someone I know will absolutely love it.

I have enjoyed all of Carolyn Brown’s books I have read, and this book is no exception. Lily Anderson finds her children’s bad behavior and attitudes unacceptable, and temporarily moves them to Comfort, Texas, to the home she grew up in. The kids initially hate the move, but soon they grow to love their new surroundings and don’t want to leave. Lily finds a journal passed down through the years by the females in her family. She and her daughter bond over the journal as they read it together for a school history project. This well-written book about second chances evokes sadness, happiness and anger. I definitely recommend this book.

This was a light weekend read and it hit all the high notes. Seeing family dynamics in play in a realistic manner was wonderful. There was so much to each character and his/her arc that it mimics real life, which is what a great book does. I enjoyed seeing the development of the characters and look forward to more by this author. Most of my patrons are fans of Brown's cowboy romances, but I've been able to convert a few to these lovely stories. I can't wait to introduce this one!