4.50 Stars. This damn book! I have to be honest that I was not going to read this. While I loved Zak’s last book Beautiful Accidents, I was worried about how The Road Home would affect me. We all have our personal triggers and cancer storylines are one of my biggest triggers. My family has been ravished by this disease so I deal with it enough in real life that I don’t need to read about it in fiction. What changed my mind here was that last weekend Bold Stokes Books had some free Zoom webinars. Zak, Ali Vali, and Fiona Riley were on a panel together and the three of them stole the day. They were funny and put a rare smile on my face these days. I thought how can I not go and read Zak’s new book now. Was it hard to read? Yes! Zak ripped my heart out and stomped on it. But I did get through it and most importantly… it’s Zak’s best book yet.

This book grabbed me from the beginning. While we have all read the coming home storyline before, I don’t think I’ve read anything quite like this premise. One main is a daughter who is estranged from her mother and is coming home for the first time in more than a decade. The other main is almost a part of the family too as the estranged mother took her in as a teenager. Can you imagine coming home to meet the woman that basically took your place? The woman that your mother loves the way you wished she loved you? Hello drama! I don’t know where Zak came up with this idea but you know it was about to go down. Add in that pesky thing called attraction, and I could not stop reading this book.

I loved all the drama in this book. Once you think you have a good feel on what’s happening, Zak pulls something else out of her pocket. There is not a dull spot in this book. And on top of that is the tough, tough, cancer storyline. Just bring a box of tissues with you, you will need most of the box. It was well done because it was very realistic. Really hard to read in parts but it was well done.

Besides the drama and all the tears, this also has a good romance. It’s an enemies to lovers romance and I don’t really have any complaints. I really liked the conflict between them and watching how it changed into chemistry. There is a lot going on in this book and the romance could have easily gotten swallowed up, but instead it worked well for me personally and I think it worked well for the book.

To go right to the point is that I believe this is Zak’s best book so far. She has been getting better and better with each book and now I have to put her on my automatic read list. Zak is now too good to miss. I do have to be clear that this is a tough book to read. I was not kidding about needing a box of tissues. This book will get to you emotionally especially if you have lost loved ones to cancer. This book is raw. I honestly don’t know if I would want to read it again. But I am glad I changed my mind about reading this, I would not have wanted to miss this book.

SO EMOTIONAL!!!!

Gwendolyn has spent far too many years in Hollywood trying to make it as a big name actress but she was passed over for a career making role. Now she is heading home after decades of being away for her dad’s birthday. She doesn’t want to go, especially since her parents basically replaced her with Lila years ago. Full of resentments and at a loss as to what her future holds, Lila and Gwendolyn must work together to care for her mom when she is diagnosed with cancer.

WOW, this is quite the rollercoaster of a book! It is SOOO GOOD but really heavy in parts. I admit tears full of pain and sorrow were in my eyes more than once… There were also happy tears too. I loved how Gwendolyn “found” herself on this journey. She and Lila are attracted to each other and deal with all the feelings they have for one another, both good and bad, while Gwendolyn’s world crashes down around her. There is so much that happens in this drama and I don’t want to give any of it away…There is a real surprise twist near the end that I NEVER would have seen coming and that left me wondering a bit but it did make for a more peaceful, healing ending. I really can’t recommend this book enough but be aware that Carol does have cancer and it is realistically portrayed.