Christine Nolfi has done it again and struck a fire with another 5 ⭐️ read! Nolfi is a must - read author for me. This book is filled with so many emotions among family drama that brings you close to the flame of this burning hot book!

Thank you, Christine Nolfi for my early copy! All opinions are my own.

A Heart Like Home follows two estranged sisters as Fate intrudes, lending them an opportunity to mend their relationship. Perfect for book clubs and readers who enjoy family drama fiction.

What a beautiful story! I absolutely loved this complex family drama surrounding two half sisters, estranged, and their mother. and their relationship that unfolded through the course of the story. These characters were so wonderful to come alongside and I found myself truly invested in their lives. I appreciated how this story wasn't far fetched as can sometimes be the case with books in this vein, and instead it was a relatable, realistic, wonderful exploration of family relationships. I was invested from start to finish and found the book near impossible to put down! It was incredibly moving and touching and made for a memorable read. I highly recommend this book to anybody looking for a heartfelt read about family and all its nuances.

Many thanks to Lake Union and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy!

Vale's life has always been defined by what she didn't have. In an attempt to reconnect with her dad, she goes into business with him - only to watch it burn to the ground.
Going home to lick her wounds at her Grandmother's house finds her having to face up to things she has been avoiding her whole life.
I loved her gran, she was a great character who tweaked things to suit her and ultimately influence the rest of her unruly tribe into some sort of order.

Such a beautiful story. Christine Nolfi has such a lovely way of writing. It always captures my heart and soul!

This domestic drama started off good for me but I lost interest halfway through and ended up DNF'ing unfortunately. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Two sisters come together in their Grandmother's Philadelphia home. The half sisters don't get along but when Vale's bar burns to the ground and her father had left the insurance lapse she had no choice. Blythe has moved in with Grandmother because she has miscarried and thinks her husband will leave her. Then there is the girl's mother. As the four women work on their relationships, the sisters work on their love lives. A truly wonderful story of relationships in a multi-generational story.

This was a good heartfelt read about sisters. We have all had our sibling spats and Vale and Blythe had plenty of them, and couldn't be two different people. Vale took off from home as soon as she could and has had struggles her whole life with jobs, men and her father. Blythe has come across as the perfect daughter and is now married to a world famous baseball pitcher- go figure. Vale left and never looked back and Blythe didn't invite her to the wedding or any other part of her life. Their grandmother Iris has always had a house of refuge and this time the two of them have converged at the same time, and Iris is bound and determined to fix the sister bond that seemed to never have been there, as well as find out what each of them are running from. Confronting the past may be where the answers lie to get these two to realize that sisters are meant to be there for each other and that some truths need to be brought to light. Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the invite and to the author for the free novel.

Vale is devastated when the bar she owns with her father Bo goes up in flames. To make matters worse she finds out he failed to pay the insurance premium. Seeking comfort and time to think she heads back home to Philadelphia to stay with her Nana Iris. Vale has had a tumultuous relationship with her mother, stepfather and her half sister Blythe and they haven’t spoken for a long time. When she arrives at her nana’s she’s shocked to see Blythe staying in the guest room as well. Blythe appeared to have had the perfect life with her MLB husband, but when Vale arrives it’s soon apparent that her sister is hiding something and even Blythe husband is confused. We watch as the two sister navigate through the years of pent up anger and frustrations, and their both at crossroads in their life. As they put aside their differences and work through memories of the past , they began to wonder are they able to mend their relationship, or is it far too late for that? I loved this book , it has so many layers and we’re taken on journey with each character as they each face a problem and work through their past. This book is amazing it’s about family , secrets, forgiveness, healing and the hope for second chances.

This is the first book I’ve read by Christine Nolfi and I really enjoyed it. The book reads like a Lifetime movie - family issues and marital issues that all come together in one great ending! A great light and fast read.

"Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

Father and daughter,Bo and Vale, are devastated when their business, The Crafty Cocktail, burns to the ground. Vale almost gives up when she finds out her father let the insurance lapse and rather than deal with the fallout, she heads back to Philadelphia to stay with her grandmother Iris

Vale left Philadelphia and basically never looked back on her family "situations", but showing up at Iris' and finding her estranged sister there dealing with her own *issues" is not her ideal "homecoming".

Blyth was the daughter of her mother's second marriage and to Vale anyway, it seemed as if to them, she was the perfect daughter where Vale acted out. It also seemed that when Vale left they were happy to see her go. Blythe never even invited Vale to her wedding! So much for sisterly affection.

Both Iris and to somewhat Vale were sure Blythe's marriage was on the rocks. Little did they know how much Blythe was struggling.

In the meantime Vale stays with Iris and begins to catch her breath after Pittsburgh. She is enchanted by the nerdy little girl next door as well as her other neighbor, the pharmacist Emmett. Emmett is quite attracted to Vale and they slowly begin to explore a relationship. Coming from a non existent dating life on one end and a broken engagement on the other, they are wisely dating ..

Blythe, however, is dealing with issues that some couples have to deal with and Nolfi treats the issue with aplomb. Booker and Blythe love each other. Will this issue mean the marriage is over?

When everything comes out will the family reconcile? Will Vale and Emmett survive? Will Vale's father make peace? Will Vale and her mother finally come together? And what about "Mr. Mysterious"?
Highly Recommended 5/5

[Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. In no way did it affect this review or my opinions]

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“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦?”
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I adored this realistic family drama book capturing the lives of two estranged half sisters, both in their twenties and going through a rough time in their life.
Their Nana invites them both to visit with her, while she undergoes testing, hoping to bring the two closer again.
Making important discoveries of their mothers past relationship with each one’s fathers, this begins an important process to bridge the gap between each other.
Incredibly moving with a wonderful happy ending, add this one to your TBR now.
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Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours for having me on tour.
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𝘛𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨!

This is my second book by Christine Nolfi and I have to say that now I have another favorite author. I loved everything about this story, it was beautifully written, moving and powerful. It was a one sitting read. Fantastic!

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours for this tour invite.

𝗔 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲 by Christine Nolfi released September 27, 2022.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

TITLE: A BRIGHTER FLAME
AUTHOR: Christine Nolfi
PUB DATE: 09.27.2022 Now Available

Christine Nolfi writes an emotional and complex family drama about a mother and their two daughters, which reminded me of my own relationship with my mother and my more favored sister.

A BRIGHTER FLAME is an uplifting and hopeful read about a family torn apart by their own narrative - I found the characters compelling and I was invested in their struggles and challenges. Once I got started it was hard to put this book down. Nolfi is such a great writer that is able to pull the readers in and in a thoughtful and poignant way. Just like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, so is to new beginnings for this family.

I really enjoyed this read!

This is my third book by this author and she never disappoints. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships so much. There is a lot of growth in this story and I loved the way I was drawn in and became invested in the outcome. It's a beautiful novel of a family learning how to become family.

This book was a feel-good read for me. Vale had a rocky relationship with every family member except her grandma and I loved the character development. There was family drama, some heartfelt sentimental moments, and even a little romance. I loved the characters and enjoyed getting perspectives from Vale, Blythe, and the grandmother. The supporting characters left as much of an impression as the main. The forced proximity the grandma created was a great way to get her grandchildren to face their problems. Some of the secrets had a slow burn but there was always something happening to keep me interested. All around a good book!

Thank you @christinenolfi and @netgalley and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

A family drama, mostly between half sisters, with a sweet grandmother. This one was so good. Loved the writing and the relatable characters. It was great to see the past experiences through the eyes of each sister and understand their perspective. There was even some romance

A Brighter Flame is a story full of secrets, lies, and miss understandings that lead to the definite separation of a family that makes a big reef between sisters and even with her own mother casting her aside and making her feel all her life like a pest thinking always the other parent were the evil one when it was not.

Vale returns to her past after she and her father lost what seemed to be the life for both of them, she didn't expect to find any back stories or redemption while she was helping her grandmother but life has a funny way of bringing things from the past to make you aware how wrong you were or to bring the truth to the surface to finally make peace with your family and yourself.

A complicated family drama that will have you in your seat, not knowing what will happen next and mostly seeing how the main character fights to recover what she lost by lies, mistakes, and past agendas that only brought many tears and sadness.

Vale was a great character I really felt like she had the opportunity to redeem what she lost and finally make peace with herself and her sister and family in general.

Great book and story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy of A Brighter flame in exchange for an honest review.

In 𝐀 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞, Vale Lightner has her dreams burn to the ground when a fire consumes the bar her father and her own. Returning to her hometown to be with her grandmother, Vale realizes she is opening herself up to old family wounds.

I love how Christine Nolfi writes her characters. They feel real and tangible, even relatable.

If you enjoy complicated family dramas, you need to read this book. Vale has conflicts with her parents and step-sister, but her grandmother is a gem. Her grandmother understands how to show unconditional love and support to Vale and her half-sister.

A side of romance provides a sweet reprieve from the deeper themes of family conflict, sibling rivalry, secrets, and forgiveness.




Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours and @amazonpublishing for a spot on tour and a gifted copy

It’s family drama time and this book made me think about all the messy and beautiful parts of having a blended family.

The book centers around half sisters, Vale and Blythe who are both having individual personal crisis and wind up staying at their grandmother, Iris’s house (thanks to a bit of manipulation on Iris’s part).

These half sisters haven’t gotten along in almost 15 years and have barely spoken. There is a lot of animosity on both sisters’ parts who have the same mother but different fathers.

This book reveals not only what is behind each sister’s present angst but also past transgressions of the parents.

Iris, who is my favorite character in this book, moderates and helps gently guide not only Vale and Blythe but also Iris’s own daughter and the girls’ mom, Audrey.

The book has a spark of romance and a bit of sports in it to keep it from being too heavy.

Also, the dilemma that Blythe is facing in her life is a subject that I’m very glad became an integral piece of the book.