This is my first ARC and for this reason alone I won't give the book any less than a three-star rating. I did however have several issues with it.

If you like small-town stories, where the MC is a city girl who goes home and discovers a whole new life she loves and leaves the old one behind, there are probably better books out there for you, There aren't many other books, however, that center around a POC main character who goes from being a famous influencer to becoming a farmer and learning her family history in an old plantation. That I really enjoyed. It was a breath of fresh air and I did learn a few things myself thanks to the time jump back to the late 1800s, which focused on the MC ancestors.

Unfortunately, the writing style wasn't the best and the plot didn't have a solid structure: for example, the timing and ages seem off at first, and as a reader, I struggled to focus on everything that goes on in the story because I spent the time wondering how the main character was in her thirties and her great-grandmother was living in the 1870s. Also, the ending has a sorta plot twist that comes out of nowhere, is mentioned for a few chapters, and is never mentioned again. There was no need for it to be in the book, I assure you. Other issues I had were the cultural references (too many), her last name being Black (not my place to say, but I found it confusing), and the fact that in every other chapter, the MC is "on the blink of starvation".

What I did like, however, other than what I have already mentioned , where the family bonds. I loved how the MC spent time with her newfound family and cooked all the best meals, how she celebrated with them and cried with them and how she started working on their farm right away and found a home for herself. It was truly heartwarming.

Finally, if you asked me whether this book is worth your time or not, I would say 100% yes. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, it has its flaws and could use some editing, but overall I think the story is worth reading, even just to take your mind off of things and

I enjoyed this book. A young Black influencer has come to a turning point in her life. Casey's husband humiliates her when he waits until he was supposed to show up at the alter to renew the vows from their wedding to tell her he wanted a divorce. Casey's mother has always closely directed Casey's life, but Casey the only thing Casey knew about her father was a name. Her social media account is exploding over the failed wedding ceremony and Casey's response to it, so she decides to take a break and find her father. In the process she finds a new family she had never met and makes some serious decisions about what she really wants in life. While she is doing that we who are reading get to learn something about Black history in the south. Second chances also include a little romance. I received an arc from NetGalley and am under no pressure for a positive review.

Social influencer Casey Black spends months planning an elaborate vow-renewal ceremony, only to have her husband ask for a divorce minutes before going live on the big day. When the dust settles at the church, Casey loses her cool. Live. On Instagram. Her millions of followers turn into maybe a million, and Casey longs to escape.

Her cousin urges her to go South and find her father’s family. The mysterious family her mother will never speak about. Casey gathers up her courage and heads to Georgetown, South Carolina. For the past 36 years, Casey has let her mother manage her career, but this time, she strikes out on her own.

When she arrives, she discovers her people—a grandmother who’s prayed for Casey her entire life, cousins, aunts, uncles, and a legacy she never imagined. Casey also finds a new friend—someone who doesn’t know about her fame or fortune and challenges her to connect with the land. Nigel, her grandmother’s farm manager, breaks down Casey’s barriers and helps her discover her true self.

Journal entries from her great-great-grandmother add depth and perspective to Casey’s understanding of home.

What I Loved About This Book

McKnight crafts a sweet second-chance romance in This Thing About Home. Readers will relate to Casey as she works through her grief (over her failed marriage and lost opportunities with family). Casey’s helicopter mother makes it difficult for Casey to stand alone, and readers will cheer Casey on as she learns to set healthy boundaries and make choices on her own.

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. I loved this book! The characters were vivid and flawed. The story is fascinating and goes back and forth from current times to Reconstruction after the Civil War. It also moves back and forth from NY City to Georgetown, S. Carolina. I totally recommend this book to readers who enjoy a rom-com spiced with history and great food!

This is a slow starter but once you get into it The Thing About Home is an interesting, heartfelt story and I loved reading about Cassie finding herself and seeing her character arc throughout the book. The writing was beautiful and the story was a really cosy, easy read. The only downside was the arc was broken for me which made it hard to read and took away from the reading experiences but this has no reflection on the book or author.

The Black family had a very rich history. Loved that Casey was able to find her father's family and bond with them. This novel showed a realistic outcome for social influencer. Great ending. Enjoyable book.

The Thing About Home
By Rhonda McKnight
Pub date: May 9: 2023
Thomas Nelson
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Heart warming story that tells of the very public breakup . Casey needs a break and decides to set out to learn more about her late fathers family.
This is the first McKnight book I have read.
I recommend it!
5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a beautiful book. I really enjoyed it.

Raised alone by her controlling, stage-mom mother, former model and social-media star Casey B has been kept from her father's family. On the day of her and her husband's vow renewal, her husband, Drew, announces that he doesn't want to marry her again. Matter of fact, he wants a divorce. As their vow renewal was being live-streamed, this send Casey B and her on-line career into a tailspin.

Casey decides to take a break from her career and travels from New York City to her father's family, last name Black, in the south to learn about the other side of her family. After a life of it only being her and her mother, she is embraced by a large, extended family who lives a much simpler life. Her grandmother, Ida, is the matriarch of the family runs the Black Family Farm which has been in the family for multiple generations with the help of her farm manager, Nigel.

During her visit, Casey learns to appreciate a slower paced life than she led in New York City. as well as the history of her Black Family and the history of slavery and emancipation in the south. She and Nigel's relationship builds from friendship to love. This creates turmoil for Casey when she is faced with rebuilding her career or building a new life in South Carolina with Nigel. Interspersed throughout the story is Casey's quest to find out what happened on the fateful night of her father's death and her mother's decision to keep Casey from her father's family.

"The Thing About Home" is a heart-warming story about discovery, determining what is important in life and taking chances on making changes in our life. In a day where so many of our youth are influenced by social media, the story behind the story of the pressures put on social-media "influencers" and the willingness of their followers to follow them can't be ignored. It is also very eye-opening on how quickly some of her followers turned on her when she was at a low point in her life.

I really enjoyed "The Thing Abut Home" and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a feel good story while also learning about how People of Color moved forward after the emancipation of slaves.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the opportunity to review this book.

Casey Black, a social media influencer, watches her life fall apart when a major media event goes sideways. Embarrassed and unmoored she ends up seeking out her father’s side of the family she never knew. She finds new meaning to her life, faith, forgiveness and family. I thought it was a bit slow in parts, and sometimes hard to relate to a rich, beautiful, popular, have it all. But the story had a good resolution and enough interesting characters to keep me reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for my honest opinions. .

I loved the Black family so much especially Ida. I have a 95 year old grandma named Ida and they both are so similar. The dual timeline helps so much to give more depth to the history of the family. Nigel is such a great character as well!



Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

#TheThingAboutHome #NetGalley

This book was beautifully written. There were so many little nuggets of thoughts. Casey Black started modeling at age two and stopped at age twenty-seven. In her mid thirties, she is an influencer for beauty products on Instagram. When a failed renewal of her vows goes public, Casey decides to step away from the limelight and head to South Carolina, where her father's family lives, family that she has never met. Casey really connects with her father's mother and lovingly calls her Granna.I loved the connection that Casey had with her Granna. There are also journal entries shared from Casey's great-grandmother. Odessa who writes about how scary it was to live in the South as a black woman. I connected with the characters in this book and loved how Casey decided it was past time to stand up to her mother, who had continued to control her as an adult. What a great book.

I quickly got caught up in the wedding craziness and felt the thrill of the day from the time I met the bride-to-be, who was ready to reaffirm her vows with husband Drew.

This wasn't just any wedding; it was the wedding of online personality Casey B. This event would be captured on camera and live broadcast, which thrilled her sponsors. All was set and going according to plan until Drew wished to speak with Casey. A conversation now? Why not on their honeymoon in Hawaii? Okay, she goes to him. She didn't like the look on his face. It wasn't the voice of a man in love, ecstatic about the day ahead.

He tells her, “I can’t go through with the ceremony.”… “It was happening in five minutes. Couldn’t he have told her this yesterday?”

They had eloped and had never had a wedding/honeymoon, so this was their big day. “I want a divorce,” he blurted next. She couldn’t believe it." This could not be happening in front of friends, family, and the entire internet community.

This drives Casey to trace her ancestors. Drew had pushed her to do so when they were married, but she had never been interested until now. Unexpected twists and turns occur, old secrets are revealed, difficult decisions must be made, and Casey learns a lot about herself along the way.

I enjoyed the author’s exploration of new beginnings, what love is, and how to find a place to thrive. Throughout the novel, there are beautiful moments of genuine love, respect, joy, and healing. This journey was an emotional roller coaster that made me tear up, laugh, and think. I couldn’t put this book down until it ended. This book was outstanding. I’ve added her to my list of authors to keep an eye on, and your next book club selection would be an excellent option.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book by the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog https://psalm516.blogspot.com/

It took me a while to get into this book but once I did, I enjoyed it. Casey is a social media influencer who ends up getting left at the altar. She then decides to take a trip to go visit her fathers family. It was nice to see her step away from social media to truly enjoy life and spend time with family she never got to see. I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy romance/feel good books!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Lovely story. Beautifully written. Great characters. And I love the journals, the South Carolina setting, and Southern Fiction in general. There's everything to love about this story--including the title and the cover art.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read Rhonda McKnight's The Thing About Home.

I almost didn't continue reading this book when I realized it was about an "influencer.
I am SO glad i continued reading!!! There was something about Casey that grabbed me.
This is a bok I'll be recommending to family and friends.
I just loved Ms. McKnight's voice, the characters, the setting. The story touched me deeply.

Great story about finding family and making a life outside of social media. Casey's journey to find a new path after a major social media meltdown took some interesting twists and turns as she discovers the family she'd never met and a side of herself she didn't know she had.

Really enjoyed this book. Many lessons learned and questions asked. Sometimes we are a product of enviourement , sometimes parents shape us! But home feels like HOME!

Rhonda McKnight has written a wonderful book about family, love, obsession, commitment and grace. Her story is richly developed with characters bound together from several generations and placed in the lush southern farm town setting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson - Fiction for the opportunity to read this beautiful ARC.

when Casey is left at the alter in a renewal ceremony, she leaves for South Carolina, to look for her father's family, who her mother never allowed her to know. very good read.