Delighted to include this title in the April edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

In all honesty, I don't know what was going through my mind when I decided to request this book, because the premise didn't sound particularly intriguing once I actually went to read it. And I was right because, from the very start of the book, I was incredibly disinterested in it. Keep in mind that this book is also over 550 pages which...was way longer than it needed to be. It was a slog and a half to get through this. I don't think that it is a fault of the book though, it just wasn't for me (at all).

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster, for giving me the opportunity to review this in advance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book but unfortunately I could not get into it. While the small town Australian atmosphere was nice and the mystery was interesting, these were buried under way, way too much description, flashbacks, and tangents. This book could have been edited down about 200 pages and the story would have been the same. It is at times hard to keep track of a thought as long tangents interrupt it and I can no longer remember how and why we are talking about this tangent.

The book within a book thing was also not something I enjoyed and just added to how cumbersome this book is. Between the descriptions and the book within a book, the tangent, and the flip-flopping between past and present, reading this felt like dredging through mud.

The mystery was interesting but a little too predictable for my taste. The characters were developed but again, completely overshadowed by how much description there was. I normally like historical fiction and being able to picture a time and place super clearly, but this was just too much.

I really appreciate having been given this ARC, even though it wasn’t my thing.

4.75 stars Homecoming is a family saga set in Australia in two time periods (1959 and 2018). The story of a granddaughter who rushes to be with her grandmother after she experiences a fall is replete with secrets and a murder mystery. The writing is very descriptive and takes the reader into the world the author creates. Part of the story is told via a book within a book which was an effective way to vary the unfolding of the plot. Themes of postpartum depression, mental health, secrets and their impacts on relationships are raised in the novel.

At over 500 pages, the novel could have been shorter as it did drag in the middle - I thought parts were too detailed at times. The ending was good, tying up the plot lines with some good twists (although I had figured one out beforehand, this did not distract from my enjoyment of the story).

I’ve read all of Kate Morton’s novels and my expectations for this one were high. Overall, this novel met them with solid storytelling, an interesting, engaging family saga and a good ending.

Thanks to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for this complimentary copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Kate Morton for the opportunity to read an ARC for “Homecoming”, this is my unpaid and honest review of the book.
I couldn’t put this book down! Wow, so many twists and turns that kept me guessing and changing my opinions from each chapter to the next. I’ve enjoyed other books by this author and this one just as much. I love the setting in Australia and learning about the lifestyle there. I also love how seamlessly this author weaves together stories from so many characters without the reader getting lost or confused in the storyline. Such superb writing. 💕

Homecoming is a beautiful story about family and what we are willing to sacrifice to protect the ones we love.

The writing is true to Kate Morton’s style, very descriptive, making the reader feel like they are actually in the story she is writing. While I usually quite enjoy Kate Morton Books, I found this to be an incredibly slow burn for me. The story does wrap up nicely in the end, but it does feel slightly rushed.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the ARC

Homecoming by author Kate Morton is spellbinding with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end! This story is much more than a murder mystery it’s about family connections and secrets that can destroy those relationships. It’s about how the truth can heal and repair.
This story shifts between many different perspectives and timelines which keeps the story very intriguing making you wonder if the narrators are unreliable or if you can trust their perspective. Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Simon and Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: April 4, 2023
Best-selling historical fiction author Kate Morton, author of “The Clockmaker’s Daughter”, “The Lake House” and “The Secret Keeper”, to name a few, brings another novel of family intrigue and dangerous secrets to life with her newest release, “Homecoming”.
On a sweltering hot Christmas Eve in Adelaide Hills, Australia, in 1959, tragedy strikes the small town of Tambilla when a mother and her young children are found dead on their property, the youngest child, an infant, missing. Speculation is that the young mother, Isabelle, an ex pat from England, was lonely and depressed but couldn’t imagine a world without her children in it, so she took their lives as well as her own.
In 2018, Jess is a journalist who desperately needs a new story. While visiting with her grandmother, Nora, she finds a book detailing the story of the Christmas Eve tragedy, and decides to investigate farther. But Jess uncovers far more than she wanted to when she realizes the family connection- but she has gone too far to turn back. Jess is forced to confront the true story of her past, uprooting everything she thought she knew about herself, her background and her beloved grandmother.
“Homecoming” is chock full of characters. Not only Jess and her current family in 2018, but all of the townspeople from Tambilla, the police investigators, the novelist, and of course, the cursed Turner family, and any one they met or knew along the way. Although each chapter is clearly identified, it was initially overwhelming, trying to come to terms with all of the characters, and keeping them all straight in my head. We hear the story told from Jess’ standpoint of course, as well as her mother, Polly, and from various characters in 1959. Then there are also the snippets from the novel that Jess discovers, revealing the true details of the Christmas Eve murder. It is a lot to digest but if you can manage to sort it out, you won’t be left disappointed.
Morton usually wanders back farther in time, so 1959 is almost modern-day for the historical fiction novelist. The story itself, though, could have happened at any point in history, and it draws on pure emotion, tugging on the readers’ heartstrings throughout. The young Turner family dead, presumed at the hands of the matriarch, is gripping and once Morton pulls you in, there’s no stopping until the final pages.
Of course there is a delicious twist at the end, which is expected although still manages to hold an element of surprise. The ending delivers, exactly as readers have come to hope for in a Morton novel.
The sunny, exotic (for me, anyway) setting of rural Australia, and the heartbreaking story of a family murdered was enough to draw me in. Throw in Jess’ family drama and their intricate connection to the Turner’s, and you have one heck of an addictive tale. Morton continues to bring creativity and passion through each novel she writes and I don’t think I’ll ever get enough.

Kate Morton is one of my favourite authors and her latest book, Homecoming is a very slow burn historical fiction mystery that is a beast of a book coming in at 540 pages.

This book is intensely detailed, and readers will be transported to 1950's Australia with its sights, sounds and people. Morton's writing is descriptive and her cast of characters large as she dives into a mysterious murder of a young family.

The book jumps between two timelines with many characters and POVs to keep track of and a twist that was obvious to me early on. I wanted and expected to love this book much more than I did. It took me over two weeks to read this book which, for me, was an extended read. It was too much of a slow burn and it felt excessively long with many details that weren't pivotal to the plot which negatively impacted the tension that should have surrounded the murder mystery. I was surprised and disappointed that the story didn't grab me until the 80% mark.

Morton explores intriguing themes and topics about intergenerational trauma and the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters which make for some juicy book club discussion points. Readers who enjoy beautifully detailed, slow burn stories should be eager for this book which publishes April 4, 2023.

Despite this book not being one of my favourite Morton books, Kate remains a favourite author of mine and I look forward to reading what she comes out with next.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for my print and digital copies of this title which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately this wasn't the book for me. I found the first 70% to be slowly paced and really drawn out, then the last 30% picked up and got going really well. It ended in a rush, but I wasn't a fan of the ending. All the story lines did wrap up well, but overall I didn't enjoy it.

I tried to read this and had to give up at the 40% mark. I just wasn’t invested and I found that the story just wasn’t interesting to me. I found myself skimming the past storyline.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada, Simon & Schuster for my advanced copy.

Normally, I don't think twice about buying/reading a Kate Morton book. They're always so beautiful, inside and out. I know I'll care about the characters and the mysteries keep me guessing. I love her books and have re-read many of them.

However, this time only a few things worked for me. I liked Meg, Percy and their boys. The time spent with Polly was my favourite. There was so much depth to the towns people that the whole book could have been stories about them. The house was a small character in the book, but I wanted more.

I disliked Jess and Nora immensely and felt the mystery wasn't a mystery at all. I was bored while reading and only finished because of my love for Kate's past work. This book did not live up to the usual Kate Morton hype.

Thank you to @simonandschuster and #netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. 🙏🏻❤️

#bookadoration #canadianbookstagram #canadianbookstagrammer #canadianbookstagrammers #bookstagram #booktok #katemorton #homecoming #simonandschuster

Homecoming
Kate Morton

Tropes and Thoughts
Book within a Book ( not a favourite of mine for this book anyway although the revelations wouldnt have felt them same I dont think, without it)
Past and present tenses
Family drama
Multiple generations
Austrailia and England (love armchair travelling)
Family drama and hidden truths
A mothers Love and sacrifice
⚠️Post partum depression
⚠️Depression

A Tapestry of family, motherhood and identity woven across oceans and time. Morton expertly weaves a tale that draws the reader in - we immediately become enamoured and inextricably tangled in the lives of the Turner family.
An emotional journey that does not disappoint.

Thank you to @simonandschusterca and @netgalley for my digital ARC in return for an honest review.Opinions expressed are my own.

By now, when you pick up a Kate Morton book you know what to expect: an intricate plot line, mysteries to be solved, and wonderfully descriptive language. “Homecoming” hits all the marks of a classic Kate Morton. Told in duel timelines, we learn about various families in Tambilla in 1959, and how events that happened years ago are still causing an effect in 2018.

Recommended for all Kate Morton fans or anyone who enjoys a very mysterious family secret.

Wow! What a intriguing book, I feel like this one is going to stick with me for a while.

The book takes place in two time periods, 1969 and 2018. Jess has flown home to Australia to see her grandmother who has been hospitalized after a bad fall. Jess then discovers that her family suffered a great tragedy in 1969 that she had no previous knowledge of. It occurred when her grandmothers brother was away on business, on Christmas Eve 1969. His wife, and three of his children are discovered deceased with no apparent cause of death at the site of a picnic. His youngest child, a six week old baby girl is missing. This crime is so sensational, that a bestselling novel was written about it.

Jess becomes intrigued by this tragedy, and the mystery surrounding it. She has a background on investigative journalism so she does research while awaiting for her grandmother to become coherent. There are many questions and mystery surrounding this tragedy, and many twists and turns in this story.

The author does a great job with character and world building. Her descriptions give the reader a vivid image of the small town in 1969 Australia where the tragedy occurs as well as all the pertinent inhabitants. They unsolved mystery of what really happened on Christmas Eve 1969 is fascinatiing, and we learn more and more details as Jess conducts her research. The relationships between characters in the past and present are also intriguing.

If I had any criticism of this book, I would say that it was a tad too long and meandered a bit in the middle.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a eARC of this book to read and review.

I usually open with a brief outline of what you can expect from a novel. If you have read any of Kate Morton's previous books, then you already know what to expect. As one of my friends and book club members said, "There's an old house, and something has happened at the house in the past, and someone from the present day is trying to find out what happened." In this novel. Jess is a young journalist. Her grandmother has just been recently hospitalized, and Jess rushes to her bedside. Her grandmother mumbles some words that Jess can't understand. Back at her grandmother's grand house, she uncovers a journal that details a horrific police case that involved her grandmother's family. Jess decides that this might make an intriguing story and decides to dig deeper into the matter.

Kate Morton is undoubtedly good at developing mood and setting. Her portraits of the house and the eerieness that surrounded it were well-developed. This book sometimes reads like a cozy mystery as the reader tries to figure out "who dunnit."

If you have enjoyed Kate Morton's books in the past, you will enjoy this one too. There is nothing new that she is offering readers, only a familiar formula that has worked for her in the past. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A terrible family tragedy and the secrets that surround it lie at the heart of this saga set in Australia that sprawls across 60 years.

On Christmas Eve day, 1959, in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, a family—mother, three children and a tiny infant in a basket—set out for a picnic at the willow-lined creek on their estate to escape the melting heat. Hours later, a local man happens on the scene and finds the family dead, with no signs of violence, and the baby missing. Searchers immediately begin the hunt, and the police begin their investigation into what happened. The baby is never found, and there is never a satisfactory answer about how the rest of the family died.

Jump ahead 60 years. Jess is an Australian journalist who has been living in London and working in journalism for 20 years. Her marriage has fallen apart, her career is suffering from the waves of change buffeting journalism and she’s casting about looking for her next writing project, when she gets a dreaded phone call from Sydney. Her beloved elderly grandmother, Nora, who raised her, has had a fall and is hospitalized in very serious condition. Jess immediately hops on a plane for Australia to be with her. While she’s there, she happens across a decades-old true crime book written about the deaths of 60 years before and is intrigued enough to start looking into it, investigative journalistic skills at the fore. She suspects there’s a link to her own family, but her grandmother is unconscious and can’t answer questions. The hunt is on—again.

The events jump back and forth between the two timelines (in typical Kate Morton style), and while I was able to guess some of the answers fairly early on, there was plenty left to uncover, which kept me eagerly reading to the end. But this is not a murder mystery; rather, it’s a domestic drama, with well-drawn characters and intrigue and family secrets aplenty. If you’re a Kate Morton fan, you’ll really love this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. Scheduled for publication on April 3.

This sad tragic story set during Christmas had me hooked from the beginning. With its many time lines and family history you will definitely want to pay attention to Kate Morton’s Homecoming. The mystery of the murder will have you guess what happened right to the end.

Kate Morton's Homecoming comes out April 4. I was lucky enough to read an e-arc, thanks to @netgalley .

A number of remarkable women are at the centre of Homecoming. The action moves between South Australia in the late 50's and modern day Sydney. Jess, a journalist approaching 40, finds herself at loose ends in London, England. She's unexpectedly single and trying to make mortgage payments writing freelance when she gets the call from Australia telling her that the grandmother who raised her is in hospital. Nora has apparently fallen while trying to find something in her attic. Isabel flies to Sydney to support Nora and finds an unexpected mystery around her family history involving the death of a wealthy family in 1959.

The story goes back and forth between Jess' investigation and the actual events of 1959. There is a "book within a book" device, as Jess reads another writer's account of the story she is unraveling. There are multiple perspectives on the same event, which is both compelling and frustrating at times. I found myself flipping back and forth as pieces started to slot into place.

Homecoming is about identity and place and family and the lengths you might go to to protect people you love or to keep their secrets. I did not completely figure out the mystery until the final pages, which was rewarding.

If you are a Morton fan, this is a must-read. If you haven't discovered her particular spin on family histories, this would be a great place to start. 4 and a half stars (it takes a while to get going.

Kate Morton has been one of my favourite authors for years. Her beautiful descriptions, her settings all combined with dual timeline mysteries are the perfect mix for me! I never get tired of trying to figure out how the two timelines are connected. Her endings are always full of surprises and yet leave you fully satisfied. She has a way of making a house a main characte that I absolutely love. Family tragedy is the backdrop for self discovery in our main character Jess as she embarks on what happened on Christmas Eve 1959.

That being said Homecoming felt long to me. I'm not sure how to describe it because I was interested in every part of the story but the over all pacing felt like it wasn't going fast enough. However, I have been waiting for this book for a long time and I enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!