What a wonderful debut by Melanie Sweeney! I stayed up past midnight to finish and was a bit late for work (woops). 'Take Me Home' is a slow-burn road trip romance with two well-rounded characters you wish were in your friend group.

Hazel Elliot has put up a lot of walls, cutting off everyone relating to her hometown after moving for university. To her dismay, best friend of her ex, Ash Campbell attends to the same university of her. She thinks he's broody and hates her, not realising he's been nursing a crush on her since high school. Despite Hazel's antipathy towards Ash, she comes to his rescue when he is unable to return to their hometown for Christmas.

There were so many layers to both these characters that made them relatable and real. I loved that Sweeney refreshingly made the female character the 'grump'. Hazel's parents divorce and lack of investment in her as a person has taught her to be an island and just put on a front. This causes her never to be open and honest when people are taking advantage of her (like the professor she's a TA for) or tramping over her feelings (I nearly cried during the station party scene).

Ash was just adorable, so supportive and caring of Hazel and his family. Unfortunately that has caused him to end up shouldering the full burden of his family's problems, such as the impact of his dad's health issues. He admired Hazel's spark and did his best to keep showing up for her. I loved their bickering and banter.

This book was well worth staying up late to finish even if I was late for work (whoops!).

Thanks to Putnam/Penguin Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

4.75/5

what an excellent debut!!!

as someone who applies for so many ARC's just because of frenemies being in the synopsis, i am happy to report that this one is so amazingly cute and you must have it on your list for july releases!! this book had just the cutest, and realest, "meet cute." these characters already knew each other but in college they fight over this one chair in a coffee shop and that is adorable but so, so true. coffee spot seats are sacred. even though i requested this it was such a happy surprise, there are just so many good books that would probably get passed over by me if it wasn't for NetGalley, so thanks for that.

ash and hazel were just the cutest, ash especially. if you're someone who looooves a cinnamon roll hero then you must pick this book up. ash is just the sweetest and he's so understanding and funny and lovable and if you can't tell ihave a bit of an obsession with him. the way he acts with his sisters and nieces is lovely, he's so thoughtful and once again I'm obsessed. hazel shares some family struggles with me and they were dealt with so well. seeing her and her father heal was so satisfying. hazel is just the definition of tough on the outside but soft on the inside and it was so nice to get to see her open up to ash and see the relationship progress. honorable mention to the excellent tension that was in this book, we had a mini road trip in the beginning which gave such good forced proximity scenes and started the great small town vibes, and overall the tension was so good. it lasted throughout the book and then turned into really good angst. the scene where ash talks about her breaking his heart the morning after the "surprise" party made me feel pain.

this is a wonderful debut and even though it's wishful thinking, i want books for the rest of ash's family. or just some bonus epilogues. anything will do. I ADORE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC*

Oh my goodness!! I love a slow burn!! And one that’s done well?? I’m obsessed! This book has a little bit of everything thrown into the mix and touches on a lot of different topics! I want to read this again and again and again! I will definitely be buying it as soon as it comes out!

Melanie Sweeney’s debut has me wanting to sit in a big green chair so I can read some more of her stories.

I love the absolute depth of the characters and their stories. This is the type of book I’ve been craving. Not only a romance that has your heart fluttering but real world issues that they have to work though.

The humor sprinkled throughout had me giggling. Can that little town along the way of Hazel & Ash’s road trip be real because I wanted to stay at the Inn and eat at the diner.

Thank you NetGalley and the Putnam for the ARC for the early review

A love hate romance, that reminds me of a couple I know that fights all the time and then is the total opposite two seconds later. I love that part of the book is set in a coffee shop and a road trip.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book came out swinging and captured my attention right away. I thought it had a really strong beginning and ending, I will say it slowed up a bit in the middle but still never felt too slow.

Take Me Home includes some of my FAVORITE tropes
*some enemies to lovers
*forced proximity
*one bed
*MMC falls first / hard

I think Melanie Sweeney did a great job at making you feel all of Hazel's complex emotions and take a little big of pity on Ash as he tried to navigate them.

Some miscommunication which is something I usually loathe, but it was handled more like adults than some other books like to do.

Finished in two days, fun / fast read.

Thanks for the ARC, will love to read more by this author in the future.

Take Me Home was sweet, fun, and had me rooting for Hazel and Ash the entire time. Excited to read more by Melanie Sweeney!

4.5/5 stars
It's been a long time since Hazel Elliot has visited home from college. She's put of any thing that makes her uncomfortable and seeks refuge in the one cafe in town that no one bothers her; aside from Ash Campbell, her ex boyfriend's best friend who serves up her coffee with a side of annoying cheer. Not only has she not been able to shake him from her current life, he constantly steals her favorite chair in the cafe. Ash needs a ride back to their small town so he can be with his close knit family but also to assess the chaos of his father's medical condition. The two strike up a deal to road-trip to their town with hopes that after the trip they won't bother each other aside from what Hazel's having to drink for the day. Yet during the Hazel and Ash find themselves clinging to each other to bring some sort of normalcy to their return home. Secrets uncover and guarded walls get brought down and the two find a home in each other.
There were so many moments where I wanted to smack some sense into Hazel but also hug her so tight and tell her everything will be okay. Little Hazel was let down big time and it makes perfect sense as to why her attitude towards
relationships and future of them were so dim. But man, was Ash so patient with her. Even though majority of the story their relationship was based off witty quips, they truly were like a moth to a light with each other. Ash wiggled his way into her daily life and showed her how worthy she was of being taken care of and god the water works flowed
• This is definitely a slow burn book and
the one thing I wish I could change was the pace of story. The storyline has things happen within a week but I'm not sure if the same repeated conflict or both MC's slow realization to change made this book seem a lot longer. Regardless, this was a wonderful read! Stay tuned for its official release in July 2024!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Melanie Sweeney for choosing us as arcs for this story

I really enjoyed this book the concept was so cute.Hazel and Elliot relationship they built was so cute. The small town vibe I really like it.

I love the frenemies to lovers trope. I treasure childhood traumas (if done well). And I cherish great chemistry between the main characters. This story had it all.

I knew I would like Hazel and Aah’s story as soon as I read the blurb. And I’m so happy I was right! I flew through the pages and am frankly a little sad I already read the book.

Thank you, Putnam Books and NetGalley, for this awesome treat!

This was delightful! Admittedly, it took me a long time to really get into this one. However, by the end, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Ash and Hazel. I absolutely blew through the second half of this book and even found myself tearing up multiple times throughout the last quarter!
This ended up being so much more than the frenemies to lovers slow burn that I thought it would be— though that part was so fun too. The portrayal of such vastly different, but equally challenging, family dynamics felt extremely realistic, and I found both main characters to be very believable.
I will highly recommend this to my friends who are fans of romance! Such a satisfying read— I look forward to seeing what Melanie Sweeney writes in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Melanie Sweeney for the ARC!

Take Me Home was a great pick to read before the holidays. I assumed from the beginning it was going to be an enemies to lovers story but it's way more. There's bickering, pinning, slow burn, and a lot of family issues mixed in. Both of their family stories took up more of the page than the romance portion, but it's what I liked most about the book. All of the conflict was resolved in a happy way that felt real. The relationship between Hazel and her dad had me in tears. The story was a bit slow in the middle but it built depth into the romance and the character arcs.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to review this ARC!

If you enjoy a light enemies to lovers with a secret pining and a road trip this book is for you. I thought this book was fine. Middle of the road fine. The conversations and the feelings between the main characters for real and that’s all you can ask for.

Thank you Putnam Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

Take Me Home is more about childhood trauma than anything else. Yes the two MCs (Hazel and Ash) are freindmies to lovers. But the real meat of the story is these two young adults learning to speak up for themselves. Especially in the presence of their parents. He has a great home life, but is taking on too much of the responsible child burden (much to his family's chagrin). She has a strained relationship with her father (who raised her as a single dad after her mom left). Her Dad is getting remarried in their hometown over Christmas, so Hazel gives him a ride home. And yes they fall for each other and yes there is definitely steam. But the journey we go on with them (particularly Hazel) is about saying what you want and realizing that walking away from a relationship (any relationship) without talking or fighting for that relationship is not always the best choice. (There is also a pretty strong, parents should be parents and not assume that their young adult child has the emotional tools to deal with family trauma). Overall, it is very much a new adult novel. I think the writing and the character development was brought everyone to life. My only beef with it is that it was less a romance and more a coming of age (mentally speaking).
I received an ARC

A sweet holiday book that was more than just a romance. I liked how the characters had their own struggles and had to work through those before anything else. My favorite part of the entire book was the relationship Hazel had with Sylvia. It was proof that despite Hazel's position that relationships don't last forever, Sylvia was truly there for her no matter what. What this book really focused on was breaking down walls that people put up to protect themselves and it pointed out that those walls only isolate. Both Ash and Hazel were struggling with ideas that they created for themselves (based on outside factors of course) and had to recognize them before they were able to move past them. I feel like the ages of the characters are perfect for the things they were going through because that stage after college and before the real world is a time of self-reflection and growth.

Tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, small town

If you enjoy a slow burn, enemies to lovers romance, this book is for you. Hazel and Ash are both grad students with a long history from growing up in the same small town. The story dove into both of their struggles with their families while visiting home for Christmas; divorce, remarriage, illness, financial hardship. I would be lying if I said I didn’t cry a few times throughout this book!

Personally, I wanted the story to focus more on Hazel and Ash and less with their families, which is why I gave this book three stars. I found the middle of the book a little bit boring and just need something that grips me and holds my attention more at this point in my life.

Thank you NetGalley and Melanie Sweeney for the ARC of Take Me Home.

Thanks to Net Galley and Putnam for the advanced copy!

This book was an instant hit for me. The blend of emotionality, humor, and too-real family dynamics were a a big win. Ash and Hazel both felt real and complex, with internal struggles that felt honest and personal. The tension was palpable, and the conclusions and ending were highly satisfying. It’s hard to show history without going back in time, but Sweeney managed it beautifully. Well done!

This is a sweet romance novel. I'm a sucker for a pining male protagonist, and this book contains top notch pining!

Both characters were likable and the respective issues with their families were relatable and helped to move the plot along. I definitely recommend this book, and would love to read another book by Melanie Sweeney.

This is just sweet and funny--truly I laughed out loud several times--and unbelievably charming. Exactly what I was craving, and the "he falls first" trope was played out perfectly.

If you're a fan of when 'he falls first and harder', you'll love this book. Ash is absolutely adorable and head over heels for Hazel. He takes his time getting to know her and supporting her through the stress of the holidays, and navigating her tense familial situation. There were so many moments that had me swooning such as when Ash lends her his jacket because she's cold, and his blazer after a mishap with water and a white shirt.

I love how this story isn't just about Hazel and Ash and how their relationship grows over the course of a trip home for Christmas. It's also about Hazel rekindling her relationship with her father and his new family, and Ash coming to terms with his father's illness and learning to trust his family to take care of themselves. The story focused on family, and togetherness during the holidays, which made it feel cosy and well-rounded.

It was hard to put this book down. Hazel was such a fun main character, I loved how driven she was in pursuit of her PhD and my heart hurt for her when she felt unwanted by the people around her. I loved how her journey was equally packed with tender and awkward moments that had me awwing and laughing the whole way through.

This is such an adorable book to pick up for the holidays and I'm so grateful to Penguin Group and G.P. Putnam's Sons for sending me an ARC of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Five out of five stars.