Coming Home To You

by Liesel Schmidt

[Leah]

When I spotted a new Carina UK title up on Netgalley, with a very gorgeous Autumnal cover, I was very, very excited and also kind of surprised that we're already in Autumnal/Christmas books territory. Where has the year gone? Before I know it we'll have Christmas stock in at work (OH GOD NO). Coming Home To You sounded like just the read for me at the moment as it's all about what happens when you lose someone unexpectedly and our family has just recently had this happen to us, with the loss of my cousin's husband in a very tragic accident. (Something we still can't really believe.) So I was interested in Liesel's Schmidt's interpretation, and readied myself for an emotional read.

I have to admit when I first started reading Coming Home To You I was super interested, super into it. I liked seeing Zoe's grief, and learning how Paul had died, and I kept on reading the short chapters, because it was tough to put down. It was when I came back to the book that I was slightly disinterested. I don't know if it was me, or if it was the book, or what, but when I picked it up again after that first night, I lost interest in the novel. It could be because the novel seemed to lag a bit during the middle section. I wanted Zoe to be moving forward with her life, instead of wallowing at Neil's house and trying to figure out what kind of man he is, and writing him letters she was never sending. I would have preferred actual interactions. If she'd actually sent Neil the letters, so we could have got some kind of rapport going.

Probably the most fascinating aspect of the novel was one that comes on quite late in the novel, when Zoe decides that she hates her job (join the club, love) and wants to do something different, so she decides to open her own store. It felt like Zoe was me. I would love to quit my job and open up a store, although I would be selling books, not lip sticks. I wanted to see how it all came together, and I felt a bit cheated that after intial mentions of the store, we don't hear any more from the opening day. I wanted to see Zoe thriving in her new world, in her new domain! I wanted interactions with customers that tells me Zoe was born to shift lipstick, and instead there were confessions from Ray (Zoe's new friend with a coffee shop, whom I loved) and Sam (Zoe's old friend who abandoned her when Paul died) that proved men don't tell the truth and I didn't like it. I saw the plot twist with Ray and Neil coming a mile off, and I was actually disappointed to see it realised.

It actually got to the stage where I thought Neil was ficticious. Even when we actually get to meet Neil, it all just seems surreal and dreamlike and it's over before you even notice it. I was sure Zoe would inevitably find love again during the novel, but all of the false starts were super confusing, and when love came, it was entirely unexpected. I didn't like that all the men were portrayed as liars and secret keepers. All of them - Ray, Sam, Paul, Jake, they all kept secrets and lies from Zoe and it was just a bit much. Especially Paul's secret. I don't think anybody, ever, would keep that big a secret, and I didn't like to see his name sullied without him getting the chance to defend himself. Initially I was so interested in the novel. Zoe was a wonderful character, and I loved the Florida setting, I just wish more time was spent on Zoe's dream of opening a store than the dramas with the fellas. I was so into the novel at first, but it fell a bit flat for me from the middle, until the end, which was a shame, but this will definitely appeal to readers who love a more emotional edge to their books.This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read