Here, Home, Hope: A Novel by Kaira Rouda

Title: Here, Home, Hope: A Novel

Author: Kaira Rouda

Genre: Fiction

About: (Goodreads synopsis)  Kelly Mills Johnson becomes restless in her thirty-ninth year. An appetite for more forces her to take stock of her middling middle-American existence and her neighbors’ seemingly perfect lives. Her marriage to a successful attorney has settled into a comfortable routine, and being the mother of two adorable sons has been rewarding. But Kelly’s own passions lie wasted. She eyes with envy the lives of her two best friends, Kathryn and Charlotte, both beautiful, successful businesswomen who seem to have it all. Kelly takes charge of her life, devising a midlife makeover plan.

My thoughts: Kaira Rouda’s debut novel tells the story of how one woman figures out how to take control of her life and help others at the same time.  Kelly is at a point where her two sons don’t need her like they did when they were little boys. After a health scare Kellly feels a nagging pull to change things but she’s not sure what or how. She starts a T2C list – Things to Change. Her list is written on Post-it notes which are strewn around her kitchen and car to remind her of specifics to change such as:

• Capitalize on skills
• Don’t compare yourself to others
• Don’t forget the care and feeding of friends
• Take it one day at a time

She soon discovers that the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere – her friends’ lives aren’t as perfect as they seem. One day a realtor friend asks Kelly, who is known for her exquisite decorating, to help stage a house she is selling. Kelly agrees to help her friend and the house sells immediately. She realizes this could be a new career and starts the wheels in motion. Although I thought it all came together a bit too easily I was cheering for her as things fell into place.

I think Here, Home, Hope would be a great book club selection. Any woman will be able to relate to Kelly and her friends on some level and might even want to use Kelly’s T2C list as a template for making changes in her own life.

Recommend? Yes, I enjoyed it and look forward to Kaira Rouda’s next novel.

Source: BookSparks PR