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leahkarge's review against another edition
5.0
I want to start out saying that this book is Women's Fiction, not Romance, which is generally what Susan Mallery writes and what I read. I don't read a lot of Women's Fiction so this was a new experience for me. However, I just had to read this because I've read almost everything Mallery has written and I knew it had to be wonderful.
That being said, it did take me a little while to get into the book. Because it was not what I was used to, it took me a while to adapt to Already Home. However, once I did get into, I really liked it. It's definitely a different style but the book dealt with a lot of great issues, most of which revolved around the issue of finding yourself and discovering where you belong in life. There were such issues as divorce, the potential for job failure, the appearance of birth parents that had never before been in your life, romantic relationships, domestic abuse, prostitution, friendship, illness, death, and most importantly, love.
I loved all the characters as I have in almost all of Mallery's books. I thought that they were very well developed, and I could see that Mallery put a lot of hard work into giving all the characters personalities that were real and relatable. As a result of that, I found myself able to get involved in the story and feel like I had a right to get involved in their lives. That, to me, is one of the signs of a great book.
The only thing I was a little disappointed with was that there wasn't as much development of Violet and Dragon's relationship as I would have liked because it came about right at the very end of the novel. And, while I really enjoyed the romantic relationship between Jenna and Ellington, I just wish that the interaction and relationship between Isaiah and Jenna, and even Isaiah and Ellington, could have been in the book a little bit more so that I could get a better feel for the relationships there.
However, like I said, I really, thoroughly enjoyed this book once I was able to get used to the different style of writing. Susan Mallery is one of my auto-buy authors and I'm so glad that I was able to get this book as an ARC from NetGalley.
4.5 stars
That being said, it did take me a little while to get into the book. Because it was not what I was used to, it took me a while to adapt to Already Home. However, once I did get into, I really liked it. It's definitely a different style but the book dealt with a lot of great issues, most of which revolved around the issue of finding yourself and discovering where you belong in life. There were such issues as divorce, the potential for job failure, the appearance of birth parents that had never before been in your life, romantic relationships, domestic abuse, prostitution, friendship, illness, death, and most importantly, love.
I loved all the characters as I have in almost all of Mallery's books. I thought that they were very well developed, and I could see that Mallery put a lot of hard work into giving all the characters personalities that were real and relatable. As a result of that, I found myself able to get involved in the story and feel like I had a right to get involved in their lives. That, to me, is one of the signs of a great book.
The only thing I was a little disappointed with was that there wasn't as much development of Violet and Dragon's relationship as I would have liked because it came about right at the very end of the novel. And, while I really enjoyed the romantic relationship between Jenna and Ellington, I just wish that the interaction and relationship between Isaiah and Jenna, and even Isaiah and Ellington, could have been in the book a little bit more so that I could get a better feel for the relationships there.
However, like I said, I really, thoroughly enjoyed this book once I was able to get used to the different style of writing. Susan Mallery is one of my auto-buy authors and I'm so glad that I was able to get this book as an ARC from NetGalley.
4.5 stars
stepgg's review against another edition
4.0
First novel I have read by this author. I enjoyed it quite a bit. She reminds me of Susan Wiggs and Luanne Rice who are two of my favourite authors.
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
4.0
Jenna has wasted years of her life married to a narcissistic husband who makes her feel less than. So, when he asks for a divorce because he's fallen in love with someone else, she leaves California and heads back home to Texas. Jenna is a sous chef, but back home, on a whim, she buys a storefront and plans to open a kitchen store. After a rocky start, she closes and regroups, with the help of a smart employee, and everything goes great. Then, in walks her birth parents. Jenna knew that she was adopted but never had any desire to find them. But suddenly they're back and they want a relationship.
This one got a bit heavier there for a bit with Violet and that wasn't something I really expected from a Susan Mallery book. I'm not sure it felt like it fit in well with this book. I didn't much care for Jenna's love interest here. And Violet's should have been ditched after that double date. But overall, this was a good one and I enjoyed it. Though the birth mom was annoying.
This one got a bit heavier there for a bit with Violet and that wasn't something I really expected from a Susan Mallery book. I'm not sure it felt like it fit in well with this book. I didn't much care for Jenna's love interest here. And Violet's should have been ditched after that double date. But overall, this was a good one and I enjoyed it. Though the birth mom was annoying.
octoberjenten's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really good book. I saw it was a harlequin book so I was worried that it would be filled with mush but surprisingly it wasn't. I enjoy books that have cooking involved and it was nice that it was about women bettering themselves.
sarahelizabeth205's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
thesandrapages's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tita_noir's review against another edition
4.0
I find that I really, really enjoy Susan Mallery's women's fiction work much better than I do her romance novels. There is something about how untidy she lets things get in these books that really appeal to me. And they aren't sweet. I am not a fan of sweet.
This was a great story. Jenna is a newly divorced, highly demoralized chef who has returned to her place where she grew up near Dallas to lick her wounds. Her husband was a loser who constantly belittled her cooking, while simultaneously stealing her ideas, and cheated on her.
But now she is home and has impulsively opened a cooking supplies store. With no business plan, and no real idea of what she wants to accomplish the store kinda fizzles at first. But her new hire, Violet, a funky chick with a mysterious past and grand ideas, helps Jenna remake the store into a great success.
However more changes have come Jenna's way. She was adopted as a baby and has a great, loving relationship with her adoptive parents. So when her biological parents show up out the blue, Jenna is not sure she can cope with all the changes, and that includes the new man in her life. Meanwhile, Violet, a self described loser magnet has just met a guy whom she feels just might be a keeper.
This book was compulsively readable. It has all the great hallmarks of a well done prime-time soap without any unnecessary melodrama. There were multiple storylines but nothing felt rushed or over-done. There were so many places where the story could have veered into been-there/done-that territory, Mallery didn't allow it to happen. I loved how even keeled and practical Jenna's adoptive mother Beth was. And while her natural parents, Serenity and Tom sometime got perilously close to a vegan-earth-parent-crunchiness cliche, they never went over the line. There was always a depth to the characters that made them feel 3-dimensional. And there were so many fun and memorable characters who made their place in the story the book at times had the feel of a sprawling yet cohesive tale.
I enjoyed the b-plot with Violet a lot. Jenna's story was light, a bit humorous and deftly told. Violet's story went a bit darker and counter-balanced Jenna's plot-line well. The two women were opposite in so many ways and yet complemented each other.
I think romance purists would not be 100% sold on the story as romance is not the focus of the narrative. This is straight out women's fiction with a strong romantic element. Both Jenna and Violet have a romance arc that ends, if not with an explicit HEA, with at least a strong certainty that both women will go off into the sunset with her guy.
This was a great story. Jenna is a newly divorced, highly demoralized chef who has returned to her place where she grew up near Dallas to lick her wounds. Her husband was a loser who constantly belittled her cooking, while simultaneously stealing her ideas, and cheated on her.
But now she is home and has impulsively opened a cooking supplies store. With no business plan, and no real idea of what she wants to accomplish the store kinda fizzles at first. But her new hire, Violet, a funky chick with a mysterious past and grand ideas, helps Jenna remake the store into a great success.
However more changes have come Jenna's way. She was adopted as a baby and has a great, loving relationship with her adoptive parents. So when her biological parents show up out the blue, Jenna is not sure she can cope with all the changes, and that includes the new man in her life. Meanwhile, Violet, a self described loser magnet has just met a guy whom she feels just might be a keeper.
This book was compulsively readable. It has all the great hallmarks of a well done prime-time soap without any unnecessary melodrama. There were multiple storylines but nothing felt rushed or over-done. There were so many places where the story could have veered into been-there/done-that territory, Mallery didn't allow it to happen. I loved how even keeled and practical Jenna's adoptive mother Beth was. And while her natural parents, Serenity and Tom sometime got perilously close to a vegan-earth-parent-crunchiness cliche, they never went over the line. There was always a depth to the characters that made them feel 3-dimensional. And there were so many fun and memorable characters who made their place in the story the book at times had the feel of a sprawling yet cohesive tale.
I enjoyed the b-plot with Violet a lot. Jenna's story was light, a bit humorous and deftly told. Violet's story went a bit darker and counter-balanced Jenna's plot-line well. The two women were opposite in so many ways and yet complemented each other.
I think romance purists would not be 100% sold on the story as romance is not the focus of the narrative. This is straight out women's fiction with a strong romantic element. Both Jenna and Violet have a romance arc that ends, if not with an explicit HEA, with at least a strong certainty that both women will go off into the sunset with her guy.
verityw's review against another edition
3.0
I had a few quibbles with this - too much insta-love, I had most of the plot points absolutely pegged and I didn't like one of the main love interests - but overall it was a nice, fun, relaxing read which was just what I needed after a run of baaaaad romances.
wilovebooks's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful women's fiction read, though it did have some romance. Jenna and Violet are both starting over and we see their struggles. The book is about relationships: family, friend, and romantic. I recommend reading with tissues.
petuso's review against another edition
5.0
This book was an easy read. I love easy read books. The story was well written.