REVIEW Already Home by Susan Mallery

 

Author: Susan Mallery

Pages: 400

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Mira Books

AMAZON: Already Home

From the blurb. (Goodreads)

After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, Jenna is desperate for a change. She's supported her ex-husband's dreams for so long that she can't even remember her own. Until she sees a for-lease sign near her parents' home and envisions her very own cooking store.

Her crash course in business is aided by a streetwise store manager and Jenna's adoptive mother. But just as she's gaining a foothold in her new life, in walk her birth parents—aging hippies on a quest to reconnect with their firstborn.

Now Jenna must figure out how to reconcile the free-spirited Serenity and Tom with her traditional parents, deal with her feelings for a new love interest and decide what to do about her ex's latest outrageous request. In the end, Jenna will find that there is no perfect family, only the people we love….

REVIEW: 4 out of 5 Stars

I have absolutely loved everything written by Susan Mallery, her Lone Star Sisters series was wonderful and although Already Home didn’t have the romance I have come to count on Mallery providing, it was still a wonderful, heartfelt story.

Jenna Stevens has moved home to Georgetown, Texas to be closer to her adoptive parents and to start a fresh life for herself after her recent failed marriage.  On a whim she leases a kitchen supply store but being a former chef with no retail experience whatsoever she has no idea where to start so hires streetwise Violet who is also insecure in her personal life but for very different reasons; together they work to build the start of a promising new store.

Jenna’s self-esteem has really taken a plummeting, her ex-husband, Aaron belittled her and then betrayed her in the worst possible way until she didn’t think much of herself at all; it was nice to see her grow in strength and in character with the help of those around her.

There is a lot happening in this book with a variety of different aspects to sort through, but it was told in a way that definitely doesn’t feel cluttered or confusing.

There were a lot of characters in Already Home and each fit perfectly and helped Jenna to rebuild her life; they weren’t perfect but they complimented one another. The relationship Jenna shares with her parents is real and terribly sweet; they had the most wonderful bond. Violet had a terrible past and it was a secret she didn’t openly divulge to everyone, I respected her for that but was also saddened for her. I loved Tom and Serenity, Jenna’s adoptive parents; they were quirky and fun and it was enjoyable to see them reconnect.

I am so used to reading Mallery’s contemporary romance series that I really missed it in Already home; the romantic aspect took a backseat to the main plot which revolved around Jenna and her new start to rebuild her life and business.

It is an emotional story full of conflict, drama, heartache, growth and indecision that tests the boundaries of relationships with very real life themes.

A thoroughly enjoyable read & I love the cover!