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memoirsofabooklover's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was beautiful. I haven't read one of Kathleen's books before but now I need to read the rest. It was incredibly sad, right from the first page and the ending wasn't particularly happy but it was hopeful. This book really highlights the importance of judge not, lest we too be judged. These characters are each going through their own tragedies and just trying to keep their heads above water and survive. It brings home the importance of trying to look outside your own world for a bit and see that others are hurting too. You may not be able to fix what is happening in your own life but that doesn't mean you need to bury your head in the sand and not try to help those around you that you can help. Unfortunately, I don't think Emory really internalised this concept by the end as during this book, she was obviously focusing on her brother and her own family tragedies. But, these wonderful, imperfect people surround her through this book but I don't think she ever really asks them how they are, they occasionally offer up something about their lives but Emory never checks in or asks them how they're doing. She was going through a lot and I know how you can get lost in your own world so much so that everything around you becomes an afterthought, but, hopefully, those things will come with growth and maturity. A specific example that comes to mind is the alluding towards Liza being sexually assaulted, maybe Emory never made the connections but it's obvious her trauma goes deeper than her parents leaving, and Emory never bothers to ask and we never really find out. I'm not upset about that though because this book was focused on Emory and Joey. I liked that Kathleen chose to write this story from the perspective of Emory instead of Joey, it was very real. I connected with some of Emory's experiences and feelings, and it is important to hear how someone's mental health struggles and addiction can affect those around us. We don't delve too deeply into the other characters, even Joey, we hear bits and pieces but we never really get to understand him on a deeper level and I guess that is quite a good reflection on the world. You may know pieces of a person, but everyone has their own stories and all we can do is try to walk through this world with a little bit more grace and compassion in our hearts and actions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Car accident, Mental illness, Child death, Addiction, and Bullying
Moderate: Grief, Sexism, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Vomit, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Abandonment, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Classism, Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Cancer, and Sexual assault
bookmorderin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Addiction, and Car accident
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, and Cancer
jenna_rae13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Bullying, Car accident, Alcoholism, Grief, Medical trauma, Addiction, and Mental illness
ramiz0's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse
Minor: Mental illness, Cancer, Bullying, and Abandonment
fanchera's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Child death, and Addiction
Moderate: Abandonment, Toxic friendship, and Car accident
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Alcohol
ckreads28's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is an important one to show the family's side of things when it comes to addiction and the aftermath they have to deal with in the aftermath of the addict. While Emmory, her siblings, and even her dad have growth, it bothered me how the mother's seems minimal. That there were no amends for her part in how/what she did to the family with her pressure and need for control.
I did love the lessons Emmory learned and her growth. The rawness of this book is so needed and I think would've helped me when I was younger, but so glad this book is out there now.
I did love the lessons Emmory learned and her growth. The rawness of this book is so needed and I think would've helped me when I was younger, but so glad this book is out there now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Addiction
ifwyshay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Car accident, Child death, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Addiction, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Body horror
cloud_animals's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Child death, and Suicide
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
5.0
“To appreciate what I have, in the here and now. To not miss it. Because it might be gone, at any moment. And we can’t control that, no matter how hard we try. Whatever the universe is, it’s always got the upper hand and we only have this one chance.”
Kathleen Glasgow once again excels at writing emotional stories. After How to Make Friends with the Dark and Girl in Pieces, she's back with another heartwrenching book. You'd Be Home Now is about two siblings whose whole life falls apart after a deadly car accident disrupts things in their small town. This is based on the American classic Our Town, You'd Be Home Now, but I have to be honest that I've never even heard of it 😂 That's why I was a bit nervous going into this story, but you really need no knowledge of the classic at all to enjoy it!
I really felt for our main character Emmy. She's about to start her junior year of high school but was involved in the deadly car accident, that killed one of her schoolmates and left her brother and his friend with a guilty conscience. She got severely injured in the crash and is still dealing with chronic pain in her legs. Emmy's family is determined to clean up their image by pretending everything is fine and sending her brother to rehab in order to recover from his drug addiction. Emmy herself rarely feels seen in her family home, her parents are neglectful and dismissive of her needs. My heart broke for her, as she misses her older brother and gets ditched by her friends because they don't want to have any association with her anymore. The boy next door that she has a crush on is just using her and her parents refuse to give her the proper painkillers for her injury, as they fear she'll become addicted to them. The beginning was tough to read, as Emmy always tries to smooth things out, but knows that, unlike her sister, she's not the golden child of the family.
“We could all probably be a little more benevolent in life. We all live here, after all. We all share the same mighty good company of the stars at night, and everyone deserves kindness, and survival. Everyone deserves to be seen.”
Her relationship with her brother Joey really touched me. If you love books focused on sibling relationships, this is a good one! Joey has always been the troublemaker of the family, yet their parents still favor him over Emmy. He's been struggling with his addiction for a while now and Emmy feels responsible for his recovery, especially now that he's back from rehab. I loved their complex relationship, full of love but also their individual struggles and everything that has been falling apart around them. Emmy feels like she needs to fix everything and keep her brother's secrets, but does that really help him? The dilemma of how to help someone struggling with addiction was very well written here!
At its core, the story is about mental health and recovery. You could tell that the author was drawing from her own experiences to write about Joey's addiction, as she approached the topic with a lot of care. Recovery isn't linear and for addiction, it's a life-long struggle, something that was very well illustrated here. Joey is back from rehab, but he's struggling with his recovery every day and the conflicts with his parents and the people of Mill Haven don't help. The story is full of emotion - love, hope and despair - as Emmy and Joey navigate their new reality. A lot of people in their town blame Joey and his friends for what happened and Emmy's still struggling with these repercussions. You'd Be Home Now really touched me with its raw emotions and honest outlook on addiction, the audiobook in particular was amazing!
“I would have done anything for that feeling, and did. I wish I could feel that way now, to make all the awfulness inside me go away. But I can’t. I just have to sit here, and feel all of it. Every last horrible thing.”
Kathleen Glasgow once again excels at writing emotional stories. After How to Make Friends with the Dark and Girl in Pieces, she's back with another heartwrenching book. You'd Be Home Now is about two siblings whose whole life falls apart after a deadly car accident disrupts things in their small town. This is based on the American classic Our Town, You'd Be Home Now, but I have to be honest that I've never even heard of it 😂 That's why I was a bit nervous going into this story, but you really need no knowledge of the classic at all to enjoy it!
I really felt for our main character Emmy. She's about to start her junior year of high school but was involved in the deadly car accident, that killed one of her schoolmates and left her brother and his friend with a guilty conscience. She got severely injured in the crash and is still dealing with chronic pain in her legs. Emmy's family is determined to clean up their image by pretending everything is fine and sending her brother to rehab in order to recover from his drug addiction. Emmy herself rarely feels seen in her family home, her parents are neglectful and dismissive of her needs. My heart broke for her, as she misses her older brother and gets ditched by her friends because they don't want to have any association with her anymore. The boy next door that she has a crush on is just using her and her parents refuse to give her the proper painkillers for her injury, as they fear she'll become addicted to them. The beginning was tough to read, as Emmy always tries to smooth things out, but knows that, unlike her sister, she's not the golden child of the family.
“We could all probably be a little more benevolent in life. We all live here, after all. We all share the same mighty good company of the stars at night, and everyone deserves kindness, and survival. Everyone deserves to be seen.”
Her relationship with her brother Joey really touched me. If you love books focused on sibling relationships, this is a good one! Joey has always been the troublemaker of the family, yet their parents still favor him over Emmy. He's been struggling with his addiction for a while now and Emmy feels responsible for his recovery, especially now that he's back from rehab. I loved their complex relationship, full of love but also their individual struggles and everything that has been falling apart around them. Emmy feels like she needs to fix everything and keep her brother's secrets, but does that really help him? The dilemma of how to help someone struggling with addiction was very well written here!
At its core, the story is about mental health and recovery. You could tell that the author was drawing from her own experiences to write about Joey's addiction, as she approached the topic with a lot of care. Recovery isn't linear and for addiction, it's a life-long struggle, something that was very well illustrated here. Joey is back from rehab, but he's struggling with his recovery every day and the conflicts with his parents and the people of Mill Haven don't help. The story is full of emotion - love, hope and despair - as Emmy and Joey navigate their new reality. A lot of people in their town blame Joey and his friends for what happened and Emmy's still struggling with these repercussions. You'd Be Home Now really touched me with its raw emotions and honest outlook on addiction, the audiobook in particular was amazing!
“I would have done anything for that feeling, and did. I wish I could feel that way now, to make all the awfulness inside me go away. But I can’t. I just have to sit here, and feel all of it. Every last horrible thing.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Violence, and Death
nadia_luq's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Car accident, Death, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Drug use
Moderate: Child abuse and Cancer