Reviews

The Thing about Home by Rhonda McKnight

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adventurous challenging emotional funny informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad slow-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

5.0

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3.0

This is my first ARC and for this reason alone I won't give the book any less than a three-star rating. I did however have several issues with it.

If you like small-town stories, where the MC is a city girl who goes home and discovers a whole new life she loves and leaves the old one behind, there are probably better books out there for you, There aren't many other books, however, that center around a POC main character who goes from being a famous influencer to becoming a farmer and learning her family history in an old plantation. That I really enjoyed. It was a breath of fresh air and I did learn a few things myself thanks to the time jump back to the late 1800s, which focused on the MC ancestors.

Unfortunately, the writing style wasn't the best and the plot didn't have a solid structure: for example, the timing and ages seem off at first, and as a reader, I struggled to focus on everything that goes on in the story because I spent the time wondering how the main character was in her thirties and her great-grandmother was living in the 1870s. Also, the ending has a sorta plot twist that comes out of nowhere, is mentioned for a few chapters, and is never mentioned again. There was no need for it to be in the book, I assure you. Other issues I had were the cultural references (too many), her last name being Black (not my place to say, but I found it confusing), and the fact that in every other chapter, the MC is "on the blink of starvation".

What I did like, however, other than what I have already mentioned , where the family bonds. I loved how the MC spent time with her newfound family and cooked all the best meals, how she celebrated with them and cried with them and how she started working on their farm right away and found a home for herself. It was truly heartwarming.

Finally, if you asked me whether this book is worth your time or not, I would say 100% yes. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, it has its flaws and could use some editing, but overall I think the story is worth reading, even just to take your mind off of things and