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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
*3.5
i really appreciated jo goodman not going the easy route and making mitch and thea's significant others the villains or one-dimensional characters! i'm still not entirely sure how i feel about the development with those two characters tbh but i appreciate that she didn't resort in just making them obstacles to keep mitch and thea from getting together. speaking of mitch/thea, i really enjoyed them! thea especially!
i really appreciated jo goodman not going the easy route and making mitch and thea's significant others the villains or one-dimensional characters! i'm still not entirely sure how i feel about the development with those two characters tbh but i appreciate that she didn't resort in just making them obstacles to keep mitch and thea from getting together. speaking of mitch/thea, i really enjoyed them! thea especially!
Don't read many romances anymore and this type of book is why. Very formulaic. Guy and gal hate each other at first and later fall in love with an intensity they have never experienced before. This is not much different from the Harlequins of decades past except now the subject matter is allowed to be a bit more outside-the-lines. The main characters are a bit older (30's), sexually experienced, the woman tends to own her own highly-successful business, and they talk about drug use though it is made 100% clear that these are very good and responsible people. Not unpleasant to read, but was hoping for deeper characters. Two very graphic sex scenes; no violence.
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thea Wyndham and Mitch Baker never imagined when they agreed to be guardians for their friends' three children that they would actually have to fulfill those roles. Now these virtual strangers are struggling to figure out how to parent through grief. Thea and Mitch are both in relationships with other people, neither of whom want children permanently in their lives. And Thea's history throws a wrench in the works for everyone.
This one has more character development than the average romance novel, which I appreciated.
For Readers' Advisors: character and story doorways, but be aware that there are some fairly detailed & steamy sex scenes in this one.
This one has more character development than the average romance novel, which I appreciated.
For Readers' Advisors: character and story doorways, but be aware that there are some fairly detailed & steamy sex scenes in this one.
One of the few older Goodman books my library had available to borrow as an ebook. Only 10 years old, but the book's gender politics feel VERY dated to me in 2021—so much of the humor and banter and even plot rests on stereotypical masculine/feminine binaries. Wasn't crazy, either, about the "surprise" at book's end (although I did like it that the female protagonist figured it out before it turned into a "big misunderstanding")...
A Place Called Home by Jo Goodman
The twins parents had died. The guardianship was left to
Mitch who is kinda engaged to Regina, and Thea who is engaged
to Joel he's 30 years older.
Mitch raises the kids with help mostly from his mother and father.
Thea stops by once a week to spend a few hours with the kids. There is
also an older girl.
Neither of them realize that when they leave the kids get so upset
as their parents never returned. There's a lot all of them need
to learn if they'd just talk and relax it would all work out. How can
it tough as Mitch wants to get on with his life also.
Thea also has finally opened up to Mitch and told him about her past
and her secrets.
There are many life crises that occur: unplanned pregnancy, meeting
their respective parents, work, kids and moving are all major things
that get in the way.
Excellent book, pulled at my heartstrings many times over and I
still have NO idea what I'd do in the same circumstances.
The twins parents had died. The guardianship was left to
Mitch who is kinda engaged to Regina, and Thea who is engaged
to Joel he's 30 years older.
Mitch raises the kids with help mostly from his mother and father.
Thea stops by once a week to spend a few hours with the kids. There is
also an older girl.
Neither of them realize that when they leave the kids get so upset
as their parents never returned. There's a lot all of them need
to learn if they'd just talk and relax it would all work out. How can
it tough as Mitch wants to get on with his life also.
Thea also has finally opened up to Mitch and told him about her past
and her secrets.
There are many life crises that occur: unplanned pregnancy, meeting
their respective parents, work, kids and moving are all major things
that get in the way.
Excellent book, pulled at my heartstrings many times over and I
still have NO idea what I'd do in the same circumstances.
This one started out a bit slow and puzzling as to the relationship between some of the characters. However, I really enjoyed the book and the romance aspect with the kids involved. I will look for more by this author.
It was a delight to read Jo Goodman’s latest A Place Called Home. When I initially read the summary I was thinking of that movie with Heigl and Duhamel with the same script and I was both scared and excited to read it. Scared because while the movie was funny, it didn’t grab me and pull me in like this book did.
A Place Called Home has a man’s man like Duhamel in Mitchell Baker who when the story sets out already has had the kids for about a month before Thea Wyndam comes into the picture. Mitchell is trying to be a father figure in that he sets up a cussing jar and even buys a kid friendly vehicle, but his girlfriend Gina who he has been going out with believes it is only a matter a time before the kids move in with Thea and they are gone from their lives. But it is Gina who leaves Mitchell’s life when Thea turns down full custody of the kids and opts to visitation rights.
Thea Wyndam is not your typical workaholic. It’s not that she hates kids; it’s just that she’s terrified of being a role model. Thea has problems that spring up on you while reading and surprise you, the problems are real, and not uncommon. At the start of Goodman’s latest, Thea is made out to be a hard nose woman with only an interest in the family business and proving to her father that she can lead the company. But as the story progresses and we meet the kids and delve deeper into each characters issue’s we see that Thea is actually a kind, misunderstood woman who would love to be a mother but because of her addictions is predictably scared.
Jo Goodman has blended together a story of laughter, sorrow, empathy, and heartbreak. A Place Called Home is vastly different from the above mentioned movie and I am heartily glad for that. Whenever I put down a book with a smile and sigh, longing for a continuation I have to recommend it to everyone out there who loves a good, wholesome, comforting read.
A Place Called Home has a man’s man like Duhamel in Mitchell Baker who when the story sets out already has had the kids for about a month before Thea Wyndam comes into the picture. Mitchell is trying to be a father figure in that he sets up a cussing jar and even buys a kid friendly vehicle, but his girlfriend Gina who he has been going out with believes it is only a matter a time before the kids move in with Thea and they are gone from their lives. But it is Gina who leaves Mitchell’s life when Thea turns down full custody of the kids and opts to visitation rights.
Thea Wyndam is not your typical workaholic. It’s not that she hates kids; it’s just that she’s terrified of being a role model. Thea has problems that spring up on you while reading and surprise you, the problems are real, and not uncommon. At the start of Goodman’s latest, Thea is made out to be a hard nose woman with only an interest in the family business and proving to her father that she can lead the company. But as the story progresses and we meet the kids and delve deeper into each characters issue’s we see that Thea is actually a kind, misunderstood woman who would love to be a mother but because of her addictions is predictably scared.
Jo Goodman has blended together a story of laughter, sorrow, empathy, and heartbreak. A Place Called Home is vastly different from the above mentioned movie and I am heartily glad for that. Whenever I put down a book with a smile and sigh, longing for a continuation I have to recommend it to everyone out there who loves a good, wholesome, comforting read.
