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A review by kaity_b
The Way Back Home by Carmen Jenner
3.0
2.5-3 stars....(sorry......McKenna and Ali)
Okay a few thoughts about this book.
First, there were waaaaay too many big topics throughout this book ( these are the topics, you can look for TW or if you want to know them ahead of time:) and because of that I felt like none of them were flushed out enough. It would go from a really serious topic being discussed to then them either joking right after or just blowing past the topic.
And I sat there like, we just got an emotional bomb dropped on us and it was skimmed over. It was kind like whiplash, where we would get smacked with an emotional sob story one page and then bam it's like nothing ever happened in the next.
Second, I didn't really feel the chemistry between August and Olivia. I felt it at the beginning when they were trying to feelers from each other. But then as the story continues it was a lot of "yes I am in to you... No I am not good for you, but I want you... " I was like I get it for the first half of the book, but I swear that happened up until the end where I couldn't feel that true chemistry with the characters because they kept just being surface level with each other. I say that even though they divulged really deep secrets with each other, but they didn't talk about those secrets that to me it felt like they didn't even say them.
Third, for being someone who can help Marines with PTSD, Olivia had a hard time showing that throughout the story. That is one thing that really frustrated me, since she had this reputable business that was in magazines, and she had multiple locations throughout the south, this book didn't highlight that at all. She saw that August was having a hard time, but we didn't see any tools on how to help him cope.
The character that I loved the most was Josiah, he was a misunderstood teenager that is taken under Olivia's wing. Their friendship was more believable to me than the love relationship with Olivia and August. The way that Olivia was protective of Josiah was great and wanted to help him no matter how their friendship started. I kept reading to see what happened with his life, he really made the story enjoyable, I wish there was more interactions with him.
Also there was a lot of town drama at the beginning that didn't do anything to the plot of the story, it was just to show how they were outcasted but it wasn't brought up again after the couple chapters that it happened.
Overall I had really high expectations for this book, I love military romances, and this one didn't do it for me. I wanted to badly to love it, but it just fell short for me.
If you are looking for a really good military romance look no further than [a:Rebecca Yarros|7539785|Rebecca Yarros|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1542433723p2/7539785.jpg], since she is a military wife she can really capture the experience and the trials and tribulations that they have to go through.
Okay a few thoughts about this book.
First, there were waaaaay too many big topics throughout this book ( these are the topics, you can look for TW or if you want to know them ahead of time:
Spoiler
rape, suicide, PTSD, child abuse and neglect, cheating, drugs, mental health and moreSpoiler
The main place that this really stood out to me was when Olivia told August that we was raped by her mom's drug dealer at 17 and then became pregnant. And she was in a really dark place that she wanted to take her own life. And after that whole thing and you getting the emotions from Olivia, August gives her a hug and says "you done good princess". And Olivia's internal thoughts were "...I just poured my heart out to this man, and I know he'll never let himself open up to me" And then it was the start of the next chapter.And I sat there like, we just got an emotional bomb dropped on us and it was skimmed over. It was kind like whiplash, where we would get smacked with an emotional sob story one page and then bam it's like nothing ever happened in the next.
Second, I didn't really feel the chemistry between August and Olivia. I felt it at the beginning when they were trying to feelers from each other. But then as the story continues it was a lot of "yes I am in to you... No I am not good for you, but I want you... " I was like I get it for the first half of the book, but I swear that happened up until the end where I couldn't feel that true chemistry with the characters because they kept just being surface level with each other. I say that even though they divulged really deep secrets with each other, but they didn't talk about those secrets that to me it felt like they didn't even say them.
Third, for being someone who can help Marines with PTSD, Olivia had a hard time showing that throughout the story. That is one thing that really frustrated me, since she had this reputable business that was in magazines, and she had multiple locations throughout the south, this book didn't highlight that at all. She saw that August was having a hard time, but we didn't see any tools on how to help him cope.
The character that I loved the most was Josiah, he was a misunderstood teenager that is taken under Olivia's wing. Their friendship was more believable to me than the love relationship with Olivia and August. The way that Olivia was protective of Josiah was great and wanted to help him no matter how their friendship started. I kept reading to see what happened with his life, he really made the story enjoyable, I wish there was more interactions with him.
Also there was a lot of town drama at the beginning that didn't do anything to the plot of the story, it was just to show how they were outcasted but it wasn't brought up again after the couple chapters that it happened.
Overall I had really high expectations for this book, I love military romances, and this one didn't do it for me. I wanted to badly to love it, but it just fell short for me.
If you are looking for a really good military romance look no further than [a:Rebecca Yarros|7539785|Rebecca Yarros|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1542433723p2/7539785.jpg], since she is a military wife she can really capture the experience and the trials and tribulations that they have to go through.