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A review by asiantomato
The Road Home by Erin Zak
5.0
17 years ago, Gwendolyn Carter left Indiana to pursue a career as an actress in Hollywood. She never came home once in those 17 years because she believes her mom absolutely hates her. During this time, her mom and dad took in a girl named Lila who became their surrogate daughter. When Gwen returns home to celebrate her dad’s birthday, things are awkward to say the least because Gwen thinks her mom loves Lila more than her. But, as time goes on, Lila and Gwen can’t deny the attraction they feel towards one another. When Gwen is ready to return to Hollywood, she discovers that her mom has cancer. Deciding to stay, Gwen is forced to unpack her demons and learn how to trust and love her mom again.
I absolutely loved this book. The moment I started, I couldn’t put it down until I was finished lol. There was so much more than just a f/f romance in The Road Home. The way that Zak wove the storyline was so beautiful and powerful and authentic.
From the start, with Gwen in therapy talking about the trauma her mom put her through as a teenager, I knew this was going to be a rollercoaster. I mean, can you imagine thinking your mom literally replaced you with someone else as soon as you were out of her house? And on top of that, thinking your mom hates you because you’re gay, but then she accepts her new daughter despite the fact that she’s gay too.
There were a lot of parts in the story where I got frustrated though, because they really could’ve avoided a lot of the problems if they just talked to one another, but I guess that’s just them being human. Another reason is that I felt like no one really tried to get to know Gwen in the beginning. Like Lila “tried” to be understanding, but she ended up just losing her temper and calling Gwen a child (which okay she was acting like a child LOL I’ll give her that) even though she doesn’t know what caused her to leave her home. Idk about you, but I think if I heard that someone left their home for 17 years and never came back, I don’t think I would be mad at the person. I think I would question the household that they were raised in to see why that happened and what could’ve been so bad that made them do that.
Aside from that, the romance was amazing. Gwen and Lila go from sort of enemies to friends to lovers and I love that. They were there for each other when they needed it the most and there were definitely some steamy moments ;). I really enjoyed watching them get to know each other and start to open up and learn to understand why the other person acts the way they act. One complaint that I do have is that I wish Gwen opened up more about how her mom was not accepting of her sexuality with Lila. I feel like she just kind of brushed it off even though, obviously, it was traumatic enough to send her away for 17 years.
And finally, the storyline where Gwen and Lila have to learn how to deal with Carol’s (Gwen’s mom) fight with cancer. This was probably my favorite aspect in the book. Seeing Gwen rebuild her relationship with her mom and understanding that people can change, whether it be for good or for bad, made me very emotional. One of my favorite moments was when Gwen’s best friend helps her understand that everything happens for a reason. If she hadn’t left 17 years ago, maybe her mom would have never accepted her sexuality. But the fact of the matter is everything that had happened, led up to that moment where they can begin to rebuild their relationship.
I received a copy from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved this book. The moment I started, I couldn’t put it down until I was finished lol. There was so much more than just a f/f romance in The Road Home. The way that Zak wove the storyline was so beautiful and powerful and authentic.
From the start, with Gwen in therapy talking about the trauma her mom put her through as a teenager, I knew this was going to be a rollercoaster. I mean, can you imagine thinking your mom literally replaced you with someone else as soon as you were out of her house? And on top of that, thinking your mom hates you because you’re gay, but then she accepts her new daughter despite the fact that she’s gay too.
There were a lot of parts in the story where I got frustrated though, because they really could’ve avoided a lot of the problems if they just talked to one another, but I guess that’s just them being human. Another reason is that I felt like no one really tried to get to know Gwen in the beginning. Like Lila “tried” to be understanding, but she ended up just losing her temper and calling Gwen a child (which okay she was acting like a child LOL I’ll give her that) even though she doesn’t know what caused her to leave her home. Idk about you, but I think if I heard that someone left their home for 17 years and never came back, I don’t think I would be mad at the person. I think I would question the household that they were raised in to see why that happened and what could’ve been so bad that made them do that.
Aside from that, the romance was amazing. Gwen and Lila go from sort of enemies to friends to lovers and I love that. They were there for each other when they needed it the most and there were definitely some steamy moments ;). I really enjoyed watching them get to know each other and start to open up and learn to understand why the other person acts the way they act. One complaint that I do have is that I wish Gwen opened up more about how her mom was not accepting of her sexuality with Lila. I feel like she just kind of brushed it off even though, obviously, it was traumatic enough to send her away for 17 years.
And finally, the storyline where Gwen and Lila have to learn how to deal with Carol’s (Gwen’s mom) fight with cancer. This was probably my favorite aspect in the book. Seeing Gwen rebuild her relationship with her mom and understanding that people can change, whether it be for good or for bad, made me very emotional. One of my favorite moments was when Gwen’s best friend helps her understand that everything happens for a reason. If she hadn’t left 17 years ago, maybe her mom would have never accepted her sexuality. But the fact of the matter is everything that had happened, led up to that moment where they can begin to rebuild their relationship.
I received a copy from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.