Last Train Home

Home #1

by Megan Nugen Isbell

17-year-old Riley Regas has spent her entire life in Boston, so when she learns she’ll be picking up and moving to her mother’s childhood home of Carver, Kansas, she is less than thrilled. In fact, she is downright furious. Riley’s only visited Carver a handful of times. She barely knows her family that lives there and she has no desire to spend her senior year among the backward, simpleminded residents of Carver.

Reluctantly though, her views begin to change, despite her encounters with Adrienne, a girl Riley quickly realizes is determined to make her life miserable, when she meets Alex Bettencourt. Alex is popular and gorgeous and Riley’s never seen brown eyes quite like his before.

While Riley couldn’t be happier, she knows Jesse, her best friend in Carver, isn’t sure of her new relationship with Alex. She soon finds a balance between Alex and her friends though and life in Carver doesn’t seem so bad after all, even if her relationship with her mother is rocky at best.

Just when Riley thinks she might be happy in Carver, a single decision changes it all, leaving her to find out who she really is and who matters most in her life before she loses everything.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Chick Lit, High School, Amazon

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2013

About the author

Megan Isbell was born in Japan and raised in Southern Arizona. Her husband's submarine career brought her to Connecticut in 2002. She holds a BA in Elementary Education and an MS in Reading/Language Arts Education. While her passion is writing, she also loves her day job as a first grade teacher. She chooses to set most of her stories in New England because she can't think of a more beautiful place to live. Besides writing, Megan loves spending time with her daughter, watching TV (especially The Vampire Diaries and anything on The History or Travel Channels) and running. She loves the Boston Red Sox and has an unhealthy obsession with the The Killers, Depeche Mode, Erasure, The Script, Within Temptation, Alex Band and Ryan Star. She currently lives in northeast Connecticut with her husband, daughter, one crotchety Yorkie, one lovable Chihuahua, and one indifferent gray cat. Her novels include The Home Series, After the Sky Fell Down, Here With Me and My Tomorrow.

Reviews

[Coco.V]

💝 FREE on Amazon today (12/26/2018)! 💝

[Isamlq · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm keeping this one short:

First, it's Painfully Predictable.

Second: I found it incredibly difficult to like the protagonist in this one; granted liking the lead isn't a requisite for good reading, but it does make things easier, right? There's the fact that she's a snob and aware that she was behaving thus; there's also her tendency to act bratty. Good effort is given to justify her behavior but let's face it: nothing really justifies acting like a brat.

Despite all that, she's New Girl and finds herself with all these new people (yes, that includes the necessary and predictably present Mean Girl... I mean of course!) There's that shiny-new thing going for her I suppose, but dear god, the things coming out of her mouth! The comparisons and the hick-this, hick-that asides from her had me wondering how they could stand her.

Third: The romantic angle, which made reading this even more blegh. It's a cross of best friend love from afar with love triangle, one of them being the popular guy. And thinking on the lot of them: I still don't see what they all saw in each other! In fact, even the "good guy" in this one was SOOOO good, he was rendered boring.

I wish I could say LAST TRAIN HOME was an OK read... it just wasn't.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book

Amazing book

it was such a great book. I got so into it I cried and laughed a ton. you should give it a try.

[Nikisha Evans mckinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with this book! Great read...can't wait for a second!

[Sara Oxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last train home by Megan Nugen Isbell a sublime five-star read. The last train home is the first book in the home series, and what a first book, we meet Seventeen-year-old Riley Regas she was born and raised in Boston, and life was perfect, then her folks got a divorce but she was dealing with it. Riley even managed to be civil to her dad’s new girlfriend. Then her mum up and announces that they are moving to a place that she has visited three times, a small town in Kansas called Carver, it’s her mother’s home town and they are moving there and that’s all she is being told. Despite having temper tantrums there is nothing she can do to stop her mum making her move in her senior year, and like most girls her age she feels this will be the end of her life. Little does she know that it may just be the start.
When Riley starts at her new school she meets some new friends and meets a hot guy Alex Bettencourt, one of the hottest in school. Her new friends and a best friend in the form of Jesse Baylor, help her settle in and they don’t always see Alex in the same way as Riley does, but they have known him years so are bound to have some ideas set in their minds about him, won’t they? Life seems to be going along great, Riley has settled, she has good friends, she’s getting to know her family, she no longer comes across as a spoilt little rich girl.
Then her life is changed, Riley will have to look into herself and see what’s real and what’s not, and who in her life she needs most, will she ever get the end she deserves? Or will she forever be chasing the dream. Megan Nugen Isbell has a talent for writing compelling characters that you want to punch one minuet and hug and make all better the next.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I love the cover!

More seriously, this is a fun contemporary young adult romance. I enjoyed the perspective of a city girl (from Boston) being introduced to country life (in Kansas). Yes, our heroine is snobby and whiny and does stupid things at first, but she grows by the end.

I spent a lot of time in the beginning trying to figure out what she saw in Alex and thinking I would have liked Jesse a lot better, so I was glad when the book twisted in that direction. Probably a quite realistic rendition of teenage dating, painfulness and all.

[-Edamommie-]

FREE ON AMAZON

[Bobbi Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Train Home (The Home Series: Book One) is by Megan Nugen Isbell is the first story in The Home series. This story is a young adult romance story that will touch your heart. You will find yourself relating to the teenage hormones that the characters go through. This story will take you on an emotional journey of a young teenager that struggles with normal teenage struggles. You will love how this author has created characters that will find a way to become your friend and have you hoping for the best for them. Find out what happens to this teenager as she starts a new life, in a new town.

Riley is a seventeen year old girl who thinks she has become a victim to her parents divorce. What happens when she and her mother moves in with her grandmother who lives in Carver, Kansas. She is angry that she has to go but it is better then the alternative. She meets a whole new group of friends but she seems to start a close relationship with one girl in particular, Jesse. What will happen when she catches the eye of popular boy? Will it affect her friendship with Jesse? Will she fall for the brown eyed, gorgeous boy, Alex?

Riley knows that Jesse doesn't agree with her relationship with Alex. She finally finds a balance between Jesse and Alex but is there still a problem? She is being to think that living in Carver is really all that bad after all despite her relationship with her mother. She is a typical teenager who talks and walks with attitude and doesn't seem to care what anyone else thinks. She struggles with relationships between friends and family. When she is faced with a decision what will happen? Will she make the right choice? Will the choice she makes change her for life? Will she lose everything?

This is one of many that I have read of this author but the first one in this series and I look forward into reading more. Megan was born in Japan and raised in Southern Arizona. She currently lives in Connecticut with her husband, daughter, dogs and cat. She chooses to set most of her stories in New England as she can't think of a more beautiful place to live. She loves spending time with her daughter watching television and running. Once again, this author has created a page turner that you will want to see what happens in the end. You will love this young adult story as it has been one of the best that has depicted a true to life teenager. I highly suggest this story as I know you will love reading this story as much as I have.

[Kristan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Train Home is book one in The Home Series by Megan Nugen Isbell. It is a cute, sweet high school dramatic rendition of a city girl being thrown into a little country town. They are all in high school and the only things they worry about is who goes with whom and their popularity, what high school senior doesn't?

Riley Regas is seventeen years old and her parents have gotten divorced. Her mom is moving them from their home in Boston, where Riley is a senior this year, to Carver, Kansas. While Riley could stay and live with her father, that’s not an option for her as she is just barely civil with his girlfriend. Her life is officially going to be over.

Since the move, Riley has been the bratty, mouthy, teenager that most girls are when things don't go their way. She makes sure to push her mother away with every sarcastic word she can. Even though secretly she's starting to like it in Carver. After all, the most popular boy in school, Alex, has taken a liking to her. Her new friends Holly, Laura, Mandy, Brandon and the cute one Jesse, don't seem to like her new found love interest but no one will tell her why.

Jesse and Riley have two classes together. They were paired for a group project and he quickly became one of her best friends in Kansas. He helped her paint her room and showed her how to shoot a gun. He truly was an amazing friend and Riley didn't see that. She knew most people were just nice in that little town but Jesse was different.

After a situation after the homecoming dance, Riley makes the drastic decision that she simply can not stay in Carver anymore. Her mother allows her to go back to Boston with her father. But is running from your problems really going to change anything? Will life in Boston be the same?

This was a fairly quick and easy story to read. Megan takes the bratty, selfish teenagers most of us were in high school and writes our story. I found myself comparing my own life to it going "yep did that" "girl me too." It is very relatable and very easy to see why Riley acts the way she does, though that doesn't give her complete reason to be. Thankfully she gets her head on straight and apologizes for her behavior. We will see how things are looking for her in the rest of the series, hopefully college won't be so difficult for her, if that's where she goes.

[Roxana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that I liked the book. But, yes – there is a but. The main character drove me nuts at first. Riley Regas is originally from Boston, and on a whim, her mother decides to move back home to Carver, Kansas. The reason behind the move is unknown, and let's just say that it's not well received by Riley. She feels like her mother has done her wrong, and basically starts being bratty.  

She absolutely loathes the town of Carver, and believes that everyone that lives in it is some backward hick. Her first day of school isn't a good one. She has a run in with a Queen Bee, but is able to stand her ground.  

She quickly makes friends. One of those is Alex Bettencourt – the hot popular guy. He's pretty persistent in trying to get Riley's attention, and is relentless in his conquest. I was kind of on the fence with Alex, but wasn't really sure why. I guess because before Alex had been introduced, Riley had met Jesse Baylor. And although he wasn't described as something smoking hot, or even a possible love interest, there was still something there.  

Let's just say that although Riley can't stand to be in that town, she later changes her mind. She's able to develop real friendships and relationships.  

Unfortunately, something does happen. And it's enough to make Riley run and hide from everyone and everything. When I say run and hide, I mean that she decides to move back home to Boston with her dad and his girlfriend. It's trials like the ones that she has experienced that make you the person that you are. Some say that they either break you or make you. I believe that they make you stronger. Because although they may take a mental toll on you, it still helps you grow. 

And that is exactly what Riley did. She grew. Emotionally and physically – she grew. She moved past the bratty phase where she would constantly throw attitude towards her mother, and she learned to ask for forgiveness and move forward.  

I was impressed with Megan's writing skills, and character developments. Because even though I didn't care for the character at the beginning, I felt that the author was able to draw some kind of emotion from me.  

I was able to finish this book in one evening, and although at first I was annoyed and pissed off at the main character, I felt like she redeemed herself. I would consider this a 4 Star book. And I would definitely be interested in reading the next installment in this series.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

“People say a lot of things to get what they want.”
I was conflicted with this novel pretty much beginning to end. I was well written and had all the makings of an emotional rollercoaster love story. I just wish it wasn’t so closely related to most of the young adult romance, coming of age stories, that seem to be a regular plot line. I will say that if you enjoyed movies like Mean Girls and The Duff this was very much on point and something you would enjoy. I was planning to give it three stars but just for the way that it flowed and the emotional strings that it played at the end I felt it deserved more. In Last Train Home we follow a confused, emotional, and angsty seventeen-year-old Riley Regas. She has become accustomed to a live in Boston with money and family all together. Her parents’ divorce lands her in the situation of having to choose whether to up uproot with her mom and move to her grandma’s with her in Kansas or to stay with her dad and his new girlfriend in Boston. She ultimately decides to give Kansas a try, although not thrilled about it one bit. It isn’t a very smooth transition and she ends up angering the popular (mean girl) Adrienne and her group of friends. She falls into a comfortable friendship with the not so popular group but is happy. Jesse turns quickly to be her best friend. Everything seems to be going well when Alex Bettencourt decides to befriend her and wants a relationship. He’s the opposite of Jesse and the rest of her friends. He is the all popular handsome sought after guy in school and he wants her. Jesse warns Riley that this is not a good idea and he has a really bad feeling about how things will end up working out for her. Rile is confused as most teens are at this age and has a hard time seeing through the rose colored glasses she seems to wear when around Alex. Will it work out in her favor or ruin her?
I will say that I was satisfied to see Riley grow up a lot at the end and become less bitter. Without giving away too much of the end I will just say that I look forward to seeing where the next book takes Riley and Jesse on the road of life.

[Ilonita50 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot because it created this perfect atmosphere, although, with my grown up mind I disagreed to main character's, Railey's point of view, the story itself had this ability to swallow, me, a reader into the story, face the culmination and feel all the crappy emotions one can have.

So what this is about? You will be reading the life of last year in High School, what's more, Riley starts her studies is a new school, in a small town where everyone spots she is the newbie there and a love triangle.

Riley is lucky to find on her first day other high school students who are very welcoming and will become her friends later on, she also faces her own comparisment to almost anything - her previous life in Boston and now in Kansas, how everything is small town behavior, how ridiculous seem to be the pass times, and how much she miss Boston and is angry to her mum for dragging her here with her. She knows she will be here for the only one year - next year she will be in College and off to Boston back again.

Last Train Home also sweeps you in a story where a girl easily makes friends, and easily starts a relationship with Alex and friendship with Jesse, who secretly has a crush on her, but she does not see it at all. So the year continues, her anger towards mum stays the same, until everything crushes after the Homecoming and she runs away.

The Last Train Home is the first book in the set of series, thankfully this book solves everything and there is no cliff endings which I hate so much. The book was interesting read in a rainy summer day, be it winter break or weekend, I think it is more focused for teens rather than adults, but I did enjoy the read. Riley also finds answers to questions that has bugged her for a while and without knowing the background she has jumped into conclusions. She eventually grows up facing real troubles of an adult and values decisions made. Here I am trying to avoid spoilers! :)

BTW, I spot the cover being used on another novel, by completely different author and publisher, it might be one of the places where one is copy pasting the cover for their work, it might be available online, but so, do check out which book you are seeing in the stores. The Last Train home was published on 2013, so I will believe it holds the original photo...

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing read. The way the author has written this is not a style I would normally read, but there was something about Riley, Jesse and Alex that just drew you in, you need to know what was going to happen. This is a book I would give a 4-star rating and recommend it to anyone who loves a hero ending.

Riley is not happy with her mother after the divorce. Her mother made her move from her home in Boston and her friends. They were going to move in with her grandmother in Caver which was in Kansas. Riley believed it was the end of the world having to move there. That is until she makes some really good friends and ends up with Alex as her boyfriend, but her friends don’t like Alex and his true colors are shown will Riley get over what was done to her and find happiness.

Alex is the boy next door type he is good looking and everyone likes him, but he is not a nice person. He makes out that he's sweet but he has an alternative plan for Riley. You really need to read this book to see what he has in mind for Riley.

Jesse is your typical country boy. He is loyal to his friends and will do anything to help them. He fell in love with Riley the moment he saw her but he stood back. This is until he finds out what Alex does to her.

Riley is so humiliated after what Alex has done that she runs away back to Boston. Jesse is so worried about her that he fly’s to Boston to make sure she ok. This is one book you need to read to see if Riley and Jesse get their happily ever after.

[Natalie Hanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

17 year old Riley finds her life changed overnight when her mother decides to move them from their home in Boston to the small town of her birth Carver, Kansas following a traumatic divorce.
Having had very little contact with her maternal family over the past few years, Riley is apprehensive about the move but realises it is not optional. She takes out her upset on her mother, but settles quickly into her new high school and soon makes a group of friends and one notable enemy –the popular Adrienne. She also catches the eye of Alex, an attractive and popular boy who counts among his ex-girlfriends Adrienne. This causes more conflict for Riley and makes difficulties in her budding relationship with Alex. Riley has many new experiences but is always comparing her new life to her old one back in Boston which starts to irritate her new friends, particularly Jesse- a local boy who is very fond of and protective of Riley. An incident at the Homecoming dance leaves Riley wanting to leave Kansas and return home to Boston once and for all but is it all she has remembered it to be?
The portrayal of a simple small town high school is clever, the description of the cliques which occur worldwide were accurate and endearing. I enjoyed the love triangle between Jesse, Riley and Alex but I did think the action was a little slow to get going. The build up to the Homecoming dance built tension nicely and I began to anticipate what I thought would happen. Overall a good read and a refreshing take on the high school novel – not a vampire or superpower in sight, just good friendships, honest values, and a bit of old-fashioned jealousy. I was happy to read that there will be a sequel. Can’t wait to find out what happens next.

[LZW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Train Home (The Home Series) by Megan Nugen Isbell is the first book of the series. This is a YA/romance novel that I gave 4 out of 5 stars. It is written in first person POV by the main character, Riley.
This is the life and times of high schooler, Riley. She is a Boston girl through and through, and is forced to move to a small town in Kansas after her parents split. Naturally, any high school girl would feel that a move to anywhere unfamiliar is the end of social life altogether. Riley is no different;) She is hell bent on absolutely hating it and everyone in the small town of Carver. Luckily, she’s pretty amazing and befriends people quickly. Jesse in particular she becomes close with, which doesn’t go over well when the hottie of the school makes eyes her way. Alex is charming, though his friends aren’t, but Riley takes a chance on him and isn’t disappointed. She starts feeling at home, and then fate intervenes leaving her questioning all she’s come to know. Will she make the right decision? Will she lose everyone in the process?
Really enjoyed this story as I love YA and all things teen angst. The characters were all very well written, never too “over the top” concerning teen drama. Riley is an enjoyable character, and her voice comes through as very relatable while reading. This was a fast paced read with twists and turns, and I read it in one sitting. Can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs a Jesse

Last train home had me hooked from the first sentence. Megan Nugen Isbell has really done an amazing job on this book. I love books that grabs your attention and doesn’t let go but also with this book it brings you back to your childhood and some good memory’s that go with them. This book starts out in Boston with Riley being told from her mom that their moving in two weeks to Kansas. Riley was not happy and decided she wasn’t going to make this move easily for her mom. Riley was angry and her mom wouldn’t tell her exactly why all of a sudden they had to move. Riley didn’t feel like she could stay with her Dad and step-mom so she was resigned to go. Two weeks later they were on their way to Kansas. Once there Riley felt out of place and couldn’t wait to graduate from high school and then move back to Boston. The first day of school was hard for her. Her first encounter was with a girl that was not nice and made a point to be rude, luckily right after that encounter she met up with a nice young lady that took her under her wing and made her feel welcome. Riley started meeting new people and before she knew it was had several new friends and a boy interested in her. Overtime Alex was charming Riley and they started going out. Riley’s friends warned her that she should be careful but she thought she knew what she was doing. Riley had to find out the hard way that people can be mean and she got her heart broke. Riley couldn’t handle it and ran back to Boston only to be followed there by her friend Jesse. This is a great book about young love and the prices paid for being young.

[Stephenee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book needs some work - there are lots of typos, misspelled words and punctuation errors as well as elements from other books that remind the reader of those stories exactly. The character's aren't ones that this reader likes and the story line is just ok.

Let's start with my favorite typo - oozie - instead of Uzi when speaking of the weapon....how did this get by anyone? There were many, many more words that needed to be corrected, but this is by far the best one.

Riley - stuck-up, annoying, more like 13 than 17 and overall not like-able by this reader. Alex is much of the same and then there is Adrienne who the reader can't believe is a character that the author thought the reader's would like...overall this book was an almost DNF and I will not be reading any others that follow. Not a good read and not one that I will recommend.

[Angela Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about Riley Regas and her upheaval after her parents’ divorce, where her mother decides that they will move back to her home town of Carver, Kanas.

Much to Riley’s shock and utter anger and disgust that her mother could do this to her, she decides to makes her mom’s life hell and is counting down the days until she can be free to go back to Boston, her real home.

Her first day of school and walking down the corridor she bumps into the queen bee of the school and their meeting ends pretty badly, so Riley is feeling lost and alone until she goes to her new locker and meets Holly. Holly welcomes Riley to the school and invites her to eat lunch with her and her friends, Riley agrees and continues to be embarrassed with every class she enters as she has to introduce herself she feels like a clown. When lunch time finally comes around she meets up with Holly and her friends, Mandy, Lauren, Brandon and Jesse. As the conversation goes on Riley discovers it Jesse’s birthday and they invite her to his party on Friday night. Jesse then takes Riley around his farm and they strike up a close friendship.

While she goes through the first week of school she has the attention of Alex, he is a hunk who steels her heart but her new found friends worn her that there is more to him but Riley ignores there protests and decide to go on a date with him. As her time in Carver goes on she comes to rely on Jesse as her best friend more and more, Alex becomes closer and becomes her boyfriend and asks her to the homecoming dance. She then convinces the gang to go with them to the dance but Alex is not happy with this decision and just wants it to be the two of them. So while Riley is excited to go to with Alex she is also wants to share the night with her friends.

As the story goes on there is a decision the Riley makes which in the end which destroys her but who will come to her recuse and convince her to come back to the place now she feels is home. Will his feelings for her be enough to win through?

I enjoyed this book I feel the angst of the teenage was tough to read through as I wanted to shake her and shout at the kindle what a selfish kid she was, but I feel you do see the growth in the character throughout the book especially at the end with the conversation with her mother. I loved the story and related to the character not in the way of being utterly destroyed by her choice but the anguish of making that decision. I have read other books by this author and I can’t wait to read the next instalment in the Home series.

[Robin Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last Train Home is the first book in The Home Series by Megan Nugen Isbell. I had a hard time putting this book down to the point I was even able to read while in the car. I loved Riley and her story. Her relationship with her mother is the typical mother/daughter relationship and similar to what I’m dealing with right now with my seventeen-year-old daughter.

Riley Regas is seventeen and getting ready to start her Senior year of high school in her hometown of Boston when her Mother drops the bomb they are moving to her Mother’s home town of Carver, Kansas. Riley’s life is over, she is having to leave everything and everyone she knows and she is angry with her Mom and makes sure she knows it.

On her first day of school she pulls up and feels like a stranger in a strange land. She gets registered and finds her locker and quickly drops everything off so she can get to her first class and slams into Adrienne who is anything but friendly. Riley holds back as long as she can before she lets loose and doesn’t hold back. Of course, that is the first battle in this war, but Riley ends up meeting Holly, her first friend in Carver. Thankfully Holly introduces Riley to her friends Mandy, Laura, Brandon, and Jesse who also happens to be in her first period class. They all grow to be great friends quickly and she doesn’t realize it then how much she is going to need them. As I continued into the book I found myself almost talking to Riley to try and convince her to make one decision over another.

High School can be such a traumatic time in our lives and the angst and emotions were conveyed perfectly. I could almost feel myself going through some of those feeling all over again. I am really looking forward to reading the continuation of Riley’s story in the second book.

[Renae McBrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pros:
-This was an easy read. I read it in one sitting.
-I lived in a place like Carver basically my entire life, and I can totally see the pros and cons of the town.
-Jesse is such a great character.
-I learned that ultramarine is a color, one that I would definitely use to at least paint an accent wall.
-It's part of a series, which is cool because I liked this and may pick up the others.
-Grandma is pretty awesome.

Cons:
-It was sort of predictable.
-Sometimes the writing was only so-so.
-Riley was such a snob about Boston sometimes that even I was annoyed.
-Alex. Fk that guy.
-Some things were repeated a few times, which makes me question the editing.

My Thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I predicted the ending within the first third of the book or so, but even as I kept reading I really enjoyed it. I really felt for Riley throughout the book, but I also felt for her mother, who had to deal with Riley's hormonal teenager self. The characters were believable -- so much so that I was picturing them as people from my high school -- and the plot moved along well. I was team Jesse the whole time, and when Alex came along, I wanted to scream because I knew he wasn't right for her. But Riley's friends were so supportive, and that's great.

While I could really relate to Riley's feelings toward Carver, having grown up in a place like Carver and then moving to the LA area later on, I felt like that was maybe brought up a few too many times. There were also a few things that were mentioned a bunch of times, as if for the first time, and a few cliches were over used.

But overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading at least the next couple of books in this series to see where it goes.

[Kim Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

first train home is the first of the home series my Megan isbell.
in the book, we get to meet Riley who is from boston. she is a typical 17 yr old girl. she is in school, has tons of friends, and almost ready to graduate. she has everything going for her and it's awesome. then her parents get a divorce. her dad gets involved and she makes an attempt to be nice to his new girlfriend. but her mom does the unthinkable. she decides to move her and Riley back to her home town of Carver in Kansas. like any typically teenage she throws tantrums and complains thinking that her mom is going to give her an explanation why she is moving them across the country. no matter how much she complains, she is forced to move. her mom does not give her an explanation. so instead of being civil she gives her mom the cold shoulder in her new home.
Riley must make new friends and a place for her self in Kansas. she does not want to and repeatly states to others that she will move back to Boston once she graduates.
she meets some friends in her new school that aren't exactly the most popular. she finds that she can have fun in Kansas even though she never thought she could. she becomes fast friends with Jesse. I instantly fall in love with this character. he seems so real and genuine in the book.
but it is not Jesse who Riley becomes involved with but alex. Alex who is the most popular boy in the school and the hottest. her new friends warn her about alex because they grew up with him and know all about how he is. Riley wants to think that even if they know him maybe there is a different side to alex.
without going to much into detail, Riley runs into a situation that changes who she is. she must think where she is going and who she can relay on.

[Pam K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a "filler" while waiting on my next Louise Penny book, which is on hold at my tiny library. It may be a while. It was a free ebook on Kindle. I turned out liking it more than I thought I would. I actually got the next book when I finished so I can read that while I still wait. I wanted to find out what happens next! It may be more of a YA book, but I don't really care. The story was cute, and my brain didn't have to think a lot. I have chemo brain, so that's a good thing. Try it if you want something easy and entertaining.

[Melissa Schaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars *****

Last Train Home by Megan Nugen Isbell is an amazing story of how high school can chew you up and spit you out. It tells a great story of how emotions that you feel can make or break you and how you learn to move on.
Riley was born and raised in Boston until 9 months before graduation, her mom decided to move them to nowhere, Kansas. She is determined to hate every minute of her sentence until she graduates and can head home. Her first day of high school in her new school, she meets some great people and even though she doesn’t want to admit it, it is not as bad as she thought. And to top it off, one of the most popular guys at school has shown major interest in her. For a while everything is going great…until it isn’t. After she runs home to Boston to escape the humiliation of what she went through, she thinks long and decides that Kansas is where she needs to be to destroy the demons haunting her.
Will she be able to move on from this horrible experience? Will her friends forgive her for leaving the way she did?
I loved this book, we all know that high school can be hard. One of the hardest times in our lives and I thought that this book perfectly explained how hard it can be. I was so devastated for how Riley was treated by Alex and I loved how Jesse was there for her. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about heartbreak and mending of said heart based on the love of friends and family.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Train Home by Megan Nugen Isbell is about a high school senior named Riley, who moves with her mom from Boston to Carver, Kansas to live with her grandmother. She struggles with being uprooted at age 17 and spends most of the book giving her mom attitude and commenting to anyone who will listen about how much better Boston is. She is a bit of a brat for a while, but she’s a teenager, and that kind of fits with how you would expect someone to react in that situation.

Riley, who is 5’7” with dark hair and dark eyes, feels like she is in a school full of blondes. Her first encounter is with the classic mean girl, Adrienne. However, when the girl gives her a hard time, Riley proves she can hold her own and isn’t intimidated by her. She quickly makes friends with a few people, including Jesse, who obviously is interested in her. She mostly zones in on one guy, though and his name is Alex. He’s Mr. Popular, used to date Adrienne, and although most of her friends warn her to stay away, she is drawn in by him and his good looks and charming personality.

This book isn’t only about romance, at least not in the way you think. Riley slowly falls in love with the Kansas way of life, but she’s resistant. No matter what, she hold onto the belief that being back in Boston would fix everything. She has family here she never really knew well growing up, and everything about her new home is different. They go out on four wheelers, ride horses, and shoot guns.

This book flowed well and the writing was good. I felt like I really got to know the characters and got a sense of the town they lived in as well. The personalities and reactions were very fitting for seniors in high school. I felt like this was a romance but also focused on Riley discovering what she wants and who she is. It took me a couple days to finish but was a smooth, easy read.

[Angelina Frazzini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Train Home by Megan Nugen Isbell is book one of The Home Series. This was not the first book I've read by this author and I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed this book just as much as I've enjoyed some of her other books. This book, to me, is about accepting or learning to accept change and learning from mistakes.

Riley Regas has spent her entire life in Boston. Her parents have divorced and even though that was difficult, she dealt with it and her father's new girlfriend. She's just starting her senior year when her mom informs her that they will be moving to Carver, Kansas. Riley is convinced her life is ending and she makes sure her mom knows just how mad she is about this decision. Riley decides she's just going to bide her time in Kansas until she graduates and can go back to Boston. It's then that she meets Alex Bettencourt and thinks she might like Carver after all. Riley has made great friends and started dating Alex so Carver can't be that bad after all. Things seem to be going great but one decision changes everything. This experience taught Riley a few things. Riley learned that you can't run away from your problems. They don't go away just because you did. She also learned who her real friends are and that sometimes, the person you really need is in right in front of you all along.

This book was written just from Riley's point of view but it worked for this book because it allows you to see how Riley grows and changes from start to finish. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see what the rest of the series holds for these characters.

[Night-Mere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riley is in the middle of an early life crisis after moving to Kansas from her home in Boston, but what she finds there will change her life, and her perspective, for the better. She is such a strong teen who is going through a little bit more struggle than your average teen, but for the most part she handles it well. We all wanted to lash out at our parents for one reason or another throughout our teenage years, so you truly can't fault her for that. I was disappointed in some scenes, but the overall story was pretty great. I was hooked from the first page and especially loved her relationship with Jesse.

[Karen Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last Train Home by Megan Nugen Isbell starts with the star of the book, Riley Regas, being informed that she is being dragged from her home in Boston back to her mother’s family home in Carver, Kansas. This was 1600 miles away, to a place she last visited as an 8 year old with no ties or established family connections. As a 17 year old she was unhappy, very unhappy. Her plan to was to finish her school year and then bolt back to Boston as soon as she could.

She left her friends as well as her father (and new young wife) and reluctantly moved into her grandmother's house. Luckily she met some new friends on the first day at her new school, where we were introduced to Holly, Mandy, Brandon and Jesse. They made life a little better however with the introduction of Alex her world seemed complete. The others weren’t convinced but seeing her so happy they went along with it.

Riley was still full of teenage angst at home, regularly blanking or ignoring her mother but enjoying getting to know her grandmother who used to love watching “stories” on the tv (soap operas).

Although her friends still rolled their eyes when she compared Boston to Carver, life was settling down until an unexpected turn shook her world. It was through this that she realised exactly who her friends were and where she really want to be.

A teenage angst book, includes love, upheaval, the importance of friends and major decision making.

[Lindsey Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the first in a series that I'm excited to read more of. It has everything that develops a good romance: comedy, suspense, drama, and love, of course. If you're looking for a book with great plot twists, this book is for you.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teen angst at its finest

Riley's struggles with family and moving and new relationships is so real it draws you in. You become one of the group of friends. Very well written, can't wait to start the second book in this series.

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Average, a little predictable. Ok to read when your between books and just looking for something/anything to read. There are 8 I think books to the series, probably won't get anymore