A coming of age journey, but for a middle-aged woman, who flees to a small island expecting a change of scenery and discovers much more.
Shattered by her husband's infidelities after twenty-five years of marriage, Sam Collins is plagued by constant fear and loneliness, reliving the tragic death of her parents and the betrayal by the man she loved. She leaves Seattle seeking relief from the relentless darkness that has swallowed her. With only her dog for companionship, she sets out to live in her vacation home on San Juan Island.
In her search for a carpenter, she meets the handsome and very available, Jeff Cooper. Sam's not looking for romance, but can't deny the attraction to the retired firefighter, turned handyman. While working together and eating her pies, Jeff finds himself falling for her.
The past she wrestles to let go of comes hurtling back when she least expects it. In an effort to help a struggling young man, she is forced to confront the anguish she is desperate to escape. While torn between love and friendship, she must face her fears and choose between the life she's known and a chance for a family and home she's been longing for all her life.
Tammy L. Grace is a USA Today bestselling and award winning author who writes women's fiction, mysteries, and sweet Christmas stories. She also writes about the bond we have with dogs using her pen name, Casey Wilson. Tammy is known for creating perfect escapes, unforgettable characters, and binge-worthy series.
When Tammy isn't working on ideas for a novel, she's spending time with family and friends or supporting her addiction to books and chocolate. She and her husband have one grown son and a spoiled golden retriever.
Very disappointed in this. Note that I am the demographic for this book. I’m in my 50s. I’m even divorced and met my second husband a year after my first marriage ended.
I found it full of cliches and awkward dialogue, with a ton of telling and not showing. I started highlighting whole sections and adding notes like “awkward” and “cliché” and “really”!
There was very little conflict as well: the few there were, were far too easily resolved. The dialogue was stilted, overly long, with a lot of adjectives inserted into it to define how the characters were feeling. For example “he said sarcastically,” “she said angrily”, when this could have been shown more easily with a facial expression etc.
I felt absolutely no chemistry between the two main characters. And her ex went from being a sarcastic asshole to a wonderful man in about two seconds. Completely unbelievable.
There were easily 12 people/characters in this book and I had a hard time keeping them straight. There was also so much cooking! My goodness I felt like everything revolved around cooking or eating. I understand that she was running a coffee shop, but these people ate all the time.
I basically started skipping pages because I wanted to find out what the resolution was (completely predictable and again a cliché).
Really enjoyed reading this book was interesting didn't want to put the book down but had to because i had to work. Keep up the great writing look forward to reading the rest of the series!
I couldn't finish this one. The dialogue was just too stilted and forced. I'm reading the main character's conversations with a stranger and I'm thinking, "People don't talk like this!" There was just no life to this one. Which is unfortunate, given that the idea of moving to an island with your dog, living in a gorgeous cabin in the woods, buying a bookstore, and falling in love with a former fireman sounds dreamy.
There aren't many books which are written in a monotone, but this is one of them. The majority of sentences are awkward, every page has the same tone with no excitement at all, and few changes as the story progresses. The author would love to write a romance novel, but should take advantage of a creative writing class to give her stories more polish and flow.
The story was sweet and trite and extremely predictable. It read like a rough draft, very simplistic. Being an English teacher, I’m used to reading something with a little more depth. If all you’re looking for is a light breezy storyline, this book is fine. I expect more if I’m going to put in my time.
Sam is 'accosted' on a ferry by some weird woman who beings interrogating her as to why she was travelling, where her family were, where she was moving from, where . her husband was, whether she had children, how long she had lived in Seattle, what she did for a living, whether she had siblings, how long she was married, whether her e had taken advantage of her, .....
I'd have throw the bloody woman overboard! Seriously? Would YOU put up with that from a total stranger?
No. Didn't think so.
The whole 'interrogation' was to give the reader Sam's backstory I suppose. It gave me the creeps in fact.
Sam has a dog with her - Zoe - and at one stage while they are on the ferry, she gave Zoe a drink from a bottle of water. (how) - Yes, I am anal, but HOW? and more to the fact why?
Then I read this:
As she guided Zoe between the narrow vehicle paths, she spotted the vivid green sticker proclaiming her golden retriever was smarter than any fifth grader. That made no sense at all to me.
Sam then drives off the ferry and says to Zoe:
"Well, girl, here we are. Let's go and see out new house and get settled."
From what she says, I assumed that she had purchased a new house and was going to see it for the first time, but no.
She hadn't been to the island house for a year, but little had changed.
We are then treated to a long rambling info-dump about the rooms - granite counters, stainless appliances, beautiful fireplaces, stone and wood floors. It was like reading an estate agents brochure.
There was no depth to the writing. It was all explanatory sentences without any real emotion.
Sam explored upstairs and checked on the three guest bedrooms. She fed Zoe and threw on a hooded jacket to take her outside to do her business. She made sure all the windows were locked and the security alarm set.
I need to like a character. I need to care about them. And I didn't.
After a devastating divorce and wealthy in her own right, Sam makes a former vacation destination her new permanent home. She buys a bookstore/cafe and in less than a month, becomes a new business owner, takes down the town bully, falls in love, and learns just how much her ex husband was a disgrace.
As a reader, we learn WAY TOO MUCH about the daily life of this woman. Too much detail about every frigging pie and brownie and drink she makes. Too much about what her house looks like. And nothing about what makes these two tick except that they fall in love. It's BORING. And the drama is so convoluted that it's eye-rolling.
There's comparisons to hallmark movies, and yes, this is a shallow account about two middle aged people falling in love. It's nice but not deep. This is also super clean, despite the fact that they're fifty year olds. Gah.
Too much telling. Not enough showing. The conversations are very stilted and unnatural. Very little conflict. Mostly just descriptions of everything: the houses, the food, more food, thoughts in their heads, and on and on.
I have it two Stars because it could have been a sweet story. The premise was good, but the execution was awful. Did no one edit this book?
Almost 50 year old Sam Collins heads to her vacation house on San Juan Island. Fresh off a divorce from her unfaithful husband Marty. Determined to build a new life Sam buys the local coffee shop/book store. As the need for renovation work surfaces she enlists the services of handsome local handyman/carpenter/hardware store owner Jeff Cooper. Jeff, also a dog owner of Bailey, also is suffering loneliness after the abandonment of his wife
Her character shows lots of determination and strong work ethic as she struggles to recover from all the losses in her life. First her parents, then her marriage and business. With her faithful dog Zoe, Sam begins to meet people and form friendships in the community. Meanwhile she has long time friend Max and business associate/friend Betsy to consult with and lean on.
A fun read about moving to a small town and starting over. Will definitely read more on the series
This was a heartwarming story with great characters. At the same time, the writing itself was not great. It was very choppy and unsophisticated. Many will not care for this type of book, but there were no surprises and the mechanics of the writing were tedious.
I can tell that small-town books are the year 2019. ”Finding Home” is a beautiful story about true friendships, that are stronger than blood connection. It is a story that second chance is part of life and can be better than the first circle that closed. When a door closes a window is opened somewhere else. I absolutely loved the clean love story of Sam & Jeff. The two of them had bad luck with their previous partners but never gave up for love. I also loved the plot takes around the coffee and books bookstore. I would love to have the recipes of the desserts Sam makes through the book. While reading the book you can find out who are the next couples and their love stories of the following books of the series. There are enough twists to spice up the story. It is also an innovating to read a romance book with older characters that have a little more life experience. Yes, there are parts that were predictable and things were resolved very quickly especially when people are efficient and things go as expected. I also believe when you do something good for others without expecting anything in exchange the universe will return to you in a way that will good for you too. I am happy that I downloaded ”Finding Home” from Kindle Unlimited and is one of my last books of 2019, and it is a five-star because it is exactly what I was in the mood for. I am also happy to see the other book is part of Kindle Unlimited.
Truly enjoyable book.liking forward to reading the rest of the series. The author made the characters likable and I look forward to see how the further plays out for them.
I enjoyed the story line and the main characters. The book was one that you can relax and take yourself to a magical place. The main female character (Sam) is recovering from a acrimonious divorce and the selling of a very successful business. Sam has a sweet and caring spirit. Jeff the male main character is also divorced and a hard working jack of all trades. The only thing that was out of line in my mind about this book was the time frame. Everything happened so quickly with little to no problems of every day life. I did enjoy Tammy Grace’s writing and plan to read more of her work.
I always try to find the good in things but this time I got through almost half way in and decided not to torture myself any more. Basically, it was incredibly boring - too much description of mundane everyday activities, dialogue between characters was stilted and repetitive, writing was on an eighth grade level at best. The story could have been good but nothing really happened. Although I can enjoy a "feel good" story, this was just too syrupy sweet at every turn, to the point of nausea. As a result, I did not finish reading the book.
While the story was sweet, the writing style fell flat. It felt more like reading an outline than a fully fleshed out story. Much of the book appeared to be a record of what the main characters ate for every meal. In addition, almost every sentence started with a pronoun. The author needed to use more sophisticated literary techniques to make the story come alive. As written, I never grew to care about the characters, including the main characters. Overall, this was a predictable, unsatisfying read.
I love the characters and can't wait to read the next book in the series.The scenes are described so well that I felt like I was there. If you want to read a book that makes you feel hopeful, this is a great choice. I like the friendships, old and new, in this story.The main character celebrates her 50th birthday. It is nice to read about characters who are mature and get a second chance at new beginnings. Finally, I enjoyed the love story and family relationships.
I chose this book for the setting, as I'm familiar with the San Juan Islands. The premise is common, however I anticipated a quick and easy read. I could not have been more wrong. Was this book edited? There are areas it reads as though the author was changing descriptions but part of the original was left in? Very confusing. Too much detail in minor daily occurrences. Food and eating takes up most activities to chapter 11, where I stopped. I wanted to enjoy this book, but it was a workout in reading for me.
When I was working I read hundreds of romance novels as my way of relaxing. Since I retired, my readibg habits have changed and I only read them occasionally. This is one of the best written and edited books of any genre that I've read in a long time. There are no surprises but it's so enjoyable to read a story that is happy, no violence and no explicit sex. If you like the genre, you'll love this booj.
This is the first book I’ve read from Tammy Grace. I really enjoyed the setting (Friday Harbor, WA), the characters and the plot. It is a genuine storyline that doesn’t overly dramatize but merely follows all the twists and turns of a normal family and friends navigating life’s challenges.i fully intend to read the other books in this series. That says that I recommend what the author writes. Read and enjoy.
A lady who has had some very tough luck finally has good luck.
The 49 year old heroine in the story packs up, leaves the big city and her philandering husband. She moves to a small island to start over, everything goes really well for her, the townspeople love her, she starts her own business, meets a gorgeous single retired fireman and gets engaged in two months time. Happy ending.
I really liked the characters and storylines in this book. Sam was recovering from a bad divorce and moved to Friday island to start over. She meets Jeff when she asks who to hire to remodel the store she just bought. They hit it off and he helps her remodel the store and introduces her to his friends and family who also help her. Would recommend this book to anyone who likes romance books.
Sam Collins has come to the island to start over after her divorce a year ago left her adrift. She decides to buy a coffeehouse/bookstore. It doesn't take her long to find her way into the hearts of the people she meets. This book will pull at all your heartstrings, and the characters will feel like old friends when you finish reading this book.
One star is because I never finished the book. Where was the editor? So much repetition about eating, cooking, pick-up food....It was the most boring book I've tried to read in a long time. I've spend about a week trying to read this book and I'm sorry it's throwing me into a reading slump. So I've decided to set it aside and try reading something else.
The story line in this book was exciting and filled with moments of suspense in what was going to happen next to the main character Sam.i would recommend it to young adults who maybe having some self esteem issues so that they can learn to persevere and stay strong. A great book to read if you are starting a business.
I hate to give bad reviews but... this could have been a sweet story but the minutiae and absence of emotion really made it difficult for me to enjoy. It became more like a recitation than a love story.
The characters in this series feel like old friends - people I would love to know. You can't help but want to know how their story unfolds. The details truly paint the picture in your mind. And I can't wait to read the next book in the series.