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Aspen Kirkland is a slut. Or at least, that's what she's spent all of high school believing. So when she goes to visit her estranged father the summer after graduation, she has no reason to believe things will change. But then she finds her childhood best friend Sean again, and everything changes. Sean is smart, driven and everything Aspen isn't. But the more time she spends with him, the more she feels their old connection. He makes her feel like the person she was before high school, before her life did a 180. But Aspen doesn't want to change, and she doesn't want to make any more mistakes. Between her renewed friendship with Sean, a cute local boy and the revelation that her father may not be as clueless as she once thought, Aspen feels the ground shifting beneath her every day. As the summer unfolds, she finds herself working to reconcile her past, present and future, and carve out a place in her constantly changing universe to call home.
- GenresRomance
364 pages, Paperback
Published July 21, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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January 28, 2022This story is all about the learning process that it takes for a teenage girl to eventually find herself and differentiate real love.
I found this book to be well done, which is to say that it was insightful and poignant. The author nailed the depiction of a teenage girl that finds herself making some bad decisions, recognizing them, and being able to move on from them. Aspen’s repetitive mistakes made the story realistic.
The father character was a great side character. He, too, recognizes his faults but takes well chosen steps to do better in a way that can have a positive effect on his daughter. The struggle between parent and child was well portrayed when the father requests honesty from his daughter.
“Honey, would you please try and make an effort here? … I know you’re not being completely honest with me, and to me, that constitutes not making an effort.”
I liked how Aspen was compared and contrasted between both her parents, both from her perspective and from her father’s.
Sean, Aspen’s best friend at home, was a bit too perfect. That is why I awarded this book 4 stars instead of 5.
I found this book to be well done, which is to say that it was insightful and poignant. The author nailed the depiction of a teenage girl that finds herself making some bad decisions, recognizing them, and being able to move on from them. Aspen’s repetitive mistakes made the story realistic.
The father character was a great side character. He, too, recognizes his faults but takes well chosen steps to do better in a way that can have a positive effect on his daughter. The struggle between parent and child was well portrayed when the father requests honesty from his daughter.
“Honey, would you please try and make an effort here? … I know you’re not being completely honest with me, and to me, that constitutes not making an effort.”
I liked how Aspen was compared and contrasted between both her parents, both from her perspective and from her father’s.
Sean, Aspen’s best friend at home, was a bit too perfect. That is why I awarded this book 4 stars instead of 5.
April 24, 2016
This is Elizabeth Murphy’s debut novel. She pens down a girl’s struggle with her past, her parents and the future. Aspen has problems in all of these areas and we follow her tackle these problems one by one. At the end of the book I was really satisfied and although it seemed hopeless in the beginning, it is really a feel good story.
Aspen Kirkland has a tenuous relationship with her father at the start because he was not much around, she only spoke to him like four times a year on the phone, he’s even always absent when she’s at his place for the summer. And then he springs another surprise on her and she doesn’t even know how to feel about it. He’s also always asking her about what she’s going to do in college. Frankly, she doesn’t really have any idea yet what she wants to do in her life. And then last of all, she’s been feeling bad about herself, sleeping with so many guys, starting in her junior year with a guy named Nick. It wasn’t at all how she imagined it to be. At the time she thought it gave her power over them, but it really just leaves her with a hole in her heart afterwards. She’s not proud of her past, yet finds it difficult to change. Old habits die hard. Luckily she has her friend Hannah and I really liked what a good friend and voice Hannah was. And she also reconnects with her former best friend Sean, the one she had to leave to go live with her mother in Austin when her parents divorced. She meets him again at a chance encounter and they pick up right where they left off. She forgot what fun it was to be around him. But then a hot looking high school student pops up and she’s feeling her old tactics resurface.
This was certainly an enjoyable read but I still found it a bit hard at times to follow her actions in the past. I still don’t fully comprehend why she went through so many guys if it didn’t give her any satisfaction and that it was all coming forth from her first bad experience, or why she and Will really had to break up, her thinking pattern is hard to follow. I guess that’s a teenager for you, it’s not always very logical. On the other hand, I really liked how it all evolved in positive things, and I loved the last chapters, I even felt a bit emotional.
*I received a free copy of this book from GenuineJenn in exchange for my honest opinion*
Aspen Kirkland has a tenuous relationship with her father at the start because he was not much around, she only spoke to him like four times a year on the phone, he’s even always absent when she’s at his place for the summer. And then he springs another surprise on her and she doesn’t even know how to feel about it. He’s also always asking her about what she’s going to do in college. Frankly, she doesn’t really have any idea yet what she wants to do in her life. And then last of all, she’s been feeling bad about herself, sleeping with so many guys, starting in her junior year with a guy named Nick. It wasn’t at all how she imagined it to be. At the time she thought it gave her power over them, but it really just leaves her with a hole in her heart afterwards. She’s not proud of her past, yet finds it difficult to change. Old habits die hard. Luckily she has her friend Hannah and I really liked what a good friend and voice Hannah was. And she also reconnects with her former best friend Sean, the one she had to leave to go live with her mother in Austin when her parents divorced. She meets him again at a chance encounter and they pick up right where they left off. She forgot what fun it was to be around him. But then a hot looking high school student pops up and she’s feeling her old tactics resurface.
This was certainly an enjoyable read but I still found it a bit hard at times to follow her actions in the past. I still don’t fully comprehend why she went through so many guys if it didn’t give her any satisfaction and that it was all coming forth from her first bad experience, or why she and Will really had to break up, her thinking pattern is hard to follow. I guess that’s a teenager for you, it’s not always very logical. On the other hand, I really liked how it all evolved in positive things, and I loved the last chapters, I even felt a bit emotional.
*I received a free copy of this book from GenuineJenn in exchange for my honest opinion*
July 19, 2016
The blurb for this story is so strong, you can’t help but get sucked into it. I love the language, I love the style of writing, and I love Aspen. Part of me felt like this book would be very cliché. You have a young, struggling teenager who’s getting back in touch with her father, trying to rediscover herself, and trying to believe in who she is—despite being told all these horrible things throughout her high school career. There’s plenty of room for this to have become nothing more than a cliché and cheesy retelling of a story we’ve all read before but I was pleased to find out that it was anything but.
Aspen is a terrible person. She is so far from perfect its painful to watch her in the first part of the book. I genuinely felt sorry for her, angry at her, and compassionate toward her at the same time. I won’t say I could identify with her, but Murphy wrote in such a way that allowed me to understand her and to feel sympathy for her and her struggles.
This book falls somewhere between contemporary fiction and coming of age. There are some gentle moments, tough moments, romantic moments too. But everything falls together, not so perfectly, but well enough to have a lasting effect. I do think I will remember this story long after finishing it. It is entertaining and, in some odd way, made me smile. Maybe it was Aspen’s strength, or the fact that she could recognize her weakness. Maybe it was the bond—or lack thereof—with her father. Maybe it was just the messed up messiness that was in this book. I don’t know, but I do know that Home is a bold and thought-provoking story.
If you like high school fiction, young adult stories, or anything about a female lead finding her strength, this book will certainly entertain you. I would recommend it to young adults, and anyone who enjoys new adult fiction. It is not chit lit but I believe female readers will appreciate this more than male readers. The writing and narration is very good but the highlight of this story is the characters and the connections you get to make with them. So if you like strong bonds and stories that make you feel something beyond the pages, I would urge you to get a copy of this quick.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Aspen is a terrible person. She is so far from perfect its painful to watch her in the first part of the book. I genuinely felt sorry for her, angry at her, and compassionate toward her at the same time. I won’t say I could identify with her, but Murphy wrote in such a way that allowed me to understand her and to feel sympathy for her and her struggles.
This book falls somewhere between contemporary fiction and coming of age. There are some gentle moments, tough moments, romantic moments too. But everything falls together, not so perfectly, but well enough to have a lasting effect. I do think I will remember this story long after finishing it. It is entertaining and, in some odd way, made me smile. Maybe it was Aspen’s strength, or the fact that she could recognize her weakness. Maybe it was the bond—or lack thereof—with her father. Maybe it was just the messed up messiness that was in this book. I don’t know, but I do know that Home is a bold and thought-provoking story.
If you like high school fiction, young adult stories, or anything about a female lead finding her strength, this book will certainly entertain you. I would recommend it to young adults, and anyone who enjoys new adult fiction. It is not chit lit but I believe female readers will appreciate this more than male readers. The writing and narration is very good but the highlight of this story is the characters and the connections you get to make with them. So if you like strong bonds and stories that make you feel something beyond the pages, I would urge you to get a copy of this quick.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
December 26, 2016
Going home again!
Who says you can't go home again? Well, in this story, that is exactly what happens. Aspen (Just love this name and its perfect for the character) goes home but things are not what she expects them to be. This story has some twists and turns, and things are not always predictable, which makes for a good story. Home is about connecting your past with your present, and trying to figure out who you were and who you are. It's a good story, and I liked Murphy's debut novel.
Who says you can't go home again? Well, in this story, that is exactly what happens. Aspen (Just love this name and its perfect for the character) goes home but things are not what she expects them to be. This story has some twists and turns, and things are not always predictable, which makes for a good story. Home is about connecting your past with your present, and trying to figure out who you were and who you are. It's a good story, and I liked Murphy's debut novel.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews