A Magnolia Homecoming

The Red Stiletto Book Club #2

by Anne-Marie Meyer

A story about second chances, damaging secrets, and discovering the strength you have inside.

Welcome to Magnolia

Clementine is attempting to adjust to her new normal. With Archer moved out and her father gone, she’s never been this alone or lost. On the spur of the moment, she decides to put in a bid on the vacant space next to the hardware store with the idea of opening a dance studio.

If everyone is living their dream, why can’t she?

Things turn complicated when the one person she’s bidding against is no other than Jake Palmer. He’s back in her life and once again, messing with her plans.

Sheri’s marriage isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks it is. Sure, she has the perfect house with the white picket fence. The expected, 2.5 children who are perfectly imperfect. But something is going on with Craig and she can feel it.

Smell it on his shirt when he comes home.

Thankfully, her baby brother Jake is back home and looking to make Magnolia his permanent residence. Even though she doesn’t have to say anything, he seems to understand just what she needs.

With their lives up in the air, the sisterhood created through the Red Stiletto Book Club just might be what both of these women need.

A Magnolia Homecoming with capture you from page one. It’s a story full of second chances, laughter, tears, and swoon-worthy romance.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Fiction, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers, Clean Romance, Contemporary Romance

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 23, 2020

About the author

Anne-Marie Meyer is a USA Today Bestselling author who lives south of the Twin Cities in MN. She spends her days with her knight in shining armor, four princes, and a baby princess.

When she's not running after her kids, she's dreaming up romantic stories. She loves to take her favorite moments in the books and movies she loves and tries to figure out a way to make them new and fresh.

Join her newsletter at anne-mariemeyer.com

Reviews

[Meghan Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Both main characters drove me insane. They are in there 30’s with the emotional depths of teenagers I just can’t.

[Autumn Rovnyak · Rating 2 out of 5]

The whole time I was reading this book I couldn’t help but continually think how stupid Shari was being in regards to her husband. I couldn’t wait to finish this book so I didn’t have to hear her whine any longer.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author has an interesting way to link books together. The first book in the series was about Maggie and Clementine. Although we met both women, Maggie's story was the happily ever after. Now we carry on with Clementine and get some of Sheri's story.
So, our heroine, Clementine. is alone now. She is trying to find out where her passion lies. She decides to pursue her first love and open a dance studio next door. If she can get the space.
Meanwhile Sheri's marriage is on the rocks and her brother, Jake comes home to help out. He is also the boy who dumped Clementine fresh out of highschool.
Cute romance with second chances

[Rina · Rating 1 out of 5]

binged this in like 2 hours. better than the 1st book. still not good. it's like 8 am so i'll edit this review later but i have a lot of things to complain about, like meyer's overusage of the words revel, reverie, and reverence like i am BEGGING her to learn new words. it's time for a nap. this series pissed me OFFFF

ok now that it's 8 pm and i've gotten through my day, let's get into this review. again, this book is slightly better than the first one, but not by much. the characters irritated me less and i guess the plot was okay, and it didn't piss me off as badly as the first one did, so it gets one extra star for that. still, the writing was poor and repetitive and flat out boring.

like i am BEGGINGGGGGGGGGG anne-marie meyer to STOP USING revel, revelry, reverie, reverent, and reverence like oh my god it's like she learned them one time and then just won't let them go when they literally don't suit the sentence or the MOOD or the action. like bro clementine is sitting there deep in her thoughts over some dumb sad bitch shit and meyer is like clem is "shaken from my reverie" or whatever the hell. like??? do you know the meaning of the words you're using, or...

but okay let's get into the meat of it. so this book follows shari (misspelled on the back cover btw. the back cover says "sheri" and i was like who the hell is SHERI). shari pissed me off. like i sympathize with her situation and being married to a manipulative liar who's cheating on her, and wanting to try to save the marriage to preserve the dynamic at home for the sake of her kids, and i understand wanting privacy and not wanting to put your burdens onto other people, but when you have people who are TRYING to ask you what's wrong... like girl. AND I GET IT, to a degree, right. like you don't want people's pity or you want to try to fix things first, but good lord letting her son disrespect her was wild.

oh and like. there is NOTHING. N O T H I N G. distinguishable about any of the characters in this book whose povs we read from, but also the glimpses we get of like archer and jake. meyer's writing style just sucks and everyone has the same copy and paste personality and it's SO boring.

and then clementine is also once again one of the povs in this book, but she was so much more annoying in this book than she was in the first. like it feels like thinly veiled misogyny imo the way the women in these books just go nuts and become embarrassing under the thumb of men but what do i know! also like i'm trying to figure out the ages of everyone because like i swear to god it's not explicitly said. i can't tell if clem is in her 20s or early 30s, because she and shari's brother, jake, were high school sweethearts and broke up when jake moved to alaska. the premise of which, btw, was switched up? because i don't remember it being mentioned in the first book that he did it to get away from her but whatever i guess. i thought maybe jake and clem were in their 30s, but then i was trying to figure out the ages of shari's kids??? she's an elementary principal and her kids go to the school too, and i think the son is like 9-10 idk and the youngest has to be like 5-7, so jake has to be in his 20s right if he had a relationship with his niece and nephew BEFORE leaving for alaska, because he was in high school. but then he pays like $300k in cash that he "saved over the years" to buy the building max was selling so i'm like maybe he was making bank as a fisherman in alaska??? idk how much they make but man like i don't know lol the details in this story's universe don't add up ever. they're confusing and inconsistent. there's so many useless details about anything else except important things.

anyways my segue to that point is like, why is clementine in her big age still hung up on a guy she dated in high school like... to a vicious degree of animosity, at that. like i understand there being bad blood over what happened but like, for it to have been a common point that weighed her down in book 1 carrying on into book 2, it's crazy. but then she wastes no time in making up with jake like? the plot of these books are so poorly written and rushed like. shit gets glossed over constantly and the pacing is awful.

as per the first book, the dialogue is cringe. shari is like probably approaching her 40s if she isn't already 40, so why are we writing cringe teenage/young adult dialogue like "who are you and what have you done with my brother" like no one in this series acts their age and it's so embarrassing. there's a difference between having fun and being funny and cute/funny banter, but like, none of the dialogue is natural and it's just ODD. which, again, is why i'm trying to figure out how old jake and clementine are because if they're in their 20s, i can forgive them for going to an arcade like little kids, but that was also an odd sequence because there was like so little transition between clem holding a lifelong grudge against him and just... having fun with him?? like whatever dude.

pov switching MID chapter from clem to shari was weird. like... girl why. just end the chapter.

and then there was the scene in the inn when shari and maggie are talking, because shari had stormed out on craig and maggie set shari up in her own room for the night. they're comparing lives and shari brings up childbirth, and maggie goes "i wouldn't know [what that's like]" and so shari asks if she ever wanted kids and maggie's like yeah some day, and then shari says something really fucking odd, to me. like, archer lost his daughter elise in a tragic accident and so shari goes "archer deserves a do-over" LIKE. WHAT. A DO-OVER. the insinuation that a new child is like a replacement that's going to make the loss of the first one better and heal all wounds???? be so fucking serious omg

near the end of the book, clem is talking to max about her offer on the store. it falls through. jake is the other bidder and max chose jake. clem overhears their phone call. and then clem's like WE CAN'T SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN FRICK YOU (basically) and then jake literally goes "NO, CLEMENTINE! NO! WE ARE MEANT TO BE TOGETHER!" like that's so embarrassing oh my god like i understand it's supposed to be emotional and impactful dialogue but it was SO cringe. i cringed. you're too old for this shit. you're too small-town for this shit. and at the VERY end of the book when jake reveals he bought max's store and that he's now planning to transform it into a studio for clem, he goes, "will you let me take care of you?" AUGH. and then they say i love you even though they rushed through the healing of a broken relationship with no fucking development like.

actually i fucking lied one star because once again i got to the end of this review and realized just how bad this book pissed me off. i'll be back again for book 3 because i'm stupid and bought this entire 9 book series on sale thinking it'd be good and fuck if i'm gonna let my money go to waste. i may as well have fun hatereading it

[Montserrat Dlr · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. Probably gonna drop out of this series here. Cute Hallmark-y vibes but couldn’t really stand the characters’ inner dialogues, especially Sheri’s, and the wording was so so so redundant someone get the author a thesaurus pls

[Maggie Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend reading this series in order. Not doing so would leave more questions about character development. Super cute womens fiction.

[Sara Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

CLEM WAS A BIG ASS BABY. ME ME ME THROWING TANTRUMS.
This book just frustrated me.
Clem spent the whole book blaming Jake for leaving her after high school to pursue his dreams. She was flat out angry about it when she made the same choice by staying.
She again tried but succeeded this time in ruining his dream of opening a lobster shop so she could have her studio. SHE BROKE UP WITH HIM BECAUSE HE HAD THE WINNING BID ON THE BUILDING. He didn't even know she was bidding against him.

And Shari, I was disappointed. She should be ashamed, sending her brother away after inviting him over for dinner. Just because her deadbead cheating husband finally wanted to spend time with her. 🤮🤮
He came home with lipstick on him collar and smelling like perfume multiple times. Oh, I should be grateful he is reserving us a room after banging someone else for months.

Both characters spent the book using Jake as their personal punching back, and he just took it.

[Julie Powers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the one before it, predictable and not much depth. I read this one more in the series to give it another chance but I don’t know if I’ll continue.
Also, if you’ve read enough books or done any writing, the errors missed through the editing process will be a bit obvious in this book. But that’s a minor detail.

[January · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Magnolia Homecoming by Anne-Marie Meyer
The Red Stiletto Book Club #2
5h 24m narrated by Liz Krane, 236
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Featuring: Small-Town Rhode Island, Book Club, Multiple POVs, Teacher MC, Tricenarians, Family Drama, Marital Issues, Ex Back in Town Trope, Second Chance Trope, Island Life

Rating as a movie: PG-13

Artists for the soundtrack: "Walk Away" by Kelly Clarkson, "Slipping Away" by Mariah Carey, "Butterflies Don't Lie" by Kaci, "Home" by Jack Johnson, "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift, "Always In My Heart" by Joy and Lim Seul-ong

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️¾💔👠

My thoughts: This book focuses on Sheri and Clementine. Sheri is dealing with marital issues and has her head in the sand while Clementine is dealing with her ex, Sheri's brother Jake, moving back to town. It was a good story and just the quick fix I needed to continue my suspense novel. I'm probably going to read a book from this series in between chapters if I don't finish it after this. I'm certainly going to finish this series this month, these books are a little addictive. I want to start the next immediately, but I need to at least read another 50 pages of that novel first.

Recommend to others: Yes! This series is easy and comforting. Perfect for renewal reads.

Red Stiletto Book Club
1. The Magnolia Inn (2020)
2. A Magnolia Homecoming (2020)
3. A Magnolia Friendship (2020)
4. Magnolia at Midnight (2021)
5. A Magnolia Wedding (2021)
6. A Magnolia Move-In (2021)
7. A Magnolia Adventure (2021)
8. A Magnolia Christmas (2022)
9. A Magnolia Kiss (2020)

[Sonya Wasden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Clementine and Jake's story very much. I also felt for Shari and the pain she was experiencing. I also enjoyed seeing Maggie and Archer and hearing more about their story. I can't wait to hear more about Shari's story, too.

Jake broke Clementine's heart years before when he dumped her to sail away on a boat. Now, he is back and he is determined to win Clementine's heart again. Clementine is just as determined to keep him at arm's length so she doesn't have to go through the heartbreak all over again.

Shari's marriage is not as perfect as she would like others to believe. As she tries harder and harder to hold it together, things are beginning to unravel and she can't seem to stop it. Does she even want to stop it? Is it worth the effort?

This is a sweet, clean romance about second chances and forgiveness and moving on. There isn't as much in the book about the Red Stiletto Book Club but I enjoyed the story and loved the characters. I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light easy read.

[Jen Vollmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another light and airy read while I meal prepped ♥️ Such a sweet series. I love how each book focuses on a new character, but still ties in the old ones.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a cute, summery read. I’d recommend!

[Jo Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Cesilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can skip this one. This was a clean romance with only a few kissing scenes and the writing was not bad - thus 2 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ instead of only 1 star. This story had so many of the romance tropes that drive me crazy…Miscommunication between characters, Insecure characters that automatically think everything is their fault, Woe-is-me characters, etc.
Did I mention lack of communication?
I know there are people like these characters in real life but do they all need to be in the same book? Just save yourself and skip this one.

[Ashley Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book after I devoured the first one, but I honestly found myself more annoyed with the two main characters this time around than I found myself enjoying them. I felt like a lot of their problems were somewhat self-created and wanted to shake them to open their damn eyes so many times.

[BARBARA POWELL · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor writing

The author over-uses “revels in” (sunlight, fresh air, warm water). I’m not even sure if it is the correct usage. Plot is trite, predictable and thought dialog of the characters too flowery and emotional.

[Elizabeth M. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written

[Karlien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished Book 2, A Magnolia Homecoming, from the Red Stilette Bookclub series, and I’m absolutely smitten! 💖

We get to reconnect with Clementine, our sweet, kind-hearted Clem, but this time, the spotlight shifts to other characters, too. Shari and her brother, Jake, stand out — Jake, oh my goodness, he totally gives off Jack Reacher vibes! Tall, strong, and irresistibly handsome 😍. I’m so glad he returned for Shari to support her and Clementine, though. She really deserved her happy ending, and I’m beyond happy that she got it.

Now that I’m diving deeper into this series, I’m loving how the book club is a steady thread throughout, with each novel exploring different members of the group. But don’t go in expecting a story solely about book clubs or books themselves — Anne-Marie Meyer’s focus is on the people. It’s the emotions and connections that truly pull you in, and her vivid details make the characters come alive in such a real, heartfelt way.

Some readers have mentioned the occasional repetition of words or phrases, or minor spelling errors, but honestly? They didn’t even register for me. It didn’t take away from the story for me at all.

What really stood out was the new characters, and getting more insight into those we met or read of in the first book. I’ll admit, I felt frustrated with Shari at times, especially when it came to how she was dealing with her marriage and her 9-year-old’s behavior. It broke my heart, but it also made the story feel real.

Overall, it’s such a sweet, easy-to-read book, just like all of Anne-Marie’s novels. I can’t wait to dive into the next one and see where the lives of these wonderful characters take us next!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author does an amazing job of creating relationships and drama without the need for over-the-top spice. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE a good spicy romance! But she has crafted a series that focuses on family, relationships and serious issues that is really touching and makes you want to continue to the next book.

In this one, we've already met the main characters in book 1 in various scenarios (Jake & Clementine, Shari & her family) but now we get to see more of them.

Jake & Clementine are a "second-chance-romance" situation. They dated for a while when they were younger but he broke her heart when he suddenly left to work in Alaska. Clementine is best friends with his sister, Shari, and through her, only knows that he's been doing ok. When he returns to town, both Jake and Clementine now deal with their feelings and life in general (but you know it's not going to be THAT easy!)

Shari is married with two kids. We got a glimpse in book 1 that she was struggling but didn't know why. This book lets us know! She doesn't like opening up to her friends about her struggles and instead, prefers to push through things on her own. That's not always the best choice!

This series continues to show that the people in it have real-life struggles, real-life connections and support one another like the family and friendships we all want to have. OH! And I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job. Almost forgot to mention that!

[Jamie]

I spent the entire book trying to recall which character was Jake's sister and which was the (former, apparently) love interest, even though it should have been apparent given that one of them was married and the other one was pining for Jake (but sometimes the sibling said things that made it sound like it wasn't a sibling relationship, not incestuous or anything just in a pining "my sibling left" kind of way). Both women spent a lot of time whining about their lives (via the narrator, not always in speech), so maybe it was that.

I get the impression there was a several year gap between book 1 and book 2, but god forbid we say anything concrete about that. The focus has shifted to different characters in the book club, but it wouldn't have hurt to say "the book club has been going for a decade" or "Maggie's done a great job with the B&B these past 8 years, but its been struggling lately" or something.

GIven that I only listened to these books about 2 weeks apart, I take my struggles with this as a sign that I should just put the series aside. My audio (and physical) TBR is far too long, I can afford to be discerning when something just doesn't work for me.

[Penny Leidecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m loving this series from Anne-Marie Meyer and I wasn’t disappointed with this book. This centers around two main characters, Shari and Clementine. Shari is pretending that everything is fine, but in fact, she’s barely holding it together. Her husband, Craig, is spending more time away from home and her nine year old son is acting like a moody teenager. Craig can’t stand her family, so when her brother, Jake, returns to town and moves in with them, things get even worse. Clementine is so lonely, after putting her father in a memory care facility and her brother, Archer, moved out. She’s totally surprised to see Jake at Shakes, when she goes to get dinner. She’s a little hurt that Shari didn’t warn her. They are best friends, after all. Jake broke Clem’s heart, when he left to go to Alaska. I won’t tell anything else, but I will say I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. Grab your copy and see what happens.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Lori R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hearts overcoming loss in Magnolia is what I found in this story of two, best friends navigating life with all of its twists and turns, tears and laughter. Shari is struggling with her husband's infidelity and the stress of what she should do because she had two young children.

Her best friend, Clementine is trying to find herself and what she wants to do after placing her dad in a nursing how and working at his hardware store. I enjoyed Shari and Clementine's friendship and even though it was not always easy for them they were, in the end there for each other, through good or bad, and ups and downs. It was also interesting to learn that Clementine used to date Shari's brother until he took off to fish on a boat in Alaska. It was quite interesting when he returned to their small town.

I want to book a vacation at the Inn and wake up to the ocean every morning. I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.

[Jen Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has Shari and Clementine.
Clementine is struggling to not feel alone. When need of her ex, and Best Friend Shari brother is coming home things go crazy for Clem.
With Jake back in town her feelings for him are at an all time high. She hates him, but loves him. Misses him but wants to move on. It's a back and forth cycle until they team up against Shari.
Shari is taking life with a grain of salt. Her marriage is falling apart, her kids refuse to talk to her, and her husband is possibly cheating on her. Jake and Clem know something is going on, but Shari won't talk.
With Craig wanting to spend someone with his wife at the inn, Shari looks at it as a good thing until everything starts falling apart for her. Her brother and best friend have gained up on her, and then finding out the truth. Things are just not going as planned for any of them. Jake and Clem have problems of their own they deal with whole Shari is trying to hold it together.

It's a vanilla romance with no spice

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so glad I went on to Book 2 of “The Red Stiletto Book Club” series!

We again meet Clementine, but now we learn more about other characters, like Shari and her brother Jake. Now that I’ve done the second book in the series, I realize the book club will be a constant through the series, but each book will highlight varying members. If you’re expecting a novel focusing on a book or book club things, that’s not the goal. Readers fall into the story for the people; Anne-Marie Meyer’s details on emotions and actions make the characters feel real!

I enjoyed meeting new characters and learning about ones from the previous book as I read through the chapters. The book is a sweet novel and easy-to-read. It’s part of a series, so readers will get to engage with loose-ends of the plot or character’s lives in future books, hopefully.

[MLG · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a delightful read that brings a captivating twist to the series, though it may not quite reach the heights of the first book. It does have lively and uplifting narrative, the story centers around the power of friendship, while a charming love interest weaves its way through the plot as a delightful subplot. However, some readers might find Shari's character a bit frustrating. She often lets her 9-year-old son call the shots, which can be a tough pill to swallow. Plus, her husband’s lack of respect is glaring when he disregards her wishes. Amidst these challenges, the most thrilling aspect of the tale unfolds with Clemtime's relentless chase after her dreams, leading her to a truly heartwarming and joyful conclusion. It’s an engaging journey that keeps you invested from start to finish!

[Dotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good clean book. Was hard for me to follow since the author switches between Shari and Clementine.
Shari is married to Craig but he is never home and when he is her brother Jake can't be there.Shari claims everything is fine but is it really and what is going on?
Clementine is lonely. She is surprised to see Jake back in town, Why is he here?He broke her heart once and he's not going to do it again because she will not let him get close to her or will she and will he break her heart again?
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

[PollyAnna Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can't be easy writing a story about the ending of a marriage especially considering the fact that most readers who would pick up this Magnolia series is fully expecting nothing but romance ending in happily ever after. Anne-Marie handles that part of A Magnolia Homecoming with grace and delicacy along with the hurt feelings that come when friends keep their hurts to themselves rather than sharing the burden.

I live Clentine and Jake's story so very much! And I also want more of Archer and Maggie!

PS: I didn't realize until after the fact, but when ordering an ebook direct from the author, we lose the direct connection with Goodreads and Amazon. I really like that feature, so I probably won't purchase direct from the author again.

[Alicia Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yup read this in a day! I really liked Shari and Clementines stories. I am really liking how there are two different stories going on at once and are just enough connected to not lose you.

Clementines high school boyfriend is back! The two didn’t end on great terms and boy it’s messing with her every time he is around. She’s lonely and past grudges and pain resurface now that’s she’s face to face with him….

Shari….. she’s kept everyone out of her personal life and clams right up of anyone even hints at asking what is going on. She does her best to put on a happy face and convince everyone around her she’s fine/great/fantastic .. but it’s really not fooling her brother and bestie. She struggles so much to save her marriage.