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Finding Home
What if a secret in your past is the key to healing a broken family’s heart?
When a car crash during a blizzard leaves a woman stranded in the New England countryside with no memory, she’s taken in by Vincent, a banker whose adorable six-year-old daughter, Jadie, has cystic fibrosis and hasn’t spoken since her sister died and her mother disappeared two years ago. But when this stranger arrives, calling herself Kate, Jadie suddenly begins speaking again—claiming that she can talk to her sister’s ghost and that Kate is an angel sent to help them. As Kate struggles with startling flashbacks to a past life that doesn’t seem to be her own, powerful questions What happened to Jadie’s mother? What secrets is Vincent hiding? Why has Jadie been silent for so long?
Finding Home is an involving and heartfelt drama about a stranger helping a complicated family to heal—and how the most unexpected moments in life are the ones that lead us home.
When a car crash during a blizzard leaves a woman stranded in the New England countryside with no memory, she’s taken in by Vincent, a banker whose adorable six-year-old daughter, Jadie, has cystic fibrosis and hasn’t spoken since her sister died and her mother disappeared two years ago. But when this stranger arrives, calling herself Kate, Jadie suddenly begins speaking again—claiming that she can talk to her sister’s ghost and that Kate is an angel sent to help them. As Kate struggles with startling flashbacks to a past life that doesn’t seem to be her own, powerful questions What happened to Jadie’s mother? What secrets is Vincent hiding? Why has Jadie been silent for so long?
Finding Home is an involving and heartfelt drama about a stranger helping a complicated family to heal—and how the most unexpected moments in life are the ones that lead us home.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
16 people are currently reading
588 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
August 24, 2010
Your typical chic lit, enjoyed it.
March 24, 2012
This is a mystery, with romance, the paranormal and family relationships all thrown in for good message. It's a page turned with twists and reveleations, adn about as believable as the Tooth Fairy. Nut hey, reading is about escapism a lot of the time :)
A young woman has a car accident in a snow storm. She leaves the car, which falls into a river, and when she is found she has lost her memory toatlly. The household that takes her in is rather dysfunctional - a distractted father, grieving for a wife who has left him and a daughter who's died of cystic fibrosis. His remaining child also has the condition, and has not spoken for 2 years since her sister's death. A housekeeper who's unfriendly, and possessive of the father and child. The housekeeper's brother joins them, as the family become snowed in. Interestingly, the brother is a hypnotherapist, who attempts to help the young woman - going by the name of Kate - regain her memory. Except the hynopsis does not reveal her immediate memory, but what appears to be memories of a past life.
The book is like eating a chocolate bar - you eat to the end without wanting to put it down. And you enjoy it whole-heartedly, even though it's not really that good for you. That's not such a good analogy really - pulp fiction doesn't make you fat or unhealthy, luckily :)
A young woman has a car accident in a snow storm. She leaves the car, which falls into a river, and when she is found she has lost her memory toatlly. The household that takes her in is rather dysfunctional - a distractted father, grieving for a wife who has left him and a daughter who's died of cystic fibrosis. His remaining child also has the condition, and has not spoken for 2 years since her sister's death. A housekeeper who's unfriendly, and possessive of the father and child. The housekeeper's brother joins them, as the family become snowed in. Interestingly, the brother is a hypnotherapist, who attempts to help the young woman - going by the name of Kate - regain her memory. Except the hynopsis does not reveal her immediate memory, but what appears to be memories of a past life.
The book is like eating a chocolate bar - you eat to the end without wanting to put it down. And you enjoy it whole-heartedly, even though it's not really that good for you. That's not such a good analogy really - pulp fiction doesn't make you fat or unhealthy, luckily :)
February 4, 2010
A young woman wakes up buried in the snow and has no idea what she is doing there. She’s rescued by a local family, and they take her in, promising to look after her until her memory returns. But after several days, she still has no idea where she is, who she is or what she is doing. The family are looking after her well – daughter Jadie is a delight and has spoken for the first time in years, housekeeper Tara is pleasant but she can sense something is awry, and house owner Vincent is distant but she can feel a spark there.
When Tara’s brother Colin visits and hypnotises her trying to find out something about her past, something is uncovered that none of them expect. Will she ever be able to uncover her identity, or will she be forever stuck with Vincent as his family pretending to be someone she’s not?
I first heard of Melanie Rose when I read her fantastic debut novel Could It Be Magic? which started off as a self-published book and was later picked up by Harper Collins who I am sure are thrilled with the very talented author. Her second novel has a similar theme – a lost character trying to find themselves so I was very interested to see if it was going to be too similar to Could It Be Magic? for it to be enjoyable or if Rose would come up trumps again with her second book. After reading it and loving it, I can safely say Melanie Rose is quickly becoming one of my new favourite authors and I am so looking forward to seeing where she goes with her writing career.
The most curious thing about this book for me was not knowing the name of the leading character for pretty much the whole of the novel. Yes, she gives herself the name “Kate” after a considerable amount of time but as it’s written in the first person from “Kate’s” perspective, there isn’t much need for a name and Rose uses lots of ways to get around this. I found this so interesting because while you felt you were getting to know the character in one way, you are also totally aware that you don’t know her at all and the lack of name makes that completely obvious to the reader. In fact, we only find out her true identity at the very end of the book and her real name is mentioned once, blink and you’ll miss it! I loved the way this was done and full credit to Melanie Rose for her writing of this part of the story.
Another brilliant thing about this novel was how multi-dimensional it was. As well as the mystery story of who our leading lady was (which actually seemed to take a back seat for a little while in the book), there were a few other stories in there too. One was to do with the family that “Kate” stays with – Jadie is very ill and hasn’t spoken for years, yet speaks to Kate like it’s nothing out of the ordinary. The story around this is actually quite heart-breaking and the way it slowly unfolds is so tenderly done that you are completely captivated by it. It is a tough area that is dealt with very delicately by Rose, and I think she has tackled them extremely well. She manages to grasp the emotions of a young girl, a broken father and a bereft housekeeper all in one book and yet you feel with each of them, it was just a joy to read.
The last thread of the book is the regression of “Kate” by Colin. It’s not something that particularly interests me and not a subject I know much about myself, but it worked really well in this book, especially for the purpose of the story. You can tell that Rose has done her research for this book, and it comes across in the way she writes “Kate’s” regressions, and the detail of the Victorian time she regresses to is perfect. I was almost in as much in love with Kitty’s story as I was Kate’s and that’s no mean feat for an author to get the reader to love 2 stories within 1 book! It was a good addition to the novel, and I am so impressed by how well Rose has weaved all these different threads together to create such a fabulous read.
If you haven’t discovered this author yet, then I definitely recommend you seek out a copy of this book because it is an amazing read. I thought Rose’s debut novel was brilliant but she has bettered that with her second novel, and this makes me extremely excited for her further offerings! There is so much crammed into 400 pages, and it is a wonderful jounrey you go on with all of these characters. They seem so real as you read them, and you absolutely care for them 100% because they are written so brilliantly. Our leading lady was so lovely, and you can sense her emotion of despair, feeling lost yet also feeling somewhat found with her “new” family. It’s a joy to read, and I loved every page, I was so gutted when it finished. A fantastic read, please do try to read it!
When Tara’s brother Colin visits and hypnotises her trying to find out something about her past, something is uncovered that none of them expect. Will she ever be able to uncover her identity, or will she be forever stuck with Vincent as his family pretending to be someone she’s not?
I first heard of Melanie Rose when I read her fantastic debut novel Could It Be Magic? which started off as a self-published book and was later picked up by Harper Collins who I am sure are thrilled with the very talented author. Her second novel has a similar theme – a lost character trying to find themselves so I was very interested to see if it was going to be too similar to Could It Be Magic? for it to be enjoyable or if Rose would come up trumps again with her second book. After reading it and loving it, I can safely say Melanie Rose is quickly becoming one of my new favourite authors and I am so looking forward to seeing where she goes with her writing career.
The most curious thing about this book for me was not knowing the name of the leading character for pretty much the whole of the novel. Yes, she gives herself the name “Kate” after a considerable amount of time but as it’s written in the first person from “Kate’s” perspective, there isn’t much need for a name and Rose uses lots of ways to get around this. I found this so interesting because while you felt you were getting to know the character in one way, you are also totally aware that you don’t know her at all and the lack of name makes that completely obvious to the reader. In fact, we only find out her true identity at the very end of the book and her real name is mentioned once, blink and you’ll miss it! I loved the way this was done and full credit to Melanie Rose for her writing of this part of the story.
Another brilliant thing about this novel was how multi-dimensional it was. As well as the mystery story of who our leading lady was (which actually seemed to take a back seat for a little while in the book), there were a few other stories in there too. One was to do with the family that “Kate” stays with – Jadie is very ill and hasn’t spoken for years, yet speaks to Kate like it’s nothing out of the ordinary. The story around this is actually quite heart-breaking and the way it slowly unfolds is so tenderly done that you are completely captivated by it. It is a tough area that is dealt with very delicately by Rose, and I think she has tackled them extremely well. She manages to grasp the emotions of a young girl, a broken father and a bereft housekeeper all in one book and yet you feel with each of them, it was just a joy to read.
The last thread of the book is the regression of “Kate” by Colin. It’s not something that particularly interests me and not a subject I know much about myself, but it worked really well in this book, especially for the purpose of the story. You can tell that Rose has done her research for this book, and it comes across in the way she writes “Kate’s” regressions, and the detail of the Victorian time she regresses to is perfect. I was almost in as much in love with Kitty’s story as I was Kate’s and that’s no mean feat for an author to get the reader to love 2 stories within 1 book! It was a good addition to the novel, and I am so impressed by how well Rose has weaved all these different threads together to create such a fabulous read.
If you haven’t discovered this author yet, then I definitely recommend you seek out a copy of this book because it is an amazing read. I thought Rose’s debut novel was brilliant but she has bettered that with her second novel, and this makes me extremely excited for her further offerings! There is so much crammed into 400 pages, and it is a wonderful jounrey you go on with all of these characters. They seem so real as you read them, and you absolutely care for them 100% because they are written so brilliantly. Our leading lady was so lovely, and you can sense her emotion of despair, feeling lost yet also feeling somewhat found with her “new” family. It’s a joy to read, and I loved every page, I was so gutted when it finished. A fantastic read, please do try to read it!
December 18, 2011
Coming Home is very similar to Rose’s first novel Could It Be Magic? as the main character finds herself in an unusual and magical situation, but I enjoyed the plot. It sounded a lot like Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella, too, and while it is similar in a few ways, the added historical/regression element gives the book its own spin. In a bid to figure out who she is Kate (the name she gives herself as the book progresses) decides to have hypnotherapy to help her to remember but finds herself regressing to a life set in Victorian times. As I’ve been getting into historical fiction recently it was a bonus for me and I thoroughly enjoyed all the flashbacks to that time period.
For once I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters. Each of the characters in the story matures as the book progresses and they all touched me deeply. Kate made a fantastic lead character and her helplessness about her situation came across very genuinely. The character that had most impact on me though was young Jadie. When we meet her she doesn’t talk to anyone except Kate and it’s clear the death of her sister hurt her a lot. I liked Vincent, but I found him a bit confusing. The supporting characters help the story along nicely.
Melanie Rose seems to be a natural storyteller, the sentences just seem to flow and she makes her books very hard to put down as mysteries are unravelled and secrets are revealed. Rose’s writing when Kate regresses is very in keeping with the time period in which it’s set and she managed to capture it perfectly. I really enjoyed Coming Home. I didn’t personally believe it was as good as Rose’s first novel but it was readable none-the-less. I loved the sections where Kate regresses back to a previous life and I adored little Jadie. I couldn’t wait to unravel the mystery to Kate’s life and to learn why she had lost her memory and the added romance was the icing on the cake for me. I can’t wait to read Rose’s third book and I really hope she’s writing more as she’s hugely talented and I love her books.
For once I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters. Each of the characters in the story matures as the book progresses and they all touched me deeply. Kate made a fantastic lead character and her helplessness about her situation came across very genuinely. The character that had most impact on me though was young Jadie. When we meet her she doesn’t talk to anyone except Kate and it’s clear the death of her sister hurt her a lot. I liked Vincent, but I found him a bit confusing. The supporting characters help the story along nicely.
Melanie Rose seems to be a natural storyteller, the sentences just seem to flow and she makes her books very hard to put down as mysteries are unravelled and secrets are revealed. Rose’s writing when Kate regresses is very in keeping with the time period in which it’s set and she managed to capture it perfectly. I really enjoyed Coming Home. I didn’t personally believe it was as good as Rose’s first novel but it was readable none-the-less. I loved the sections where Kate regresses back to a previous life and I adored little Jadie. I couldn’t wait to unravel the mystery to Kate’s life and to learn why she had lost her memory and the added romance was the icing on the cake for me. I can’t wait to read Rose’s third book and I really hope she’s writing more as she’s hugely talented and I love her books.
February 20, 2011
A new author for me - and the plot was quite Cecelia Ahern-ish. It was a nice light read with a few twists and turns - will read more by this author.
March 30, 2023
Très bon livre, plusieurs revirement de situation j'ai passer par plusieurs gammes d'émotions puis plusieurs fois l'auteur m'a surpris ! Je recommande ce livre j'ai passer un très bon moment. Mon premier coup de coeur de 2023 😍
May 4, 2010
needed something light to read and this certainly was that. Story of amnesia, past lifes, reincarnation, mystery. Usually this would get me excited but I found that this book did not.
Felt that it was very slow and could have been told in about 100 pages less. Got quite bored with the hypnotherapy sessions and there was no real depth to any of the characters. There was so much potential with the plots in the story but maybe there were too many plots.
Story of a girl who has amnesia following hypothermia having been stuck in heavy snow. She is rescued and taken to a nearby cottage where she meets a father and daughter ( who hasn't spoken for 2 years), a housekeeper and her brother,and a whole host of other people who she feels very at home with.Ther was real potential for suspense but for me fell flat on that.
Felt that it was very slow and could have been told in about 100 pages less. Got quite bored with the hypnotherapy sessions and there was no real depth to any of the characters. There was so much potential with the plots in the story but maybe there were too many plots.
Story of a girl who has amnesia following hypothermia having been stuck in heavy snow. She is rescued and taken to a nearby cottage where she meets a father and daughter ( who hasn't spoken for 2 years), a housekeeper and her brother,and a whole host of other people who she feels very at home with.Ther was real potential for suspense but for me fell flat on that.
September 2, 2011
In all honesty, this is not a book I myself would have chosen to read. And I wish I could give it 3.5 stars, but don't want to do it a disservice by only giving it 3. This book was a page-turner. I read it on recommendation from my Nana, and I couldn't put it down. I'm a quick reader as it is, and Rose's prose is accessible. The chapters are short, and often end with a cliffhanger; this also impelled me to continue reading. I suspended my disbelief a lot with this book, and allowed certain things to come "easy" for the main character more than I usually would-- but as I said, my Nana recommended this book to me. I would most likely recommend this book to little old ladies and moms who don't always have time to read but enjoy reading page-turny type books. A book like this has its audience, and considering the audience of this book, I think it was well constructed.
January 1, 2012
Utterly ludicrous. The plot was like that of a soft porn movie without (mostly) the sex: young woman with amnesia encounters a series of young, brooding, handsome men, all of whom possibly fancy her. The stupid historical subplot was also terribly written, but easy enough to skip entirely.
And why, why, why the 'mystery' of the wife's disappearance? Why keep us in 'suspense' until p.279 of 403 to tell us she's dead when IT ALREADY TELLS US ON THE BACK COVER?!
Reinforces everything that I hate about chick-lit, undoing all the good work done by Marian Keyes.
The only reason it gets two stars is because the opening chapter, describing the snowstorm and the accident, had me absorbed, as it virtually described a recurring nightmare I used to have when I worked as a home support worker in the dead of winter in rural Lanarkshire. Terrifying. Downhill from then on.
And why, why, why the 'mystery' of the wife's disappearance? Why keep us in 'suspense' until p.279 of 403 to tell us she's dead when IT ALREADY TELLS US ON THE BACK COVER?!
Reinforces everything that I hate about chick-lit, undoing all the good work done by Marian Keyes.
The only reason it gets two stars is because the opening chapter, describing the snowstorm and the accident, had me absorbed, as it virtually described a recurring nightmare I used to have when I worked as a home support worker in the dead of winter in rural Lanarkshire. Terrifying. Downhill from then on.
April 5, 2011
This is an interesting and engrossing story, and the author does a great job of interweaving Kate and Kitty’s stories to a logical and satisfying conclusion. The atmosphere in a good part of the novel is melancholy and depressing. Kate and Kitty are likable as are Adam and his family, but I found it hard to either like or sympathize with Tara and Vincent and I immediately disliked Maria. Ghostly visitors were very interesting. Jadie, the little girl with cystic fibrosis is a bright spot throughout the novel, and it is worth reading this story to meet her alone.
Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Full Review: http://coffeetimeromance.com/BookRevi...
Maura
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Full Review: http://coffeetimeromance.com/BookRevi...
January 9, 2017
Sick snow day read! This was pretty much modern gothic - there is amnesia, stormy weather that gives us a locked room feeling, a mysterious missing wife and dysfunctional family, plenty of dashing love interests - one of whom may be a bad guy (but which?!), and the heroine is generally in distress but resourceful enough to eventually figure it all out, bring everyone together, and end up happily ever after (and I don't think that's a spoiler, since you go into a book like this expecting that!). Altogether exactly what I needed today, romantic fluff that had some fun twists but wasn't too mentally taxing.
December 14, 2011
I really loved this book!
It was even better than the first novel of Melanie Rose I read.
I do not really want to describe too much of the plot, because I would probably give too much away.
In summary it had everything that makes me love a book – an amazing and refreshing story, strong and believable characters, an exciting plot that keeps you asking yourself what will happen next, a great love-story and a happy-ending!
It was even better than the first novel of Melanie Rose I read.
I do not really want to describe too much of the plot, because I would probably give too much away.
In summary it had everything that makes me love a book – an amazing and refreshing story, strong and believable characters, an exciting plot that keeps you asking yourself what will happen next, a great love-story and a happy-ending!
August 11, 2016
A great book....once again..you never know what is happening...where the story is going to lead....
January 28, 2014
It's actually called Finding Home, not Coming Home. But whatevs.
June 9, 2014
The UK version is called "Finding Home". Overall it was trite but I enjoyed the love story.
April 7, 2021
Une très belle histoire ! Il y a des rebondissements qui font qu'on a envie de savoir de suite, je l'ai dévoré bon il y a quelques détails qui m'ont dérangé mais je lui mets 4,5/5. Le mélange de surnaturel, d'une personne amnésique m'as beaucoup plus par contre le fait que dans le résumé, ils disent qu'il y a une histoire d'amour elle se déroule seulement sur les 50 dernières pages en sachant qu'il fait plus de 400 pages 😅 Mais bon très très bonne lecture !
February 2, 2018
Honestly speaking, this book is purely magical.It isn't something extraordinary but that is the beauty of this book. I've not really read any of Melanie Rose's previous books. But this book has definitely become one of my favourites.
January 1, 2019
Très beau livre qui laisse à penser qu'il y a bien plus que la vie mortelle dans ce monde. Mais libre à chacun de croire ou non. L'histoire est bien construite, haletante. On n'en perd pas une miette car on désire absolument savoir le fin mot de l'histoire.
March 26, 2020
Oh I loved this. It had everything you want, mystery, intrigue, romance, suspense and it left me wondering right up to the last chapter. And what fantastic characters, I would love another book with these people in it.
January 11, 2021
Good story line abit slow it doesn't start to pick up until over halfway through which I plodded on with I enjoyed reading it but felt the writer had dragged it out abit ok wouldn't necessary reccomend it.
December 31, 2017
By far one of the most intriguing books I've read this year !!!
January 4, 2019
Interesting bit of information, my copy is titled Finding Home. I enjoyed the character development Melanie Rose uses in her writing, the ending came together in a nice neat bow.
May 10, 2020
De ja vu, it is not particularly accurate that a head injury would not be medically treated.
September 25, 2020
Un roman envoûtant. Je n'ai pu décrocher de l'histoire. Un de mes coups de cœur de cet été !
January 2, 2022
A great book for my first read of 2022. This book picked for me by my daughter as my mystery read for January was very captivating. I couldn’t put it down for long before I was picking it up again.
May 23, 2022
Une histoire très sympathique à lire mêlant le passé au présent. Des personnages attachants et très intéressants qui font vivre cette aventure énigmatique.
December 26, 2023
Facile à lire....un peu de surnaturel...
June 7, 2024
icb this used to be my fav book when i was a kid like. SHE MARRIED HER COUSIN 😑🙏🏻
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2025
What a fabulous book. Had me hooked from the start. Loved the story line.
April 27, 2025
3.5 Un tourne page.On ne le lâche pas,on veut savoir même si histoire farfelue et peu crédible...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews