Quite Sentimental and an Emotion-rich Book

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Almost Home is what I consider a sweet tea on a porch in the South kind of book. Unfortunately, I very much dislike this type of book. Now, just because it is not my style of book, though, does not mean it’s a bad book. It’s just not my style.

Luesse takes the time to build a little suspense in the beginning of the book that hints to conflicts that will come as well as a 100-year-old mystery. However, this is not a quick paced book. It is a book about women who are surviving in a difficult time in America’s history (WWII) and how it impacted those who did not go to the war. Families went through economic hardships and had their lives disrupted by the war in ways that are not normally considered, which is the backstory of the book.

The main story is about a wife and husband who run into tough times and end up at Dolly’s boarding house, and how the others help the couple remember what it means to be a couple. However, this is where I have some real issues with the story. The women are constantly crying over things and need the men to comfort them. Sometimes it seems like the women are strong in their own right, but then they go back to crying and needing to be comforted again, but with no real strength in their own actions. Every time I think a character has gotten the strength and wisdom to take action, she falls back into crying and…that’s it.

It is a slower paced story and takes a while for the characters to do what they need to to make the story progress. However, if you would like a story that plods along at a consistent pace and is sensitive, then this is definitely the book for you.

Thank you to BookishFirst and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy to read. All opinions are my own.