This book broke me then put me back together again. ‘The Road Home’ is Exceptional book!

What was the book about?
Gwendolyn Carter is an actress in Hollywood with a semi-successful career. She’s happy until the acting gig she wanted goes to someone else. Then when visiting her family for her Dad’s birthday, she realises that her mum is very sick, not only that but her Dad is insisting she stay and help. Things couldn’t get any worse. So she decides to stay to help and maybe get lucky at repairing her broken relationship with her mother.

But to even get to that stage, she needs to get over the woman who replaced Gwendolyn as her mother’s new daughter; the woman that is everything her mother wanted Gwendolyn to be. This woman is so goddamn beautiful and caring that Gwendolyn can’t think straight… literally!

So when she is forced to work with her “replacement”, Lila, to help her mother through her illness, she is resentful and angry, but the more time she spends with Lila the more she sees all the wonderful things that she is. She should not be feeling these things for Lila. She should stick to the plan to help her mum and then get out of dodge and back to Hollywood and definitely not fall in love with Lila Machowicz… right?

Featured Tropes
Enemies to lovers, Small-town romance, Old childhood hurts, age gap

Book Strengths
How do you write a review for a book that has you completely spun? Here goes nothing!

This is a must-read for romance lovers, and I kid you not, you need to take the tissues with you on this emotional journey. I am a fan of Erin Zak’s work. In fact, I have never rated one below 4 stars because her writing just gets me. But this book is beyond anything she has ever written and has set the bar higher for her future novels because this is a phenomenal piece of work. One hundred per cent her best book to date.

I really identified with a lot of the story, and even in the moments I didn’t, Zak tells the story in a way that all readers can feel the heartache, the warmth, and the dismay. It’s a talent she has shown us in the past, but in ‘The Road Home’, she goes above and beyond, making the reader feel like they are living the story.

Let’s start with Gwendolyn. The long lost daughter who had every reason to bolt from her hometown when she was younger. She is a tough nut to crack but, behind all her anger and hurt, is a wonderful, caring person who, in the end, deserved better than she got.

Then there’s Lila. Sweet and a little sassy but the kindest and most caring women ever. She knows Gwendolyn doesn’t like her, but she tries so hard to mend fences because she never wanted to take Gwendolyn’s place; it was just what happened. She also deserved better than she got.

So this made me put all my eggs in the Lila and Gwendolyn’s love story and this is a romance book, right? So they will get together… right? But their romance is only half the story. The other part is Gwendolyn realising her parents aren’t, in fact, perfect; that her Mum did some crappy things, but there was so much more going on than Gwendolyn’s ever knew. In fact, this is not only a love story but of finding love again from the people who are meant to love you no matter what.

This epilogue is a little different, but it’s truly excellent. It tied everything together and let me feel all the love and excitement for Lila and Gwendolyn future together. #perfection

Chemistry:
This is a hard one to explain because the chemistry is there from the beginning, but it builds as does their friendship/relationship. It’s not all flash and bang but a gradual falling in love and then when they finally hit the sheets it’s electric between them.

Heating Rating:
4 stars

Wrap Up
I can’t recommend this book enough and don’t think I’ll stop recommending it for a long time yet! Erin Zak has created something wonderful with this book, and I honestly can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

This needs to be on every Lesbian Fiction readers ‘must read’ list. It’s exceptional!

Star Rating:
5 stars

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