Home by Kris Bryant
- Publisher: Bold Strokes Books, October 13th 2020
- Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
- Format: Paperback (eARC)
- Page Count: 222 pages
- My Rating: ★★★ (3/5)
Content warnings: gun, off-page animal abuse, loss of father to cancer (prior to story), missing person
Home is a very sweet second-chance romance that will make you smile. It is an angst-less joy, perfect for a bad day.
Sheriff Natalie Strand (~35, lesbian) isn’t looking for love, and she tries to pretend she didn’t spend half her life thinking about the girl who kissed her and disappeared. Recently divorced Sarah Eastman (~35, lesbian) moves back to small town Spruce Mountain with her six-year-old daughter Harley to regroup. When the pair runs into each other, they are instantly thrown back to that night seventeen years ago.
The story starts with Natalie “[stopping] to pet a beautiful golden retriever waiting outside the craft store.” This simple action tells us so much about her. And shortly afterward, we are introduced to Sarah, who thinks that “[h]igh school really had been the best time of her life.” I love how these seemingly unimportant sentences give us a clear image of the characters. Bryant captures them really well and does a great job of setting up a scene and knowing where to insert summaries.
Most of the story was told in alternating third-person limited points of view, but there were also a few occasions of slipping into omniscient, which were slightly jarring. I am unsure if those were conscious decisions or not. There was also one really abrupt instance of going back in time in the middle of the book, which was a little confusing as was the insertion of a flashback in the epilogue.
The connection between Natalie and Sarah is predetermined like second-chance romances all are. I love all the time they spend together, and they are so cute I tear up every time they get intimate. The secondary characters are amazing as well, including Natalie’s mother Linda, Sarah’s aunt Judy, daughter Harley, and the lovely Ghost Dog on the cover.
Though the middle part of the book is a bit darker than the rest and the major event happens without much reason other than to bring Sarah closer to the people in town, the story is guaranteed to end on a light note. There is also much mysteriousness surrounding Ghost Dog, leaving me with many unanswered questions in addition to my confusion over the central event. And oddly enough, I didn’t think the epilogue enforced the relationship between Natalie and Sarah. It made me wonder if they were on the same page, but the cute thing after the epilogue made the ending a little bit better. Nothing so heartbreaking yet adorable should be allowed.
I need to point out one serious issue in the book. Though romance is an escapist genre, there are certain things I cannot overlook. I enjoyed most of the story a lot, but there are a few scenes with strong good cop narrative and kudos for teaching kids about police force. Being something published in October 2020 without addressing police brutality while cheering the cops on instantly made it a very uncomfortable and disturbing read. To my knowledge, Bryant has never addressed the choice of including these scenes when the story benefited little from them, and I am sure Home was in the process of editing in June 2020. This affected my overall enjoyment, and after careful decision, I felt the need to knock off half a star. I cannot in all good conscious recommend this book without putting this information out there.
Home is my third book by Bryant, and though she writes one of the hottest sex scenes, this one aims for sweetness. If you are looking for a cute romance with strong autumn vibes, look no farther. [27 Sep 2020]
I received an e-ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
