The Thing About Home by Rhonda McKnight: Book Review

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Home is not a place—it’s a feeling.

Casey Black needs an escape. When her picture-perfect vow renewal ceremony ends in her being left at the altar, the former model turned social media influencer has new fame—the kind she never wanted. An embarrassing viral video has cost her millions of followers, and her seven-year marriage is over. With her personal and business lives in shambles, Casey runs from New York City to South Carolina’s Lowcountry hoping to find long-lost family. Family who can give her more answers about her past than her controlling mom-slash-manager has ever been willing to share.

What Casey doesn’t expect is a postcard-worthy property on a three-hundred-acre farm, history, culture, and a love of sweet tea. She spends her days caring for the land and her nights cooking much needed Southern comfort foods. She also meets Nigel, the handsome farm manager whose friendship has become everything she’s never had. And then there are the secrets her mother can no longer hide.

Through the pages of her great-grandmother’s journals, Casey discovers her roots run deeper than the Lowcountry soil. She learns that she has people. A home. A legacy to uphold. And a great new love story—if only she is brave enough to leave her old life behind.

 “. . . a beautifully written story about family, self-discovery, secrets, and forgiveness.” —Kimberla Lawson Roby, New York Times bestselling author

Rhonda McKnight is the author of several bestselling novels, including An Inconvenient Friend and What Kind of Fool. She is the winner of the 2015 Emma Award for Inspirational Romance of the Year. She loves reading and writing books that touch the heart of women through complex plots and interesting characters in crisis. Themes of faith, forgiveness, and hope are central to her stories. Originally from a small coastal town in New Jersey, Rhonda writes from the comfort of her South Carolina home. Visit her online at rhondamcknight.com; Instagram: @authorrhondamcknight; Twitter: @rhondamcknight; Facebook: @BooksByRhonda; and Pinterest: @rhondamcknight1.

I really wanted to love this book. The description sounded great, and just like something I would enjoy. But try as I might, I really struggled to enjoy this one as much as I expected. When I started though, I was immediately drawn into the story. I think when it switched to the historical parts of the stories, I just failed to connect with that part of the story. This could definitely be my frame of mind while reading though... as the historical part takes place in a time in the past that is hit or miss for me anyway. They writing was great, and as I said I really found myself enjoying the contemporary parts of the story... just something about the historical aspects didn't click with me. But you know, that happens sometimes... especially as a mood reader! I enjoyed the parts I did enjoy enough that I hope to go back again in the future when I'm feeling more in the mood for this type of story and see if I like it more than!

While this one didn't capture my attention like I'd like, it's a well written book and one to check out if you enjoy dual timeline novels.