You'd Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow
Publisher: Rock The Boat
Publication Date: October 14th, 2021
Genre: YA, Contemporary
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Source: Thank you Times Read for the review copy in return for an honest review
Buy Links: Kinokuniya Malaysia | MPH Online
Rating: 4.85★
Blurb
From the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a breathtaking story about a town, its tragedies, and the quiet beauty of everyday life.
For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one--the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister. And at home, she's the good one, her stoner older brother Joey's babysitter. Everything was turned on its head, though, when she and Joey were in the car accident that killed Candy MontClaire. The car accident that revealed just how bad Joey's drug habit was.
Four months later, Emmy's junior year is starting, Joey is home from rehab, and the entire town of Mill Haven is still reeling from the accident. Everyone's telling Emmy who she is, but so much has changed, how can she be the same person? Or was she ever that person at all?
Mill Haven wants everyone to live one story, but Emmy's beginning to see that people are more than they appear. Her brother, who might not be cured, the popular guy who lives next door, and most of all, many ghostie addicts who haunt the edges of the town. People spend so much time telling her who she is--it might be time to decide for herself.
Inspired by the American classic Our Town, You'd Be Home Now is Kathleen Glasgow's glorious modern story of a town and the secret lives people live there. And the story of a girl, figuring out life in all its pain and beauty and struggle and joy.
For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one--the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister. And at home, she's the good one, her stoner older brother Joey's babysitter. Everything was turned on its head, though, when she and Joey were in the car accident that killed Candy MontClaire. The car accident that revealed just how bad Joey's drug habit was.
Four months later, Emmy's junior year is starting, Joey is home from rehab, and the entire town of Mill Haven is still reeling from the accident. Everyone's telling Emmy who she is, but so much has changed, how can she be the same person? Or was she ever that person at all?
Mill Haven wants everyone to live one story, but Emmy's beginning to see that people are more than they appear. Her brother, who might not be cured, the popular guy who lives next door, and most of all, many ghostie addicts who haunt the edges of the town. People spend so much time telling her who she is--it might be time to decide for herself.
Inspired by the American classic Our Town, You'd Be Home Now is Kathleen Glasgow's glorious modern story of a town and the secret lives people live there. And the story of a girl, figuring out life in all its pain and beauty and struggle and joy.
Review
You'd Be Home Now is a story carried on a heavy theme yet realistic. I can feel the pain shown through the characters that I want to give them a hug especially with Emmy aka Emory. She is strong yet fragile. The introverted, one that has to be the good ones in the family. Emory is the youngest among her three siblings. Maddie, the extrovert, the popular one, and Joey, he has a problem with drug addiction and he is struggling to be better. While their parents are workaholics. Always away from home, have high expectations of each of their children, and never really paid attention to what and how their children helplessly wanted their attention and to know what is in their heart.
Seeing Emmy, try her best to be the good ones in the family, always hide her feelings, always be the obedient one is really hard to see her that way. It's really painful to see her that way. She needs to be treated better than this. She deserves to be loved by her family. Don't leave her out that way. Some part in Emmy I understood how she feels. I mean the author really brings this matter out aloud to the world. Many of us have to face this kind of situation.
I love how Emmy is very supportive of her brother, Joey because you never know the uphill battle for someone like him to be better not only for the people around him but the most important, is him. He needs someone to hold him tight to not fall again. One evil word can turn into a bigger mess.
"The most important thing is never to give up. And you're giving up before you've even had a chance to begin. I don't care if you come back to school. Do what you want. Spend the rest of your life reading books and working in a doughnut shop, I don't care. But don't give up on yourself. And don't give up on your brother....."
This is the first book I read written by the author and I adore her writing. It was heartwrenching, painful, heart-warming, and emotionally moving it is how raw and realistic it felt. I love this story how it shows how important are people around us especially the parents, the siblings in play a bigger role, a bigger support system to the child. Not only, academically is important but emotionally is vitally important too. The story ended in a good one and I'm satisfied with it. This will be in my mind for the longest time.
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