ABOUT THE BOOK
Amy Parker returns to her hometown for a two-week visit before moving on to take a job she really doesn’t want. But when the historic mansion that sparked her passion for history hits the market, she thinks she’s finally found a way to stay for good. With the help and support of family and friends, Amy sets out to make her lifelong dreams come true.
The tenth anniversary of the tragic death of Jake Grant’s best friend is fast approaching, and all he wants to do is create a charity to honor him. Too bad Jake has no idea what he’s doing. To make matters worse, the woman he holds responsible for his friend’s death is back in town, and she doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
Jake and Amy need each other’s help, so they forge a professional relationship to get what they both want—Amy has the skills necessary to complete the charity paperwork, and Jake can approach the mansion’s owner on her behalf. Professionalism quickly morphs into something more, though, and old feelings resurface. As they grow closer, a shocking revelation forces Jake and Amy to make sense of the past if they have any hope of a future together.
MY REVIEW
Amy is at a personal crossroads. She is in between jobs, and is home in small town Harmony, but only for a few weeks as she awaits starting a new job in Chicago. Though her passion for historic preservation spurs her onto bigger and better things, her heart craves to be home in Harmony for good, so when the old mansion that has been abandoned for decades suddenly goes up for sale she takes it as a sign. Her parents, who died when she was young, had also wanted to purchase this place, but never got the chance, so in a way Amy feels like this will also be a connection to her past. The problem is the owner refuses to sell the house to anyone with her last name for some unknown reason, but Amy is tenacious and her willingness to never give up takes her on an unexpected journey.
One of those unexpected obstacles in her journey is Jake. He is the boy she had a huge crush on in high school, and when they reconnect she is ecstatic. Unbeknownst to her, Jake is harboring a decade long hatred for Amy, blaming the death of his best friend on her. Jake is struggling with a severe case of survivor's remorse, so much so that it borders on annoying, though I can sympathize with losing a close friend, as I lost one of my best friends suddenly when I was 25. It is something you never really get over, but the fact that he continued to put a burden on a sweet, undeserving girl was frustrating to read, especially when he continued to refuse to let it go.
Though I liked these characters, I struggled to connect to them. I felt an immaturity from both Jake and Amy. It’s almost like they got stuck in their high school frame of mind despite their bodies going through the motions of adulting. I did admire Amy’s tenacity and willingness to never give up, especially in the face of such nasty unfairness, as well as the community choosing forgiveness.
The whole ordeal as far as the owner of the house made my skin crawl, and my blood pressure rise. The injustice Amy had to go through was so hard to read. As far as the romantic arc, I felt like the relationship was a bit unnatural, and very high school. It felt rushed and stunted at the same time, but I did appreciate the satisfying happily-ever-after ending, even if it arrived hastily.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this Her Hometown Dream. It is a good, clean read with forgiveness being a major theme, as is faith and a sense of community. I enjoyed the small hometown setting, and the supporting characters were wonderful. I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed, with several of the storylines not getting a chance to mature like they needed to, but with this being the first book in a new series I am hoping the author will be bringing these characters and storylines back, and giving them more development. This has the possibility of being a very sweet series, and I am excited to see where the author takes us in Harmony next!
BOOKS IN THIS SERIES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.
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