Here, Home, Hope {Book Review}

I managed to squeeze in some reading on my recent vacation. One of the books that I read was Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda. This was an advance reader’s provided by One2One Network to facilitate my review, but the book hits stands this month. The billing reads, “Desperate Housewives meets The Middle Place in this absorbing, witty story about a suburban mother’s journey from a midlife crisis to reinvention with the help of her husband, friends, and neighbors.”

“Kelly Mills Johnson becomes restless in her thirty-ninth Year. An appetite for more forces her to take stock of her ordinary middle-American existence and her neighbors’ seemingly perfect lives. Her marriage to a successful attorney has settled into a comfortable routine, and being the mother of two adorable sons has been rewarding but exhausting. Meanwhile, Kelly’s own passions lie wasted. She eyes with envy the lives of her two best friends, Kathryn and Charlotte, both beautiful, successful businesswomen who seem to have it all. Suddenly energized, Kelly takes charge of her middling life, devising a midlife makeover plan to get out of neutral.” (From the back cover.)

This book was a great vacation read – it moved quickly and was full of characters that most of us can find in our own lives. It reads like a memoir although it is completely fiction, save the “product placement” – Rouda has woven her own books and business brands into the story. According to the book notes, the author’s main goal with the book is to encourage women in business. Certainly this book gave me inspiration to follow my entrepreneurial goals, as Kelly, the main character, quickly sets her sights on her passion and is running a booming business before the book ends.

However, I felt that things happened a little too easily for Kelly. It didn’t really seem that she had much of a midlife crisis at all. Perhaps a bit of a stagnant spot, but a solution to her dilemma was presented 60 pages into the book, so I didn’t feel like there was time to watch her in crisis. In fact, it seems more like all the other characters in the book are in crisis much more so than Kelly is.

As I mentioned, I did like the themes of women in business and drawing strength/resources from our friends, but again, everything seemed a little too easy. Many of the barriers that women face in following their dreams/goals for starting a business were not there for Kelly. She had unlimited financial resources due to her husband’s job, her husband was very supportive of her, and her two school-aged kids were off at camp for the summer, giving her pretty much an open scheduled to take care of business. Most women in the real world don’t have that.

Many of the secondary characters are very relate-able, even if few of us can identify with Kelly, and it’s really those other characters that kept me reading along, anxious to see what would happen next. Of course there’s a happy ending for all, and a closing mantra of 20 focus points for women to follow (Put passions into actions, love who you are, stay connected, be grateful, etc…). So, overall, I thought that Here, Home, Hope was a lightweight, but quick moving book that would be a good “starting place” for women who dream about pursuing specific life goals, or an enjoyable “easy” read for vacation or a book club.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of the book from One2One Network to facilitate this review. By posting this review, I am entered to win a grand prize of a Kindle or Nook (winner’s choice) or one of ten $25 gift cards.

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