Book Review: Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda

Here, Home, Hope by author Kaira Rouda is the fictional story of one woman's courageous journey through midlife crisis and personal reinvention - all told with a sense of heart and humor.

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. Kelly takes charge of her life, devising a midlife makeover plan.

Here, Home, Hope will surely appeal to readers of chick lit and other women’s fiction titles who are ready to transition into something new in their own life.

This book is fun and refreshing, and Kelly, the main character, kind of reminds me of Becky from The Shopaholic because of her gentle and naive nature. She's a loveable character, and although I can't say I can really relate to her, I laughed at her Things to Change list because, who never made such list? I bet she will have you laughing too with her Post-it notes all over her house - and even car!

Here's a part of her Things to Change list:

Here's what Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us and The Stormchasers, and one of Oprah’s Thirty Favorite Women Writers, thinks of this book:

”Reading Kaira Rouda is like getting together with one of your best friends – fun, fast, and full of great advice! Here, Home, Hope sparkles with humor and heart.” 

Here, Home, Hope actually makes me think of the Desperate Housewives, as the story is about one suburban mother’s journey from midlife crisis to reinvention with the help of her husband, friends and neighbors.

I feel this quote from the book summaries the whole idea really well:

"...something in my life had to change. What I also discovered was that I was the only one who could do it. Not having that realization was what held me back for so long. I was ready to rewrite Things to Change rule Number One. My life is up to me to define. I needed to make my own dreams come true." 

Overall, this is a light book that I enjoyed reading from the beginning to the end - I seriously couldn't put it down! I wanted to know more: Will Kelly succeed with ther carreer plan? Will Melanie overcome her eating disorder? What about Beth, Charlotte, and... OK I'll stop, I don't want to spoil everything!

Visit KairaRouda.com to learn more about the author on her bio page and read more about the novel. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.

Buy Here, Home, Hope from:

• Amazon
• IndieBound
• Barnes & Noble
• Books a Million
• Powell's Books
• Borders

Kaira is currently on a national book tour - check her website for the dates and locations.

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for consideration to review. I was not paid for this review,  I am not affiliated with this company and the fact that the product was free absolutely does not influence my opinion.