Healing the wounds of the past doesn’t come easy in this novel of friendship and forgiveness from award-winning author Liz Talley.Summer Valentine has returned to Moonlight, South Carolina, a very different woman from the naive wallflower who left years before. These days she’s straightforward and savvy, determined to do right by her son, David—even if that means cashing in her struggling music … struggling music career in Nashville and returning to the town that drove her away. Sure, she took a fall. But at least she now knows where she stands…
Despite her anger over the past, Summer believes David deserves a relationship with his father, Hunter “Hunt” McCroy. Though Hunt’s illustrious career has faded, privilege still protects him from his worst mistakes.
Someone else is back in Moonlight too: Rhett Bryan, the golden boy of Hollywood, who’s taking stock of his own life after a tragic accident. As his rekindled friendship with Summer quickly deepens, she must reconcile the painful history that ties her to both men—one she’s finally forgiven, one she’s afraid to love—to claim healing and happiness.
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First off this book was AH-MAZING!! I could NOT put it down, it was a sweet and sappy love story about life and accepting your fate and second chances. It was the perfect feel good book!
I’m a big fan of ‘unrequited love’ HEAs, so this story was right up my alley! You can’t go wrong with Ms. Talley’s work, and this is another great story, but it’s not a romance that’s all about the tingles. This is a love story about people who need to heal from past mistakes and learn to love and trust again.
And like an August day in the South, where the heat forces you to move slowly enough that you can actually stop and notice the details of your day, this book has that same slow burn (which makes sense, given that it’s set set in the Low Country).
***spoiler alert***
The pace of the story bubbles along in a way that lets you appreciate some of the beautiful, poignant moments and prose in a story that takes on some weighty issues, like date rape and family and forgiveness.
The combination of realistic relationships, sassy repartee among the various cast of characters, and Southern charm lifts up what could have been a heavy, dark story to something that rises on heart and hope. That’s not to say that every reader will agree with each of the choices or beliefs of these characters, but I like when my point of view is challenged, which is something this book will probably do for many readers.
Summer is an interesting heroine. I felt for her and thought her behavior mirrored a likely scenario that many young women might find themselves in. I also totally believed that she would have blamed herself for some of what happened with Hunt, whether or not she should’ve done so. She definitely made some hard choices and sacrifices for her son’s sake, and you can’t help but admire her grit and her ability to put her son first, even in the face of the man who hurt her so badly.
Hunt was hard to deal with. He made a lot of mistakes and it took another near tragedy for him to wise-up. By the end of the book, however, I saw a hint of redemption—an awakening and recognition of his sins, and some sincere remorse. That was good because I almost didn’t want him having an influence on his son if he couldn’t get to that place.
And then we have the hero, Rhett. Charming, handsome, conflicted. Everything in life came easy to this guy until he accidentally kills a kid who runs in front of his car. He handles it all badly and his life takes a hard left, so he goes home to get his head together, and that’s when he reconnects with Summer, an old friend who’d always had a crush on him.
I liked the structure of the book, which alternates every few chapters to flashbacks so the reader can see the three main characters as teens and then as adults. I liked the way the present relationship between Summer and Rhett unfolded slowly and believably, given their very different lives and past falling out. They didn’t change for each other, but because of each other, which is the best kind of evolution.
You may ache a little when reading this, but you’ll close the book with a satisfied smile. So pick this up and settle in on a porch swing for a nice, long read. Don’t forget the sweet tea!
Very different than everything else and I have to say, the way this was written was so good. I’m definitely sitting here thinking and it’s not like the typical romances, but that may be what made it so riveting to me.
Come Home To Me by Liz Talley held my interest throughout and offered some insight into what it takes to heal from traumatic experiences. Summer was a geeky high schooler who wants one night at prom with the in-crowd. Now Rhett is suffering from an post traumatic experience after running over a young girl. Hunt has been in denial of his involvement with Summer and their son for years and now he wants to make things right. It’s a sad story but well written and drawn out to give the reader plenty of insight into the characters well-being.
I listened to this on audio through KU and really enjoyed both the book and the narration. Liz Talley tackles a tough subject that effects the lives of teens from high school to adulthood. A lot of raw emotion, healing, forgiveness and finding your true self. There were quite a few laughs, too. This book just left me smiling.
Liz Talley sure has a way with words, crafting sentences dripping with meaning and wisdom. Multiple storylines, converging into an extremely satisfying ending. At the center of all is Summer, a shy, smart high school senior whose life trajectory is forever altered by events at her senior prom, resulting in a pregnancy and a baby. The book alternates between high school (2003) and now. Circling around Summer are Hunt and Rhett. Hunt is the father of David, Summer’s son. Hunt abandoned Summer and David. Rhett, Summer’s high school crush, is the local boy who went to Hollywood and became famous, but has his own demons. The power of apologies and forgiveness that allow healing and moving on with life culminate into a HEA.
Enjoyed reading this cute plot that kept my interest throughout the whole book. Even though I predicted the ending, I had to keep reading to make sure.
I don’t usually like books that has flashbacks but it worked a bit better here. There aren’t that many of them and Talley does a good job of making them relevant to the happenings in the now. They cover a very important couple of weeks in Summer’s senior year of high school and with her return to Moonlight those happenings directly impact her relationships now.
Both in the past & now, Talley does a fantastic job of giving her readers characters that are believable. The teenage versions are exactly as I remember them at that age – maneuvering through the social quagmire of high school, dealing with runaway emotions, and the ability to only really see to about the end of your nose. As adults, they are flawed but trying their best to do what they think is right. Unfortunately there are a few hard truths and life lessons that need to be learned before they can truly move forward. It’s not going to be an easy reunion for any of them but with care they might come out the other side with a little peace.
(Note: I think I’d drop this down a quarter or half a star but I definitely don’t think it deserves 3 stars so I rounded up.)
**Review given honestly and freely after receipt of a review copy. This opinion is completely my own and was not influenced in any way.**
I’m not much for romance novels, left that genre a few years ago. I received an e copy from Goodreads and Liz Talley for an honest review, and I have to admit that the important conversations in this story, made it so much more, than a romance novel.
Summer Valentine was a nice girl and a nerd, growing up in South Carolina, who’s plans for a college scholarship were impacted, by booze, insecurity and an entitled date on prom night. The result was an unwanted pregnancy that sidelined her future.
Now she has returned from Nashville with her teenage son, to the beach town of her childhood, unable to launch a singing career, despite her talents. She has repaired her life, has a fragile relationship with her son’s father and then the love of her life, returns to disrupt her settled life.
This novel addresses wealthy entitled families, who wield their positions to dominate and control the less advantaged. Teenage drinking and date rape, that impact and affect the lives of the victim, but also the families, and the need to take responsibility, apologize and repair the hurt that has been created. This book did that and made an important statement, in today’s #metoo climate. There is something for everyone. Liz Talley scored with this one.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Mary Jo –
This book deals with a lot of heartache, loss, and forgiveness. A person’s thoughtlessness, inattention, or inebriation can often to lead to hurt feelings, injury, or worse. That’s what happened to both Summer and Rhett.
Dealing with the repercussions of those actions is a lifelong struggle and oftentimes, it’s when the victim can forgive the perpetrator for their actions that they can begin to heal themselves. It’s not about right or wrong, but acceptance of what has happened and learning to find a new normal for themselves.
The perpetrator of those actions may have to face lots of fears in order to acknowledge what they did or didn’t do. Once accepted, it’s the ability to learn from those mistakes, ask forgiveness if possible, and strive to do better. The guilt that some people carry weighs them down to the point that they can never forgive themselves for the hurts they have caused others. It’s the forgiveness of the victim that may help the perpetrator learn to love themselves again.
A solid book which I truly enjoyed.
Avid Reader –
M/F Romance
MAJOR Triggers: Accidental MVA with death and Date rape
Summer and her son have been living a great life. Summer is an amazing singer and songwriter and despite her love of music, she knows that she can make some sacrifices so that her young, teenage son can have a relationship with his father. Summer and Hunter’s relationship being very strained, she knows that if she pushes too hard, her son will be lost to her.
Hunter has lived a very privileged life. Despite having a father who was always pushing him and not really understanding that his baseball career was his alone, not his father’s, Hunter has decided that he does want to have a relationship with his son. Old feelings of anger come back to haunt him when Summer points out things from his past that he doesn’t want to face, but ultimately, you get to see Hunter grow in this book. The fact that it takes his son’s wisdom to help Hunter grow is just the icing on the cake.
Then you have Rhett. He is also fairly spoiled in that he got to live out his dream. When tragedy strikes his life, he returns home to find Summer and her son living in his childhood home. Rhett makes some pretty big leaps and assumptions throughout this story and I had a hard time rectifying his attitude… but in the end, he learns a lot from Summer and her son, as well as looks back on his past to see where his future will bring him.
Overall, this is an emotional read about a family that isn’t quite typical. Boys who learn lessons that make them into men and a young boy just trying to find his way. I really enjoyed this story and despite some of the heavier topics, felt that Talley did a great job of writing these relationships.
Ruthie –
4.5 stars rounded up, because it really is a very good read.
I have not had the pleasure of reading a Liz Talley book before – but will definitely be remedying that soon. The writing style is smooth and gives the story the very best chance to shine.
This is a story which deals with some very difficult issues – it does not pull its punches. I think that all the conversations and the time shifting to ensure that the truth is revealed slowly and carefully work brilliantly. Summer display a wonderful level of common sense and pragmatism which serves her and her son well. She is a stable centre around which both Rhett and Hunt have to face their pasts and consider their futures. In some ways, they know what must happen, such as Hunt protecting David from his own father’s expectations. Rhett comes home to Carolina and doesn’t even recognise the grown-up version of Summer, who is living near his grandfather. The attraction between them is strong, but he has no intention of hanging around, so is resistant to his desires… you will soon find out how effective that plan is!!
There are plenty of light-hearted moments, but do expect to need a tissue on occasion. We don’t get to see all that much of Summer’s family, yet they make up some very poignant scenes. It is definitely a book which does not shy away from discussing consent – brilliantly done Ms. Talley, thank you.
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Come Home to Me by Liz Talley to read and review.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book that I have read by this author. I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this book as I started reading it and the chapters started flipping back and forth between the past and present. The story won me over as the guys started realizing their mistakes and went out of their way to offer sincere apologies. The ending was great and I would love to get a sequel to find out how Rhett and Summer handle the distance issue and if she makes it big in music.
This one left me with so many feelings, it took me a while to pull them all together. There was some powerful emotions involved and wading through them from past to present and from the point of view of each character was astounding. Summer Valentine has come home to Moonlight to raise her teenage son and so he can be close to his father, Hunt McCroy. Also back in town is Rhett Bryan who has suffered his own tragedy in California and needs some time and distance to find himself. There is a lot of background with these three and this author takes us on a journey from past to present. All the way to the end this one had me captivated. Definitely a keeper and highly recommended!
Great story! This was definitely a page turner for me. I did not want to put this book down! Wonderful characters, realistic and intriguing plot, and beautiful setting in Carolina.
When I am reading a book that I continue to think about even when I am not reading, that is a sign of a fantastic story. That was the case with Come Home to Me.
I definitely recommend this book by Liz Talley!
I so enjoyed this book. Loved the character of Rhett and Summer. Great story
Only read slightly more than half of the book. To me it dragged very slowly. I didn’t seem to be getting anywhere but wanted to finish the book as this was a new to me author. When it got to the explicit sex I was done. I know sex sells but not for me. This was a free loaner from Amazon Prime.
The story line follows a familiar plot: two physically attractive people with baggage reunite in their small hometown. The male was tiresome with a big lesson to learn, but the female was worthy of respect. There are sex scenes, however one might argue that one is important to understanding its impact on two main characters. The story dragged a bit, and I skimmed parts. Also, while not excessive, f*** is used from the very beginning