“A great pick for your book club this summer.” —Working MotherCrushed by guilt over the car accident that killed her father and sister, and torn apart by her mother’s resentment, Darcy Goodridge fled her family estate eight years ago and hasn’t looked back. Now an unexpected phone call threatens to upend what little serenity she’s found. Her nephew, Emerson, who was just a baby when his mother … a baby when his mother died, has gone missing. Darcy must return home and face her past in order to save him.
Once back in Ohio, Darcy realizes there’s more to Emerson’s disappearance—and to the sudden retirement of her mother, Rosalind—than meets the eye. As she works to make inroads with Rosalind, Darcy begins to unravel a decades-old secret that devastated her family and forced a wedge between her and Michael Varano, the man she left heartbroken when she vanished after the funeral. After carrying the scars of that fateful night for almost a decade, Darcy is determined to find closure, healing, and maybe even love where she lost them all in the first place—right back home where she belongs.
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My first book by Christine Nolfi and it will NOT be my last! She pulls you right into the story. It was interesting to see the story worked out and left you wondering how these families could ever get together again. The end of the book pulled at your heart strings, left you with such a warm feeling, and helped you to see what can happen of you never give up!
4.95 stars
I really liked this book over all. It was definitely a “just one more chapter” story. I liked how the author peeled back the mysteries of the past a little at first and then we got to the heart of it. I loved the diversity of the characters, the strict judge and the almost reckless daughter, the brilliant grandson, and the loving neighbors.
I had two minor issues with the story. First, I really want an Epilogue or better yet a sequel. Even though everything was wrapped up beautiful, I NEED to know how everyone is doing. The second issue was how fast the judge forgave her ex best friend, I didn’t feel like that was necessarily realistic.
Really enjoyed this read. Families are so complicated and sometimes dysfunctional. Darcy runs away for 8 years from her family due to a tragedy she believes was her fault. She ends up going home out of guilt and tries to make sense of all she lost by running. Ms Nolfi writes with such feeling as if she lived the story.
What a beautiful, beautiful story! There are still years in my eyes as I think about this heartwarming story. All I can say is that I want more of this story, more of these lovely beloved characters! This is one of the Best of 2019!
I am a Christine Nolfi fan. With each book of her that I pick up I know that I will meet some wonderful, fully developed characters that tell a story that pull me right in and won’t let me go until I read the last page. The Road She Left Behind is exactly what I was hoping for. I started the book one morning, became invested in the characters and their story, and was unable to put it down until I finished the last page.
Darcy left her home, her family, and everything she knew when she lost her sister and her father. She continued to run from life until she was forced to return home. While I loved that she was returning home, possibly dealing with the reasons that she left in the first place, I was still worried that her mother wouldn’t allow her to heal.
Emerson was the reason for the return home and he was wonderful. A cute 8-year-old boy that was more observant than most children, who grew up under the thumb of a grandmother who didn’t know how to show her love, yet he was full of love, life, and understanding. His spunk, his love of life, and his smarts all endeared him to me. I became invested in this little boy and hoped that he would be able to keep his family together.
This is a beautiful, family story. It shows how families are not always perfect but they do support each other in tough times. Darcy comes home, works towards mending her relationships with those that she ran from, and manages to find the happiness that she never thought she deserved.
A wonderful, heartwarming read. A beautifully crafted story about friendship, family, and going home. I loved it!
Darcy has been carrying around guilt over a car accident that killed her father and sister.
Relationship with her mother has been torn apart.
An unexpected phone call has her returning to her family home.
A story of two families torn apart by tragedy and past buried secrets.
A heartwarming story with love,forgiveness, betrayal, grief and how to move forward instead of running away.
I loved the book!
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing and Christine Nolfi for the opportunity to read this book.
Christine Nolfi has outdone herself this time. The Road She Left Behind masterfully knits together the past and present, showing us a fractured family, grave misunderstandings, and heart-wrenching betrayals. I connected with the flawed but lovable characters, and found myself enthralled from the first page to the last. Bravo!
Secrets have a way of seeping out and when they do, they will either shatter relationships or bring about healing. In The Road She Left Behind, Nolfi has penned a moving story of family, betrayal, and healing. Follow three strong women who try to come to terms with the past to forge a healthy future.
I have never read any books by this author but am glad I got this one because I am now adding her to my list of authors. I love the story about family because it is something I believe in. When Darcy leaves home after her sister and father die in an accident she feels responsible for, things were never the same.
She was supposed to take care of her sister’s son, Emerson, but instead that responsibility fell to her mother. When Emerson runs away, Darcy returns home to help find him and becomes entangled in the family secrets, and a love lost 8 years before.
This book kept me turning the page and was a great read. It wont be released until June 11 so thanks to #netgalley I received an ARC. I will definitely be reading more of Nolfi’s books.
The Road She Left Behind
5 Stars
Omg! I loved loved loved this so much!! This is so heartwarming and captivating!! It is very well written!! Characters are just great and very well developed.
Highly recommend this engaging story!
Once again, Christine Nolfi turns in a stellar examination of the impact of secrets on the lives of multiple generations. In her trademark descriptive prose, she peels back layers of assumptions, misunderstandings, and intentional misdirection to reveal the truth that tainted lives and relationships. Her characters are multi-faceted and true-to-life; they defy my ability to predict what they will do next. I was drawn in from the beginning and am glad to have watched their journey unfold to the surprising conclusion.
I voluntarily read an advanced review copy provided by the publishers via Netgalley. I offer my honest opinion in response.
The Road She Left Behind just blew me away. Such a great story—such turmoil and emotions. Darcy is running away from her past, running for eight years. Then all of sudden, she gets pulled back to the life that she was running to avoid.
There are so many secrets and lies from the past, things that cannot be forgiven—until they need to be in order for life to move on. The relationships and drama between the characters is what intrigued me about this story. Everyone and everything is so intertwined that figuring it all out is what drove me to keep turning the pages.
The story has amazing, strong, and interesting characters—characters who fight, support, and love each other. I loved the interactions between Rosalind, the staunch, upstanding judge, and her eight year old grandson, who is truly wise beyond his years.
I was excited to start reading The Road She Left Behind and was sad when I got to the last page. I wasn’t ready to be done with this adventure and my time in this wonderful story. This is definitely a book that you are going to want to read as soon as possible.
“The things you own don’t bring happiness.”
The road she left behind is a story of loss, secrets, misconceptions, guilt & forgiveness. One fateful night changed a family forever. Darcy Goodridge leaves Ohio & for eight years kept to herself, moving from Job to Job sealing with grief. All is about to change for everyone with the help of two boys, misconceptions, hurts and relationships will begin to heal. Christine Nolfi pulls at your heart, her stories capture you in the first sentence you can’t put the book down nor do you want the story to end. You definitely feel like you could fit in the towns she writes about & be friends with the character. The Road she left behind will change you. You will want to put this on your TBR list.
Christine Nolfi always has a way of capturing me and pulling me in. Once again, in ROAD, she has written characters I can identify with and a story so engrossing it is difficult to put down until I’ve finished. There is deep pain and buried secrets with these characters. The main character, Darcy, goes back home after leaving eight years previously, with pain, to a bitter mother and beloved nephew. With all the secrets that come out, this book keeps you wondering and enthralled until the last words. I gratefully received an ARC from NetGalley, Lake Union and Christine Nolfi in exchange for my honest review. Christine Nolfi also kindly sent me the audiobook and I greatly enjoyed getting to listen to the fabulous narration by Megan Tusing.
Christine Nolfi has done it again. This story had me crying and laughing out loud as the story unfolds. We have all had to chose which path to follow. The death of Darcy’s sister and father leads her to chose a different path each year. Finally she takes the path back home. Here she comes to grip with her past and the destruction of those around her, including her mother, newphew, and an old boyfriend. Once facts are faced we are all able to hope again and love wins. You will not be able to put this book down until the last page is turned!
Christine Nolfi tears at every heartstring in this delicious novel about second chances, coming home, love, guilt and secrets. If any of those are your cup of tea, run, don’t walk (seriously) to read this book!
The characters and descriptions are so very well done that I found myself wanting to sink into the story and read slower so that the end wouldn’t sneak up on me so quickly. I could see the characters in my mind and touch and smell the settings described so well.
If I haven’t convinced you yet that this is the story for you, the characters of Samson and Emerson will. They are bigger than life examples of all that is touching, heartwarming and different in the lives of children vs the lives of adults. These characters retain a wonderful innocence in spite of the hurdles they’ve faced. I wanted both of them in my life almost as soon as I met them.
Do yourself or someone you care for a favor and read The Road She Left Behind. If you don’t feel like picking up the phone and mending a fence or two when it’s over, I’d be very surprised.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC at my request. My thoughts in this review are my own and freely given.
I received an ARC of this book for an honest review. I know I can pick up a book written by Christine Nolfi and be in for a treat. She writes women fiction like no one else.
I loved this book from the first sentence! Her writing is vivid and moving, and captures your heart. The plot leaves you guessing until the end.
Her characters…Such a mixed bag of wonderful people who made me laugh, cry, get mad, and sigh with joy. They kept you dying to know who was going to do what next!!
The feelings I got while reading this wonderful story were magical ..such is the gift of a wonderful author named Christine Nolfi
I’m proud to give this wonderful story a 5 star rating
Christine Nolfi writes a highly emotional novel where the Goodridge and Varano families are torn apart due to past secrets. Dysfunction, heartbreak and drama keep these families from reuniting. Tragedy befalls the Goodridge family, and Darcy feels the wrath most of all for the past eight years. Growing up was extremely difficult for her, and she fled all those years ago vowing never to return. However, now, without a doubt, she must. As she is forced to confront and defy her extremely difficult mother and reunite with her nephew she never saw grow up into the wonderful boy he is, Darcy realizes what truly is most important to her. In order to do that she has to relive the pain and torturous past that has gnawed at her. She also needs to confront her childhood friend and man she loved and left.
This novel is raw and powerful. Nolfi presents her characters in very vulnerable positions showing just how much we as humans can take. Forgiveness, family, love and time eventually heal all wounds. Time is our gift, and in this novel, time and love prevail.
Be sure to read this novel as it comes highly recommended.
This was one of my very favorite reads.
The message in this story is so heartwarming.
I loved the plot with the twists and turns and the melding of then and now.
The characters were so compelling that you could identify with their feelings.
I could hardly put it down until I finished it.
This book shows why Christine Nolfi is such an amazing writer.