ARC Book Review: Home With You by Shirlee McCoy

I would like to thank Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate this opportunity and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

Rating:

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The Bradshaw brothers never dreamed they’d return to their hometown. But tragedy has brought them back together in Benevolence, Washington, where they’re finding generosity, surprising revelations—and unexpected love . . .

Sullivan Bradshaw is in way over his head. A car crash killed his brother, Matthias, and critically injured his sister-in-law. It’s Sullivan’s turn to care for the couple’s six children and the ancestral farm, but the die-hard bachelor and art professor is hardly family-man material. What he needs is the perfect nanny-miracle worker-saint. What he gets is pretty Rumer Truehart, a free spirit who will change everything he ever thought he wanted . . .

Rumer learned the hard way that nothing is for sure, much less forever. And she certainly understands why Sullivan’s unhappy childhood makes him a strictly no-commitments kind of guy. But she can’t help being drawn to this thoughtful, gentle man. And when trouble strikes, she’s determined to win his trust—and show him love can be a promise for keeps.

Praise for Shirlee McCoy’s Sweet Haven

“Fans of Debbie Macomber will appreciate McCoy’s sweet, funny, heartwarming romance with its friendly, small-town setting.”
–Booklist (starred review)

“A delicious small‑town treat.” ‑‑Library Journal

Holy, Moly! What a book!❤ When I first saw this novel in the Kensington catalog and requested, I thought I would be reading a sweet romance. I couldn’t imagine that this story would hit so close to home that it blew me away! This book is way more than what meets the eyes! I could relate to Rumer so much. She had so many trust issues and was scared of getting hurt because of her traumatic past and her run in with the foster system just made things that more relateable! She was so strong though and it really touched my heart. Heck yes for strong people who lived through the system and are awesome! The characterisation in this book was fantastic!

The 6 Bradshaw children all touched my heart in so many ways. Each of them troubled from a rough life before adoption and were battling the system. Now faced with having their father, Matthias Bradshaw dead from a car accident and their mother, Sunday Bradshaw, is in coma fighting for her life, they must push on again with the help of their Uncle Sullivan Bradshaw who has no idea what he’s doing. When thankfully, Rumer Truehart starts helping out at the Bradshaw house. Everything flowed so well in this story and was an incredible family drama that I would re-read! The realistic and raw emotions in this story touched my heart but also gave me a sense of hope.

The reason I love this story so much and how it is deeply embedded in my heart is because I could relate to everything that happened in this story. Reading the premise, I had no idea that this story would capture my heart and have me wishing the second installment was out already!

I don’t want to give any spoilers away but in my reviews I like to open myself up and share how I can relate and why a book effected me so. My life is not identical to the Bradshaws but I am going through situations that just relate in a powerful way. So, I’m going to share a little about me and how this book effected me. I went through group homes, residential treatment facilities and all the ugly sides of the system that are kept on the hush. As a child, I was in the system and had histories like Heavenly Bradshaw and Rumer Truehart. There characters are so relatable because they come off harsh and Heavenly like a punk kid when there is so much more to them. Once when I was staying in this couple’s house I spent 24 hours in a car trunk for not doing a foster mother’s dishes correctly. So it can be really rough in the system to say the least and it changes you. Going through the experiences that I did helped created the woman I am now and you can see in this novel that Rumer is so strong and scarred because of her life as a broken child. There were so many experiences that have your emotions on a whirlwind but all of them are worth it. Your heart will be touched in so many ways.  While reading this novel, I was rooting for Sunday Bradshaw to get better. She adopted 6 children that had been through difficult experiences and had such a great heart. I had so much respect for her and it hurt me to see this family shattered. This book was surely worth any tears!

The romance between Rumer and Sullivan was sweet and so relatable. Sullivan Bradshaw also had a very rough childhood that kept him from Benevolence but his return was awesome! He struggles with thoughts of his alcoholic father but he strives to be a better man. Reading about him growing to love the kids and Rumer and him growing from the experience of taking care of 6 kids they didn’t know.

I also could relate to this story because my son’s father was in a horrific accident 4 years and only given 6% chance to live and if he was to live they didn’t think he would be able to walk or talk again. It was horrible waiting for weeks not knowing if he would wake out of a coma then come out of a vegetated state but he did. The doctors thought it was a miracle he is able to function and do as much as he can. 4 years later, I am still his caretaker and will be forever and he never remembers what happens the previous day and sometimez just 5 minutes ago. He has long term and short term memory loss and even though that has effected my life tremendously he can do everything else pretty normal physically! So we were lucky but we suffer the effects daily with his brain; not being able to remember simple things, retain memories, schizophrenia, and tourette’s syndrome. We make it though and push through one day at a time.

In this story, I felt like I was living my life in a way that is hard to describe. The situation is not the same but I could relate on so many levels that this book truly felt like Home. I always try to tell everyone how I can relate to a story by opening up in a way so people can understand more about how I feel about a book. This book was fantastic in every sense. Home With You made me laugh, cry, and root for the family to succeed! It was truly a remarkable story! Shirlee McCoy gave amazing descriptions and a plot that had a steady pace that is sure to win your heart! This story leaves a lot for the next in the series and I can’t wait for the next installment!!!! When I read that this story was a spin off, I just couldn’t believe it! Most spin offs are confusing and just aren’t up to par like this story!

Thanks so much for reading my review! Followers have always loved when I shared and opened my heart when a story was relatable in some way so that’s why I decided to open up. I also wanted to let whomever is reading this know that this book is so much more than what meets the eyes. I’m so glad I got the chance to read this book and read it within a day! I highly recommend this heartfelt story.

Shirlee McCoy

New York Times best-selling author Shirlee McCoy loves books. She loves reading them. She loves writing them. She loves sharing them with family, with friends, and with total strangers on airplanes and in doctor’s offices. It’s no surprise that she loves being an author. Her first book was published in 2004. Since then, she’s written more than 45 novels. Her books have appeared on the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestsellers lists.

Of course, her love for books pales in comparison with her love for family. When she’s not writing, she’s homeschooling her two youngest children and spending time with the people she cares about most. Her books are a reflection of her passion for relationships and community. An advocate for adoption and a firm believer in the power of faith, love, and compassion, Shirlee writes books that explore the dynamics between siblings, parents, children, and friends.

She enjoys hearing from readers and writers. You can email her at

shirlee@shirleemccoy.com or catch up with her life and writing at http://shirleemccoy.blogspot.com/.