Verdict: Here, Home, Hope is a light, fun and uplifting read that is perfect for those days when you need a little boost.

Kelly Corrigan is a 39 year old woman who, after a scare with breast cancer and a bad dental appointment, is reevaluating her life as a stay-at-home mom and embarking on her own business as a Home Stager; an idea that was sparked by Charlotte, one of her highly successful friends.

As though a mid-life crisis and starting a business wasn’t time consuming and stressful enough, Kelly has also been entrusted with Melanie, the daughter of Kelly’s other very successful friend, Kathryn.  Kelly has to put aside her own weight issues to try and help Melanie with her eating issue, and calls in the assistance of yet another successful friend, Beth, who also becomes Kelly’s sounding board when Kelly discovers an affair that could wreak havoc to an already shaky situation.

Author, Kaira Rouda has written a simple tale that touches on many complex issues so close to women; from self esteem to social pressure, from eating disorders to familial discord and the search for self fulfillment, with warmth and humor. Rouda has created female characters, each successful in their own right, yet also each with their own insecurities and issues and struggles to discover their inner strength.

Though the plot is unrealistic at times, (Kelly frets over spending almost $300 on a haircut, yet can host and cater an open-house for several hundred people), and the characters a little too thin to sink your teeth into, Here, Home, Hope reveals the great irony in so many women’s lives as they to fix issues in other lives that they can’t deal with themselves.

For example, Kelly struggles with her own weight and self esteem issues, quickly dying her hair and updating her look so that she can be confident enough to help a struggling teenager deal with her issues. 

Here, Home, Hope is a light, fun and uplifting read that is perfect for those days when you need a little boost.

Reviewed for Indie Reader by Maya Fleischmann