The Thing About Home captured my full attention from page one and never let go! Rhonda McKnight is an excellent storyteller. The characters are all believable and likable; by the end of the book I was even empathizing with the main character's mother who was a little bit of an antagonist. The setting is unique (South Carolina's Lowcountry) and described in such beautiful detail that it's easy to picture, and best of all the themes of family, legacy, faith, and perseverance are inspiring and heartwarming.
3.5/5! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Highly recommend for anyone wanting a present-day, sweet, Southern romance with a focus on family, legacy, and finding your passion/purpose, plus themes of faith and a little bit of historical fiction!
Keep reading for my full review ⬇️
Longer Review:
Casey was such a great main character! I like that she had flaws and dealt with fears and doubts, but I also loved that she was a confident woman who knew she was worthy of happiness. The complicated relationship between her and her mother was masterfully created. I of course also loved Ida, because how could anyone not? Her faith, wisdom, and love were beautiful to see. Because of that, I do wish I'd seen more of her character in the book, but (without spoiling anything) I think that may have been intentional, in which case well done 👏🏼
Speaking of faith, I love how organically God was woven into the story. Most of the characters were Christian, so their beliefs shone through in how they spoke and interacted with others, which resulted in a very natural way to bring the Lord into this book. I thought the themes and messages of faith throughout were done really well.
The romance in The Thing About Home was also SO SWEET! I loved the healthy communication but that they still had conflict every now and again, the slow burn, and that both characters were previously married; I love a good second-chance romance/grown adults falling in love. It's all closed-door romance, which is what I prefer, but there were still plenty of romantic parts that had me gasping and giggling.
I'm a sucker for historical fiction and family sagas, so I loved that Casey's ancestor's story was featured throughout the book too. What made it even more special is that McKnight used a lot of her own family's history to inspire parts of the book and the characters.
I greatly enjoyed this story and definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone!
I can always depend on Josie’s book reviews to find my next greatest read. Thanks Josie!