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Thursday, September 7, 2017

Welcome Home | Book Review

Welcome Home

Edited by: Eric Smith
Number of pages: 350

My Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Published: September 5, 2017
Read in September 2017


Summary According to Goodreads

Welcome Home collects a number of adoption-themed fictional short stories, and brings them together in one anthology from a diverse range of celebrated Young Adult authors.


My Thoughts 

I received an ebook copy of this book to review on behalf of NetGalley, but that does not affect my opinion. In fact, I loved it so much I purchased my own physical copy.

I need to be honest right off the bat: I do have a personal connection to adoption. Not myself, but a family friend adopted two young girls, and I was able to see how they became a family. I went into this novel knowing what an emotional journey and process adoption is, but this novel handled many aspects of it beautifully. 

I loved that each of these authors had their own connection to adoption and it's process, and it really reflected it all of their writing. Some were better done than others, but they all mostly came with a good lesson or insight. 

I was introduced to many authors I didn’t know of, but also others I have considered reading from. This was a great collection for YA readers that are interested in adoption stories. 

Since this was an anthology, I thought it would only be far to rate each story individually, and share any thoughts I had. You’ll find all stories listed below!

• Carlos and the Fifteen Year-Old Heart by Adi Alsaid: 3 stars

     - I hadn't read anything but this author before, even though I've been eyeing his works for a while. Enjoyed this one, but didn't connect to it as much as I would've liked to.

• Strong Enough by Karen Atkins: 4.5 stars

     - Why wasn't this longer?? I loved this so much, I could've read an entire novel about Gracie. I'm not one for superhero tales but I need more!

• The Sign by Erica M. Chapman: 3 stars

• Up a Million by Caela Carter: 5 stars

     - This was perfect. It was so simply short but packed so much emotion. In less than 10 pages I was able to connect to this mother-daughter pair, and understand their relationship. It was just so heartfelt and pure, I cried.

• Mama's Eyes by Libby Cudmore: 4 stars

     - Wow, this novel had all the feels. It was a great look into the harder sides of adoption, and the risks it could put children in. Just didn't care much for the way her dad handled things.

• A Kingdom Bright and Burning by Dave Connis: 4 stars

     - This is one that I sat and thought about after I finished reading it. There were so many hidden messages and symbolism woven in, that you just have to take a moment to appreciate it all.

• The Inexplicable Weight of Mountains by Helene Dunbar: 2 stars

• Webbed by Julie Esbaugh: 2 stars

• Life: Starring Tallulah Grey by Lauren Gibaldi: 3 stars

     - This was okay, I enjoyed the writing style but it felt unfinished in a couple of ways.

• Salvation by Shannon Gibney: 3 stars

• Twenty-Seven Days by Jenny Kaczorowski: 5 stars

• Ink Drips Black by Julie Leung: 3 stars

• Upon the Horizon's Verge by Sangru Mandanna: 5 stars

• Lullaby by Matthew Quinn Martin: 2 stars

• Census Man by Mindy McGinnis: 2.5 stars

• Invited by Lauren Morrill: 5 stars

• Empty Lens by Tameka Mullins: 3 stars

• A Lesson in Biology by Sammy Nickalls: 4 stars

• Tunneling Through by Shannon Parker: 4 stars

• These Broken Stars by C.J Redwine: 2 stars

• The Snow-Covered Sidewalk by Randy Ribay: 3 stars

• Deeply by William Ritter: 2 stars

• Meant to be Broken by Stephanie Scott: 3 stars

• Moving the Body by Natasha Sinel: 4 stars

• In Pieces by Eric Smith: 3 stars

• Peace of Paper by Courtney C. Stevens: 4 stars

• Happy Beginning by Nic Stone: 3.5 stars

• The Take Back by Kate Watson: 5 stars

     - I LOVED this one so much, that I read it twice. The characters were so rich and deep I wanted to cry with them. Such a good, well-rounded story that didn't feel like it was lacking, but instead showed so much room for more.

• Jar of Broken Wishes by Tristina Wright: 5 stars

Overall, I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. I was so connected to characters that only had 10 pages, but was able to develop a whole new appreciation for adoption. It was so beautiful on so many levels, and I am so excited for there to be more adoption awareness. It is not an easy journey for anyone involved, so I appreciated that this novel was able to show all of the different sides. 


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