ARC Review: Feels Like Coming Home by Rebecca Wrights
***Scroll to the bottom for my rating***
This emotional and heartfelt debut is relatable, realistic, and absolutely beautiful. Feels Like Coming Home by Rebecca Wrights is a must-read for romance lovers, especially if you need a good cry. Wrights offers trigger warnings, but she should also include a waiver for emotional wreckage because, damn, was I a bit destroyed after this one.
Not only did I start crying within the first 15-20% of the book, but I also found myself pricked with goosebumps, nauseous from fear and pain, and giddy from joy throughout. I also cried a TON at the end. FLCH is the epitome of an emotional roller coaster.
After a chance run-in with his ex-best friend and the only girl he's ever loved in Charlotte, Cam can't shake the feeling that that was fate's way of saying, "You've got one more chance, don't mess it up.". A chance that he gladly took.
Dealing with the unexpected loss of her husband while juggling her own business and an upcoming conference, Haley takes the advice from her therapist quite literally. She plans a getaway for a few months with her best friend and colleague, Piper.
After some innocent social media stalking, Cam packed his bags and headed to the same beach town as Haley, hoping to win her heart during his NFL season break.
With sparks from the past reigniting, it doesn't take long for the ease of their relationship to resurface. Embarking on Haley's journey of loss, grief, and recovery while watching Cam fight for the girl of his dreams will keep you reading for hours. If I didn't have a job or other adult responsibilities, I likely would have read this entire story in one sitting.
However, as I have been reading more and taking more time to truly consider my reviews and ratings, I cannot give FLCH a perfect rating.
I found a few issues with the story, and in keeping this review as honest as possible, I believe they are worth mentioning.
I found the story repetitive, not in the plot but in the descriptions. There were moments when I felt as if I went back a chapter because the character in the previous point of view explained the same thing about themselves or the other character. I get that the characters know each other so well despite their 10+ years apart. Still, some of the repeated information took part of the magic and swoon-worthiness of those details away. I think there could have been a way to accomplish the same things without being as direct.
The same goes for character descriptions. I would have liked some additional ways for Haley and Cam to describe one another's looks, smells, and behaviors. Although Wrights's descriptions are clear and well done, a little bit of diversity in them would have been appreciated.
Aside from my above setbacks with the story, the kickass secondary characters, a self-aware MMC, insightful and entertaining internal dialogue, and gut-wrenching descriptions of pain, grief, and anxiety caused this story to really have a hold on me. This is why I am rating Feels Like Coming Home 4.25 out of 5 stars with a 3 for spice.
Rebecca, thank you for the opportunity to be a part of your ARC team for Feels Like Coming Home. I thoroughly enjoyed Haley and Cam's story and can't wait to read what you come up with next.
As always, thanks for reading! 💜
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
This books goes on sale on March 2, 2024 if you would like to pre-order a signed copy from the author you can at her Etsy shop here.
Note to readers: Please take a moment to consider and review the trigger warnings before going forward and reading this story. Although I have never lost a spouse, the grief that was created and shown throughout brought me back to a time when I lost my closest grandparent and really shook me, both in a reminder of the grief and in a beautiful artistic way, too. This story deserves to be read by anyone who has lost someone close to them, but only if you are ready.