Nice To Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers

I happened to be scanning the shelves of my local library on my way to pick up the books I had reserved when I found myself drawn to the cover of this book. I quickly scanned the cover and thought for sure I'll check it out to see what it would be like.

Wow, I so thoroughly enjoyed this book!! Even though it felt quite hefty in its hardback form of 320 pages, it really was an easy and quick read. I finished it in just 3 days. I'm really not that fast of a reader, but I've had the fortunate luck of coming across some fun summer novels lately that I've not been able to put down. Every time my husband left the room, I picked it up to squeeze in just one more page.

I very much identified with the main character's way of thinking, especially in my single days. She's a bit OCD like myself and loves lists, which is me in a nutshell. She also has a complicated but devoted relationship with her younger sister which reminded me a lot of mine with my sister Kris.

I loved how the story always kept my attention but didn't get overly detailed. It was really a good chicklit and fun novel, but I was disappointed to discover this was the author's first novel. I had looked forward to seeing what else Rebecca Flowers had released. I'm definitely keeping an eye out for what else Rebecca Flowers publishes in the future.

Description: In the tradition of Elinor Lipman or Marisa de los Santos (Love Walked In), Flowers delivers a smart, witty, appealing story of love, family, and community that breaks the mold of the conventional love story-and will have readers cheering. Everyone around Prudence Whistler, thirty-six, seems to be settling down. Her once single girlfriends have married and had babies. Her gay best friend is discussing marriage with his partner. Even her irresponsible younger sister, Patsy, is the single mother of a two-year-old. But when Pru panics at losing her mediocre boyfriend of two years-and begins to see the door to her traditional family life closing-she accidentally finds something even better: a new definition of family and happiness. First, it's the crazy cat who moves into her apartment. Then come Pru's headstrong sister and two-year-old niece. Then the niece's dog, the sister's ex-boyfriend, and, ultimately, Patsy and Pru's widowed mother. With the strength of her modern new household, Pru musters the confidence to open the dress shop she's always wanted in town-and discovers an extended family of sorts in the community of shop owners and devoted customers. It's only then that she ends up with the man of her dreams. Endearing, romantic, and satisfying, Nice to Come Home To is a charming, crowd-pleasing debut.

Rating: *****

Recommend: to anyone who enjoys chick-lit