Review: If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home Now

If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home Now by Claire LaZebnik

Summary: Rickie left home a long time ago-so how is it that at the age of twenty-five, she’s living with her parents again, and sleeping in the bedroom of her childhood home?

At least one thing has changed since high school: She now has a very sweet but frequently challenging son named Noah, who attends the same tony private LA school she herself attended. Rickie fit in fine when she was a student, but now her age and tattoos make her stand out from all the blond Stepford moms, who are desperate to know why someone so young-and so unmarried-has a kid in first grade.

Already on the defensive, Rickie goes into full mother-tigress mode when her small and unathletic son tells her that the gym teacher is out to get him. She storms the principal’s office, only to discover that Andrew Fulton, the coach, is no dumb jock. As her friendship with Andrew develops, Rickie finds herself questioning her assumptions-about motherhood, being a grown-up, and falling in love.

My Thoughts: Despite Rickie’s bad attitude when it comes to her mother, I actually really enjoyed this book. It was sweet. Rickie did piss me off with her determination to pick fights with her mother, though. It quickly became evident that she was just looking for things to butt heads about. But, then, I’ve probably done the same thing with my mom …

Noah’s situation seems rough. Poor kid is the runt of the class because of his wheat allergy. But, I got very annoyed with Rickie. Whenever someone suggests she do something with him or allow him to do something, she immediately refused because she was absolutely certain that her son couldn’t do or endure whatever it was – especially if it was a social activity. I felt like she was projecting her own anxiety onto her son. The good thing is she learns to give him some credit, to take some chances, and to see what he can do. She learns that sometimes, your kids will surprise you. I especially loved the conversation with her mother toward the end of the book. Basically, her mom tells her the reason one’s kids treat them like crud sometimes is because they’re dealing with something. They take it out on Mom because they know that Mom is safe. While it might not be the right way to deal with things, Mom will always be there. Mom still loves them even after suffering their abuse. I really loved the message this book had about motherhood.

For most of the book, I was planning to give it a higher rating than 3.5 stars, but I wasn’t happy with the ending. I am happy with the implication that things work out favorably, but it just kind of abruptly ended. I expected another chapter, but there was none. I felt like it was left slightly unfinished.

Despite my issues with the end, I still really enjoyed this book. I’m glad to have read it. It’s great for fans of chick lit.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Source: Received through Crazy Book Tours for review.

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FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.

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