You'd Be Home Now

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Author(s)

Kathleen Glasgow

Publisher

Delacorte Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

September 28, 2021

ISBN

978-0525708049

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a raw, deeply personal story about a town ravaged by the opioid crisis, and a teenaged girl struggling to find herself amidst the fallout of her brother's addiction. For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one--the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister. And at home, she's the good one, her stoner older brother Joey's babysitter. Everything was turned on its head, though, when she and Joey were in the car accident that killed Candy MontClaire. The car accident that revealed just how bad Joey's drug habit was. Four months later, Emmy's junior year is starting, Joey is home from rehab, and the entire town of Mill Haven is still reeling from the accident. Everyone's telling Emmy who she is, but so much has changed, how can she be the same person? Or was she ever that person at all? Mill Haven wants everyone to live one story, but Emmy's beginning to see that people are more than they appear. Her brother, who might not be "cured," the popular guy who lives next door, and most of all, many "ghostie" addicts who haunt the edges of the town. People spend so much time telling her who she is--it might be time to decide for herself. A journey of one sister, one brother, one family, to finally recognize and love each other for who they are, not who they are supposed to be, You'd Be Home Now is Kathleen Glasgow's glorious and heartbreaking story about the opioid crisis, and how it touches all of us.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Moving story of self discovery

September 10, 2021

Overall rating

4.7

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YOU’D BE HOME NOW is the moving tale of a teen girl who loves her brother who struggles with drug addiction. Emory and Joey have always been close, so she takes it extremely hard when she discovers he’s overdosed on heroin. They’d just gotten in a tragic car accident where one of their friends, a young high school girl, is killed. Emory has to deal with the fact that her friend is dead, her own injuries from the accident, and the fact that her brother has been using. Life gets much harder for her when it’s time for school to start up again that fall. Emory uses her secret romance with her next door neighbor as an escape, and it doesn’t seem like the best idea.

What worked:
The high levels of emotion in this book makes Emory an easy character to connect with. We get to join her on her journey through the trauma she’s been through and stand by as she begins to heal. Her love and devotion for her brother is touching, even if she doesn’t alway make the best choices. But her mistakes are part of what makes this book so endearing and realistic. Because, let’s face it, life as a teen can be messy and hard. This is a book all about learning and growth. The journey Emory takes is a painful, but beautiful one. One of the best parts of the story is the friendship she rekindles with Liza. It’s amazing to watch Liza stand up for her and be there for her despite their falling out in the past.

What left me wanting more:
There wasn’t much in this book that wasn’t perfect. Emory wasn’t as honest with her parents as she could have been. She steals from them and fails to tell them vital information that would keep her brother safe. Emory enabled her brother a bit throughout the story and that was a bit hard to read. But she’s just a kid and doesn’t always make the best choices. Like her relationship with her neighbor Gage. It was a bit painful to read about, but it seemed to be part of her growth. She needed to make those mistakes so we can see how she learns from them.

The Final Verdict:
YOU’D BE HOME NOW is an emotional roller coaster of a story that will keep you turning pages until the very end. There wasn’t a single moment when I wanted to put the book down or where I got bored. Kathleen Glasgow is a phenomenal writer who does a fantastic job painting the reality of what life is like for a young teen girl who struggles to keep her brother as well as herself afloat.