Nice enjoyable read, good holiday book. Would rate it 3.5/4*

An enjoyable light read, although it contained a good deal of sadness and loss. I felt like I was on an idyllic Cornish holiday such as I'd always dreamt. I must admit to wondering how Ella and Kit were supporting themselves - I felt there was detail missing along the way. We experienced Ella and Henry's childhoods with their loving grandparents. Although their mother, Sennen, had left them at such a young age their grandparents, through their own heartbreak, made sure the children had a happy childhood. We see how decisions made when young and naive can become huge and affect lives. How secrets kept can become overwhelming. If Sennen had confided how unhappy she was at school, would it have made a difference to the course of her life, if she'd had friends and wasn't looking for affection?Lightly written, with many underlying issues, the result is a family story to treasure,

I did find this a somewhat sentimental book but was warned before I started by the blurb and for some it will bring on tears.
I did like it though and enjoyed the read but did wonder if Fern had been to India as I have, as saying tuk-tuk rides were expensive is absolutely not true - they are very cheap indeed and can be made even cheaper by sharing and cramming in more people than you could ever imagine!
Certainly, the markets are very cheap but also very unhygienic - vegetables probably would be OK to eat but don't touch the meat or fish!

This isn’t my usual genre but I found it to be an engaging story. It’s a family story involving 3 generations. The setting in Cornwall is idyllic, however family life is not so. There are quite a number of trials in this story for all members of the family and one or two surprises. I received an advanced copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really loved this excellent feel good read. Just what you need to make you feel better after a long day at work.
9/10

Coming Home follows the story of three generations of women from the Cornish town of Pendruggan. Ella - who returns to Cornwall following the death of her beloved Grandmother, Adela.  Sennen - who ran away from Cornwall twenty years earlier, leaving her mother Adela and her father, Bill, to care for her two young children  - Henry and Ella.  And Adela - the mother and grandmother who must deal with the emotional fallout that her daughter's disappearance has on her husband and their grandchildren.

As the story unfolded I felt a mixture of emotions, anger towards Sennen for leaving her children behind, sympathy for Adela and Bill, who have to deal with their own emotions that their daughter running away has evoked, all the while caring for the two children Senna left behind. Dislike for the grown-up Henry, how different he is to his sister! Ella is instantly likeable, she is such an easy character to root for.

We met Ella in Fern Britton's earlier novel, The Postcard, where she had just arrived in Pendruggan.  Coming Home delves much deeper into Ella's early life and the reason behind her return to Cornwall. It explores her relationship with Henry, who really comes across as a spoilt brat, and her relationship with Kit goes from strength to strength.

In the book, we are introduced to Sennen, the mother of Ella and Henry.  We learn about her reasons for running away and discover where she has been for the past twenty years. As much as she angered me with her selfish actions, I did feel for her when she discovers that both of her parents are dead.

The book is quite thought-provoking, exploring teenage pregnancy and the gamut of emotions that many young mothers face. It is beautifully written and the characters and story are captivating. It's very easy to get involved with the storyline and you find yourself rooting for at least one character.

With regards to Sennen, I felt that there are many loose ends with her character, which makes me wonder if Fern is planning to write Sennen's story. Henry wasn't as developed a character as I had thought he would be, but again, I wonder if we will get to read his story at a later date. I was particularly happy with the happy-ever-after that Ella and Kit got. Ella is such a lovely character and I really had hoped she would get everything that she had wished for.

Overall I found Coming Home to be a pleasant read with a strong storyline and believable characters. The book is very well written and grabs your attention right from the off.

Definitely recommended.

A stupid mistake made by a young girl who was too afraid to face the music has a ripple effect within her family's life and her own. Another mistake a few years later by the young girl's mother made out of hurt and worry and the past looks like it can't be rectified.

I found it hard to put this book down. We are told the story of Sennen's parents,how they met and had their longed for daughter who in turn had two children before the age of seventeen. Her parents worked hard at looking after the children but still Sennan couldn't cope and she left because she thought she could find the answer to making a happy family. This was not to be and when she returns twenty years later to the Cornish village with many childhood memories she has to explain to her son and daughter why she left them.

I did want to give Sennen a good talking to many times in this book. If only she had told someone her secrets and how she felt, the missing years with her parents and her children could have been avoided.
I loved hearing about Sennen's life over the past twenty years, what she had been up to, who she had met. I think this is Fern's best book yet. It has love, family, quarrels, secrets and a beautiful Cornish village. Fern's descriptions took me from the beaches of Cornwall to the bazaars in India, and it had a lovely ending.

Coming Home is published in paperback with the kindle edition out tomorrow and the paperback published on 28 th June.
Enjoy! With wine and chocolate of course!

Coming Home is the second book I've read by Fern Britton and like the first one I absolutely loved this Cornish novel.
The book is based around Sennen we start the story when she is a young teenage mother of two children both by the same partner, who she tells no-one anything about him. Sennen sets off with her best friend Rosemary and they run away in the hope of finding the Father of her children and starting a new life together. Rosemary after a few weeks comes back but Sennen never did until her mothers solicitor eventually tracks her down to tell her of her Mothers death and her inheritance. Sennen has made a new life albeit built on deception that she has to come clean about as she has to come back to Cornwall to try and build a relationship with her children and sort out her inheritance.
This was a well written and very well paced book that I couldn't put down. The chapters were well spaced with a lot happening really in each one as more and more is revealed about Sennen's missing years. It was nice how it all the family ties linked together well and although it is a little bit emotional it does make you laugh as well.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Sennen and why she ran away leaving two young children behind. I liked the way that Ella and Henry reacted to differently tonher return. Ella was a bit too quick to forgive but that tells a tale ofnthe unbreakable family bond. An easy enjoyable read. Would recommend.

This was my first time reading anything written by Fern Britton, and although I am familiar with her as a TV personality, i didn’t know what to expect from her as an author. I was pleasantly surprised. Whilst this was not one of those books that I just couldn’t put down, I did find it an engaging read, and enjoyed the storyline. The characters were generally credible, and there were vivid descriptions of locations. The well-written plot involved secrets, betrayal, and forgiveness. I would award this book four stars.

This reminds me of a Maeve Binchy novel in some ways. A gentle family story with a lot of warmth. The Cornish setting really brought the novel to life. It sort of rolls along nicely without too many plunges in emotion or extreme highs.

Fern never fails to please- an easy read, perfect to cosy up with on a cold day, or read by the swimming pool on holiday.

'Coming Home' is the pain and secrets of three generations of women intricately woven into a beautiful, emotional tapestry of, atonement, forgiveness, love and sacrifice. Believable, complex, flawed characters struggle to come to terms with their past losses and mistakes.
The story revolves around Sennen who at seventeen leaves her two young children in her parents' care and runs away. Years later after the death of her mother Adela, Sennen returns, wanting to atone and receive forgiveness from the children she left behind. Ella returns to Cornwall to rebuild her life after her grandmother's death. She was the only mother she ever knew and learning to live without her is hard, Kit her boyfriend is the rock she needs to lean on, and their deepening romance provides a thread of hope in a sad story full of lost opportunity and misunderstanding.
The cleverly layered plot reveals that Sennen's actions are not as selfish as they first appear, having two children at such a young age, stems from her insecurity and lack of guidance from her bohemian parents, they love her, but they don't guide her.Naive, she lacks perspective and makes impulsive decisions without considering the consequences for herself and those she loves.
With timeslips back to the courtship of Sennen's parents, Bill and Adela and Sennen's life after she leaves home, the conflict she faces from her son Henry, her guilt and the reasons why she has left it so long to return to her children are easier to understand.
The pacing makes this story easy to read and the characters draw you into their lives. There is a thought-provoking twist in this gentle story that illustrates that there are always two points of view and sometimes forgiveness and making a new start is the only way to heal.
I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins UK via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

When Ella’s beloved grandmother Adela dies, she comes back to the beautiful Cornish coast to heal her heart. There she finds her home again and discovers a new life, and new love, she also opens a treasure trove of secrets. Sennen left Cornwall a young single mum but unable to cope. She left her children, her family and part of her. She’s spent the years hiding from her past, also hiding from herself. Now it’s time to return to Cornwall & face her mistakes also to pray for forgiveness & hope for a future with her daughter.
I’d been waiting for Ella’s story ever since I’d read The Postcard. Another well written story that spanned three generations of the family, Bill & Adela, Sennan & Ella & Henry. Ella so wanting a mother, Henry hurt beyond words & Sennen facing returning to Cornwall. I felt for all of them, I was engrossed in the book, how there were flashbacks to the 1970s & 1990s & I found it very hard to put down, it was an emotional roller coaster that left me wanting more & I look forward to reading more of Fern’s books.

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Coming Home is a stand alone story set in Cornwall which tells us the storyof Sennen a young teenage Mum who runs away from her two young children, leaving them with their grandparents. She travels to Santander in Spain, along with her friend Rosemary, in search of their father, who she is naively convinced is in love with her, and will want to raise the children together as a family. When that doesn’t happen, and homesick Rosemary returns to Cornwall to face the music, Sennen knows that she can’t just return home after all the upheaval she caused, and so she continues running. Many years later a letter from Cornwall finds its way to her in India where she is now settled and she knows that she has to return home.

I love Fern Britton books, they are always warm and inviting and so well written that you are transported to Cornwall, and the characters are like friends and neighbours. I especially loved Ella, the very young daughter that Sennen walked out on– I love to think that I would react the same way if I met my mum for the first time – Ella was welcoming and forgiving and just so nice – I pictured her with a constant smile on her face, even when she was dealing with her difficult older brother Henry, who was less tolerant of his mother’s reappearance.

My favourite part of the book was when we were transported to Sennen’s life in India – I could feel the warm sun on my back, could hear the birds singing in the trees and feel the hussle and bustle of the Taj Mahal.
All in all this was a brilliant read on a miserable February afternoon, although it would be equally great to read on a sun lounger around a pool!

*I was provided with a free advance copy of this book my Net Galley and Harper Collins in return for an honest and open review.*

I struggled with this book. The constant change of POV from one character to another never gave me time to get into a character’s mind for any length of time.

A lovely story of a broken family coming together as one again. Sennen has had two babies before she turns 18, with fantastic accepting and helpful parents who have stuck by Sennen she decides to run away and leave Henry and Ella with her parents knobs they will be safe and cared for. 25 years later Sennen returns to Cornwall and her now adult children, angry hot headed Henry and kind gentle Ella. A wonderful heart warming story.

Fern Britton's books are always such a delight to read. They are set in Cornwall and have such vividly drawn characters that you can imagine settling down over a glass of prosecco to have a chat.
Sennen abandoned her family as a 17 year old after her life became a little overwhelming. With two small children that she left for her parents to bring up, she carves out a nomadic life for herself. We learn more about her life and also the anguish her disappearance caused both her parents and her little boy.
When she travels back to Cornwall to see the solicitors she wants to build a new relationship with her children. Her son, who still had memories about his mum, is still very angry and initially doesn't want to meet her. Ella is keen to meet the mum she doesn't remember.
The Pencil House feels like a character in its own right and we can just imagine staying there.
Sennen has secrets that she is nursing and her flight back to Cornwall is stirring up more anguish for those she is leaving behind.
You can feel her desperation to be reunited with her children and her shopping trip to buy some more traditional clothing is particularly bittersweet. She is an individual but wants to create the right impression with her children.
I loved the way the story evolved, with the shattered feelings being hurled in Sennen's face and the way she turns to her childhood friend for a little support. You can feel Ella's need for her mum in her life and the relationship building between them.
I was sad to come to the end.

Reviews will be added to my blog and Amazon on publication day.

A lovely family saga set in the lucious Cornwall. Well drawn characters and a nice easy read which I really enjoyed.

This is the first Fern Britton novel I have read and whilst not being my usual kind of reading material I did enjoy it. This is a sometimes moving story about loss and forgiveness following Sennen, a young mother who left her home town in Cornwall leaving her 2 young children in the care of her parents. Following the death of her mother Sennen returns to her family home to face her past and try to re-establish herself in her childrens' lives with mixed results.
Overall an easy and gentle read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advance review copy.