Cover Image: Home Truths

Home Truths

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Member Reviews

Another wonderful book by Susan Lewis. I have absolutely loved every book of hers that I've read and this one was no exception. She is just so exceptionally good at writing about people, difficult relationships, challenging situations and everyday life. A beautifully written, very moving and thought provoking read.

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Brilliant book. None of us know what life has in store for us. Angie would certainly never of dreamt of her life spiralling like it did. One family torn apart by grief and loss and each member of the family coping as best they can while trying to protect each other.

This book shows how the support and love of family and friends is so important.

A really heartfelt read

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*edited review*

I first reviewed this back in 2019 but have since gone back and reread this book and COMPLETELY changed my mind, a literal 360*.

It just goes to show that if your head is not in the right place, books that you could love at other times just don't work for you at that present time... hence why I felt the need to come back and edit my review.

Whilst in my original review I said that it was centred around financial hardship and homelessness as a negative, I now feel that this is what made the story what it is.

Angie once had the perfect life.. a beautiful home, a doting husband and 3 amazing children, until everything comes crashing down in the most devastating way. Her eldest son gets in with the wrong crowd and goes missing after witnessing his father being murdered.
Angie now faces losing everything as she counts every penny to just put a meal on the table and tries to fight off her landlord and debt collectors whilst also running a business helping those in need alongside her little sister.

When the inevitable happens and she loses her home, Angie sees no way out but a chance encounter when she has hit rock bottom may just give her the answer she needs *no spoilers*.

This is a tale full of emotion, true friendship, family tragedy and above all else hope.

As always Susan Lewis brings the characters to life like no other, they are well padded out, likeable and relatable.

An incredibly powerful story that feels all the more real in the world we are living in today. Susan brings to the forefront just how people are struggling today and how little we all know what is going on in others loves.

#bekind

I recieved this ARC from netgalley and Harper Collins in exchange for my review.

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Angie had the perfect life, loving husband, beautiful house and three children, she is happy in her life until something devastating happens that changes everything. Such a sad book of a mother that’s trying her best to keep her family provided for and it’s scary because in reality it could happen to any one of us. I enjoyed this book, even though it was sad it was also in ways heartwarming.

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Took me a while to get into this, story really picks up half way so you are kind of dragging your feet in the first half which irritated me a little. Good writing but I wanted it to be a bit more fast paced.

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I received a digital arc of this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I always find Susan Lewis books to be a good in depth read but not too fast paced. Again it took me a while to get into this one but around 50% the pace quickened and I couldn't put it down.

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An emotive read from this well known author which I really enjoyed. The characters were well written snd likeable, the storyline held my interest and made me realise how much many of us take for granted whilst so many others struggle. My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for a digital copy in exchange for my review.

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Once again, Susan Lewis has written another incredibly powerful book that discusses the extent a mother will go to to protect and care for her loved ones.

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I've read loads susan lewis books and this didn't disappoint and can't wait for more.

She always read brilliant books

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Loved this book, what an emotional Roller Coaster. Great plot highlighting the struggles people can face day to day. Had me in tears at the end.

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Susan Lewis never disappoints. Each novel so very different but each so beautifully written that you are instantly drawn in. Home truths tells a modern tale that could be routed in the lives of anyone who’s found themselves suddenly with such changed circumstances that life just begins to fall apart. Angie Watts thought herself on top of the world, three beautiful children a husband who worked hard and provided for their needs, as well as a loving sister who worked alongside her in a charity that supported ex-addicts to turn their lives around. What could possibly go wrong ? But as her eldest son Liam grew up and followed the path of least resistance to join a gang, get involved in drugs and ultimately be the reason her husband. Steve makes a rash decision that changes their live’s forever.
This novel shows how easy a family can fall on hard times and be caught in a downward spiral with the only way out seeming to be pay day loans or seedy loan sharks, homelessness and desperation fueling the decision making. How will Angie turn her life around when she’s too proud to even be honest with her sister? How will she keep her family together and find Liam before his drug use ends him completely. This traumatic tale read during an international pandemic only goes to show Angie could be any of us.

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Angie Watts had the perfect ordinary family. A new home. A beloved husband. Three adored children.

But Angie’s happy life is shattered when her son Liam falls in with the wrong crowd. And when her son’s bad choices lead to the murder of her husband, it’s up to Angie to hold what’s left of her family together.

Her son is missing. Her daughter is looking for help in dangerous places. And Angie is fighting just to keep a roof over their heads.

But Angie is a mother. And a mother does anything to protect her children – even when the world is falling apart…

The story has a good plot but as I usually read romance it was a nice change of pace.

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An emotional read. Still reeling from the murder of her husband Angie Watts is fighting to keep her home and family together. A book that deals with the real modern day issues which face many poverty stricken families.

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I heard mixed reviews about this one and I agreed with both sides. Susan Lewis is a go to author of mine, but this one wasn’t her best. Don’t get me wrong it was well written and had a good storyline, it just wasn’t her best.

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I started this in mid/late June, but put it down for well over a month, as the story line is very dour and in these testing times, I decided I needed something a little more up-lifting. A month or so later I did pick this back up and continue on.

This book follows the life of Angie Watts, a once happily married Mum of 3, only for her perfect existence to be torn to pieces, when her husband is brutally murdered by the gang that have sucked their eldest son, Liam, in. Angie’s life spirals and she finds herself racking up debts she has no ways of paying. This leads to her landlord giving her an eviction notice. With the council not coming up with anywhere to live, her kids move in with her sister, but Angie pretends she has somewhere else to live, but she starts sleeping in her van to try and save money. Angie’s teenage daughter Grace wants to help and out of nowhere she gets an offer of an audition for a film where they coax her in with the offer of money, but this of course is not what it seems.

This is a heartbreaking tale of how quickly things can go wrong. You can understand why I put this down for a few weeks, the debt, the grief, the desperation, the exploitation, it really is a hard tale to read, especially when the stark reality is that this is a lot of people’s reality, not fiction. The story takes a bit of turn in direction as you move through the book, which in my view I found a little hard to believe, as it went from a book that would be very relatable to too many people, to one that felt was pure fiction and made you say, well that would never happen!

This is a hard read in that the base of the story is probably a too common place in modern day UK. The last quarter of the book just wasn’t credible, it took away from what was laid out before. While we would all like life to end the way this book does, the harsh reality is that 95% + of the time it doesn’t. For this reason I give this 3.5/5 rounded to a generous 4. Thanks to Netgalley for this free copy.

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I received an ARC of this book through netgalley, its a very easy read which I raced through. I lie the easy reading that Susan Lewis provided while also dealing with difficult topics

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This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I did enjoy it!

The subject matter, is luckily something I don’t have first hand experience of. In places it was tough to read but a real eye-opener.

I struggled in places to connect with the characters and there were multiple story lines running at once. Which, I feel detracted from the main journey. There was also an element of unbelievable-ness for me, which left this as a 3 star read.

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Home Truths by Susan Lewis
Rating 4.3/5
From the first few pages, I was hooked. Susan Lewis has written a very emotive novel depicting Angie Watts living through a very up to date situation. Trying to keep her family together after the loss of Steve, her husband and rock. Already Liam, her oldest son, who suffers from learning problems, has disappeared after being groomed by a drug gang.
Although supported by her family Emma, her sister and 13 year old daughter Grace, Angie cannot keep the wolf from the door. She is homeless and practically destitute despite working all hours.
Home Truths brings to light how easy it is for someone to find themselves in sleeping rough, becoming victims of unscrupulous factions and suffering the consequences.
The characters in the novel are well portrayed and I felt totally moved and enlightened to their situations. Only downside for me was it did get a bit twee otherwise it would have rated a 5. However, I have to say, it would be great to have a Martin about.
Susan Lewis is a great novelist and I was privileged to read Home Truths. Recommended.
Thanks to Susan, HarperCollins and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Home Truths. I have written an honest and unbiased review.

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Susan Lewis has done it again! I don't often read her books and when I do, I wonder why I don't do it more regularly. This book was interesting. When I first started it, I thought it was going to be too deep for me, but Susan has managed to explore the situation without letting it take over the whole story (I know someone people like that, but it isn't my kind of thing). Of course, there is a love story in there

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A dramatic tale of how life can change in the blink of an eye. It wasn’t really for me but don’t let that put you off. If you like an easy read with a bit of a heart tug try it!

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