Another great novel by Susan Lewis, she rarely disappoints.
This one covers all sorts of topical issues, from homelessness, universal credit, grooming, county lines and gangs. Existing characters already introduced in other Susan Lewis novels do get a mention occasionally but you don't need to have read any of them, in fact you wouldn't even know if you hadn't read them.
To be honest, I would love to read a novel by this author that wasn't set in Kesterley, and I do wonder about the choice of calling the main character Angie Watts (maybe the author isn't a fan of Eastenders) but that is just nitpicking!

I will continue to look out for more books by this author.

I'm usually a great fan of Susan Lewis but sadly I didn't enjoy this book. I found it to be quite a depressing read, sorry.

I think I'm in the minority here in that I didn't love this book - it was okay but I felt it was predictable. I did finish it and it was okay but not really my thing. I am sure that many others will love it though - it's well written and the ending was satisfactory.

What a fantastic book. It tackles subjects that are hard to imagine and difficult to read about. However, as a result of excellent characters it is a book I could not put down and thoroughly recommend. It pulls at the heart strings continually and made me smile and brought me to tears. Excellent.

This is a veritable soap opera of a book, full of ups and downs (mainly downs to begin with it has to be said). Some of it is quite distressing, as there are people going through homelessness, eviction, inescapable debt, and the repercussions of having family members involved in drugs and child grooming.

Overall though, the book shows how some people - family and beyond - will always be there for others, which gives it an optimistic overtone.

Enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC.

This was a fabulous book. Loved the storyline - many of us are just one pay check away from homelessness. Something many people don’t realise. Susan wrote with great empathy and tenderness about Angie’s plight. Great read, perfect for a lazy holiday of Sunday afternoon.

Really interesting. Susan Lewis is so good at characterisations.. She also is never boring in so far as she has variety.
This is not literature but it is a good read. .

This book was difficult to get into but once I did I enjoyed it. Mixed emotions, but recommended. Other readers will probably enjoy reading this book.

Susan Lewis never fails to write good books. The emotion in the books is beautiful and the human element of her stories is amazing. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, but ultimately it fell a little flat for me.

The topical subjects of poverty, gangs, drugs, universal credit were well researched and handled well, however there is so much information thrown at you that it becomes quite a tedious read and I found myself becoming less invested in the storylines of the characters.

I also struggled with the ending. After such a powerful, emotive story, the ending just seemed a little fairy-tale for my liking.

This book sucked me right in and wrung me out. I was in tears at more than one point. The story of Angie Watts and her family, her children, sister Emma and her sons. We meet Angie two years after her popular husband's death. She's really struggling to make ends meet. and facing eviction. We see how her 13 year old daughter, Grace, tries to get money to help and the problems this causes. We see Angie searching for her son Liam, whose journey into gangs and drugs led to his father's death. We see a very human story and can't help but hope that Angie finds a way out of her situation. We see working poverty - Angie has a good job but it's not enough. She works for a charity doing good for others, but not a lot of money in it. The effects of Universal Credit are shown clearly. this is very much a story for now, showing the human effects of Government Policy on ordinary hardworking people. It is a salutory lesson in having life insurance in place. We see human trafficking and how easy it is to fall foul of evil people, how jealousy and greed can wreck lives. But we also see the good side of human nature in Angie and Emma's charity work, their love and support for each other and each others' children, and the high regard in which Steve, Angie's husband was widely held, which ultimately opened doors for her. #hometruths #netgalley.

A book to wallow in a massive downward spiral into despair. So realistic that the mood sucks you in and it becomes clear how easily this could happen to you.. The string of happy resolutions to all these issues is maybe less realistic but brings you back to the story as a work of fiction and moves it from what feels like a misery memoir to an enjoyable light read.

I sadly gave up on this book. To me it was dull and depressing. I read to 17%.
I accept it may have livened up but I just couldn’t bear to carry on.
Hate giving up, but not every book is to everyone’s taste.

Angie Watts used to have everything. 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. After 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. Angie is fighting just to keep a roof over their heads. But Angie is a mother. A mother does anything to protect her children – even when the world is falling apart.

I am not too sure what I can say about this book and I am definitely unsure of the positives. This starts with Angie's family going through a difficult time but events are not well explained - particularly those concerning Liam. Anyway, they are suffering and I felt for them. However, and I cannot say too much out of fear of spoiling it, but this really does turn into a fairy-tale. Things just happen and fall into the laps of the characters and it is just not realistic.

My other issue is Lewis' political statements. This book tackles important subjects and Lewis ensures she gets her view across, however they are not weaved into the story, they are simply boldly written and it does not fit in a fiction book, such a shame.

I also think this is way too long, but I mention this briefly out of fear of this being all negative!

The positive aspect about this was the characters. They were such a delight to get to know. They are a realistic, if at times frustrating cast who have all been dealt harsh life blows. Angie in particular is frustrating but overall likeable.

'Home Truths' is sweet and okay but also unrealistic and mind-numbingly long. Also, not the place for political statements.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an advance copy.

Having read some of Susan Lewis previous book I was excited to read this one, but unfortunately I really struggled to get into it.

I found this book’s storyline very slow. At times I felt I was being lectured to. The ending where everything was so conveniently resolved was rather too contrived. It was especially unbelievable that nothing untoward had happened to Grace whilst she was under the influence of drugs.

3.5 An absorbing family drama which touches on lots of topical issues such as homelessness, drugs and grooming. I really felt for Angie who’s up against so many problems and is desperately trying to keep her family together.

A sorry tale of unexpected consequences. Lots of good people doing good things and yet it all goes terribly wrong.
An interesting cast of characters, and lots of action make this a quick read, if a sometimes upsetting one. We really want things to turn round for them all.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

I had really high hopes for this book. The description appealed to me, the cover caught my eye, and the story gripped me from the first few pages.

But then it fell apart.

I can't even give an overview of what this book was about. There were so many themes, each touched upon but none explored in great detail (except the fact the main character was in dept - that was certainly made known and God forbid we forget). It covered:
1. Grief (life after the death of a husband)
2. A missing child
3. Debt/homelessness
4. CSE/trafficking
5. Gang-related crime/fraud

This book had huge potential to take one or two of these themes and make them the main focus. There was just too much going on in my opinion, but not in a fast-paced way. The whole story was dragged out, with every element stretched to the point where my interest was well and truly gone. Angie's character grated on me and I had no sympathy for her in the end. I probably sound heartless but I just couldn't deal with her pity. The "red herrings" weren't developed enough. There weren't enough character connections, too many were isolated and I think it would have been easy to create links between certain people just to give the story a bit more depth.

The worst part for me though was the ending. There was zero climax, no twist, and it was unrealistic. It made the rest of the story lose credibility. I was very disappointed as I do believe the story had something, it just wasn't refined enough for me.

An emotional story of how easy it is to slip into poverty and homelessness through no fault of your own. This is a thought provoking book, heartbreaking in places. Well researched, the first half of the book highlights how the system fails many families.

I really liked the lead character Angie and felt for her thoughout the book. I also loved Angie's daughter Grace. Well paced, I loved the twist and the romance which developed.

A heartwarming story of love, family, relationships, hardship and hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review