When I pick up a book by Christine Nolfi I know I’m in for a great ride. She writes southern fiction/women’s fiction like no one else. Her books are always a treat and so worth reading.

The Road She Left Behind is the perfect title for this awesome book. I started it and had such a hard time putting it down. I fell for the characters like they were long lost friends. There were a couple that I didn’t like, Jack, Darcy’s dad. He was a jerk of the worst kind. I also didn’t like Rosalind, Darcy’s mother. I did learn to like her and understand some of why she was the way she was. By the end I came to like her a lot and have lots of respect for her also.

My favorite character was Michael. He seemed to be such a kind and gentle person who loved Darcy with all his heart. Also all of his life. He was the kind of man all women need.

Emerson, Darcy’s nephew was one smart kid. His look at things was so refreshing. He is one smart kid too. He was a very kind child and had a way of making everyone fall in love with him. I certainly did.

Samson, Darcy’s young friend who insisted on coming back home with her. He was recently aged out of the foster system and looked up to Darcy completely. He would tell her like it was at times too. He was a great kid and didn’t take his friendship with Darcy lightly. He would stand up to anyone for her. I really did like him. He was someone that you would love to know for sure. Smart, kind and loving.. Samson is on his way to a great life.

Tippi and Nella are the next door neighbors and Nella was Rosalind’s best friend until a betrayal ended that. Nella, Michael’s mother, lived a life of guilt and would give anything to turn back time and do things differently. Tippi, Nella’s mother and Michael’s grandmother was a feisty woman who loved flirting and playing poker. She loved to cook and cause a bit of mischief when she would.

Darcy.... She was the strong young woman this whole story is about. She’s way stronger than she thinks and has lived her life in so much pain and guilt for the last eight years. She blames herself for her dad and sister dying. She feels like it is completely her fault and her mother didn’t help with that at all. Blaming one child for what another does is not fair. It’s a total shame for any mother to do so. Darcy’s coming back home made more wonderful things happen than she could have ever dreamed possible.

This book is so good. It will make you laugh, cry, think, hold your breath, cringe in parts, scream, laugh again and cry lots of tears. It’s so well written and will definitely tug at your heartstrings. It’s one that you won’t want to put down until the end and then you’ll want more. I highly recommend this book to everyone I know who loves reading.

I have to thank #NetGalley and #Lake Union publishers for this copy of a wonderful book for my honest review..

It’s another huge 5 stars from me. You can’t go wrong with a Christine Nolfi book.

I have never read any books by this author but am glad I got this one because I am now adding her to my list of authors. I love the story about family because it is something I believe in. When Darcy leaves home after her sister and father die in an accident she feels responsible for, things were never the same.

She was supposed to take care of her sister's son, Emerson, but instead that responsibility fell to her mother. When Emerson runs away, Darcy returns home to help find him and becomes entangled in the family secrets, and a love lost 8 years before.


This book kept me turning the page and was a great read. It wont be released until June 11 so thanks to #netgalley I received an ARC. I will definitely be reading more of Nolfi's books.

Real. Raw. Thought Provoking. This is a tale of secrets destroying lives - and the redemptive power of seeing people as they truly are. The backstories are tragic and understandable in a very real way. The actual story of the book even moreso. Maybe not a beach read unless you want to get sunburned - once you get in to the meat of the story, you're not going to want to put it down long enough to apply sun screen or even leave the room if at all possible. Very much recommended.

Thanks so much to Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and the author, Christine Nolfi, for the early read of this book. It was a pleasure reading and reviewing this book.

This book follows very strong women, one who ran from her past, and then had to come back to her hometown and face it. In life, I know we all feel that there are times that we just wish we hadn't done something, and that it would just go away, but in this book Darcy has to come face to face with her past, and the unfortunate things that she did.

This book deals with grieving, family, loss, letting go, and forgiveness, all in one brilliant book. I would suggest that my friends and family all read this one.

I will be adding this author to my favorites list.

Nolfi always brings real life to her characters. She draws you quickly into the storyline and keeps you there. the troubled relationships that have scarred Darcy's entire life are more profound secret. The characters are endearing and the plot engaging to the very end.

Beautifully written book about dealing with guilt, love and second chances. My first book of Christine Nolfi, but will definitely not be my last. Her writing style pulls you in from the start and makes you feel like you are part of the story. Loved this wonderful book!

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is wonderful filled with memorable and unique characters
Well told, very compelling, there are some sad moments and others that made me laugh.
A well told tale about family, loss and love

Looking back isn't always easy and for Darcy Goodridge it isn't anything she wants or plans to do. The past is too difficult to contemplate and, even worse, thinking about going back to an angry and unloving mother Darcy prefers to never have anything to do with again, is not an option. There's too much heartache and pain to ever want to return. "If you're going to roam the earth like the prodigal daughter, there are details you'll miss." This is where the story takes a turn and Darcy is faced with the decision of having to meet her past head on.
This story took me along the difficult journey Darcy has to maneuver through. I felt myself digging in with her to find the right path to do what was necessary and what was right. It's a story of finding forgiveness, not only for others but for herself. That can be the most difficult kind of forgiveness to accept.
The characters in this book are exceptional and so likeable. Well for the most part! There's always the one or two that have to "grow" on you. I especially fell in love with Darcy's young nephew, Emerson. He's a very independent little boy and is in tune with his surroundings and environment. He's not one anyone can put things past. Then there's Samson, the young foster system product who just wants to be loved and accepted. He's so wise in his young years and a true friend to Darcy. He says, "I feel sorry for you. My childhood was bad-all the moving around from one foster home to the next. Your childhood was lousy too."
The characters are woven in throughout this story in a way that made me feel I knew them in a personal way. Each one is tied to the others so that I was able to connect the relationships as the story progressed. There is suspense, some mystery, tensions that spill over, heartache, friendships both tentative and bonded. There are laugh-out-loud passages and others that break your heart. Then there is the story of Darcy and Michael....this in itself had me turning the pages! "Granted, no one sensible reignited a romance that had ended badly the first time. But forever was a long time."
Ms. Nolfi crafted a wonderful book that has healing, love, forgiveness and hope if there is a heart to open up for them to come into.
I am so grateful to Lake Union, Ms. Nolfi and Netgalley for the wonderful honor of reading this book. It's a five star novel for me. Thank you!
I enjoyed this book so very much.

Thank you to the author & publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of The Road She Left Behind. Very grateful ! There is nothing better to me than a really good book, and even that does not being to describe how beautiful this book is. This book has it all, tragedy, sadness, family, love, heartbreak and even hope. You will fall in love with each and every character in this book ! This book is the latest and greatest by the fabulous Christine Nolfi. You need to read this book !

Sometimes you need to stop running and go back and face your past.
Darcy fled her home eight years ago and has never looked back nor stopped running.
Now she's on the road back to confront what she left behind at home.
We get the impression that there are many secrets in Darcy's life. Slowly as the story unfolds we start to discover them as they are revealed.
I found the first few chapters a bit slow going until Darcy returned to her childhood home. Then, for me, the story picked up pace and I was drawn into the complex relationships surrounding Darcy.
An eclectic blend of characters populate the pages of this book and add so much value to the atmosphere of the book.
Its a very true representation of some families - that so often it takes something awful happening either to totally destroy them or repair them or both.
The story also exposes the other side of the mother/daughter relationship - the brittle, fragile, complex one that no-one really wants to talk about, preferring to focus on the easier, happier, uncomplicated one..
It also shines a light on the darker side of what we at times perceive as a "perfect marriage".
The last few chapters were very dramatic and fast-flowing and their events tied up everything perfectly.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. Darcy leaves home after an accident that caused the deaths of her dad and sister thinking that it was her fault. Living with the guilt of losing her only sister and leaving her nephew without a mother, she moves every year so she does not get too close to people. She receives a phone call from her mother's housekeeper informing her that her 8 year old nephew, who she promised her sister that she would raise if anything happens to her, she heads home to her mom and her boyfriend that she left with no explanation to find her nephew. Her mother, Rosalind, is not accepting of her daughter and is really rude and unwelcoming to Darcy. This book was a decent read. It was slow in parts and you could figure out the happily ever after.

This book is about redemption, second chances and finding lost love. The characters bring the story to life and provide understanding to who they once were.

Christine Nolfi has hit another one out of the ballpark. A beautiful story of family hurts, fears and denials all coming to light and finding redemption and forgiveness as Darcy returns home to Ohio after running away eight years before. Endearing characters tell a story of hope and love as Darcy discovers family and so much more. I'm thinking a sequel is in order, the characters are too vivid to reside in only one book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Christine Nolfi for sharing this beautiful ARC with me!

In order to not share any spoilers, I will share that this book is one that will prevent you from accomplishing any housework, so be prepared to hunker down in your favorite reading spot with your largest glass of sweet tea and dive right in and unravel the secrets and tragedy that have molded the broken Goodridge family for years....

When you leave that way you can never come home...but sometimes, going home is exactly where you have to go to face the pain that you've been running from.

You won't be disappointed!

This is my first read by Christine Nolfi and I really enjoyed her style of writing which pulled me into the story effortlessly.

The Goodridge family have been torn apart by a heartbreaking tragedywith many secrets and misunderstandings kept secret.

Darcy Giidridge has always run from her past and the hurt which she experienced. Her only friend Samson looks up to her and when a family drama unfolds they both return to her family home. Darcy is reunited with her controlling mother, her nephew who she has never truly known and the man she loved but left behind.

This beautiful story with its believable characters really touched me. The way a tragedy can affect a family and the way different people deal with such a tragedy was sensitivity explored.

Grieving, family relationships, forgiveness, infidelity, healing and letting go are all powerfully depicted in this page turning book , I would definitely recommend . Be warned your emotions will be tested, from laughing to crying to cheering on the fantastic characters.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for my chance to read this book which definitely left me wanting to read more .

I suppose it's not exactly fair for me to rate this book as I couldn't finish it. The premise of the book was interesting which is why I made the request to read. After the first few pages, I couldn't really comprehend what was going on. The writing was all over the place jumping back and forth between thoughts of the narrator. I felt that the language and dialogue were stilted and didn't belong to the characters themselves (an 18 year old doesn't speak like a 90 year old man) and this was a huge turn off. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get through the book because of these faults (again, just my opinion). Giving the book two stars because I liked the premise a lot. I just feel like it needs a lot of polishing up.

Darcy has a secret that she has been hiding, one that has had her on the move, never staying anywhere longer than a year, never letting anyone get close to her. It all changes when she is ready to pick up and move yet again….always on the anniversary of the deaths of her father and sister; her way of remembering and of not allowing herself to experience joy. She gets word that her nephew, Emerson, has gone missing from his home where he lives with his grandmother, Darcy’s mother, in Ohio. Darcy makes the tough decision to return home, fighting her demons, to help find Emerson. She knows this is entering into a situation, seeing and confronting her mother again, after 8 years of estrangement, opening up wounds and feelings that she has not allowed herself to face may prove to be too much. Once back, Darcy uncovers the reason she was called back to Ohio and along the way, perhaps allows herself to finally grieve and heal from the devastation that rocked her family.
Thank you, Christine Nolfi and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Road She left behind is an emotionally compelling book about a family torn apart by grief, guilt, and lies. Darcy left her hometown, her family, and her best friend eight years earlier following the deaths of her father and sister. She hasn’t spoken to her mother in all that time, and now is urged to come home when her young nephew disappears. The family dynamics in this novel are taut and honest, so many layers of frustration and hurt festering beneath the surface. The characters are well-written, true to life people who are complicated, stubborn, and endearing.

Another must read by Christine Nolte. We meet Darcy Goodridge, as she leaves job number eight, headed for number nine, when she gets a call from her mother’s housekeeper, imploring her to come home. Grudgingly she does, reluctant to experience a reunion with her estranged mother, after eight years.
So we are introduced to her family and neighbors, where secrets, lingering conflicts and heartache have alienated many. But her young nephew Emerson needs some stability in his life, and Darcy may be the right one to provide it.
But first, she must try to repair the relationships that she has been running from, and settle her own conflicts.
Christine Nolte is a talented story teller, with lovely locations, well developed and complicated characters and the ability to draw the reader in. I really enjoyed everything about this book, and appreciate the ARC for my honest review. I highly recommend it!

The Road She Left Behind by Christine Nolfi was so captivating! This book follows a young women named Darcy Goodridge and her story of returning home after almost a decade of avoiding her past. I thought this book was beautiful because it captured so many elements to this wonderful experience we call life. The top for elements that stood out to me were familial love, healing, friendship, and forgiveness. So if any of those qualities about life interest you, I suggest reading this book!

The Road She Left Behind is so funny! I flew through this book! I loved reading the conversations in this book because the characters have such distinct personalities and it made me laugh! I'm not going to lie though, this book gave me so many different emotions. But I think that's what makes a book a good book! This book also has a little bit of romance in it, so if that's something that interests you, read this book!

I think my favorite part about this book was how easy it was to understand Darcy. I felt like I could feel what she was feeling. While I might not have made the same decisions she had decided to make, I completely understand why she did. Christine made me feel like I was in Darcy life experiencing everything right along side her! Honestly, it's so hard to explain everything I love about this book without just giving it all away!
When I finished this book, I had so many questions! I couldn't believe how it ended, but maybe I'll be the only one to feel this way? With that being said, I loved this book! It kept me wanting more, and I wasn't ready for it to be finished! I guess there will just have to be a second book. One can hope!

I gave this book 5 stars. Thank you Christine Nolfi for writing this amazing book.