I liked this book. The story was good and the characters were interesting. The only part of the book that was written in an awkward manner was the sex between the main character and her old flame. The build up to them getting back together was believable. However, once they did finally make love for the first time I felt the narrative did not reflect the characters true feelings on what was happening to them as they were rediscovering the love they once had.

“You just come home “.
Those are the words Darcy never wanted to hear. Having left home after her father and sisters funeral , years of drifting from one place to another and years of self blame!
Darcy returns home and we are introduced to not only those she left behind but new characters as well.
Every character is written so well and adds so much to this story as family secrets, regrets, second chances, love and forgiveness are played out.
I absolutely loved this story, these characters and I didn’t want it to end !
Another great Christine Nolfi read!

A really good story about family and all the heartache and complications that come along with them. Another really good book by this author. Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for the early copy!
Definitely recommend!!

I really loved this book! Darcy is such a damaged soul she can’t find herself, but manages to save Samson. She’s been lost for a long time, but Samson believes that she will find her North Star if she can only find the will to look. Darcy and Sampson, who has just aged out of foster care, form an improbable bond that will carry them through the darkest of times. I really loved all the characters and enjoyed watching them evolve, change, and embrace each other. It was a difficult book to put down and I highly recommend it! My fingers are crossed that Christine Nolfi will write another book to follow this one because I’m not ready to leave their lives just yet!

I received this book as a arc member. The beginning of this book was slow but when got in the middle I couldnt put down. This author did a great job describing the characters . Must read

The road she left behind is a story of loss, secrets, misconceptions, guilt & forgiveness. One fateful night changed a family forever. Darcy Goodridge leaves Ohio & for eight years kept to herself, moving from Job to Job sealing with grief. All is about to change for everyone with the help of two boys, misconceptions, hurts and relationships will begin to heal. Christine Nolfi pulls at your heart, her stories capture you in the first sentence you can’t put the book down nor do you want the story to end. You definitely feel like you could fit in the towns she writes about & be friends with the character. The Road she left behind will change you. You will want to put this on your TBR list.

The Road She Left Behind By Christine Nolfi

5 Stars

Darcy is on the move again. When an unexpected call comes in she finds herself on the move to the one place she never planned to go again....home. She spent her life moving around, never staying in one place long. Never making connections. Running from her past. Running from her grief. Now shes back home dealing with the past she ran away from and hoping to have a brighter future with a family she left behind.

This was the first book by Christine Nolfi that I have had the honor of reading and it was awesome. It was such a heartwarming story of family and at the center is heartache. This story has such a strong set of characters. Emerson of course was my favorite. For a young boy he is so bright and a little handful and so fun to fall in love with. Darcy, Latrice, Samson, and yes, even Rosalind spin a tale of heartache and family that you can't help but love. It was full of love, heartache, drama, and family. This book was one I can say that I could read and reread even though it gave me a roller coaster of emotions. It was sad and happy all at the same time. I caught myself in tears and then a bit later I was laughing. It was written in a way that is easy to love and get into. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down.

After reading this book I can say with 100% honesty that this will not be my last book by this amazing author. If you love a book centered around family and a tear jerker that will have you on the edge of your seat then please get this book. You will love it just as much as I did.

Reviewed By
Stormi Ellis

Three women, two families, secrets...Christine Nolfi gets right into the hearts of the characters.
Tragedy strikes, Darcy leaves blaming it all on herself. 8 yrs later she returns home after a phone call from her mothers housekeeper. With her comes a young coworker whom looks to her as a substitute older sister or mother figure. Can she unravel her distant Mother, build a relationship with her nephew,
Pull her life together?
Read this great book and find out.
I highly recommend!

I absolutely loved this book. Christine always leaves her readers with a wonderful feeling of love and hope. Her unique characters are always my favorite. She writes with a color that you can't find many other places. So vivid that you can see and hear each and every character in your head as you devour her books. After a horrific crash that left her father and sister dead, Darcy spends years running place to place trying to overcome the guilt. But, when her nephew disappears, she finally goes back home to heal and find peace. This is a story that will melt your heart. Old mysteries and feuds, an old flame, and a family that will hopefully be put back together after years of guilt. You won't be disappointed with this book. I'm really looking forward to more.

Tbh, i struggled at the beginning of this book, my first by Christine Nolfi, but certainly not my last, I’m so glad i carried on. Darcy is obviously running away from her past, and not very successfully. At some point, buried emotions have to be addressed. All the characters were so different, yet all lovable; growing up in a home where parents are missing and the ‘help’ raises the children; the impact this has on everyone’s lives.
Happy, sad, laughter, tears......loved it

Darcy has been running from her past for eight years, and now she is being called back home. As much as she fights it, she returns to the home she grew up in and has to face her secrets. Along with her is an 18 year old young man, Samson, who she befriended and how is searching for his North Star after being released from the foster care system. Waiting for her is her 8 year old nephew Emerson, who is wise way beyond his age and yearning for stability and love in his young life. Can Darcy face her mother, her past love, and the reasons she ran away....and still be what Emerson and Samson need her to be? The neighbor and her mother bring another whole element into the story, with their love of Emerson, and their own secrets. The story captures the readers’s attention with the journeys of the characters through family crisis and challenges. This book is well worth the read and the emotional ups and downs it brings with it. I received an ARC of this book from the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley in return for an honest review, which this has been. #TheRoadSheLeftBehind, #NetGalley

There is guilt that leaves you with scars. There is guilt that tears a family apart. There is guilt that makes you think that a family will never heal and become one together ever again. That is the fate of Darcy Goodridge who left her family 8 years ago and never looked back. Yet there is a time for forgiveness, a time to let the past go and confront the emotional return to seek the love and humanity of family. This is a strong, compelling story, haunting in its telling...time to repair the hurt and the wounds. This was an emotional story from start to finish, but one I wouldn't want to miss. No matter what families are the ties that bind us.

My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Can you go back to the way things used to be? Do you want to? Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

The Road She Left Behind answered these questions for me. You need to read this amazing book & make your own decisions.

8 years ago tragedy struck. Darcy was never the same again. She left home never looking back. She was called home, and while she didnt want to go, she did. Her nephew needs her, and while her mother Rosalind doesn't want her there. she too needs Darcy. While many things have remained the same, many others changed.

Darcy learns things about her family that change her outlook. Eyes open, she challenges her mother to make personal changes as well.

Thank you to Christine Nolfi and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to review this book in advance!

#netgalley #ChristineNolfi #LakeUnionPublishing #TheRoadSheLeftBehind

“Crushed by guilt over the car accident that killed her father and sister, and torn apart by her mother’s resentment, Darcy Goodridge fled her family estate eight years ago and hasn’t looked back. Now an unexpected phone call threatens to upend what little serenity she’s found. Her nephew, Emerson, who was just a baby when his mother died, has gone missing. Darcy must return home and face her past in order to save him.”

Contemporary women’s fiction is a genre that I haven’t been into for a long time, I normally reach for all the mysteries and thrillers. However, something about this synopsis grabbed me and so, I jumped, and I am so happy that I did. The one thing that was not revealed by the synopsis was the relationships in this book that turn you into a sideline cheerleader, hoping that everything plays out just right for everyone.

This book also made me feel all the emotions. I was on the edge of my seat in parts, sad in others, elated in others and feeling the love still in other parts. I also found myself giggling out loud on a regular basis thanks to a certain couple of characters who added so much flavor and color to this book.

If I had one thing that hung me up from giving 5 stars, it would be that I found it jumped in some places. Never enough for me to get lost, but enough for me to sort of stumble and go “oh, we’re talking about what now?”

Overall, this book was a great, light read and I would definitely look for this author again!

Darcy has never been close to her mom Rosalind. After an accident takes the lives of Darcy's dad and sister, Darcy leaves home. 8 years later Darcy returns home. She brings with her Samson who is like her little brother. Rosalind her mother is not happy to see her but her 8 year old nephew Emerson is. As they learn to be together again, lots of family secrets come to the surface. This is an amazing story of family, love, and forgiveness. The characters are so real and multi layered you are laughing and crying with them. If you like stories with amazing characters and a wonderful story then this book is for you! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Christine Nolfi for providing a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

(From Netgalley)
Three women. Two families torn apart by secrets.
Crushed by guilt over the car accident that killed her father and sister, and torn apart by her mother’s resentment, Darcy Goodridge fled her family estate eight years ago and hasn’t looked back. Now an unexpected phone call threatens to upend what little serenity she’s found. Her nephew, Emerson, who was just a baby when his mother died, has gone missing. Darcy must return home and face her past in order to save him.
Once back in Ohio, Darcy realizes there’s more to Emerson’s disappearance—and to the sudden retirement of her mother, Rosalind—than meets the eye. As she works to make inroads with Rosalind, Darcy begins to unravel a decades-old secret that devastated her family and forced a wedge between her and Michael Varano, the man she left heartbroken when she vanished after the funeral. After carrying the scars of that fateful night for almost a decade, Darcy is determined to find closure, healing, and maybe even love where she lost them all in the first place—right back home where she belongs.

This story is pure sweetness. It is obvious that veteran author, Christine Nolfi, understands how to artfully weave the human condition into a comforting bundle of stories that readers actually care about until the end. In The Road She Left Behind, readers follow Darcy’s journey back to Ohio when her nephew turns up missing. The story begins in Charleston with a host of minor characters that jump off the page, including best friend and lovely companion, Samson, who easily lives up to his Biblical name. This alone promises characters so rich, it would read like a movie script. Darcy is strong and sensible with her intelligence outweighing any stubborn actions that could destroy her logic. Her thoughts are a bit jumbled after the tragedy she endures before the novel begins (losing her sister and father) and this makes her seem like she is just another woman running away from her problems. Then she is forced home. In her hometown and childhood home, Darcy opens up and becomes one of the most compassionate characters in fiction. Her mother, Rosalind, plays the ultimate “mommy dearest” villain with words that cut the readers as well as the characters she slings them towards. My favorite character was Emerson, Darcy’s bright 8-year-old nephew, who is a real child character with quick and natural dialogue.

Aligning with the enjoyable characters, the plot rolls along quickly without having to add to much action. Although the ending includes just enough drama to wake up the characters, it is not needed throughout the entire novel because the characters are so well-developed readers can easily fall into their lives and care about what is happening to them. It was refreshing to read a story that did not need to pull out all of the stops to get readers to delve into the world Nolfi created. It was a simple and sweet view of how pasts and secrets can build a personal prison for everyone involved. The secrets were not earth-shattering but fit in the story well without it feeling like a forced shock just to keep readers guessing. This novel also includes a sort of dual plot with Rosalind’s neighbor creating a devastating twist that brings things into perspective.

Overall, I rate this novel 5/5 stars for the sensitive and enduring stories that draw readers into the domestic lives of people that have redeeming qualities and true-to-nature flaws. It was refreshing and engaging. The best part about this novel is the way it sticks with readers long after the last page has been turned.

This novel's publication date is June 11, 2019.

The Road She Left Behind by Christine Nolfi portrays two families ripped apart by tragedy and deeply buried secrets of the past. This book depicts a beautiful and touching story filled with strong themes of forgiveness, love, and betrayal between family and friends. The story revolves around Darcy who returns back home to Ohio after many years away to face the guilt of her past and find the closure she has been seeking. You can always count on Christine Nolfi to write books and develop characters that everyone can relate to in some way.

Christine Nolfi masterfully tells the story of Darcy and Rosalind and their losses through life. The mother and daughter attempt to navigate a new way of communicating in this standalone book. This is a book about finding yourself in the least likely place. It also touches on a little-known, but impactful disease that was very personal to me. It brought up the topic, and gave it some detail, but not too much (which was good. It's a very confusing ailment). While it discussed some of the possible treatments, I appreciated that it did not beautify the terrible disease, nor did it get into the nitty gritty details. The book discusses as much as was necessary to propel the story along. I loved the Sweet Lake series, but I enjoyed this book even more. I hope she continues to write similar books. While there were elements of predictability, there were also surprises along the way. It was the perfect brain break I needed between graduate school semesters.

Definitely one of my favorite books so far this year.
This book has it all and clicks so perfectly. From the characters to the plot to the atmosphere. I loved every single character, even the high and mighty grumpy Grand Dame. Darcy comes home after eight years because her nephew has gone missing. She’s carrying a heavy weight on her shoulders feeling guilt for things that happened in the past. Her mother blames her, too. I loved the relationships, past and present, and the stories that went along with them. Anyone who has ever watched General Hospital, the eight year old nephew has the personality of Spencer Cassidine. I loved it! A lot of revelations and healing take place in this book. Highly recommend it!
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC

Christine Nolfi has a way of taking a problem such as the family strife in this story and making it something to which anyone can relate. The Road She Left Behind brought me into the life of Darcy and how her past shaped and guided the different directions she chose. This was a story that wouldn’t let me leave and left me wanting more at the end. I cheered and I cried as I read. Sometimes I did both at the same time.
This is another must read story by a very talented author.