3.5 stars

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I had no expectations when starting this book, as I have never read anything by this author and I found this book to be a delightful surprise. While the characters could be annoying and predictable at times, they were engaging and the cast of supporting characters provided a lot of color to the story.
This was a heartwarming story about what it means to start over, rediscover your passion and finding a real home filled with family and friends. It was a quick and enjoyable read.

I laughed so many times while reading this book. It wasn’t particularly funny, but Shirley Pratt, A.K.A the mother-in-law from hell, was hilarious. She was mean, she was a manipulator, and she was funny. I love how she poked and prodded at her daughter-in-law and how the DIL let her but got her own pokes in. Katelyn, the DIL, was wonderful. She had the patience of a saint but didn’t take her life lying down. Sure, she became the stay at home mom from TV shows but it was what she wanted to do for her twins. Yet, when the going got tough she put her big girl panties on and did what she wanted to change her life. I like that she didn’t let her failed marriage define who she was and didn’t play the boo hoo poor me card.

The Future She Left Behind is a book of hope, not giving up dreams, and family. The characters were quirky and fun. None were perfect but they were all realistic. The storyline tugged at your heart, made you giggle, and made you have hope.

I recommend getting your own copy and enjoying it for yourself.

The Future She Left Behind by Marin Thomas really scratched an itch for me. I am kind of at the point where I just want to read nothing but contemporary fiction this summer. And so, this book totally fits the bill. It’s one that I probably would not entirely have sought out on my own if I did not have it on my Netgalley queue requiring review. However, I actually am REALLY glad I read this book.

Thomas’s The Future She Left Behind features Katelyn, a 40 year old divorcee. She’s just been served divorce papers by her husband Don who is currently away for business in another country. And oh by the way, he cheated on her too. Multiple times. So, Katelyn makes the decision to drive home from St. Louis to Little Springs, Texas where she was born and raised. Only, her ex-mother in law is coming with her. Shirley, the mother in law, is forgetful and there’s no one really to take care of her so, Katelyn takes that responsibility on.

Once in Texas, Katelyn stays at her childhood home with her mother, Birdie. She’s decided to give Birdie a break from her job by working Birdie’s shifts at the Bag & Go grocery store while she figures out where to go next and how to handle the divorce. Meanwhile, Katelyn is also reconnecting with an old flame, Jackson. Speaking of flames, sparks ignite for Shirley too.

So, this book is a gentle, fun read. It’s about a small town peopled with eccentric, good people. There really isn’t any over the top drama. It is all about women (and a man) who just come into their own. For Katelyn, she discovers her old passion for art again and gives herself permission to create and make mistakes. I think that some people might find this book boring. But for others who want a good, low key read about characters, this is really going to fill that craving. I personally LOVED it.

This was wonderful. Katelyn was a great heroine to root for. While she faced disappointment; she was able to overcome it by standing strong. Shirley was awesome as well! I liked reading about them and it made me sad with the circumstances they faced.

I ended up just totally loving this book! It's a feel-good story of second chances, fresh starts and family set in West Texas. It has a ton of heart!

Highly recommended for fans of contemporary women's fiction.

My review can be seen at RT Book Reviews

I expected to love this book. I am open-minded, but I failed to really enjoy reading about any of the characters in this novel. I wanted Katelyn to be a stronger and angrier character than she was... but I expected that she would change and grow into a better person by the end of the book. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to finish it.

I was almost halfway through reading this novel when I reset my kindle (I switched to a new Amazon account because the one I had been using was tied to my mom's account from when I received the kindle as a gift when I was a teenager), and the ARC file was deleted. By the time I was ready to re-download it, the title was archived.

I might purchase this book in the future to finish reading it, but as for now, my review is incomplete and I apologize.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this book!

This was a really nice read. It reminded me a little of Patty Jane's House of Curl, which is one of my favorite books. Katelyn discovers that her husband wants a divorce when she is served legal papers one morning out of the blue. Her bitter, complaining mother-in-law lives with her and Katelyn's first thought is "good riddance". But that is not the case; Katelyn's kind nature wins out and she and her MIL embark on an adventure home to Katelyn's mother and a small town in Texas.

When she was young, Katelyn left behind her hometown, her mother, her boyfriend because she wanted "the good life" she did not think she would be able to live in Texas. At first glance, it appears she made the right choice, but as time and the characters surrounding her reveal their true nature, Katelyn discovers that happiness is not found by having the best money can buy; it is found in little things done with heart and soul.

The book is sweet and easy to read, the language and situations are not unkind or full of dark tragedy, although the subject matter hints at the darkness of human nature. I am glad I was given the opportunity to read and review this book. It left me with a good feeling.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer jerjen

Katelyn Chandler has a good life. She has a husband and twins that she adores and she does not want for anything. But that all changes when her husband files for divorce and admits that he has cheated on her. And to add insult to injury, her mother-in-law, Shirley, has been living with her. To say her mother-in-law is a nasty person would be an understatement. She never really liked Katelyn and finds fault with everything that Katelyn does. She is devastated and really does not know what to do. Her children do not need her as much now, since they are college-age. She will be okay financially but she does not know what she wants to do with the rest of her life. She decides to go home, Little Springs, Texas, to visit with her mom and try to figure things out. But she has to take her mother-in-law with her on the road trip, because Shirley’s memory is not what it used to be and she could hurt herself if she is left alone for too long. Shirley and her own mother, Birdie, do not get along at all and Katelyn is afraid that there will be many blow-ups in her future. And there is also the problem of her possible running into Jackson, her high school sweetheart. She is not proud of herself for the way she ran out on Jackson, and she does not know what will happen if she runs into him. But deciding that she will make the trip and deal with the fallout later, that is what she does.

The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional. All of them are flawed in one way or another, but that just made them see more realistic to me. The conversations and interactions between them all were at times funny, at times difficult but always heartwarming. Katelyn realizes that she may not have married so much for love but instead for money and security. She also realizes that she lost herself while she was married. Birdie also gave up her dream when she became a mother and had some jealousy towards her daughter. Shirley is just a mean-spirited woman who enjoys being better than others. And Jackson has lived up to his bad-boy image and is not proud of some of the things he has done in his past. All of the characters have things to work on and they have to decide if they want to become better people.

This book is such a wonderful read. Full of humor, self discovery, growing pains and the realization that family is everything, it is a feel good book that will make the reader feel a multitude of emotions. I highly recommend it and I am so glad that I read it.

I absolutely loved this book!! I agree with one of the reviews that relates it to the movie "Sweet Home Alabama" with some bits of the sarcasm of the TV show "Mom".

I don't know how Katelyn did it. Putting up with that mother-in-law (Shirley Pratt) of hers. She was ghastly. HA!

I could relate to a lot of these characters. I think I pretty much talk to my friends the way Shirley talked to Katelyn, but to hear it from your mother-in-law?

It gets even funnier when Katelyn and Shirley take a road trip to see Katelyn's mother in Little Springs, Texas. Thinking back, I am laughing all over again.

This is a very enjoyable, entertaining and hilarious read that I just sped through.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I try to rate like genres, with the same in my reviews. This is a much lighter read than I usually read but it turned out to be a good palate cleanser after a read that pretty much made me feel quite disgusted. A woman, married for over 18 years, two twins ready to start college, is presented , quite out of the blue, with divorce papers. Her mother in law, who has never approved of her, has lived with the family for three years due to some forgetfulness on her part. They end up taking a trip together, little choice in the matter, back to Arkansas, home for our beleaguered main character, and her old high school boyfriend.

In turns humorous, insightful, watching these characters thrive and change. Reclaiming themselves in the process, reaching out for new experiences, and coming to terms with where they were and where they are now. Just a fun, lighthearted read for the most part,sort of a Sweet Home Alabama, kind of vibe. A good, and necessary detour, which we all need on occasion.

ARC from Netgalley.

Katelyn finds out her husband is leaving her after she raised their twins and he moved his mother into their home. The twins are leaving for college, and Katelyn decides to visit her Mom in Texas, when her mother-in-law, Shirley, a snotty, uptight pain in the neck, decides to accompany her. The dialogue between Katelyn and Shirley is filled with humor, and as Katelyn is trying not to relive her past to create a new future, Shirley benefits too. This story of family, finding yourself and reigniting what is your passion, is an entertaining read. Recommended.

I literally sank into this book and found it hard to take breaks. This is what easy fiction should be. Likeable characters relatable characters easy and fun to read, even though it is somewhat formulaic, that is and comforting for the audience that will be reading it. I really didn't want this book to end. I wanted to know what was going to happen with the main character's mother after she retired. I would love to see a follow-up to this book. Nicely done.

This book was adorable! I didn't know how I would feel after reading the synopsis, but I fell in love with the way Marin Thomas wrote this story. 

After being served divorce papers from her husband who is away on business, Katelyn is forced to take her mother-in-law back to Little Springs. Shirley, Katelyn's mother-in-law, always berates her and makes her feel like she wasn't ever worth her son. After finding out the reasons why Katelyn and Don's marriage ended, Shirley and Katelyn started to bond while in Katelyn's hometown. 

The stories that each individual character had were loving, sad, motivational, heartbreaking and more. There was a lot in this book that were extremely realistic. The ending of relationships, returning home to your parents, finding love whether you're older or starting over, etc. Marin Thomas did a very good job on making it seem realistic.

There were some things in this book that pleasantly surprised me. There were some things that I just weren't expecting and I think that it made the book better for me.

The characters didn't shine for me all too much. I really enjoyed Katelyn, but they weren't all like she was. There were things with the characters that I would change, but not too much that it would change the book drastically.

I think that this book definitely has great potential and I loved the story. I wasn't really sure in the beginning what to think, but I'm glad I gave this one a try!

Katelyn Chandler has had a tough few years and after a horrible letter from her husband as he travels abroad for work, her world set into a tail spin and she decides relocating may start things afresh. So off to the small town she grew up in with her hellish mother-in-law in tow is how it goes.

I absolutely adored this book. I read this on vacation in one day and it was just the right amount of content with easy reading. I loved the characters in this book, Katelyn and her mother and mother-in-law, were just great. I loved that they each had their quirks and no one was perfect and they played off each other so well! The way each of them grew throughout the book was just right, it felt real and honest but was still fiction.

Marin Thomas knows how to write a contemporary story with heart where you get completely invested in the characters and fast! I wanted to know about each of them and where they were going and what was going to be next, it is a sign of a great book when you want to know what happens next so bad. I will continue to be a fan of Marin Thomas.

Katelyn grew up in a small town in west Texas. She spent her days drawing and dreaming of getting out. She loved the train tracks and the trains that came and left. She was sure that she was meant to be on one of those trains headed anywhere but there.

When Katelyn received a scholarship for her art and the opportunity to leave she jumped on it, even though it meant leaving her high school boyfriend and family behind. Katelyn had never meant to stay and left without a second thought to what she may be giving up.

In college Katelyn met a man from a well-to-do family and convinced herself she had found the life she craved. She didn't take the time to contemplate whether the relationship was true love, she just knew she could have the big house and family she wanted with him. After 20 years together, a set of twins and her caring for her mother-in-law, Katelyn is blind sided when she is served divorce papers.

"He handed her a manila envelope. 'This is for you.''What is it?' 'Papers.' He backed up. 'What kind of papers?' 'Legal papers.' 'I don't understand. Are we being sued?' 'Only you, ma'am. Your husband wants a divorce.'"

After all the years and Katelyn sacrificing her art her husband didn't even give her the courtesy of telling her himself. He is out of town on one of his many business trips and has her served papers. Katelyn is mad as hell! After indulging in alcohol and breaking some things she decides it's time to go home. With her kids away for the summer before they start college she has time on her hands. The only problem is she is still in charge of her mother-in-law. So, she loads her up and they head for West Texas.

Katelyn and her mother-in-law are fish out of water at first, but soon both women find their places in the small town. Katelyn is able to spend time with her mother, Birdie, and to rekindle the old flame with her high school boyfriend. She also takes up drawing and painting again. Katelyn slowly begins to find herself and understand who she could be now that she has the opportunity to start over.

"As she stared at her likeness, she realized that the old Katelyn -- the one who'd second-guessed herself -- had been replaced by a new Katelyn: a woman ready to take risks with her art. Ready to take her life in a new direction. A woman not afraid to fail."

This book is a story of a life gone off the rails until it's all tipped upside down and Katelyn is forced to start over and live life for herself. She gets a second chance at what life could have been like in her small town had she not been so desperate for something else.

"There's room for both of us in Little Springs if that's where you want to be. The town might not look like much to outsiders, but it's in our hearts. It's where you found your passion to draw. And it's where I found the courage to stay."

I was reminded of the show Chesapeake Shores on the Hallmark channel. I love that show and this book takes a similar path of what could have been if Katelyn hadn't have walked away from it all thinking it wasn't right for her. This book is a story of love, redemption and finding a second chance in life.

"The young girl had left the small town, but the small town had never left the girl."

I really enjoyed this sweet story about a woman finding herself again after her unfaithful husband files for divorce, puts their house on the market, and tells her she'll be fine. Plus, he's saddled her with his mother, a critical, overbearing witch.
Katelyn thinks all is well in her marriage until her cheating husband drops the divorce bomb. She looks at her life and decides to go back to her home in Little Springs, Texas, a place she never wanted to go back to again. She has lost herself in the life she had, raising twins and a husband. Along the way, she also lost her art, the very thing that drove her away from Texas and was her lifelong dream. On a whim, she decides to let her cranky, critical mother-in-law, Shirley, accompany her on the long road trip.
Life for both the women changes drastically. Shirley finds friends in Birdie, Katelyn's mother, and in Birdie's unassuming group of friends. They think Shirley is a hoot! Plus she meets Vern, a widowed pastor who has on a leave of absence from his church since his wife died. Their match is adorable.
Katelyn runs into the boy she left behind, Jackson, and knows there is still something between them. Both of them are hesitant to pursue anything because of their own baggage and the future, if Katelyn leaves again.
All three women, including Birdie, find their inner self in ways they never would have imagined.

Katelyn’s life is turned upside down when she is served divorce papers from her husband who has been away for business. When she thinks about it, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Her husband has traveled internationally for business during most of their marriage leaving her with the bulk of raising their twins during those years. Now the kids are heading off to college and her husband on to a life without Katelyn. She goes where anyone in her position would want to go – home to her mom. What she didn’t expect was to have her almost ex mother-in-law along for the ride. That added mild conflict and a good dose of comic relief to the novel.

The Future She Left Behind is about resetting your life, going home, and finding your passion for life again. What will happen when Katelyn returns to the place she couldn’t wait to leave decades earlier? I loved how Marin Thomas answered that question. She filled her novel with colorful and entertaining support characters that made me look forward to getting back to the story each time I had to put it down. It seemed each woman in the novel was like every woman – trying to live her best life while giving support to the people in her life and finding some happiness along the way. I enjoyed it all and recommend The Future She Left Behind to fans of the author and novels about strong, authentic women.

A beautifully written story about love and redemption. I laughed along with the characters and really enjoyed this style of writing. Thomas is an author I'd be happy to read again.

The Future She Left Behind is a unique and entertaining novel that had me glued to the pages. I loved the plot, I loved the characters, and I loved the little spark of romance along with the small town feel (which brought everything together nicely). I have never read the authors work before but I would certainly like too after reading this one!

Fans of women's fiction and contemporary romance - this is a must read!

** full review to be posted online come release week**