I requested this several years ago and I don't think it's a book for me anymore. So I will not be reviewing at this time, but if I do read it, I will update this review. Thank you for the opportunity.

I received a copy of this book in 2018 from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, some things in my life caused me to not be able to read it until now, but I am glad that I did. This was a good book, more Women's Fiction than romance, and it tackles some pretty tough subjects - an accident that claims the life of a young girl, a young pregnancy, teenage drinking, etc. It is deep, and if you are looking for an escape this might not be the book you are looking for. However, if you are looking for a book that will make you think, and may leave you a little lighter at the end, this one may be for you.

Summer is home in South Carolina after spending around 14 years in Nashville pursuing her music career and raising her son alone, after his father goes off to college and did not want involvement in his son's life. Summer is putting her son first and putting her career on hold, to allow him the opportunity to connect with his father.

Summer was not popular in High School and always had a crush on popular Rhett; Rhett has also come home to lick his wounds and find himself again.

The thing that struck me the most is the illustration of how much a heartfelt apology can mean to someone; it might allow them to come to peace with a difficult situation, but the most important part is acknowledging the hurt and the hurtful act. The world would be a better place if people would make an effort to understand that.

This is a story of how people deal with their pasts and work to overcome things. One night has an impact on three people that carry over into adulthood. Add to that everyday life mistakes as well as some tragic ones that happen and cause you to sit back and truly evaluate where you've been and where you are going. Some heavy topics but Ms. Talley does a great job weaving the lives of these 3 people together and then telling the story of how they each work to deal with real life situations. Wonderful story! I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

If you want some serious reading that will tug at your heartstrings, Liz Talley’s “Come Home to Me” is a must-read. A story of healing, friendship and forgiveness, “Come Home To Me” follows three frenemies – Summer Valentine, Hunter “Hunt” McCroy and Rhett Bryan.

All three of them left their hometown under shady circumstances to pursue a career. All three became successful but had also reached a plateau with their careers. Needing to recalibrate before they make their next moves, they go back to Moonlight, South Carolina and found themselves unwittingly interacting with each other once again.

There are some sweet moments but there were more heart wrenching ones. Make sure you have a box of tissue near you to wipe tears away.

Liz Talley has a way with words. They make me feel so many emotions that it’s overwhelming. The story was one that leaves a reader breathless for more. Her writing style is easy flowing and romantic.

Things tend to happen for reasons that are beyond our control. A lot goes on and we keep secrets. It seems the secrets are there for the wrong reasons. If only we could see the future it sure would save an awful lot of heartache.

At first I really wasn’t sure if I was going to like Summer. She seemed as if she were weak, a coward, the proverbially doormat. But I soon learned that she appeared that way because of the choices she had made earlier in her life. Her life seemed more gray than black or white. She was young and things happened. She became stronger as time went on and showed that she was a survivor; not only for herself but for her son. In every situation affects more than one person. It is a trickle down effect that seems to bring us right back to where we started.

Summer has decided to make some serious changes in her life. Her son David needs a father. That father is Hunter Mc Croy, a washed up ball player that has made so many mistakes in his life of which he never had to be accountable for because he came from money. Hunter to me is a complicated character. He was well written, because I knew I wanted to hate him but on the other hand I also wanted to give him a second chance. Hunter, in my eyes, needs to change big time, reevaluate his life, change, and make amends for the past. I wasn’t sure at first what he had done. It was eluded too. I guess if you try to make amends you should be awarded the chance to be forgiven.

I found the characters had a lot of growing up to do in order to move on. They kept things hidden for so long it was time. I liked that the characters were written so well that I may have hated them at first but then I discovered that it really was okay to like them. They were believable, they were real, they had flaws and weren’t perfect by any means. They all had a complexity to them that added to making them more realistic. They also all discovered that you need to learn from your mistakes, make restitution, fix things and move on.

An interesting aspect to the story was the flashbacks which tended to give us a better grasp on the past. Once things were finally brought to light everything made sense giving me the why…all the redemption was needed….

The subject matter was strong in this story. There was a lot to deal with. But, Ms. Talley steered me safely through everything. This story was not an easy HEA by any means. There was a lot of trust, love, and forgiveness before a HEA could be found. I liked that it wasn’t an easy round for anyone. Ms. Talley made things more interesting and real.

I enjoyed that this story was different and I think you will also.

I don't usually like books that has flashbacks but it worked a bit better here.  There aren't that many of them and Talley does a good job of making them relevant to the happenings in the now.  They cover a very important couple of weeks in Summer's senior year of high school and with her return to Moonlight those happenings directly impact her relationships now.

Both in the past & now, Talley does a fantastic job of giving her readers characters that are believable.  The teenage versions are exactly as I remember them at that age - maneuvering through the social quagmire of high school, dealing with runaway emotions, and the ability to only really see to about the end of your nose.  As adults, they are flawed but trying their best to do what they think is right.  Unfortunately there are a few hard truths and life lessons that need to be learned before they can truly move forward.  It's not going to be an easy reunion for any of them but with care they might come out the other side with a little peace.

Protagonist Summer comes home to more than just one “me” in this romantic women’s fiction by Liz Talley. She comes full circle with herself after being kind of a martyr for a while, and she has some loose ends to tie up regarding an old flame and an old grudge.

I liked the realistic aspect of this book. When there was a problem, Talley showed how it affected everyone. And when there were successes, those were shared too. Come Home to Me discusses some social issues that bounce along a journey of love. The happily ever after was too neat of closure for me- I liked the ending per se, but it didn’t seem to naturally follow all the real life problems that happened throughout out the book. However, I’m always a sucker for forgiveness and reconciliation – definitely present when Summer finally is able to honestly face those two significant men from her past.
https://randombookmuses.com/2018/05/22/review-come-home-to-me-by-liz-talley/

A riveting story of love, self-awareness and the power of forgiveness! Liz Talley brings us a story of going home again ... even when it holds memories of a time you might not want to remember. It's sweet, it's sad, it's eye-openingly raw ... yet through it all, the characters portray themselves in such a true and open way that they endear themselves to our heart and stay there. I'm not generally a fan of a story that goes back and forth between the present and the past in great length, but the author did a wonderful job of keeping us in the moment regardless of the perspective we were receiving at that time. This novel was very well written with a cast of characters who each had a unique story to tell, and carries a very powerful message at the heart of it all. Highly recommend!

Summer Valentine has decided to give up on her struggling music career in Nashville for the good of her son, and is moving back home to Moonlight, South Carolina. She's no longer the naive girl that left, but seeing the people from that time in her life bring it all flooding back. She'll do anything for her son ... even encourage his relationship with the man who broke her years ago.

Big wig Hollywood star Rhett Bryan is also taking a walk down memory lane when he returns to visit his grandpa in Moonlight. He and summer were friends back in high school, and sharing a few laughs and memories with her is helping him overcome the tragedy he's been dealing with of late. He's heading back to LA soon, but spending time with Summer has been like a breath of fresh air.

I really liked this book. I have never read anything by this author before. The story line was great, serious and heart warming. The reason for the three stars is this book took awhile to get started. A lot of details in the beginning that made it harder to read. But definitely give this book a chance you will absolutely love it by the end

A tragic accident has Rhett Bryan returning to Moonlight, California, and re-evaluating his life. However, he never imagined it changing for the better, as he begins to re-kindle the friendship he once had with Summer Valentine and finds his friendship with her becoming more. Yet, with Summer having been hurt before and with her hoping for her son to know his father, things aren't always easy and with every day that passes Rhett gets closer to returning to his life as the Golden boy of Hollywood. Will Summer be able to reconcile her past to have a future with Rhett or will they both walk away their chance at happy ever after?

This story drew me in from the very beginning because of the tragic accident and how it makes Rhett re-evaluate his life. What will he be able to do to make things right? Will he be held accountable for what happened, even though it was an accident? However, it was from the moment where Rhett and Summer come face-to-face for the first time that had me fully hooked, as these two have quite the history. Is he partly responsible for hurting her that led to what happened to her?

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to everything that Rhett and Summer have been through in their pasts that makes Rhett question his life and has the heroine needing to finally find it within herself to forgive the person that hurt her years ago, if she's to find happiness with Rhett. Will her son's father ever be able to see that what he did to her was wrong? Moreover, I really disliked Hunter, the other man in the heroine's life and who is also her son's father when he was first introduced into this story. He was a privileged jerk who thought he couldn't do anything wrong and should have everything in life. However, he did redeem himself in my eyes once he admits to the mistakes he made in the past and tries to make things right with the heroine.

With Rhett and Summer, I loved this couple together. Both have suffered hard times, but have done their best to overcome them. With the heroine being the best mom she can be to a wonderful little boy while the hero has achieved quite a lot in his Hollywood career. Moreover, the heroine is resilient, courageous and I liked that she took a chance on Rhett, even though he hurt her in the past. I also liked how kind and caring she is, which is proven by how much she does for other people. Then again, Rhett's grandfather is an absolute hoot. He can be grumpy at times, but a total delight at others because he doesn't want everyone worrying about him all the time. While the hero, he's been through so much and I could understand why he's determined to do things right after what happened. I also liked how determined he was to re-kindle his friendship with the heroine because she was one of the best parts of his life growing up, even if he didn't recognize that at the time. Certainly, she's a bright spark in this time of darkness where he doesn't know what will happen. Will his life be turned upside down?

Overall, Ms. Talley delivers a heartfelt and captivating read in this book where emotions run high because Rhett is protective of the heroine and he won't let anyone hurt her again, especially not Hunter; the romance was wonderful and had me hoping that Rhett would see how good Summer is for him; and the ending had me loving the way these two fight for their relationship because they have something special. I would recommend Come Home to Me by Liz Talley, if you enjoy the friends to lovers trope or books by authors Olivia Miles, Catherine Bybee, Kim Law and Jill Shalvis.

This book pull you in a million directions emotionally. Summer and Rhett were friends in school, even though she always felt she was in a different league. Now they are back in the same town different reasons and life puts them in each others lives again. The past will come back to haunt them and they have many things to deal with.


I really enjoyed this book it was not easy to put down.

** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Come Home With Me by Liz Talley is an intense book. Liz dealt with a delicate issue…rape, I felt she did an amazing job being both blunt and sensitive in her writing. They story is of Summer and Rhett and she wrote these two both flawed yet perfect.
When you see romance it can go two ways….one a book filled of unrealistic characters with unrealistic story lines but not Come Home With Me! I look forward to read more from Liz!

Rhett Bryan thought about his soon to be next conquest -Skye or at least he hoped that is what happened. Rhett had lived in L A for the last fifteen years and had two Emmys and a late night show on a major network. He was also working on breaking into the world or feature films with a new production company. Rhett’s audience was made up of mechanics with grease beneath their nails and housewives who left a sink full of dirty dishes to watch him tell jokes and interview people who had forgotten what it felt like to scrub a toilet or drink a non-craft beer. It served Rhett well to remember his roots- a small town boy from South Carolina. As Rhett was taking some back roads to the studio he saw something dart in front of his car and knew he had run it over. He had hit a little girl who had didn’t make it . Rhett went into shock and knew he would never be the same. Summer was a H S senior aas was her crush Rhett who had approached her to tutor him in calculus who was handsome and just plane nice. Summer is now a single mom who had returned home because her fourteen year old son who wanted to have a relationship with father Hunter and Summer had put David and his wants and needs first since the first time she held her small baby boy in her arms. Hunter had ignored David most of his life but he was trying now. Summer also lives in Rhett's grandfather's-Pete- cottage and was his assistant. Rhett's girlfriend Grayson came up to Summer and said she heard she was tutoring Rhett and asked Summer if she was going to prom Summer said it wasn’t her thing and wasn’t about to say she hadn’t been asked. Grayson then said you will have to go with them and she could lend Summer a dress and do her makeup and hair. Then Rhett later said he heard that she was going to prom with them and it was a date and Summer didn't say different. Hunter’s girl Molly had broken up with him a couple days before prom and already was seeing a preppie boy and she had really hurt Hunter as he really cared about her. Hunter ended up asking Summer to prom and she agreed. Hunter/Hunt was Rhett's best friend and they both played baseball. After the prom they had all went to Hunt’s family’s beach house for an after party . Summer had went for a walk on the beach with Rg=hett and kissed him but he rejected her, She ended up drinking more and going upstairs with Hunt she enjoyed kissing him but when he started to go down her underwear Summer kept telling Hunter to atop and no but Hunter didn’t listen and took her virginity and got her pregnant and ti was date rape. But Summer decided to keep her child and not abort it like Hunter wanted her to do or give it up for adoption as her parents and their church wanted her to do.Hunters parents came down on Summer and her family . His father made sure Summer’s mom was fired from her job. And Summer purposely got pregnant for a cash settlement even though Summer had asked for nothing had to drop out of her scholarship and come home to community college so her parents could help her with David.The town believed Hunter’s parents and Hunter let his parents handle everything. Rhett came over the next day and then they were no longer friends as that was what Summer wanted. Rhett comes home after he had a breakdown on National television on the arrogance of celebrities. . He had started drinking and had a lot of depression and survivors guilt. Rhett came home to find himself. He isn't sleeping well as he was having nightmares of the fatal accident. Summer comes in from the beach to find Rhett had taken a shower in her house as Pete hadn’t told Rhett that was now her and David’s home. Hunter had went to the minor leagues and got addicted to pain pills and with the bad press was dropped. He came home a failure and went to work with his father after rehab. But he was determined to now be a better father. Summer had went to Nashville to be a singer/songwriter and had a b and and one night David had snuck on a bus and went to her hometown to see his father Summer moved back for David. Summer and Rhett started to talk and build a relationship even though he would return to L A where his life was.
This was an excellent book. This was well written as far as I was concerned. The author did a very good job on the date rape issue and all the emotions involved especially with a pregnancy involved. I thought this book was realistic in the way it was portrayed. And showed what life was like in HS in a small town in South Carolina with the golden boy the rich boy and the chubby not so popular girl. Crushing on golden boy. Strill the way of things in life in a lot of ways. Rhett and Hunter annoyed me at times especially Hunter but he came through in the end. I loved the plot and pace and if had to go back and forth between past and present was well labeled and that helped take a lot of the edge off. II loved Rhett and Summer together. I could find nothing to criticize in this book and that made me happy!!!! I loved that Summer didn’t take the easy way out and abort her baby as Hunt wantedRhett Bryan thought about his soon to be next conquest -Skye or at least he hoped that is what happened. Rhett had lived in L A for the last fifteen years and had two Emmys and a late night show on a major network. He was also working on breaking into the world or feature films with a new production company. Rhett’s audience was made up of mechanics with grease beneath their nails and housewives who left a sink full of dirty dishes to watch him tell jokes and interview people who had forgotten what it felt like to scrub a toilet or drink a non-craft beer. It served Rhett well to remember his roots- a small town boy from South Carolina. As Rhett was taking some back roads to the studio he saw something dart in front of his car and knew he had run it over. He had hit a little girl who had didn’t make it . Rhett went into shock and knew he would never be the same. Summer was a H S senior aas was her crush Rhett who had approached her to tutor him in calculus who was handsome and just plane nice. Summer is now a single mom who had returned home because her fourteen year old son who wanted to have a relationship with father Hunter and Summer had put David and his wants and needs first since the first time she held her small baby boy in her arms. Hunter had ignored David most of his life but he was trying now. Summer also lives in Rhett's grandfather's-Pete- cottage and was his assistant. Rhett's girlfriend Grayson came up to Summer and said she heard she was tutoring Rhett and asked Summer if she was going to prom Summer said it wasn’t her thing and wasn’t about to say she hadn’t been asked. Grayson then said you will have to go with them and she could lend Summer a dress and do her makeup and hair. Then Rhett later said he heard that she was going to prom with them and it was a date and Summer didn't say different. Hunter’s girl Molly had broken up with him a couple days before prom and already was seeing a preppie boy and she had really hurt Hunter as he really cared about her. Hunter ended up asking Summer to prom and she agreed. Hunter/Hunt was Rhett's best friend and they both played baseball. After the prom they had all went to Hunt’s family’s beach house for an after party . Summer had went for a walk on the beach with Rg=hett and kissed him but he rejected her, She ended up drinking more and going upstairs with Hunt she enjoyed kissing him but when he started to go down her underwear Summer kept telling Hunter to atop and no but Hunter didn’t listen and took her virginity and got her pregnant and ti was date rape. But Summer decided to keep her child and not abort it like Hunter wanted her to do or give it up for adoption as her parents and their church wanted her to do.Hunters parents came down on Summer and her family . His father made sure Summer’s mom was fired from her job. And Summer purposely got pregnant for a cash settlement even though Summer had asked for nothing had to drop out of her scholarship and come home to community college so her parents could help her with David.The town believed Hunter’s parents and Hunter let his parents handle everything. Rhett came over the next day and then they were no longer friends as that was what Summer wanted. Rhett comes home after he had a breakdown on National television on the arrogance of celebrities. . He had started drinking and had a lot of depression and survivors guilt. Rhett came home to find himself. He isn't sleeping well as he was having nightmares of the fatal accident. Summer comes in from the beach to find Rhett had taken a shower in her house as Pete hadn’t told Rhett that was now her and David’s home. Hunter had went to the minor leagues and got addicted to pain pills and with the bad press was dropped. He came home a failure and went to work with his father after rehab. But he was determined to now be a better father. Summer had went to Nashville to be a singer/songwriter and had a b and and one night David had snuck on a bus and went to her hometown to see his father Summer moved back for David. Summer and Rhett started to talk and build a relationship even though he would return to L A where his life was.
This was an excellent book. This was well written as far as I was concerned. The author did a very good job on the date rape issue and all the emotions involved especially with a pregnancy involved. I thought this book was realistic in the way it was portrayed. And showed what life was like in HS in a small town in South Carolina with the golden boy the rich boy and the chubby not so popular girl. Crushing on golden boy. Strill the way of things in life in a lot of ways. Rhett and Hunter annoyed me at times especially Hunter but he came through in the end. I loved the plot and pace and if had to go back and forth between past and present was well labeled and that helped take a lot of the edge off. II loved Rhett and Summer together. I could find nothing to criticize in this book and that made me happy!!!! I loved that Summer didn’t take the easy way out and abort her baby as Hunt wanted and didn't adopt her child out like her parents and a lot of people thought she should do. She carried that little boy for nine months and did what she had to do for David and adored him. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.
and didn't adopt her child out like her parents and a lot of people thought she should do. She carried that little boy for nine months and did what she had to do for David and adored him. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.

I love this book. Authentic, passionate and intense. The story of Rhett and Summer is so beautiful. Not perfect , not immediate but built slowly and strongly. Family matters, rape and pardon are ingeniously mixed in the book

Summer Valentine has always been the girl ignored, walked over and dismissed, just forgettable. She has two things going for her, exceptional grades and her musical talent. An accidental pregnancy changes her aspirations for college and a career. When the guy she has loved from a distance, all the way through high school, returns to their small South Carolina town, it revives her feelings. Rhett is a huge success in Hollywood and not looking for more than a hook up. There is also the complicated relationship she has with with her son's father. All three characters are deeply flawed making this a wonderful read full of twists and turns. It is a well written story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and highly recommend.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
This book deals with a lot of heartache, loss, and forgiveness. A person's thoughtlessness, inattention, or inebriation can often to lead to hurt feelings, injury, or worse. That's what happened to both Summer and Rhett.

Dealing with the repercussions of those actions is a lifelong struggle and oftentimes, it’s when the victim can forgive the perpetrator for their actions that they can begin to heal themselves. It’s not about right or wrong, but acceptance of what has happened and learning to find a new normal for themselves.

The perpetrator of those actions may have to face lots of fears in order to acknowledge what they did or didn't do. Once accepted, it’s the ability to learn from those mistakes, ask forgiveness if possible, and strive to do better. The guilt that some people carry weighs them down to the point that they can never forgive themselves for the hurts they have caused others. It’s the forgiveness of the victim that may help the perpetrator learn to love themselves again.

A solid book which I truly enjoyed.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
MAJOR Triggers: Accidental MVA with death and Date rape

Summer and her son have been living a great life. Summer is an amazing singer and songwriter and despite her love of music, she knows that she can make some sacrifices so that her young, teenage son can have a relationship with his father. Summer and Hunter's relationship being very strained, she knows that if she pushes too hard, her son will be lost to her.

Hunter has lived a very privileged life. Despite having a father who was always pushing him and not really understanding that his baseball career was his alone, not his father's, Hunter has decided that he does want to have a relationship with his son. Old feelings of anger come back to haunt him when Summer points out things from his past that he doesn't want to face, but ultimately, you get to see Hunter grow in this book. The fact that it takes his son's wisdom to help Hunter grow is just the icing on the cake.

Then you have Rhett. He is also fairly spoiled in that he got to live out his dream. When tragedy strikes his life, he returns home to find Summer and her son living in his childhood home. Rhett makes some pretty big leaps and assumptions throughout this story and I had a hard time rectifying his attitude... but in the end, he learns a lot from Summer and her son, as well as looks back on his past to see where his future will bring him.

Overall, this is an emotional read about a family that isn't quite typical. Boys who learn lessons that make them into men and a young boy just trying to find his way. I really enjoyed this story and despite some of the heavier topics, felt that Talley did a great job of writing these relationships.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars rounded up, because it really is a very good read.

I have not had the pleasure of reading a Liz Talley book before – but will definitely be remedying that soon. The writing style is smooth and gives the story the very best chance to shine.

This is a story which deals with some very difficult issues – it does not pull its punches. I think that all the conversations and the time shifting to ensure that the truth is revealed slowly and carefully work brilliantly. Summer display a wonderful level of common sense and pragmatism which serves her and her son well. She is a stable centre around which both Rhett and Hunt have to face their pasts and consider their futures. In some ways, they know what must happen, such as Hunt protecting David from his own father's expectations. Rhett comes home to Carolina and doesn't even recognise the grown-up version of Summer, who is living near his grandfather. The attraction between them is strong, but he has no intention of hanging around, so is resistant to his desires... you will soon find out how effective that plan is!!

There are plenty of light-hearted moments, but do expect to need a tissue on occasion. We don't get to see all that much of Summer's family, yet they make up some very poignant scenes. It is definitely a book which does not shy away from discussing consent – brilliantly done Ms. Talley, thank you.

An awesome emotional read that I had hard time putting down. Told in dual time story line, so it's like getting two stories in one. A very hard topic of date rape and how it effects all involved, was well delivered. This story focuses on three main characters, Summer, Hunter and Rhett. The night of their senior prom will change the rest of their lives.

Summer has returned home with her son David,, to be close to David's dad, Hunt. Rhett has also returned home for short vacation after a tragic incident. They all need to overcome the past and to trust again to move forward.

This story will stay with me for along time. Excellent story telling of believable characters that I was hurting with them.

his is my second book by the author and boy was I blown away. After reading the synopsis never realize what a treasure this book was. Summer has come back to South Carolina after being many years in Nashville trying to get her music career going but due to the fact being a single mother and her son started hanging out with the wrong crowd she felt it was time she came home and be with her family and for her son David to get to know his father Hunter. This not your typical romance, not only is Summer coming home she has to deal with all the past hurt of what happened on prom night between Hunter and herself that eventually produced their son. Rhett the boy she has loved from afar when she was in high school has also come home to deal with a tragic event that happened in his life.
We see Summer trying to fight the attraction she still has for Rhett and Rhett wondering if its right to get involved with Summer knowing his home is in Los Angeles. David trying to win his father's affection after many years of Hunter not being in his life and Summer trying to juggle whats best for her son and facing the man who ruined her innocent fourteen years ago. Great storyline theres date rape, accidental death and emotional abuse being dealt with in this novel and Ms. Talley does a great job writing it all. Review on goodreads and amazon.com

I loved this book! Rhett Bryan is “California Personified, a real mover and a shaker “ until a tragic accident finds him back home to help him find himself again.
Summer Valentine is “pure goodness” and the girl who has loved Rhett since her nerdy high school days. Hunt is Rhett’s best friend from high school, yet the past connects these 3! The story is told present days and high school days and I enjoyed this book well into the night! This was my first Liz Talley book, but it won’t be my last that’s for sure!