I really wish that I could give this book more than five stars. Jamie Brenner is at the top of her game writing winner after winner. She first catches your attention with a fascinating plot. Then she reels you in with a strong character driven plot and before you know it's almost one in the morning and you just can't put down this gem of a book. Happy reading!

I always anticipate new novels from Jamie Brenner. Her writing is always the best and her stories seek out and hit the mark.
Drawing Home has a steady and persistent level of tension that grows greater with each chapter. I began to feel ambivalent support or each side of the Emma and Bea equation but never truly losing my disdain for the actions of Bea. I felt completely and happily satisfied with the results when it all came to a head. It is excellent reading!

Jamie Brenner has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I absolutely loved The Husband Hour last year, and was very excited to get an advance copy of her newest, Drawing Home. I was drawn into this book instantly, and could easily imagine myself on Sag Harbor island, staying at The American Hotel, and sitting at the bar listening to Henry talk to Penny. Jamie writes with amazing imagery--you can easily escape into her books and get lost for hours.

What makes Drawing Home such a great book is the character development. At the beginning, until almost to the end, I absolutely HATED one of the characters. She was SO well written, though, that I could easily attach emotion to her character. I could anticipate her reactions and I really felt like I knew her. I won't say any more about this character because you'll need to read it to see if she redeems herself.

The mother/daughter relationship is well played through this novel, and it made me reflect on some of the fights I had with my own mom growing up. Penny grows up a lot in this novel, and to see that play out over the span of the book was very powerful.

I received an advance copy of this book, and all thoughts are my own.

Jamie Brenner has written another fabulous book with characters that I grew to love, although there was one particular character that really annoyed me a bit. Once you read the book, you'll know who I'm talking about. I won't say if my feelings for that character changed by the end, though. One of the things I love about Brenner's books is how family, friendship, and trust can be very important in ones' lives. These characters felt so very real to me. I was drawn into the story right from the start. I was sorry to have it end. And the setting! Oh my. I ended up looking up Sag Harbor and now want to hang out there. Jamie Brenner has become one of my favorite authors. I can't wait to for her next book. Drawing Home is one that should not be missed!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
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Drawing Home is the first Jamie Brenner book I've read, and I'm excited to go back and read her backlist. If it's anything like Drawing Home, they will be great summer reads. Drawing Home features single mother Emma, a hotel manager who is content with her life in her vacation destination hometown. Everything is thrown into turmoil when a local man passes away and leaves his home and its contents to her teenage daughter, much to the dismay of his longtime friend, who shows up in town determined to take control of the estate and his legacy.
This was a warm story that will make readers think about how you define family and what home means. Emma, her daughter, and Bea all have to examine their relationships with others and decide how to move forward. If you're a fan of Elin Hilderbrand, this is definitely an author you won't want to miss!

Sag Harbor is a small village at the eastern end of Long Island, NY, that began its life as a major whaling and shipping port during the late 18th century. In fact, Congress declared the village as the first port of entry into the U.S. on July 31, 1789, building the first US Custom House on L.I. The population at this time was 1,723, but various languages could be heard on the streets of this International port town. By the end of the 19th century and into the 20th, Sag Harbor became the destination for the wealthy to summer; and that tide still flows into the 21st.
One of the oldest hotels in town is the coveted place to be; however, The American Hotel only has eight guest rooms. The bar, which seems to be crowded three-deep, continually, is where everyone wants to be seen. Emma Mapson, a native since birth, works the front desk, as she performs guest service magic throughout.
She’s also the single Mom to her 14-year-old daughter, Penny. When Penny is not in school, she spends most of her time in the cozy parlor of the American Hotel with her sketch pad as her mom works. This is how she meets Henry Wyatt, an elderly man that sits at the bar every day and sketches on cocktail napkins, while he sips his martini. Henry never speaks to anyone and only occasionally to Emma, but he patiently joins Penny on the parlor couch as they sketch together under his gentle guidance. Emma worries about this relationship because Penny has no other friendships with kids her age. This is mostly due to her OCD and anxiety that she tries to work on as she sees her therapist twice a week, to no avail. Kids her age just make her nervous, but Henry just calms her.
While Emma is busy with the incoming weekend crowd and Penny steps out to get some yogurt across the street, Henry suddenly falls off his bar stool and collapse on the bar’s floor. Paramedics arrive to fight through the onlookers while the bartender realizes Henry is dead. Penny hears the news from the crowds outside and is devastated. The news reports, “Henry Wyatt, pioneer of the minimalist art movement, dead at 83.” Both Emma and Penny had no idea how famous Henry was, nor did they know how wealthy, when Henry leaves his huge house on the water, and most of his art to Penny. They also have no idea why.
As they’re dealing with this amazing shock, Bea Winstead, Henry’s former agent, storms into town ready to contest the Will and claim what she feels is rightly hers. First, she must prove her statements, which becomes difficult as she speaks negatively of Emma and even Penny all around town. Bea tries to take over Henry’s house by blatantly moving in and starts cataloging his art work. Get ready for a passionate and often illogical fight over Henry’s estate.
Bea will find small pieces of Henry’s donated art all over town, almost like pieces of a puzzle. Is he trying to tell her something? It’s practically a scavenger hunt. In the meantime, Bea gets to know Penny better and realizes what Henry saw in her art talent. What she discovers is bittersweet, but the result it brings to all will be peace. This is a rousing good story where people mistrust first, make quick judgments, but truth and a bunch of well-meaning people work toward a decent solution.
Other than my own impatience of wanting the story to move faster, it was well worth reading to the last page!

Thank you NetGalley, Little, Brown and Co. and Jamie Brenner

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are all multidimensional and real. They all experienced growth throughout the story, learning more about themselves and the world as the story progressed. The story is centered around family and art, two very important topics. It is very well written and conveys a very important message. Jamie Brenner’s books are always amazing, and Drawing Hone is no exception. I can’t wait to read more by her.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book.

I was really anticipating this book, because I absolutely loved the forever summer, (the husband hour fell completely flat for me) soo to say it took me a minute to get into this in an understatement... I even considered not finishing. One of the main characters was so annoying to me and seemingly had no redeeming qualities BUT I thought it turned around about halfway through. It wasn’t my favorite, which was kind of a let down, but I’m not mad I finished. The story center around an amazing artist who passes away and leaves his massive estate and pieces to a young girl.... even though an old friend thinks it should belong to her. If you’ve read this, I’m really interested in your take!

I must admit when I first started reading this book, I wasn’t enamored with all the characters—in fact, I downright didn’t like Bea at all and I wasn’t sure that Emma was really that great of mother. Of the three characters, I was only rooting for Penny.

In fact, there were moments I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep reading because I got irritated with Bea or Emma. But, I trusted author Jamie Brenner to bring string those stories together and bring them home tied up in a tight bow.

And about a third of the way through the story, I started to understand where Bea was coming from, that Emma was an overworked mother without much of a life of her own, and that sometimes teenager Emma made some really bad decisions. And I got sucked into their lives and was ignoring Jeopardy—even though James was winning his 20th game.

I loved the setting of Sag Harbor! As a Pacific NWer, that life is a total alien concept, so it was fun peering through the windows.

By the end, I was rooting for all three to get their wishes—which somehow had all aligned like an anomaly row of stars.

Apparently, patience is a reading virtue as well. And in this case, patience rewarded.

I received an ARC of this title. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5 (4.5/5)

Drawing Home by Jamie Brenner is a lovely book that infuses family, drama, love, and all the best (and worst) things about life into one unforgettable read.

What it's about: It is summer in Sag Harbor and Emma Mapson is a busy, single, working mom. She works very long shifts at the front desk of The American Hotel all while trying to take care of and provide for her fourteen-year-old daughter Penny who has OCD. The only thing that seems to make Penny truly happy is hanging out with a famous eighty-year-old artist named Henry Wyatt. But when Henry dies suddenly, Emma finds out he left his entire estate and almost all of his art to Penny. No one knows why, especially not Henry's old friend (and maker of his career) Bea Winstead in New York City. She heads out to Sag Harbor with intentions to claim what she believes is rightfully hers, but what she finds is a whole lot more than she ever could have expected.

I don't know what is going on lately, but I seem to be on a streak of books that bring me to tears and Drawing Home was no exception. Between the laughter and tears, there are solid characters and life changing stories, all told from multiple viewpoints. We have Bea's, Emma's, and Penny's POVs throughout the book, and I really liked this approach. While Bea drove me insane almost the entire book, I still appreciated being able to see things through her eyes as Henry's old friend and manager of his career for many years. Emma was doing the best she could as a single mom, and I was so moved by Penny's struggle with OCD.

The idyllic setting of Sag Harbor and The American Hotel was so vivid through Brenner's writing that I felt like I was right there. Even though there are some very serious topics touched on in the book, it was also on the lighter side and definitely a perfect read for summer. The chapters were fairly short which made the book seem to fly buy even though it took me a bit over 5 hours to read.

Final Thought: This was my first time reading a book by Brenner and I really fell in love with her writing. She knows how to bring both a setting and characters to life, and make you feel like a part of the story and the character's struggles. I really can't wait to read more from her, and I highly recommend making Drawing Home a part of your summer reading list!

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Jamie Brenner is quickly becoming a favorite of mine for summer/beach reads a la Elin Hilderbrand, which is high praise! I really loved the setting of this one, different form her other books, in Sag Harbor. I was instantly transported to Sag Harbor when reading this one and I longed for summer. Also, I unequivocally love Penny as a character - she felt real to me. Bea was such a complex character and I honestly wasn't sure what was going to happen. If you love beach reads involving art, I would also recommend High Season.

Drawing Home comes out soon on May 7, 2019, and you can purchase HERE. You can read my review of this author's book from last summer, The Husband Hour, HERE, and my review of her book from the summer before that, The Forever Summer, HERE -- She is definitely becoming a must-read for me!

Sometime after midnight, his group dispersed and he asked for her number. She wrote it on a bar napkin. She watched him slip it into his pocket, certain he would never call. To her surprise, he did, and she didn't even have to wait twenty-four hours. They met for coffee the following day, and by the time he asked for the check, she was in love.

Last year I fell in love with Jamie Brenner’s writing when I read The Husband Hour and I knew after reading just one of her books that I had found a new must read author for myself. From the stunning cover to the very final page this one had me enraptured throughout and only made me even more sure that the author is an auto buy for me.

You know what makes an perfect “beach read” for me? It’s a combination of a few key elements and Brenner has perfected this for me. Setting is obviously huge here, I wanna be swept away to somewhere gorgeous and well described, I also want to connect with the characters, they’ve gotta have depth and dimension, but there’s also gotta be a lighter side too, a tricky balance for some. Finally, I want to be invested in the story, it has to have substance and intrigue. Guess what?! This book has all of that and more.

Sag Harbor was fully brought to life here, there is so much history alongside the charming little town that I found myself wishing I could vacation there this summer. I connected with Emma from the start, she was extremely likable and her daughter Penny was just as easy to love, although Bea was the kind of character I love to hate, but that’s always fun. All three women were complex and interesting, so check off great characterization as well. There’s a light mystery at play as well, why exactly did Henry leave his estate to Penny? And who will wind up with the property in the end? There were many engaging plot points and angles here, deep familial bonds and history and how their dynamics evolved and grew over time, romance, grief and so much more. This one had it all for me friends, I’m calling it a must read for summer and I urge you all to read it on vacation this year!

Drawing Home in three words: Immersive, Intriguing and Genuine.

This was an easy, fun read from this author. Her character and descriptive settings made the book come alive. The importance of family is evident which enables her characters to overcome their obstacles and grow as people and to form important bonds with others. This is another strong summer read. #drawinghome #netgalley

Jamie Brenner has had a hold on me since last year’s release, The Husband Hour. She has this incredible writing style that sucks you in, pulls at your heart, and makes you a part of whomever she is writing about. Drawing Home is no different.

There’s Emma. A young, hardworking mom with pride who has a bored, teenage daughter by the name of Penny. That girl is ready to test some boundaries. What teen out there doesn’t long for a life outside of their own? Then there’s the privileged and well known woman in the art world known as Bea. Man, I loathed her for a good part of the book. These incredibly different lives collide when a local artist to their seaside town passes away unexpectedly. And leaves his waterfront home to Penny -- the angsty, OCD-ridden teenager.

What the hell just happened?

That is precisely what Bea intends to find out. While Emma does all she knows to protect Penny, Bea is adamant there has been some mistake. This well known, prominent artist not only left his home to some teenager, he also left his priceless drawings all over town all willy-nilly like. Giving them to whomever. Bea is perplexed and pissed. I’m sure she wouldn’t use those terms exactly. Bea’s entitlement shines throughout the book like diamonds and I really, really disliked her. Until I loved her. Emma’s pride breaks your heart and you just want her to win. For once. And Penny? Well, you just want to smack her upside the head. Hello. Teenager.

The secondary characters take over your heart just as much as the main characters do (except for one douchecanoe. You’ll know who he is, the smarmy bastard).

Sag Harbor has a piece of my heart. As a long ago doodler, it was all I could do to not imagine Henry’s drawings. I would love to see them if they truly existed. Brenner has written another wonderful novel that you absolutely cannot miss. A must read for summer.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

My most recent read was Drawing Home by Jamie Brenner, and unfortunately, it didn’t live up to her other reads for me. I give this one ⭐️⭐️💫. The last book of hers that I read was The Husband Hour and that was an easy five star read.⁣
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This book felt scattered to me in a lot of different directions and in the end, most of it was just resolved quickly in a few sentences and took a pretty big departure from reality. I found myself struggling to pick this one up. I also didn’t relate to many characters in the book which made it hard. ⁣
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I love the setting and beach reads are hard to disappoint me completely, but there felt like a lot missing from this one. Potentially a hot take! ⁣
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Are you all sticklers for having the big storylines tie up well at the end?

With The Husband Hour and The Forever Summer, Jamie Brenner has become one of my must read authors so I was eagerly anticipating Drawing Home, and it did not disappoint.

Drawing Home is a story of not only the family you are born into, but also the family you become a part of along the way. The characters were relatable, especially Penny and Emma; some were unlikeable at times...I'm looking at you Bea, but in the end, everyone does what's best for the "family". By the end I felt like I had made friends with the residents and weekenders of Sag Harbor. The American Hotel is now on my bucket list of places to stay.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy; all opinions are my own.

In Drawing Home we met Emma and her daughter Penny who live in Sag Harbor and have formed a life there. Emma is a single mom and Penny her daughter, who suffers from OCD are just living their lives until one day when a dear friend dies and it changes their lives forever.

Penny befriends Henry who is an artist and over time they form a friendship and Henry helps out Penny with her art. So when Henry unexpectedly dies Penny is hurt to her core but is speechless when it's revealed that he left everything to her in his will. No one is more surprised than Henry’s old friend Bea who when she finds out goes to Sag Harbor thinking she is the heir to his will. Bea is determined to get what she thinks is hers but over time she soon realizes that Henry brought her there for other reasons.

Emma is just trying to be the best mother she can be, she has been a single mom since Penny was little but suddenly Penny’s dad has come back into the picture call it a coincidence or not but since Penny got this big inheritance he suddenly wants sole custody. Her life is turned upside down trying to fend off her ex and now Bea who wants to take her down and a daughter who she can't see eye to eye with, what is Emma to do?

In time Penny and Bea begin to spend time together mainly because Bea wants to see why Henry would leave all his belongs to Penny but as she begins to truly see Penny she soon realizes what a talented kid she is and why Henry felt the way he did about her. She begins to feel bad about the way she has treated her and about all she has done to her and her mom.

I really enjoyed this novel about family and how you can find it in the least expected places. The way Jamie Brenner gives us characters that you never thought could come together but in the end, they do. I loved how through all the bitterness and arguments forgiveness still shined through. What started out as strangers and rivals, in the end, gave us family and showed us its never too late to see the good in one another.

Drawing Home by Jamie Brenner was my first read by her :).

Emma a single mother taking care of her teenage daughter Penny are surprised with an unexpected inheritance one day. The story surrounds the mystery of unfolding the inheritance and many others that pop up along the way to try to get some of the inheritance.

I found it a bit slow moving at times and was super frustrated with the characters at times. I was disappointed as well with the predictability of the story but was very impressed with Brenner's writing style.

I loved Penny!! I was glad that she was one of the main characters and found myself relating to her in some ways which helped the moving of the story for me :).

Overall, this was a fun beach read for the summer. 3.5 stars!

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

Publication date: 5/7/19
Published to Goodreads: 4/21/19

I love Jamie Brenner. She is my go to author when I need a lite, easy read.. Drawing Home did not disappoint. I needed a break from those dark thrillers I have been reading so I picked up Drawing Home.

Brenner created some very unique characters that I immediately felt a connection to. This was an uplifting, engaging tale that I feel others will appreciate and enjoy. I feel like her characters are flawed but real. I could relate and I fee so could others.

I hope everyone picks up Drawing Home for their 2019 Beach Read.

Thank you Little Brown and Jamie Brenner for my copy of Drawing Home.

3.5 Stars

The setting of the picturesque and historic town of Sag Harbor during the summer months was a nice backdrop to the novel.

Emma, a single mom and her teenage daughter, Penny are living their everyday lives when they are "surprised" by an unexpected inheritance. The key to understanding this "mystery" of why Penny was left the inheritance will be pieced together as other characters show up to fight for a piece of the action.

While I enjoyed this one, I do feel it moved at a slow pace and I found myself challenging some of the characters decisions. It did pick up during the last half and I was surprised and satisfied with the wrap up.

Thanks to NG and the publisher for my review copy. This one is out in May 2019