On the 7th February 2009 known as Black Saturday is a date that many of us will never forget. Sadly, this is the day 173 people lost their lives to the horrific bush fires that tore through the small country town of Myrtle in Victoria.

Eighteen months later, after the fires people are still trying to rebuild not only their homes, but they are trying to rebuild a community whilst still grieving for their loved ones. The impact it has on everyone is unimaginable and yet somehow they get together as a community and start all over again. In this extraordinary story we get a glimpse into some of these people’s daily lives and how they manage to deal with the aftermath of that unforgettable horrible day.

Although this book is fiction whilst reading it you can see exactly how much research has gone into it. Aussie author Fiona Lowe has done an amazing job in composing this story which I could only imagine would not have been easy at all. This story will most certainly pull at your heartstrings no question about it, but it's a story well worth reading and I have no hesitation in highly recommending it.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.

Book blurb...
When a lethal bushfire tore through Myrtle, nestled in Victoria's breathtaking Otway Ranges, the town's buildings - and the lives of its residents - were left as smouldering ash. For three women in particular, the fire fractured their lives and their relationships.
Eighteen months later, with the flurry of national attention long past, Myrtle stands restored, shiny and new. But is the outside polish just a veneer? Community stalwart Julie thinks tourism could bring back some financial stability to their little corner of the world and soon prods Claire, Bec and Sophie into joining her group. But the scar tissue of trauma runs deep, and as each woman exposes her secrets and faces the damage that day wrought, a shocking truth will emerge that will shake the town to its newly rebuilt foundations...
With her sharp eye for human foibles, bestselling author Fiona Lowe writes an evocative tale of everyday people fighting for themselves, their families and their town - as only this distinctively Australian storyteller can.

My thoughts…
This story speaks to the love that surrounds people in small communities when they are forced together in terrifying and distressing circumstances.
The author depicts the relationships with such authenticity, and the imagery is such, that I was there as they worked to save each other before, during and after the tragic event.
This story will most certainly pull at your heartstrings.
Well written and well plotted. A big story and highly recommended.

If you’ve ever been through a bushfire emergency situation yourself, there’s a lot you will recognize from this drama set in a Victorian country town. What author Fiona Lowe does so well here in HOME FIRES is to examine the aftermath of bushfire. It is never over at that moment when the last embers have been extinguished. The repercussions of such destruction are felt for many many years, whether you have suffered the loss of property, loved ones, or perhaps neither. The experience of surviving a large-scale event like an Australian bushfire stays with you forever.

HOME FIRES examines this aftermath through the eyes of three women who are all connected through their isolated little community. The themes introduced in this work could be re-imagined in very different settings, but the catalyst is the day of the fires where their relationships, with each other and with their partners, are tested through adversity. These are women under great emotional, financial and societal pressure, amplified by the expectation that they will simply get on with things and that life will continue to follow paths set long before. Of course, that simply never happens.

The couples in HOME FIRES all had major life events happening before the day of the fires and continue to face new challenges well after they have buried loved ones, returned to their homes, or started the process of replacing the houses they have lost. The loss of the town of Myrtle to bushfire and the effect on its residents is felt differently by all who come out the other side, forever changed.

HOME FIRES features scenes from the before, the day itself, and all the longs days of recovery that come after. The reader will be quickly invested in the stories of Claire, Bec and Sophie who are vividly written as women fighting to keep their families safe and intact when they are have been so terribly threatened. We are reminded also that the greatest threats women face are often from those who claim to love us the most.



#HomeFires #NetGalley

Summer is a time most Aussies love.   Getting out in the sun, trips to the beach, the  long Christmas holiday break for students.   Yet Summer in Australia is not without its dangers.       High on the list of dangers is the very real threat of bushfires.    These fires are a dreadful force of nature known to claim lives,  properties and devastate communities.      Home Fires by Fiona Lowe is set in the fictional town of Myrtle and immerses readers in the tragedy that follows a natural disaster.

This novel is centred around three couples, Sohie & Josh, Claire & Matt, Bec & Adam and alternated between BF (before fires) and AF (after fires).   Sophie & Josh who could be described as typical <i>Aussie battlers</i> striving to own their own home;  Claire & Matt had the whirlwind romance whilst Bec and Adam ran a successful family business in the small town.   Each of their BF stories kept me interested but it was in the AF sections I was most moved.   The author showed the myriad ways lives were damaged and destroyed, the grief experienced, the financial and other stresses to be endured.     Although the gardens were regenerating and begining to thrive in the aftermath of the fires the people were not recovering nearly as well.  The scars both literal and figurative continued to be prominent for residents.  

At times it was hard to read, almost depressing.   Every couple was affected in some way and each of the relationships showed the strains   The community was doing it tough and it made me contemplate just how difficult it must be to recover from such a tragedy.  How must it be for the actual communities who lost everything in the  natural disasters such as the Black Saturday or Ash Wednesday fires.    In this respect this book reminded me of Ache by Eliza Henry-Jones, another excellent novel.

My thanks to Harlequin Australia and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

Fiona Lowe’s stories just get better with everyone she writes, the last two that I have read of hers Daughter of Mine and Birthright blew me away and this one has as well, I am sitting here trying to write this review and make sure I do justice to this amazing story, MS Lowe has taken me to the small town of Myrtle and the wonderful people that live there and what happens after a bushfire two years before destroys the town and plays havoc with their emotions, if you have never read a Fiona Lowe book do yourself a favour and read this one there will be no regrets.

We get to meet three woman, two who grew up in the town and one who has moved there with her family Claire, Bec and Sophie, as well as a few more fabulous woman, Julie who is in the CWA thinks that it is time to get the town moving again after the devastation of two years before and invites some of the woman to start a craft group in the evenings, Claire and Bec have been at odds with each other since school and Girl Guides and Sophie, Layla and Erica are pretty new to the town. This gets them working on plans and brings the woman together but along the way they learn that not all is as it should be and the emotions and hurt and pain that people keep to themselves will soon come to the surface as they learn to open up to each other.

While the woman work together we also get to know the men in their lives Matt, Adam, Josh, Nathan and Osman and Julie’s wonderful husband Phil, these men are also very different and with some of them living through the fires, they too have problems that need to be sorted and when it comes to a head on the second anniversary of the fires, I shed a lot of tears and there was a lot of different emotions flowing, there was anger, heart breaking feelings, but there was strength coming from each other and the support was amazing.

This book is beautifully written, there are heart-wrenching moments as we get to know and understand these woman and their families, there are moments that made me angry when the truth about one of the town’s favourites comes out and then the support and strength that these people show each other, this really is a book that I can’t highly recommend enough, I didn’t want to put it down, yet I read slowly to savour every word I was totally engrossed in this story, don’t miss this one. Thank you MS Lowe this one is going to stay with me for a long time to come, you did so well with issues that sadly are a part of our lives.

The town of Myrtle in Victoria’s Otway ranges was devastated by bushfire almost two years earlier. They lost everything in those fires including buildings, their livelihoods and most of all family and friends. Six new public buildings have been rebuilt but the residents are still living in temporary accommodation because of bureaucracy or just not been able to afford to rebuild. The residents of Myrtle are still struggling today.
This story will pull at your heartstrings and opens your eyes to how fire can destroy not only a town but the lives of all people living there, and the emotional and psychological effects that this has caused them. I could feel their heartache and frustrations.
There are so many wonderful characters in this story, the main characters are Claire the community nurse. Bec the wife of Adam the local builder. Sophie who had only moved into town just before the fires with her family. Throughout this story we learn more and more about these women and effects that the fire has had on them.
A small craft group is formed with the purpose of putting Myrtle back on the map and attracting tourists back into town. The group consists of Julie, Claire, Bec, Sophie, Erica and Layla. These women become friends from coming together in the group and learn to support each other and try to help bring their community back together.
The town of Myrtle holds many dark secrets. Will they survive the challenges ahead and recover? Will they ever really get over the devastation of the fire?
Fiona Lowe has written a book that deals with many issues including PTSD, domestic violence and grief. She has done her research into an Australian bushfire and its devastation and aftermath. Bushfires are a part of Australian summer and there are so many of them, I have seen a whole town wiped out by a bushfire here in Western Australia. It can happen so fast with no warning.
‘A day no one wanted to remember. A day no one could forget.’

Highly recommended, 2019 Top pick.

‘...it wasn’t the sight of the buckled and twisted remains of their home that undid her. It was seeing two tiny rompers, Liam’s shorts and T-shirts and Josh’s workwear—clothes she’d pegged on the line the morning of the fire before leaving to visit her mother. She’d doubled over at the everyday sight and sobbed at nature’s taunting. How dare she have taken normality for granted.’

If you live anywhere in the world where bushfires are hazard, you will be enthralled by this book. Each summer, here in Australia, we are faced with this deadly disaster annually. What Fiona does is bring it right into the spotlight in a most confronting way. From both an individual and community perspective the devastating effects are presented and admirably not just for a moment but for many months afterwards as well.

Following the lives of three women deeply affected, the story jumps back and forth from prior to, during and many months later. At times this can be a challenge to track, however, Fiona does it well enough, climaxing with the fire itself on the day. This is not just a story about bushfires, it’s an investigation into the many issues of life in a small town community and the everyday challenges they face. What the fire does, is bring these conflicts to a head with how people cope when faced with adversity.

‘Now everything was measured in BF and AF, from the big picture things right down to the little things like reaching for your favourite cooking knife or spanner, only to realise it had been destroyed.’

Beginning with their frustrations at the slow rebuild after the fire and having to live in temporary housing, to the social and emotional impact on families and individuals. Fiona does a wonderful job at presenting how such a traumatic situation impacts on people differently. It really makes you stop and pause as to how you would respond to such a confronting situation. There are many personal stories here that cover a cross section of issues - marriage, jobs, domestic violence. I have to be honest and say that I did struggle with the three male partners - I didn’t like any of them and found their actions - scripted or not - rather hard to accept.

Overall, this was a fabulous read, so real and emotional - the frustration and heartbreak very relatable. There are many facets and components to this story of a small town in the face of devastating fires. I highly recommend you taking the time to become part of the lives of these people and feel the fear with what they faced.

‘Claire thought about the men and women of Myrtle and how many were barely coping. All their energy was sucked out of them just trying not to sink under the weight of trauma, red tape and rebuilding. It didn’t leave much in reserve...’


This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

I am still dabbing my eyes and swallowing the back taste of smoke as I finish Home Fires by Fiona Lowe. As I read into the book I just couldn't put it down,  I was drawn into the lives of the people of Myrtle in Victoria, Australia.We all watch devastating events happening most nights as they play out on our TV screens. As I read this book I am hearing about a fire devastate a town in my own country.  Home Fires explores the terrible destruction of fire that can spring up and engulf a community.This is a book not only about the horror of fire out of control, but the lives of people both before and after the fire. There is the shock of loss of life and home and animals. Add into that the people who survive and the huge stress that is placed on them. The world forgets them, but they are left to pick up the pieces.Home Fires presents us with a wonderful group of characters all who are dealing with fire related issues, and issues that were already present and greatly exacerbated by the fire. We see a motley group of people struggle and fall, challenge each other and support each other until... something new arises.So worth reading! A fabulous Australian setting,a disaster event and the courageous response to it, family upheaval, violence and marriage issues, PTSD, crime, and above all family and community supporting each other. This book has it all. The title of the book is totally apt and the cover gorgeous.

At a time when most of my State seemed to have been on fire for the past month or so, I thought that this book would be quite a relevant read. I was lucky enough not to be in the path of any of the fires, but my heart went out to those who were directly affected.

This story is about Myrtle, a small country town in Victoria which has been affected by bushfires. It is really a story about rural communities and how they cope with the after-effects of a fire, both physically but especially psychologically. The stories of these community members were woven together very skilfully, the author was clearly an adept storyteller.

Part of me wanted to move to Myrtle, to be part of the Nightlights, to have that community support and friendship from other women. The other part of me wondered if I would cope if my home had burnt down, with everything I own and treasure, in it.

I loved the stories of all the different characters, I got very emotionally involved indeed. The description of the fire event made my heart beat much faster - such a confronting and terrifying thing to go through! I have heard that fires make a loud noise, the author does a good job of painting the picture for those of us lucky enough not to have gone through it ourselves.

As a fellow Aussie, I thank God for the CFA and all the volunteers who fight fires, make meals, look after stock and pets and give of themselves in a crisis situation such as a bushfire. You are all heroes in my eyes :)

5 stars from me, for this book. It really touched my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia.

This was my first Fiona Lowe read, however it won't be my last.

I was captivated by this story. I live in a small town, I am a volunteer firefighter, so I have seen the aftermath of bushfires over the years, and the toll that it can take on people's lives.

Ms Lowe has captured this wonderfully. She has captured the town spirit that comes out after these catastrophic events, the way people come together to bring their home back to life.

It was a very emotional story, and Sophie, Bec and Claire will draw you right into their lives.

It also hits right home, with the way Tasmania in particular has suffered with terrible bushfires this summer. It gives those who have not been impacted or lived in areas that have been impacted a bit of a sense of what many Australians go through every year.

Thank you for writing such a wonderful story.

Eighteen months after the horrific bushfire that claimed many lives and ravaged most of the small township of Myrtle in country Victoria, inhabitants were struggling. Some buildings and homes had been rebuilt, but the town was lacking in many things. And mostly it was tourists. The money was no longer flowing in the town and Julie, who was known for her strength and determination, formed a small craft group with the intention of planning events to draw people back to Myrtle. She invited Sophie, a relatively new resident of Myrtle, along with Claire, Bec and a couple of other women to share in the ideas and brainstorming to help the town and its people.

But some of these women had secrets. Trauma and grief that hadn’t left them or their husbands and partners. On the outside they looked to be doing well. Claire was a community nurse, efficient and kind, always helpful. Bec supported her husband Adam in his building business, while Sophie had to return to work as her husband Josh had lost his job due to the bushfire. And Bec and Sophie’s children were showing signs of internal struggles.

As the two year anniversary of that devastating day drew near, cracks were appearing. Would the secrets held deep inside finally be exposed?

Home Fires by Aussie author Fiona Lowe is an outstanding novel, filled with heartbreak, grief, tragedy and a burgeoning hope. The depth of emotion the author has given the characters is breathtaking; my heart was breaking for what I knew they were going through. Bushfire is an every day part of life in Australia, and not just in the summer months. The firefighters work in the most horrendous of situations, and still manage a smile. And sometimes the bushfires rip through communities like they are not there – as happened on the 7th February 2009 in Victoria, a day known as Black Saturday when 173 people perished. In Home Fires, Fiona Lowe has captured the essence of what it means to struggle to survive above all odds. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins AU (HQ) for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Home Fires really hit home for me. I started reading an ARC of this book, for which I am truly grateful, on the tenth anniversary of Victoria’s devastating Black Saturday fires. I am eternally grateful not to have been affected by those horrific events but nonetheless very mindful of having dodged a bullet as I live in a fire prone area.
Back to this book, which is superbly written and delivers a really powerful and emotional look at how fire can devastate lives and reshape people’s lives. As I read the book I recall reading advice from a well known author to those of us still learning the trade: “Make it worse, make it worse, make it worse!”
Fiona Lowe has certainly done that with this book, throwing devastating bushfires at her key characters and after the fires throwing one horrific event after another at them. Through this her characters became so real to me. I truly cared about the outcome of this story and was eternally grateful to see things satisfactorily resolved at the end.
I was utterly hooked on this story and while it took me several days to read I grabbed every possible moment to get back to it. It took me a little while to get used to the jumps in time from before the fire to after and if that is the case for other readers all I can say is read on because the journey is so worth it.

This is an extremely poignant story probable more so bee australian and seeing the devastation of bushfire in our sunburnt country just about every year We all read about the devastation of entire towns and we have all tried to do our part to help but this story really brings to you the devastation that is caused to the towns themselves.

The story is told in alternating chapters set before the fire and after the fire and is focused around three main characters Claire the local nurse practitioner whose wedding was supposed to be the day of the fire, Bec whos husband was the hero during the fire but now bares the scars from that horrific day and Sophie who was a resident of the town for only a few weeks before it burnt. Thy will join a group of women who will try to bring tourism and growth back to the town they love and in the process secrets will com to light that may destroy the town rather than rebuild it.

This is a deeply emotional story that will have you reaching for the tissues but is a story that no Aussie should miss It will give you an entire new perspective on what our sunburnt country can do to its inhabitants

Home Fires by Fiona Lowe is a book that had me captivated. Living in Australia all of my life summer invariably means bushfires. This beautiful country that we call home can be harsh and this book hit very close to home. I don't live in an area that has ever come under threat but seeing it happen around the country reading this story of grief, rebuilding, devastation and so much more was emotional. It about so much more than just the fires - it is what those fires leave behind - and take away.

The story of Myrtle in the Victorian Ottaway Ranges is heartbreaking. When the wind changed that day the town was suddenly right in the path of a lethal bushfire and the town would never be the same again. It is not just the buildings, but the people of this town lost so much more. This book tells the story BF (Before the Fires) and AH (After the Fires). in alternate chapters. The chapters that cover the actual fires themselves were terrifying to read and I can't imagine what I would be like faced with that danger to myself and my family.
;
The book is about the community as a whole but focuses on 3 main women

- Claire - who is the local nurse and the fires hit town on what should have been her wedding day
_ Bec - she is married to the hero of the fires who was badly scarred
- Sophie - who moved into her dream home with her husband just weeks before the fires.

Before the fires the 3 women did not have a lot to do with each other. 18 months after the fires they form a craft group who also decide to help bring tourism back to Mrytle as it is slowly rebuilding. As the story unfolds we learn more about them and the people they love - both before and after the fires. You can't always judge something by home it looks on the outside and this could not be truer of these 3 womens lives. Secrets are being kept that have life changing results. Together these women battle their demons and try to pick up the pieces of their lives.

This book made me cry - a lot! But is also made me smile and gave me hope. It is a beautifully written story that pulls at your heartstrings. I can't recommend this book enough.

Thanks to Harlequin Australia, HQ and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

‘A day no one wanted to remember. A day no one could forget.’

Eighteen months ago, the town of Myrtle in Victoria’s Otway ranges was devastated by bushfire. Lives were lost. Buildings and livelihoods destroyed. As the story opens in the present, the town is gathering for the opening of a sixth new building. On the surface, the town is recovering. But is it really? Behind the new public buildings, many are struggling to rebuild their homes. Some are spending their second winter living in caravans or containers while they await permission to rebuild. Others have left.

One community member, Julie, invites several women to join a craft group she establishes. The group includes Claire, the local nurse practitioner, Bec (whose husband Adam Petrovic is regarded as a hero because of his actions during the fire), Sophie who moved to Otway with her family just weeks before the fire, and Erica and Layla who have moved to Myrtle since the fire.

The main characters are Bec, Claire and Sophie and through them we learn of the impact of the fire on each of them and their families. All have experienced trauma because of the fire and each of them handles it differently. We gain some insight into each of the women through chapters touching on their lives before the fire, we learn of their fears and secrets. We also learn that all is not as it seems in Myrtle. Some secrets are toxic. Can the town of Myrtle recover? Can Bec, Claire and Sophie overcome the challenges ahead of them?

I picked this novel up and was swept into the community of Myrtle and the people portrayed. I could feel their frustration: six new public buildings (but no pub) people living in temporary accommodation because bureaucracy moved too slowly or because they could not afford to rebuild. There are other aspects to the story as well, the manifestation of post traumatic stress and different coping mechanisms employed, and there are several secrets to be uncovered. This is a novel which invites you to think about how you might react in a similar horrific situation.

This is the first of Ms Lowe’s novels I’ve read: I doubt that it will be the last.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HQ Fiction for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I loved this book, my first of Fiona Lowe’s although I have known about her books for a while.
Myrtle is a small town set in the Otway Ranges but it is now a fractured community, as it tries to rebuild it’s self after a devastating bush fire destroyed the town, taking many lives.
Set mostly in the present day, two years after the fire it follows stalwart community member Julie, local nurse practitioner Claire, Bec (who has has resented Claire since high school), Sophie who moved to Myrtle six weeks before the fire with her family and Erica and Layla, who are new to the town since the fire. These women come together on the instigation of Julie to form a craft group but it ends up becoming so much more as they try to bring new life into the town.
There are chapters of before the fire, which set the background to understanding these characters but nothing is ever as it seems, as they struggle to come to terms of life after that dreadful day.

I can’t help but see a parallel to Myrtle and what happened in small communities after the harrowing and devastating Victorian fires of 2009. It’s poignant, heartbreaking, frustrating and hopeful as people pull together and apart, this story has so many layers while it also explores PTSD and domestic violence.

A book which evoked many emotions in me and I thank Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read. Highly recommended reading.

Home Fires by author Fiona Lowe is simply stunning reading that did not disappoint this reader. Numerous one-eighty degree turns by the character’s in the narrative shifted thoughts of each portrayal of said character’s for this reader made for interesting reading. The country backdrop setting and the diverse characters who faced boundless hurdles in the small town of Myrtle all combined for unmissable reading. At times I could not believe how the character demeanours shifted, but gosh it was great that the author gave the reader a chance to form secondary ideas of where the story might be heading, leaving them in an almost suspended motion. I could not even say who my fave character is in the read because there are many, and the ‘Stitch Bitches’ is priceless. Home Fires by author Fiona Lowe was a fabulous read that was unputdownable.
Review copy received from Harlequin MIRA via Netgalley