I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is a really good book. it kept me interested until the end and I even felt like I learned something a nice bonus. Highly recommend.

Another great read from Graham Norton! The family drama was intriguing. I have recommended the book to patrons, and could see it being used as a book club book in the future.

Graham Norton never disappoints wether on TV or in the written word. This was an amusing and highly readable novel.

This is the first book by Graham Norton that I have read - my entire knowledge of him as a person and television personality is through Youtube clips, and I expected a similar spirit of joy and humor in his work. Maybe this book will be the one that breaks my habit of forgetting to re-read the publisher’s summary before I start a book, because while Home Stretch is well-written and moving, it is not a happy book. The narrative examines the impact of a car crash that killed 3 teens in 1987, including a bride and groom the day before their wedding. Two boys walk away from the crash, and a third survivor is in a coma and intensive care. From that point, the book jumps back and forth through time, looking at the families of the victims and survivors, from the days before the accident through the early 2010s. It focuses primarily on the boy who was driving at the time of the crash, and his sister who was nowhere near the crash.

So why only three stars if I think that Home Stretch is well-written, moving, and accomplishes everything it intended? Personal preference, and expectation setting, that’s all. When I picked the book off my virtual shelf, I didn’t look at a description of what I was getting myself into, and I don’t think I was in the right frame of mind for the book. If you like your reading to have complex relationships and a darker, more introspective tone, this could be the book for you. I think it also might do well as a book discussion group pick. I do think that it’s one I might re-read and see what else I notice or get from the story, now that I know where everything is heading.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

I decided to have my book club read this title, and they really enjoyed it! They love family drama stories and this checked all the boxes for them.

Graham Norton is a fabulous storyteller. That being said I enjoyed his previous book more, but this one is still entertaining and well written. If you can imagine Graham's voice well reading (or just listen to the audiobook!) It makes for an even more enjoyable experience. I will definitely pick up any books he writes in the future.

3.5 stars, rounded down.

Home Stretch is Graham Norton’s third novel, and because I absolutely loved his first, Holding, and his second, A Keeper, I expected great things from this one. It’s not a bad book, but it didn’t delight me the way the first two did.

My thanks go to Net Galley and HarperVia for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

We start with a tragic accident, and our protagonist, Connor, is unhurt, but three of his friends are killed, and Connor is blamed by everyone, including his family. It’s a small town, so trying to keep his head up and avoid people that dislike him is impossible.

His family feels the same, and so he is abruptly packed off to Liverpool, and from there to bigger and in many ways, better places. And in many ways this is a favorable development, as he is no longer forced to hide his sexuality; and yet, it’s a tough thing to live a life that’s separate from your family, one that you know would horrify them.

The story is set in the 1980s, the era of the AIDS epidemic. This reviewer lost friends to it during that time; a lot of people did. Norton does a serviceable job with setting, and with character too; and yet, this book lacks the spark of his earlier two novels. The pacing is not as brisk, and the surprising bursts of humor that made me laugh out loud never materialized here. At times it felt like work to read it, and I wonder if he found as much joy in writing it.

I still believe in Norton as a novelist; everybody has a “meh” moment now and then. I look forward to seeing what he writes next.

The book begins in 1987 with a car crash in the small Irish village of Mullinmore that kills three and leaves another person paralyzed. The lives of the two survivors, Martin and Connor, one of whom was driving the car, diverge dramatically. Connor runs off to Liverpool and works as a manual laborer. However, when one of his colleagues finds out that he is gay, Connor is forced to leave and ends up in London and then, eventually, New York. Afraid of his parents' reaction to his sexuality and the judgement of his hometown, Connor stops communicating with his family, leaving them to wonder if he is dead or alive. On the other hand, Martin follows in the footsteps of his father and becomes a doctor, surprisingly marries Connor's sister Ellen, has two children, and lives out his life in an unhappy marriage in Mullinmore. When Connor happens to run into his long-lost nephew in a gay bar in New York over twenty years later, everyone must revisit their understanding of what happened on the day of the crash and the resulting consequences.

I very much enjoyed this book and the slow, measured way that Norton revealed the story to his readers. I loved how pieces of the story that might have otherwise gone under the radar as inconsequential appeared again throughout the book to link together what happened on the day of the crash and the years afterwards. The book is not dramatic or fast paced, but the richly developed characters make it easy to get lost in a story of people searching for meaning and acceptance.

Loved this book! I have never read this author but once I heard Graham Norton compared to Maeve Binchy I was all in! This was a fast weekend read for me; loved the characters and their development and also enjoyed the timeline juxtaposition. Now I'm off to find more Graham Norton.

In the late 1980's, a deadly car accident impacts the lives of many in a small Irish town. The accident involved 6 young people on their way home from the beach, among them a bride & groom who were to get married the next day. 3 died in the accident and 3 survived. The blame is cast on Connor, who was driving the car. He feels the accusation and emotion radiating on him from others in the small town. Connor runs from town in order to avoid the ill-will and escape his past. Eventually, of course, he has to face up to the secrets of his past.

This is the third novel by TV celeb Graham Norton, but the first one that I've read. I went into it not quite knowing what to expect. I ended up quite enjoying it. It has tragedy, secrets, judgement etc. at the center but it is all handled with warmth and a deep understanding of how small town politics can impact lives. Connor has carried on his life with this dark shadow hanging over him and we as the reader only want the best for him and for everyone to come to a better understanding.

Bonus: the audiobook is narrated by Graham Norton himself.

In his third compelling novel, Graham Norton faces the affects of a horrible accident on a small Irish town.
The day before a wedding will be held, a gathering of friends will result in tragedy. Three will die, including the future bride and groom and three will survive. The devastation that follows will destroy families, shatter the community and cause shame and guilt to those who survived, especially Connor, the driver of the car. We follow the path that fate has given him, the consequences that his family will deal with and decades of secrets and lies.
The emotions are often raw and piercing; the guilt, shame and regrets. The need to leave home to find oneself and to finally feel comfortable with who you are, what you are and who you choose to love.
This is a wonderful examination of what is is to be human and Graham Norton has authored a wonderful novel that I recommend highly.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and HarperVia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Graham Norton book, & I absolutely loved it. Connor’s story was beautifully heart-breaking and eye-opening. This book gave me so many emotions, & I’m grateful for all of it.

A town in Ireland is disrupted by a car accident that kills three, seriously wounds one, and two escape without injury. Connor admits to driving, moves away to help everyone heal. Told in alternate chapters between characters, mostly Connor and his sister Ellen while moving through time, 1987 to 1988 to 1995 to 2012. I enjoyed this story as we see the different characters figure out their lives as the years move on. It comes to a satisfying conclusion with a semblance of happiness through the town.

Home Stretch begins with a 1987 car crash in Ireland that kills three passengers including a bride and groom the day before their wedding. Survivors Martin and Connor deal with the tragedy differently. Martin stays home, marries, and serves the community. Connor takes his secrets with him to create a new life in New York. Later, Connor confronts the past and realizes that forgiveness is the only way to heal. Fine characterizations and twists elevate this novel above the usual. Book clubs would do well to select it as the discussion could lead itself for hours.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Graham Norton is as talented an author as he is a television presenter. This is a wonderful novel of family, secrets and life in a small Irish community. It felt very much like the lovely Maeve Binchy novels I used to read.

Looking forward to more Graham Norton novels!

I heard about this book on a podcast and wasn't sure if it would be for me. I'm so glad I tried it anyway. This is a very powerful novel about multiple families being affected by a tragedy that will tug at your heartstrings the whole way through. Highly recommend!

Home Stretch is the third novel by Radio and Talk Show personality Graham Norton. They are all great to read, but if you get the audio book, he narrates his own books!! Home Stretch is about the aftermath created when teenagers wreck a car. Some die, some are injured, and there are big secrets around the accident that will affect the lives of the teens and their loved ones for years to come. If you are familiar with Maeve Binchy's books, this one is similar. It tells the story of the community, not just one person. I highly recommend that you delve in and discover the secrets for yourself. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my voluntary and honest opinion on #Home Stretch.

Let me start this review, by saying I almost marked this as a Did Not Finish, but I am absolutely so glad that I stuck with this, as the payoff for this book was just so satisfying.

The book starts in 1987 when an accident happens the day before a wedding in a small Irish town. The bride and groom from that wedding were involved. Some people did not survive, but for the ones that did, this leaves their lives shattered and upended.

The story centers around Connor and Ellen. We do know that Connor was involved in the accident, and survives, but quickly leaves town not to be heard from again in many years. Ellen his sister, is left wondering about her brother for many years to come. Both of their lives diverge on a path that was very unlikely to happen, if this accident did not occur.

This was a wonderful rich story that is told over multiple decades. I found myself completely engrossed in this book, that I did not want this to end. This is a complicated families novel at it’s core, which is a big plus for me. There are so many hidden secrets, that Norton provides that it will have you turning the pages as fast as you can. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperVia for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A car accident happens on the eve of a wedding in a small town and everyone dies except two young men. Everyone in the car makes sense, in terms of friendship, except one of the young survivors. And the other survivor brought the car and was known to have been the driver. Yet, somehow, the town pins their vast sorrow upon the one outsider to the group. And with that beginning, a tale of many decades begins, that requires a certain suspension of belief, or lack of further curiosity, as to what might have happened in that vehicle before the accident. Author Graham Norton does a very good job of piecing together intertwined tales over many years, stitching together a fascinating web of life and deceit. But ultimately HOME STRETCH depends upon the reader’s ability to suspend judgement and just go with the tale. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Did not finish @25%

This book was just not for me. I kept picking it up and putting it back down after a couple of paragraphs. While the writing isn't bad, NONE of the characters are likable and unfortunately, I have figured out most of the plot and I only got to 25%. So disappointed as I was really looking forward to this one [as I really love the author]; it just ended up not being my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley, Graham Norton, and HarperVia for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.