You'd Be Home Now introduces Emory Ward, who along with her brother Joey are in a car accident where a classmate dies. Joey wasn't driving, but he was in the back seat nearly overdosed on heroin. He is sent to rehab and when he returns, their mother sets up a strict set of rules for his behavior and instructs Emory to keep tabs on him 24/7. Although she loves Joey and wants to help him, the pressure is suffocating. She rebels by shoplifting and hooking up with Gage, a popular classmate and neighbor who insists on keeping their relationship secret. Meanwhile the town's problem with "ghosties," homeless addicts that live by the river, reveals an even bigger problem. As she loses the battle to keep Joey on the straight and narrow and he gets involved with the "ghosties," she begins to realize that she must be honest with herself and others and find her own way. With the help of new found friends, Emory restructures the balance in her life and her place in the community. The author, drawing from the play Our Town and her own experience with addiction recovery, illustrates the profound effect the opioid crisis and addiction have on individuals and their families.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an advance copy to read. Phew! This was a hard but really good read. While the main plot line is about addiction and what it does to the people we love and families, it is also about hope and love and mistakes. It's about how making mistakes is okay and that we still need to love each other for those mistakes. This book really hit home to me on a lot of issues and even though it made it hard to read at times, it was a really important read. The characters are realistic, their voices are clear and fleshed out. There was a lot to unpack but Kathleen Glasgow makes it look easy to write a book. You won't want to put it down but be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy. And an even bigger thank you to Kathleen Glasgow for always writing such incredible books. This book absolutely slayed me. I read it in one sitting and it left me in tears several times. I will be recommending this one all year.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC*

4 stars
This was a VERY tough read but it is very well written and touches on an important topic: drug addiction and substance abuse. I liked how we we’re able to get a perspective mainly from Emory’s point of view as someone trying to help a loved one with their addiction. I have watched someone close to me deal with having a family member with this issue and it is such a hard thing to deal with. I think this book perfectly depicts what it may be like to try to help someone with a drug addiction and substance abuse. It’s not a happy ending because a lot of times there are none but you leave with a bit of hope after finishing the book.

A story about having a family member in the throes of addiction, not about addiction itself, which are two very different novels. A story about a loved one battling addiction is often about the distance the addiction asserts, and the impossible job of reconciling that distance with the intimacy you previously had with them. We get some sense of Joey on the page, but more often than not it's his absence that defines him.

I appreciate Glasgow's character development, and her refusal to romanticize any character in this story. They are all flawed, yet all treated with humanity. She juggles various storylines, and the emotional conflict brewing in Emory as she simultaneously deals with her brother and her own relationship drama felt compelling.

Glasgow writes standard prose, with no aspect that calls attention to itself. The dialogue veered from authentic to corny, "what's up my fellow kids?" imitations. The worst moments are in English class, when Glasgow turns one of the students into a mouthpiece to change the curriculum, and the character immediately starts speaking like the most annoying, 1st-year graduate student you've ever met. It could have been an interesting section, sparking a dialogue worthy of nuance and courage, but it came off (like a lot of contemporary fiction) as a moralizing pamphlet.

I prefer fiction that challenges me, instead of pandering to commonly held beliefs.

The pacing seemed haphazard as well. In the first half, nearly nothing happened, and by the second half, we were speeding from scene-to-scene trying to wrap things up. I have never seen a writer skim through so many mini-emotional climaxes in a scant page or two. It felt like major self-sabotage, but maybe that's all our attention spans can handle at this point.

this book wasn’t my thing. i don’t know why, but it took me ages to read and i wasn’t really motivated to do so. i love kathleen glasgow’s writing style and character work, but just the overall storyline wasn’t for me at the moment, still looking forward to reading her next books though!

A real life look at what it takes to live in a family with addiction issues. Our main character is very realistic in the writing that is done.

After a tragic car accident, Emmy is in recovery from her injury and her older brother is sent to rehab. As the new school year starts, Emmy has many issues to deal with, including her brother’s sobriety.

This was a really honest look at substance abuse. I’ve read a lot of books with the topic, but many just feel false. This story felt real and true to real life. While adults will enjoy it also, is a young adult read. The main characters are high school students and a lot takes place in school. I feel like teens would really benefit from this empathetic and compassionate portrayal of addiction. It’s not a feel good story where all is promised in the end, which made it even more realistic.

“That’s the thing about loving an addict. You don’t want to lose them. You’ll do anything to keep them with you. Keep them alive. You’ll lie, beg, cheat, steal. But you start to feel invisible. Because everything is about them.”

You’ll Be Home Now comes out 9/28.

I loved how the author had the characters have flaws. When you normally read about characters, you get a bit of who they don't want anyone to see, but we got to see the good and the bad with our main characters. I enjoyed how we got to see how addiction affects a family and the person. One night changes everything. Emory is the middle child of a wealthy family; her parents are busy working and seem not to notice a lot until it is too late. That is until the accident. The one where her brother's addiction becomes known, and Emory is now an outcast at school. Her life is not the same, so when her brother comes back, she is to make sure he does what he is supposed to while keeping herself afloat.
While dealing with her brother Emory has a secret that no one can know until pictures get out, and she has to deal with the aftermath of that.
There is so much I want to say in this review, but I would give a lot away. The author shows us that everyone falls; no one is perfect; you dust yourself and keep living and taking care of yourself. This book will give you a lot of feels. You will feel angry at their parents for how they handle things, angry at Joey for doing what he does even though he is trying to be better. Sadness for what Emory is dealing with and happiness at the ending. Pick this is up, read it, devour it and fall into the world of addiction and what you will do to save the one you love.

As with all of Glasgow’s books, the characters have depth and make very realistic choices. It is heartbreaking and lovely. Highly recommend. I know students will love it.

Thank you for sending me an e-copy of this book.

I normally read non fiction addiction and recovery memoirs and they usually are written by the addict (hence the memoir) so this was a bit of a departure for me.

It started off really well and actually got me intrigued - not everything was as it seems and the hazy memories were no help.

Unfortunately, it kind of went downhill for me as the pacing was so slow.. Also none of the characters were likeable including the parents who are both oblivious to most of what is happening and oblivious to each other.

I managed to get through the book, but I kept checking to see how much was still to go.

One thing this book did very well was show how an addiction in the family does not affect just the addict, but everyone who loves him.

I need to preface my review by saying a couple things. First, books don't often make me cry; this book made me cry (twice). Second, I almost didn't request this book because I thought it would be too depressing, and though it is at times, just like life, I loved this book in the end.

You'd Be Home Now is the story of Emory, a good daughter and student, and her drug-addicted brother, Joey. The story begins when Joey's friend crashes his car after a party, killing a girl. After that, Emory and Joey's parents check Joey into rehab. When Joey gets out of rehab, Emory becomes his shadow, his caretaker, sacrificing her wants and needs to try to prevent her brother from relapsing. But just like life, things don't always go according to plan.

As I said above, I loved this book. Emory is a realistic and likable character, and I empathized with her more than once. And you can't help rooting for flawed Joey. I won't give any spoilers because I hate that, but I will say I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's going on the list of 2021 favorites. Please read this. You won't regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

You’d Be Home Now is an amazing family drama. It’s main focus is a drug addicted teenager. But as the parents and sister soon learns, addiction affects everyone in the family. At times I hated each person in the family but mostly I wanted to help them. Glasgow never sugarcoats addiction and recovery. We see all the ugly sides from accidentally killing someone to stealing from your own family. And from the narrator, his sister, we learn that love cannot solve everything. As hard as she tries, an addict has to want to get help. So many great pieces of advice wrapped up in a novel.

Touching account of how addiction affects families and communities, not just individuals. But true to Glasgow's work, You'd Be Home Now - rather than adhering to tired stereotypes that could serve to demonize people who are socially marginalized - provides a compassionate, authentic approach to addressing difficult subjects of mental health, substance use disorders (SUDs), lack of structural support for people with SUDs, and adolescence.

As Glasgow acknowledges herself in the back of the book, I've also struggled with mental health issues (not substance use) and while fiction has more compassionately documented these struggles from the perspective of those with that direct experience in recent years, less often do we get a non-demonizing account from their loved ones - their siblings, parents, friends, partners. Navigating the complexity of struggles with mental health and substance use, whether you are struggling yourself or love someone who is, deserves nuance. Glasgow delivers. Love is patient, kind, but it also holds space for a full spectrum of emotions, including anger, exasperation, disappointment, and uncertainty.

Although some aspects of the book, such as the exorbitant wealth of the protagonist's family, are not entirely relatable, I would recommend this book for loved ones (particularly young folks) of people with substance use disorders who aren't sure how to express their own hurt, or need the legitimacy of that hurt to be validated.

Grateful for the opportunity to get an ARC of this latest by Glasgow (as someone who was very moved by Girl in Pieces).

4/5 stars.

My God, how do I start this review!! I had a million words and they have left me…… this author, every time!

I’m not fine! I’m broken! - Mel





This book made me feel what I felt, feel what I feel, cry, hate, love… understand.



These characters are wonderful. Flawed. They are a lot of us when we were young. A lot of us as parents and the people who are lost.

When I first started reading the book I was getting myself prepared for what the author was going to do to me. I got to a point in the book that I felt was going to be the same old bullshit I read nowadays and felt bummed. I was so wrong. This book is about ALL the things.



Emory, Joey, Jeremy, Eliza, Daniel…. I love you guys so much!!

My whole life, I just wanted to feel better. Forget about what a loser I was. And then I found a way to do that.

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If I was Joey, I’d be pawing through the house looking for anything, something to dull all this down. Forget I’m even me.
I get it now. I really get it.


I hated the parents in the beginning. They didn’t treat their kids very good. They are rich and jerks, but sometimes bad things have to happen to wake someone up. They have Emory who is the good kid, the invisible kid. Maddie, the perfect kid. Joey the bad, loser kid. Joey and Emory did things to try to hide the pain, to feel wanted. Some of the things were stupid and you’re screaming in your head for them to stop. I was young once and did things, a lot of people were in their place or worse. I’m in that place in some ways now. BUT, you can’t judge! You need to find your compassion! It tore my empathy into little pieces. I cried, I laughed and cried some more. And the homeless and the hope that was given!! Damn it!! It was so horrible and wonderful!

I had a lot more I wanted to say, so much more! It just all went out the window. I just know I want to do even more to help people before I die.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE! AND I LOVE YOU!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

*Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for a digital copy of this book.

This is my 1st book by Kathleen Glasgow and I was not disappointed! Wow what an emotional roller coaster this book will take you on. When I started the book, I didn't really know what to expect regarding addiction. I have read books before that just touched on it, or even made it seem like addiction was something easy to overcome, that all you needed was the right words or the right person and voila...the addiction was gone. Not this book, this book shows you all the dirty, sad, regretful, shameful, loving, angry parts of addiction. This book really dives into how addiction runs through the whole family, not just the addict. Emmy was a great character, she starts out in the mindset that all she has to do is watch her brother closely and things will be fine. She soon finds out that's not how it works, and with finding that out she finds out how to live and deal with it. It's not easy and there are hurdles in the path that she, her whole family, must get past. This book also lets you into the mind of an addict and to see just how much of a struggle each and every minute can be. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more from this author.

I absolutely loved this book! It was passionate, heartbreaking, hopeful and all together wonderful. Difficult/mature themes are all handled in a very PG manner, making it more accessible for younger teens. I will be recommending it again and again.

What are you going to do with your one wild and precious life?

This book was much more emotional and real than I had expected. I laughed…I cried. Seriously. I don't remember the last time I cried with a book.

This was the story of Emory, but also of her brother Joey. Their lives are so intertwined that Emory can't seem to separate them. As she watches him go down the road of addiction and everything that comes with that, as his life unravels and everything it touches, all she wants is to be able to fix him, fix herself, and be seen. Maddie, her older sister is the perfect one, Joey is the bad one, and Emory is the good one, the invisible one.

What I took away from this story is that addiction is hard on everyone, not just the one addicted. Life is hard. We mess up. Sometimes a lot. But we have to pick ourselves back up and try again. Because in the end, it doesn't matter that we messed up, but that we didn't give up.

A YA Our Town retelling that will shine a light on many issues facing not just Mill Haven, but towns all over the world.
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On the outside Emory is the perfect daughter. She wears the clothes her mom tells her to wear, takes dance because it’s expected and does everything she can to keep her family together after a tragedy. Four months ago Emory was in a car accident that killed a friend of hers and also brought her brother’s addiction to the surface. Now Joey is out of rehab and it’s become Emory’s responsibility to do everything she can to keep him clean, all while trying to recover from the accident that shattered her knee. The only thing that keeps her from losing her mind is the secret rendezvouses she has with the next door neighbor in the pool house, even though he wants to keep their relationship a secret. But with all the duties and responsibilities on Emory’s plate something has to give.
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This book takes a deep dive into the world of drug use, the wealthy and what it’s like to live with someone in recovery. It really reminded me of Mindy McGinnis’ Heroine, but from a sibling’s point of view. Make sure to read the Author’s Note at the back as I found it informative, interesting and shocking. More than 20 million people in the US struggle with substance abuse. This statistic starts at age twelve. Let that sink in. We need more books like this to shine a light on a topic not discussed enough. This book releases 9.28.

CW: drug abuse, addiction, theft, cyber bullying in the form of slut shaming, car accident, mental health issues

Now that I’ve calmed down and dried my eyes, I can finally write my review about this one. I truly don’t even know where to begin other than to say this book tore me apart. It was gut wrenching and RAW.

Emory has always been the good, quiet one. Her sister was the pretty one & her brother was the troubled one. Everything was turned upside down when an accident that Emory & her brother, Joey, were involved in, killed a classmate, and revealing just how bad Joey’s addiction is. From there, everything Emory thought she had (her family, her life, the popular guy next door) starts spiraling out of control. We go on the journey with Emory, Joey, and their family as they face the biggest hardships of their lives.

I felt EVERYTHING in this book so deeply. I may not have gone through a lot of what Emory went through in the book, but her character really resonated with me. The entire story was such a heartbreaking one, really twisting my insides, but I couldn’t stop reading. I tore through the pages quickly, even though some of it was hard to read. You’d Be Home Now will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House, & Kathleen Glasgow for allowing me to read and review an early copy. Check out You’d Be Home Now on it’s pub date 9/28!

(TW: addiction, drug use, bullying, talk of suicide)