An entry in the domestic fiction genre. It wasn’t bad, but just wasn’t for me. A woman returns home after her estranged mother passes away. Not much more to say. It was okay.

Welcome Home Stranger is a beautifully written book about a woman rediscovering herself after her mother‘s death. She returns home to Maine from her home in DC where she works as a climate journalist. There, along with her sister Celeste, they begin to face the wounds of their youth. When their incredibly poor dysfunctional childhood that they have managed to persevere above, starts to take its toll on their adult selves, she is forced to make a decision about the life she left behind and the life she could have in Maine. I was definitely surprised by this book. I wasn’t surprised by the fact that it’s beautifully written. I was surprised by the fact that it didn’t take the traditional path for a book like this, where everything winds up all sunshine and roses, I think the choices the author took were far more interesting. Well, the novel definitely ends on some questions. I think these are worthy questions- you don’t actually know where the protagonist is going to end up in her life, but you feel that she’s going to be OK no matter what.

Rachel is forced to go home and revisit her past after the death of her mother, Unmarried and without children, Rachel has kept her distance from her family for years but now come face to face with her family and memories. A great cast of characters and a realistic storyline about families and how we become who we are.

Beautifully written by an obviously seasoned writer. Her descriptive storytelling made this a very visual read. Rachel is coming home, reluctantly. Her mother has passed and she is called home by the remaining family members. A slew of unfortunate, sometimes comic events unfolds as she attempts to navigate her life now without her mother. Gives new meaning to the quote: there’s no place like home.

This book deals with a lot of loss of different people in her life. Her mother has passed away and she returns home to a sister that she does not trust and an ex husband. This book deals with lots of family dynamics and issues. A really interesting read. Family if alsways complicated but in the end you always have love that wins

This is an exquisitely written book that describes a homecoming of a different sort. It's easy to write beautiful prose about beautiful things, but Christensen takes the gritty side of Maine and exposes it in a way that makes you see, hear, and smell it. Diverse characters and a downhill plunge keeps the reader engaged in the slow drama. And despite it all, there isn't a single character in the book that I wouldn't want to go out to lunch with. By the end of the book you will know them well and feel a connection to small town and rural Maine. It's a total winner in my book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's a shining star in my book!

Can we ever go back home? That's a question many ask as the enter mid-life or later. Rachel, at age 54, answers that question when she returns to Maine after her estranged mother's death. She reconnects with her sister Celeste who cared for their mother through her cancer treatments and holds some resentment towards Rachel for having to do it all herself. During Rachel's stay in Maine, both sisters come to terms with their early lives with an abusive, drunk, mental challenged mother.

I really liked Rachel and her inner strength that took her to a successful career but maybe not such a full life. Many of the secondary characters were also fully developed and helped Rachel grow as a person. The descriptions of the places in Maine, both rural and city were beautiful and really took the reader into the surroundings.

My only regret with the book is the constant hardships that Rachel had to deal with. I won't put any spoilers in here, but suffice to say that she has one catastrophe after another and this is while dealing with her mother's death. The bright spot is her reconnection with family, without that I don't know how she would have gone on.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

While this book had some interesting characters and some well described locales (show wouldn't like a mansion and a Maine woods camp), I found it to be extremely depressing. Even my life is not as sad Rachel's--it just seems to be one thing after another, some of the misfortunes self-made and some not her fault, but as a reader the book just got heavier and heavier with no signs of hope in sight. I know the last few pages were supposed to be make the ending a little lighter, but I just don't think it worked. I get the "message" of the book, I just didn't need to be hit over the head with it.

Such a beautifully written novel! I was totally involved in Rachel’s story from the moment I started to read. Rachel has returned to her home in Portland, Maine to mark the death of her mother. This trip gives her the opportunity to revisit her life, but as she comes to terms with her past, the world is revolving around her with much that is unexpected.

I loved the character of Rachel and felt her pain as events unfolded and this trip becomes the catalyst for the rest of her life. I liked the characters that come into Rachel’s orbit. As a frequent visitor to Portland, I enjoyed how spot-on her descriptions were of the city.

The author provided a beautiful, metaphorical final chapter. I truly enjoyed meeting Rachel and learning about her extraordinary past. This book was an unexpected pleasure.

Thank you Netgalley for this very special novel.