I’m fumbling a bit over how to categorize Graham Norton’s "Forever Home."

A cozy mystery is what first comes to mind, and it is, perhaps, an accurate enough description. The book has all the elements of the genre – a mystery, of course; a likeable amateur sleuth in Moira, Carol’s mom; an Irish small-town setting; humor and lightheartedness.

But it’s so much better than your average cozy mystery that I fear I’m underselling the book by giving it this label. Because I think of cozy mysteries as happy fluff, and Norton’s latest book isn’t that. Beneath all the wacky shenanigans, it’s also a family drama with a deep undercurrent of heartbreak to the story, what with the illness of Declan, Carol’s partner, and Carol being forced out of their home by Declan’s children. The mystery element adds an even darker edge.

Though it’s the humor that makes the book stand out. Norton’s wry comedy hits all the right notes, particularly through the amusing Moira. She steals the show from Carol and is the best mom ever.

And while "Forever Home" doesn’t necessarily leave the reader in a warm, fuzzy place, the ending is happy enough, which I appreciated even more. I like how Norton doesn’t fix all the characters’ problems with a wave of his wand.

It’s a gem of a book.


My sincerest appreciation to Graham Norton, HarperVia, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

This was so much fun for me because I'm reading along and the OH, I didn't see that coming and then farther along there it went again - OH, I didn't see that coming either. I really like Graham Norton as a talk show host, now I like him as an author.

Book 099 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I love Graham Norton. He is a hoot and so witty. Then I found out that he is an author, so I rushed to the library to read his non-fiction and various fiction books.

I was fortunate enough to get an ebook copy of this, and I savoured this.

Honestly, I was torn between reading at my usual pace or really savouring it, so I chose the latter.

Got a copy from the library, too, and juggled both.

I know I thoroughly enjoyed it when I hugged my iPad and let out a satisfied sigh.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperVia for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

I loved how unique this story is and how I could never predict the next piece of it. I love the Irish setting in a small corner of the world with a mesmerizing story. Definitely going on my reread list.

I really liked this book, it was different than anything else I've read which was a breath of fresh air. I will be recommending this to my friends, and auto buy this author!

This is a great novel, the first I’ve read by Norton, who I came to know through clips from his show online. His characteristic wit comes though, and I absolutely love that he narrated the audiobook himself. He does a fantastic narration job, and his comfort with a performance and charisma really come through. I’d highly recommended this book, and I’ll be on the lookout for others by him.

As far as I'm concerned, Graham Norton is now first and foremost a novelist. He's such a wonderful writer, and he crafts such realistic, believable, likeable, and relatable characters; I have yet to be disappointed by one of his books. They're warm and funny and heartfelt, and I hope he writes a hundred more.

Graham Norton really knows how to write characters. In Forever Home the reader is immersed in the stories of characters in transition. They have end-of-life issues, secrets to uncover (or reveal), flaws and frailties, Daddy issues, Mommy issues, and the author wraps them up in a murder mystery. Norton does not neglect to include his sense of humor amongst the chaos. It is well written and enjoyable.

Carol's partner is moved to a nursing home with dementia, and his children force her out of his house. This leads to a discovery in the basement of the house that affects everyone. This was really good. I have enjoyed several of Graham Norton's books, and this was no exception. I really liked Moira's character, even with her flaws. 4 stars.

4.5 stars
Forever Home was such a touching slice of life. Graham Norton has a gift for giving us fully fleshed out characters. We might not like (m)any of them or the things they say and choices they make, but they are so realized that you’re just there for it all! I think the situations in this book will ring true for so many people in different times of life— the older generation dealing with health situations and who will care for them, the middle generation trying to care for their parents and children, the young adults trying to launch their own lives and navigate expectations. There’s something for everyone in this book!
*Thanks to HarperVia and NetGalley

Forever Home was such a pleasant surprise! It's wonderfully funny, yet a bit sad, filled with secrets galore, twists and turns in family dynamics and to what lengths a family will go to protect each other. This cannot put down book has Norton's incredible sense of humor written all or it!

Declan's wife left him. He doesn't want to talk about it. Not to his young children, son Killan and daughter Sally, and not to the gossip mongers in the town in Ireland. No one really understands why she let. But one thing is for sure. Her children can't forgive her.

Carol, a teacher used to come over to Declan's to tutor his daughter Sally. Sally began to look up to Carol as a mother-figure. But when Carol and Declan became something more and Carol moves into the house the tension is palpable. The children resented her, understandable because she had taken their mother's place, someone they both felt would come back. But they live together for years, happily even though they are the talk to the town.

Years pass and the children are grown and out of the house when Carol sees Declan begin to show signs of dementia. She informs the children who seem on their own to decide to put their father in a nurse care facility, then evict Carol from the only home she has known for years so they can sell the house. Carol is devastated as she knows for a fact Declan never wanted to sell the house, but shockingly she finds Killan is the executor of the estate and has made this decision.

So, Carol, must vacate the house and move in with her parents Moira, her judgmental mother and Dave, her quiet seemingly spacy father who only seems to do as he is told. How could this happen to her, especially at her age?

But Moira comes up with a brilliant idea! She and Dave will secretly put a bid on the house and buy it! Carol is horrified but can't stop the train which Moira seems to be on from going off the rails!

When the sale is done and they go to the house, something just doesn't smell right. Carol and Moira find themselves in a horrible situation which they can't tell anyone about, especially Dave and have a mystery they have no idea how to solve.

Since Declan seems to be getting worse, he is unable to help him with this problem, so Moira comes up with a plan which Carol reluctantly must agree with. This house which Carol loved and cared for all those years has turned into The Nightmare on Elm Street and they just hope their plan does not land them both in jail!

What Moira and Carol discover is things are done for reasons beyond anyone's control. Sometimes to save a family you must lose the family no matter how much you love them.

Forever Home is filled with quirky characters, witty dialogue, heartbreaking realities of life and a powerful storyline of what one will do to protect their family, even when the family does not know they need protection.

Thank you #NetGalley #Hachette #GrahamNorton #ForeverHome for the advanced copy.

I want to sincerely thank Netgalley for introducing me to Graham Norton. I was familiar with Norton only through the Zeitgeist, knowing that he is a popular UK late night show host. I’ve never seen the show, but I have seen clips and know that it’s quite popular with major celebrities. I’ve also since learned that Norton started as a standup comedian. A few years ago I came across a book on Netgalley called Holding by Graham Norton, and I was an instant fan. Forever Home is now the third novel of his that I’ve read.

Like any Irishman worth his salt, Norton is a captivating storyteller. His sharp wit comes through in every chapter and I am always immersed in his world when I read his novels. Forever Home is Norton’s latest novel, and it is a family drama about a woman, Carol, who loses her home when her partner, Declan, suffers from dementia and his two children decide to move him into assisted living and sell his house. Carol is forced to move in with her parents who will not take her losing her longtime home without a fight.

For anyone who might like to take a short vacation to a small Irish town, read this book! It’s lovely and immersive just plain fun.

I really shouldn't be surprised by now with how well Graham can craft a tale-a.he's Irish, b.he has inherited story teller genes (see a.) and C. he's a great entertainer. Yet again, I found myself racing through another of his books (almost all in one sitting!), and surprised yet again! The book is at times tragic, hysterical (Carol's mother is a HOOT), chick lit, dysfunctional family 101, and yet always entrancing! Once we get to really KNOW Carol and her parents, we see why she acted like she did, and how Declan's children got over on her. But Declan was keeping secrets and those secrets are about to break through and affect the past and the future that Carol thinks she is about to set out for herself. A tale meant to remind us of what is truly important in life, this book will leave you smiling!

Carol is a divorced teacher with a son. When she meets Declan, the older parent of one of her students and befriends him, she initially believes it should be kept platonic. However over time, they discover they have feelings for one another. Declan is a single father whose wife abandoned him and his two children years ago. Carol believes she's been given a second chance at love and decides to take it.

Fast forward to several years down the road - - Declan starts to show signs of dementia/Alzheimer's. Eventually, his condition becomes severe and in trying to take care of him, Carol is hurt. Declan's son, Killian uses the opportunity to move his father out of the home and into a facility. He and his sister decide to make the move permanent and sell the home, leaving Carol without a place to live. Since she and Declan never married and he left Killian with his Power of Attorney, Carol has no recourse and has to move home with her parents.

The book continues on with Carol dealing with the heartbreaking truth of watching the man she loves fade away a little at a time without having any say over his care. Then it becomes clear that there was something being hidden in the family home which leads to a larger mystery that Carol and her mother tackle solving. This is very much a character driven book and the author does a solid job of building these characters from the ground up. You form opinions about them and either like them or you don't. It's quite well done.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I also received an early copy of the audio. The narration was good and helped me to immerse myself in the story. It really gave the story a nice flow. 4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I chose to read and review both of these and the opinions contained within are my own.

Graham Norton writes a great novel - I love his humor, wit, and sense of place! Great fall time reading!

This darkly humorous novel ended up surprising me in so many ways. What sets out to be a gentle story of a woman looking for a second chance at love ends up taking a crazy turn toward a murder mystery. I was pleasantly surprised by all of the twists and turns that subtly calls out to lovers of Only Murderers in the Building.

Loved all his previous books and this one! Easy reads but well written and plotted. Look forward to more!

I loved reading this so much, I'm sad to be done with it. Will just have to get more Graham Norton titles, happily there are a bunch. I laughed out loud throughout this read, even though it's more a crime novel than a comic one, Norton is just that witty. Carol Crottie, a divorced retired school teacher in Ireland, is nearing 50. Reeling from her significant other's recent dementia diagnosis, she is then faced with his adult children issuing her a hasty eviction notice. Her parents take her in, try to help her out, and then all of a sudden a dead body is discovered. This mystery differs from most in that it's not just a who-done-it, but also what exactly happened, and how did it happening infiltrate the lives of so many without them even noticing? And aside from the criminal plot, there are multiple aspects of family relations and influence and drama, each of them somehow relatable and humorous. I loved all the characters, even the uncongenial ones like Declan Barry's son Killian, whom I wouldn't want to be burdened with in real life, but still found so entertaining to read about here.

I wish I could figure out what is meant by the title, maybe Carol always being able to go home to her parents' Moira and Dave regardless of their advancing ages, or maybe it's a reference to the old folks home that Declan is relegated to? This really made me think about familial obligations vs self-care, nature vs nurture, and also cultural differences between the UK and the US.

Forever Home
Graham Norton
Sept. 19;
Coronet
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
I really enjoy the writing of Norton whether it is his biographies or his novels.
Well written, full of interesting characters, and emotions.
This is a character based novel and it will pull you into the lives and hearts of this family.
Great story/ a little mystery
4 stars