In a small Irish village lives Carol, a divorced teacher with one grown son. She becomes taken with the father of one of her students, a man named Declan. Years ago, Declan's wife Joan up and left him and their two children leaving them to find their own way through life without her., When Carol and Declan come together, they become the talk of the town. Carol is devoted to Declan and moves into his home and helps to raise his children, although they distance themselves from her as the grow. Although disheartened, Carol only cleaves more closely to Declan,. After his children grow and move out, it is now just the two of them in Declan's house - a home he never wants to leave and never wants sold.
As time moves on, Declan becomes ill. Carol tends to his every need and plans on continue to keep him in his beloved home. His children, however, have other plans.
The writing is lovely and the characters are very well developed. No one character is purely good or bad. While this book has some mystery to it, it is really the story of relationships and their impact on our lives and well being.
The only better than Graham Norton's writing is having Graham Norton read it to you. As a performer, he is expressive and and no one could be better to convey his characters than himself.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the ALC of this book.

Having been a fan of Graham Norton, I’m sorry to say that it’s taken me until now to read one of his books. I will definitely be reading the others!

One of the main draws to this book for me was the fact that the author was narrating his own book. Graham has such a recognizable voice and I loved the different tones he took for different characters. I think because he also wrote it, he could help guide interpretations of underlying emotions with his voice.

This story had a bit of cheeky humor to it in parts and I did find myself laughing at quite a few lines. That being said, I definitely got an understanding of each character, their behavioral tendencies and personal preferences and did become attached to some of them in the process.

He also did a great job of nailing the internal image in my mind of where they were, the temperature in the air and even scents; I really felt like I was there.

I really enjoyed this book and know so many others will as well; now to grab his other stuff off my shelves!

Thanks so much to the author, Graham Norton, Harper Audio and NetGalley for the arc audiobook of Forever Home in exchange for my honest review!

Graham really made this book by narrating it. I am not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much if I read the book itself. It had just enough mystery and questions to keep me hanging on.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed how the author did the narration for the audiobook himself! It really gave it a sweet extra touch that I appreciated. The story felt complex at parts and pretty obvious at others, but all in all I really enjoyed it. It had just the right amount of mystery and questions to keep me hanging on through the end! If you like mysteries that aren’t too graphic that revolves around family relationships, give this book a shot!

I enjoyed listening to Graham Norton read to me, but I did not engage with the story as I had hoped I would. I didn't find any of the characters particularly charming, making them more human but also more grating.
The story made me laugh at points with its dark humor making light of intense situations.
I loved the writing and the narrator, not so much the content itself.

I only know Graham Norton as a talk show host and comedian, so imagine my surprise reading this dark (and still funny in places) story about dementia, cruel children and lost love! Prepare to be entertained.

Carol and Declan hare in a loving relationship, living together in Declan's beloved house. When Declan's mind starts to deteriorate and needs to move to a care home, his children forces Carol to move back in with her parents, so that the house can be sold.
This is where Declan's skeletons, literally, starts to come out of the closets, together with secrets of the past. To Carol's surprise her parents step up and help her navigate the unexpected developments!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for a chance to listen to and review this ARC.

Very well narrated audiobook version of a darkly funny novel about the intertwined lives of those related to Declan as his memory and health decline. His children, eager for their inheritance, force Carol out of the family home, to which she has no claim as simply his long=term, live in girlfriend. Finding her middle-aged self back living in her parent's home, Carol struggles to land on her feet, while Declan's children also struggle to find footing. Quirky and unexpected events continue to happen, leading to some laugh out loud moments.

Absolutely delightful, wonderful, heartwarming and thrilling. Listening to Graham Norton read it himself was the cherry on top! One of my favorite books this year with (maybe) one of my favorite characters ever.

Graham Norton! I had no idea you are such a good storyteller. I read this in 2 days. I couldn’t stop!
At first I felt like the book was slow, a bit dramatic and I didn’t quite understand why I needed all of this info. Then BAM! I was smacked with the realization of how all of the back story ties in. It was a slow climb, in the end really paid off.
Moral of the story….. You never really know anyone. This is a story of deep skeletons in the closet. That by change take you on a wild ride. Making unlikely alliances along the way.
This story was read by the author. His dialect brought authenticity to the story and made it more enjoyable. Solid performance. I am adding his other books to my TBR.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

FOREVER HOME is, as many have already described it, the perfect mix of family drama and dark comedy. The driving point of the story is not plot, but rather its well-developed and complex cast of characters held together by thin points of connection. FOREVER HOME aims to answer the question how far each character would go for their loved ones, and how willing they are to be the bad guy.

This book is a steady read, with some twists that keep the latter half interesting but nothing overly shocking occurs. Norton did a fantastic job narrating (although the auto-tuning when someone was talking on the phone was unnecessary), he managed to capture the personality of each character and breathed a lot of life into the story.

I adore Graham Norton's fiction. (and his chat show.) But did I expect to enjoy his narration as much as his sharp, funny, warm writing? I did not. But Forever Home on audio is eight hours of pure delight with a Maeve Binchy meets true crime story, memorable characters (Love that mother Moira!), laugh out loud lines and pitch perfect narration by the author himself. If you are headed out on road trip or for a weekend of yard work and need a chatty, Irish companion by your side who is a great storyteller, download Forever Home now.

What starts out as a pleasant, entertaining character drama about families turns into a silly romp that sounds like a great story for The Big Red Chair. The shift in the story, the revelation of a long standing family secret, is a shift in the plot that's fairly jarring, almost like two stories are joined together.

Audiobook is narrated by the author who does a wonderful job.

Forever Home - A Novel By: Graham Norton
Narrated by: Graham Norton
Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 09-19-23
Language: English
Publisher: HarperAudio

Colleen Chi-Girl
3-1/2 stars rounded up to 4 *
GR Bookshelves: 2023, AUDIO, CONTEMPORARY, CRIME-MYSTERIES, HARPER-AUDIO, IRELAND, LGBTQ, NETGALLEY, WOMEN-CENTERED

This novel, about a family often on the edge, is set in a small town in Ireland and narrated by the author, Graham Norton. It's my first book by this author and I consider it a cozy mystery. I'd like to thank the publisher HarperAudio, NetGalley. and the author, for this ARC for my honest review.

I really enjoyed the narration by Graham Norton; his easy-going voice and character kept the level of this mystery at the cozy level, infused with humor, deprecation, love, dislike, and general snarkiness. What's not to enjoy!? With a lighter tone of narration, it's not as dark as it could be and nothing is quite as tragic, even though a lot of deeper issues are uncovered. I don't believe anything is ridiculed by this lighter tone but you have to go into with it being a bit playful, maybe tongue in cheek, and therefore, a "cozy" mystery IMO.

There's a large cast of characters from: Carol, a divorced teacher, her easy-going boyfriend Declan, Carol's energetic and opinionated mother, Moira (who I enjoyed and laughed with) Carol's father, her only son, and Declan's selfish and rude adult children: one is a gay son married to his partner and the other is a fractured daughter.

Declan and Carol's dating brings only the two of them happiness. Neither family is excited about their relationship and the small town gossips can't understand why Carol would be interested in a man like Declan. His wife, Joanna, deserted him long ago when their children were young and no one has heard from or seen her since. Then Declan becomes ill with very sudden, early-onset alzheimer's. He becomes institutionalized and Carol is forced out of "their" lovely home by his 2 uncaring children who sell the home immediately. Carol has no rights to their home and what's a divorced woman to do.....but move back in with her elderly parents.

The story continues with a mystery that Carol, Moira, and others, help to solve. At this point (about the middle) to the end of the book, I felt it began to ramble and runaway like a loose train. This provided many new plots, twists, and turns, so stick with it and have fun, because even as you wonder if it's going to derail, or you're going to get exasperated, Norton's cheery voice keeps luring and lulling you back in to an ending that is creatively positive.

Love Graham Norton! Not only is he a great talk show host but an incredible writer. I love listening to his books because he narrates them. This story was very good with a few twist that surprises you. Highly recommend.

This is the story of a dysfunctional family at its highest. We can all relate to dysfunction, but this takes it to a whole new level. There are complex emotions in loans several triggers so be aware going in.
It started out strong and went on a little too long and kind of lost its way a bit some, but overall I enjoy It. It was my first book by him and it definitely won’t be my last.
Forever Home tells the story of Carol, who finds herself being evicted from the home she shared with her partner, Declan, when Declan’s dementia gets bad enough that his children decide to put him in a care home without giving her any say in the matter. Her parents decide to buy the house for her in order to get back at his kids for kicking her out and what ensues is a comedy of errors with preposterous repercussions and a lot of heartache.
I did like that the audiobook was read by the author himself.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

To start - I'm really stingy when it comes to reviews. I never want to give too many stars unless I really, really love something. I am torn between this being 3 or 4 stars - I didn't find myself chopping at the bit to continue listening but I was interested in following the story. I did really appreciate that it really felt like we were following multiple people around (with the focus on the main character of course). I found Carol's parents/family to just be the worst. I know they were just trying to be supportive, but they rubbed me the wrong way. I really enjoyed when we got to learn more about Joan and the secrets that came with her. At the end of the day, this was a good read, fairly fast paced with a bunch of twists and turns throughout.

Norton is a wonderful narrator and a great storyteller. I found myself invested in the story and I would recommend the audiobook, even for those who are not normally audiobook fans.

Graham Norton isn’t Just the host with the most on his TV show, but also an Amazing author. Having just finished his latest novel, Forever Home, I am floored by his talent and how much I loved this book!

This book finds Carol, a school teacher, falling in love with the father of one of her students, despite his being twice her age. Her new boyfriend’s children are not fans of her; maybe because their own mother abandoned them when they were young.

When she moves in with her boyfriend, she thinks that this is her new forever, but his health has other ideas. Soon, she finds herself in the middle of a decades-old mystery. She also has the willing participation of two of the strangest assistants in solving this mystery.

This story had so many plot twists that it felt like I was there, experiencing the strangeness that can only exist in real life. I could Not put this book down.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Audio for this outstanding audio ARC!

Graham Norton is an excellent author and an even better narrator on audio. I was lucky enough to get an ARC ebook and audio format from netgalley and it made my summer. I would add this to your TBR and definitely get the audio. I went on extra long walks just to hear how the story turns out. The Guardian review described the books as undemanding and I would go a step further to say - undemanding and comforting in how relationships are described and how Norton narrates, sometimes changing dialect/ accents - basically enacting the whole book on audio. Lovely!

I wanted to read this since I am a huge Graham Norton fan from tv - though I have not read any of his previous books. He narrates the audiobook and does a good job.

I would probably classify the book as a drama. There is a bit of mystery in the first part - with the majority of the story about the characters, the past, and how they react to the situation. The story turns were interesting and I didn’t expect some of them which kept it fresh. Some of the characters weren’t very likeable, so I was less invested in them and their journey. There were some humourous bits spread throughout, especially in the actual handling of the situation (vague to not give spoilers).

While family dramas aren’t my usual read, this kept my interest for the most part and I think those who do enjoy this type of story will find it satisfying. The action also started fairly quickly which I appreciated.

I am giving this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4, because there were some sections that dragged a bit for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an audio copy of Forever Home which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.