Someday Home

By Lauraine Snelling

ISBN: 9781455586202

Publisher: FaithWords / Center Street

Publication Date: 7/7/2015

Format: Paperback

My Rating: 4 Stars

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A heartwarming story that celebrates how life-changing friendships can be found in all seasons of life.

The sprawling lake home Lynn Lundberg built with her husband has been an epicenter of joyful family life, from summer holidays spent around the water, to cookies baked in the kitchen with grandchildren in the fall. But since her husband's sudden passing two years ago, Lynn has been lost in the grief and solitude she feels without him at home. She doesn't want to sell the big family place, but she can't exist there on her own much longer.

After hearing of a new way of living--where single women share responsibilities as housemates--Lynn thinks she's found the answer to her prayers. Soon she meets two ladies with whom she could begin this journey. Angela Bishop, a successful real estate agent accustomed to the finer things in life, has just been jilted by her husband of twenty-five-years. Judith Rutherford, who has devoted her adulthood to caring for her ailing father, must leave the only home she's known now that he has passed.

These three women seek a place to grieve, to laugh, and to be renewed. But coming from such differing circumstances, will the new challenges they face undo their plans? Or will they begin a friendship to see them through the years to come in this SOMEDAY HOME?

About the Author

Award-winning and best selling author Lauraine Snelling began living her dream to be a writer with her first published book for young adult readers, Tragedy on the Toutle, in 1982. She has since continued writing more horse books for young girls, adding historical and contemporary fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers to her repertoire. All told, she has over eighty books published.

Shown in her contemporary romances and women’s fiction, a hallmark of Lauraine’s style is writing about real issues of forgiveness, loss, domestic violence, and cancer within a compelling story. Her work has been translated into Norwegian, Danish, and German, and she has won the Romantic Times Career Achievement award for Inspirational Fiction, the Silver Angel Award for An Untamed Land and a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart for Song of Laughter.

As a sought after speaker, Lauraine encourages others to find their gifts and live their lives with humor and joy. Her readers clamor for more books more often, and Lauraine would like to comply ... if only her paintbrushes and easel didn’t call quite so loudly.

Lauraine and her husband, Wayne, have two grown sons, and live in the Tehachapi Mountains with a watchdog Basset named Winston. They love to travel, most especially in their forty-foot motor coach, which they affectionately deem “a work in progress”.

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My Review

A special thank you to FaithWords / Center Street and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Love the front cover, drawing you in. Lauraine Snelling, master storyteller once again delivers a contemporary heart-warming story SOMEDAY HOME, of life changes- real life challenges, especially for baby boomers and those approaching this age range today (myself, included). Snelling delves into the realistic issues of today’s modern day single woman – for any age, status, or background. Each woman, will find themselves at a crossroad; however, these challenges which may initially appear to be hopeless, and fearful, causing stress and concern for their future--may open new doors, leading these women to new and exciting adventures; hope for financial and emotional security--reinvention, and some special new friendships and family along the way. Meet the three women facing a life-changing dilemma. Each women will need to make some personality changes in order to become a non-traditional family unit. Lynn, age 52 years old, has lost her husband. She has raised her three children and now they have their own families, she is now a grandmother. Who knew she would be in this situation at this time of her life? This is not the life she had in mind. Money is tight and her children of course are trying persuade her to sell the family home, and build something smaller next to their house. (no thanks). She does not want to sell the house with so many memories, she hang on to. There has to be some other way? She resents her children for trying to nose into her life and business. She has a beautiful home on Lake Barnett and Paul’s old hunting lab, Orson has kept her company; now he is gone. What else can happen? She is currently in the middle of self-pity. Now Menopause?? After all, Paul died one year and nine months ago. She should be over this now? She is overwhelmed with decisions to make. Where is God and why does she feel alone? When her doctor mentions house-sharing she is all ears. Could there possibly be other women out there with a need? Can she open her home to others, with their own rooms, and share a kitchen and living space? Where will she find these women? Will she have to give up her privacy? Angela, a successful commercial real estate broker, accustomed to the finer things of life, is preparing for a special dinner date with her husband Jack-- her little black dress, heels, jewelry, and new hairdo. Her husband likes the perfect wife, he is demanding – he likes sexy and successful. She has managed to accomplish both to please him. She hopes this will be a new start for their marriage. Her husband of twenty-five years is good-looking and a heart-stopper, and looks good in his red Porsche (he is going through a bit of a mid-life crisis). They have a great dinner with dessert, dancing, and then he blindsides her at the end of the evening. He has filed for divorce! So instead of celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, he wants a divorce? So now, how will she maintain her lifestyle on real estate commission in a bad market? What about their two children? With a divorce pending and income dribbling in and close to drying up. She cannot afford to keep up the family home. Where will she live. Jerk! Judith, has spent her entire life sacrificing her happiness, life, and time taking care of her mom and dad. Her mom died five years earlier and her father had been in a wheelchair since he broke his back years before. As the sole caregiver, she gets a slap in the face when she discovers the Old Rutherford House, listed on the historical registry will now turn into a living museum. Judith wants a dog or cat or a place in the country for chickens, which of course her dad would not allow when he was alive. Thank goodness she has a small trust from her grandmother on her mother’s side. She could fight the trust or become the administrator, of the heritage center, but she needs a place to live. Anyway, she is bitter, and if her father did not think enough of her to leave her a home, she wants to escape the house and all the work which goes along with it. What an ungrateful father! Now where will she live? He had promised to provide for her in return for years of service. And she believed him. Now what will she do with the rest of her life? Is it too late to start a new life? Her cousin Melody offers to allow her to stay with their family as their children are grown. However, even though she ran her father’s business, for years, she has no real skills, and considers going back to school. She has no clue what she will do. Lynn begins conducting research on the subject of house-sharing, and appears this is a new trend (really an old trend dressed up to fit today’s world). Years ago, an aging sister or cousin would share a home or and older woman inviting a younger member of the family to live with them. Today, with divorce, death, a declining job market, single women still working even after social security, or other financial hardship, a woman may find it difficult to maintain a household with only one salary, or one social security income. Home-sharing is really no different than younger college age or twenty-thirty somethings sharing an apartment or condo while in school or in an earlier career. Moving in with grown children is not always a good option in order to maintain your own lifestyle and privacy. However, as we age, most of us become set in our ways and accustomed to living alone. Can three strong personalities share a home and respect one another’s privacy? When you put three women together under one roof, can they get along? What if it does not work out? She begins to hear horror stories.

From researching menopause, to figuring out what she has to do to prepare her house for 4 separate private bedrooms, sitting areas, bath, and garage space, she finds herself getting excited. What will her kids say? Lynn worries if she will have to give up her traditions of having her family over to visit and her personal space. The more she thinks about it, she feels this is a good idea and asks for God’s guidance. He will lead her to the right women, and she begins preparing her house for her new potential tenants. Three women come together, as their paths cross; each needing one another for financial reasons, as well as security, friendship and reinvention. Three different women from different walks of life share tears, laughter, joys and sorrows, while the old farmhouse on the lake comes alive with new life; however, each of them have to make changes in order to fit into their new shared lifestyle as they come to rely on one another for a newfound family of friends. One finds peace without hanging on to an old life, another finds a sense of freedom from emotional abuse, another has gained sisters, a support system, a family and new adventures. A poignant novel of hope, faith and love. Highly recommend for a woman of any age, you will relate to SOMEDAY HOME and its flawed and caring characters, mixed with humor and life lessons. I recently finished reading Dorothea Benton Frank’s All The Single Ladies featuring three women of varying ages, finding themselves in dire need of help, and all three move in together with a ninety-year-old woman in a large house to share the living expenses. A contemporary subject which many women are facing, or may be in years to come. I was introduced to Lauraine Snelling last year when I had the opportunity to read Heaven Sent Rain, and fell in love with her stories. What an inspiring story, as many women will relate to the circumstances! We all must be willing to embrace change as our lives take different directions. Change is good, as I can speak from experience. Such an uplifting novel, as God closes one door, He again opens another, by bringing people into our lives at just the right time. Sometimes it does not always have to be the traditional family, but our friends, experiencing similar lifestyle choices.