Free to a Good Home by Eva Marie Mont
Publisher: Berkley Trade (July 6, 2010)
Book summary: Noelle Ryan works as a veterinary technician at a New England animal shelter, helping pets find homes. If only it were as easy to find one for herself. After discovering she can't have children-and watching her marriage fall apart after a shocking revelation by her husband-she feels as sad and lost as the strays she rescues.
She can't seem to get over her ex, Jay. Unfortunately, all Jay wants from her is a huge favor: serving as caretaker for his elderly mother, who blames Noelle for the breakup. While Jay heads off to Atlanta to live the life of a bachelor, Noelle is left only with her Great Dane, Zeke, to comfort her. But when a carefree musician named Jasper tugs at her heartstrings, giving her a second chance at life- and at love- Noelle comes to realize that home is truly where the heart is.
My review: Mont's debut novel was a pleasant surprise. I read through it early one morning, laughing out loud at parts, smiling at others. I enjoyed Noelle's views on life and home and her family was funny. Noelle came across as a brutally honest, good natured young woman. It's her huge heart and eagerness to help which her ex-husband Jay takes advantage of. And he does, lots of times. Mont shows us Noelle's answers and right after we are privy to her thoughts. So many times I was thinking the same thing when her thoughts appeared. I liked how each chapter was a month (the entire book runs through the course of one year, from December, which is Noelle's birth month, to December). Over the course of a year we see how Noelle and a sturdy cast of characters grow and change.
As for the other characters Mont did a great job of fleshing them out. I really got a sense of who Noelle is from her visits with her parents and interactions with her brother, Nick. One of the strongest and most poignant parts of the book were the dealings Noelle had with Jay's mother, Margaret. Noelle's conversations with Jay gave the story another layer of realism. How many of us say things over the phone we didn't really intend to? Noelle does the same. When she meets a great looking guitarist named Jasper at a neighbor's party, she immediately pegs him as a specific type of person. Over time she finds out she's wrong. Jasper turns out to be exactly what she needs.
Free to a Good Home has a lot going for it. It is a novel about disappointments (failed marriage, not being able to conceive), the importance of family (shown through both Noelle's and Jay's families), trust (symbolically shown through the dogs the shelter Noelle works at receives and places and through Noelle's constant mishandling of her relationship with Jasper), and love (there are quite a few tender scenes in this book which keeps the reader grounded). Mont's debut novel is a touching yet humorous look at how one woman's outlook on the heart and the home. I believe once you pick it up it will be hard to break away from it. This is a fantastic sumer read or anytime of the year read.
Rating: ++++
Favorite excerpt: (Page 16.)
"When we pull into Simpatico's parking lot, Jay shuts off the motor and turns to me. "I've really missed you, Noelle," he says, so earnestly it makes my chest hurt. He has this quality about him that keeps me tethered to him, body and soul, even though I know in every way--rationally, biologically, and legally--he's not mine anymore. I want to shout, Can't you feel it, too? Our pheromones colliding? This attraction pulling us together?
But of course he can't."
Cover comment: I love the picture on this cover. The dog, which is supposed to be Noelle's dog, Zeke, sits patiently at the window waiting for her in a book about the importance of understanding the concept of 'home'.
Book source: Crazy Book Tours
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