Jill Hannah Anderson's Closer to Home is well worth reading. She manages to keep the readers guessing whether they are reading a crime story or a romance. I won't spoil which genre it turns out to best fit in. Instead, I will just say that it is well-written and legitimately fun to read.

The main takeaway from this book is the lesson that people ought to care about their neighbors and go to great lengths to treat them well. That can sound trite, but in this book, it isn't. Joleigh, the main character, comes across as an authentic person whose personality made her ready to jump in and help any of her neighbors who needed her. The developing relationships between Joleigh and a young girl named Bits is one of the delights here. Franklin, the love interest, has his share of emotional problems but ends up showing true love to make his and Joleigh's story turn out well.

This isn't a perfect book for readers who are looking for reading material that exemplifies high moral standards. There is violence in the early pages. There is a moderate amount of bad language scattered throughout the book. There is non-explicit sexual immorality depicted. None of the characters demonstrate any spirituality. With all that recognized, Closer to Home introduces us to people who seem like real people ... people with flaws, but also people who show love and consideration even when those qualities are not always reciprocated. ( )

Review of eBook

When Joleigh Moore sees her boyfriend, Mack, murdered, she flees by hiding in a neighbor’s car. She ends up in Grandfield, Minnesota where she tries be unobtrusive and unnoticed, especially after discovering she has the very thing the murderers were seeking: Mack’s drug money which he had stashed in her plant journal.

Although she misses her farm animals, Joleigh finds herself becoming involved with the townspeople and feels as if she might have found the place she could call home. But is it safe? Will the murderers track her down?

What should Joleigh do?

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With compelling, relatable characters, the unfolding story is both challenging and heartwarming. Although it sometimes feels as if Joleigh is facing far more than her share of life’s challenges, these situations allow the reader to see her strength and resilience.

Anchored by a strong sense of place, the narrative addresses several societal issues, including the difficulties faced by servicemen returning home from war, discrimination, and racial prejudice. Readers also experience friendship, love, and family as Joleigh’s evolving story plays out against her need to deal with the past in order to move forward.

Readers who enjoy family drama, small town stories, and historical fiction are sure to find much to appreciate in this unputdownable tale of self-discovery.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Readers program and am leaving this review voluntarily. ( )

Title: Closer to Home
Author: Jill Hannah Anderson
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing, LLC
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Closer to Home" by Jill Hannah Anderson

My Perception:
'Close to Home' was an excellent small-town and rural fictional read. This author gave the reader a captivating story that will keep you turning the pages until the end. The main character, Joleigh Moore, was faced with many challenges in her life, including the death of her parents, foster homes, her adopted mom [Unity] dying, seeing her best friend [Mack] murdered, and moving to a new area to try to survive and start a new life. Will life get any better for Joleigh after the move to this new community? Will Joleigh be able to heal after all that has gone on around her, stay true to herself, and get just what she wanted out of life, which was to be loved?

To find out all the answers to these questions, you must read 'Closer to Home' and see how well the author explains it to the reader.

Be ready for a read with some suitable lessons being taught, and let one see some good people are willing to come to one aid to help. Many times, the help may not come from blood-related family members. As one reads this story, one will see how it all works out for Joleigh. Will she get the love she so wants for herself by helping others?

I enjoyed the epilogue that added to this captivating story. ( )

Jill Hannah Anderson sure knows how to hook a reader and not let go and the ebook, Closer To Home proves this. After a horrible, devastating tragedy where Joleigh witnesses her boyfriend's murder, she flees the only true home she has ever known for her own safety. She goes on a stowaway journey to a new small town in Minnesota. She meets people in a restaurant and a motel, who help provide a new life for Joleigh during the 1970's. I loved reading about this Survivor woman who, during her youth, learned to live off the farm land, taking care of her animals, growing her own vegetables. She loves taking care of the people in Minnesota, especially Bits, a very self-sufficent young child due to her dad's illness. The wonderful characters and the descriptive settings grabbed me from the first to the last page of this arc of Closer To Home by Jill Hannah Anderson! ( )

When we meet Joleigh, she is living on a hobby farm and collecting leeches when she witnesses the brutal murder of her boyfriend, Mack. She immediately leaves town fearing for her own safety and thinking that whatever the killers wanted they may come back looking for. She hopes this is only temporary and can return when the killers are caught. She escapes in the trunk of her neighbor’s car to Minnesota and slowly starts to build a life there. She does not divulge the truth as to why she is there and finds herself selling leeches, helping out the folks that own the motel she is renting a room from and finding a job in town. She meets a young girl, Bits, and they form a strong bond and Joleigh finds that she has come to love being in this town and the people she has met.
This is the 3rd book I’ve read by this author and I love her writing. This is a heartwarming but fast-paced story.
Thank you, Jill Hannah Anderson and RedAdept Publishing for an early copy of this book to review. ( )