After Queenie Wake is dismissed from her restaurant job, she returns to North Star to cook meals for death row inmates.
Hopeful that the bad memories of her late mother and promiscuous sister (now the mother of the captain of the high school football team) have been forgotten by the locals, Queenie discovers that some people can’t be forgotten—heartbreaker Everett Coburn—her old high-school sweetheart.
When secrets from the past emerge, will Queenie be able to stick by her family or will she leave home again? – Goodreads
This book made me so hungry! Liza Palmer does such a good job with descriptions, that (almost) every time Queenie made food for any reason, I would get hungry. The chicken fried steak in this book… I want it in real life. Seriously.
Anyway, I LOVED this story. It was so different than anything I’ve read before, so refreshing and funny. There were a few darker things that they addressed (like Queenie’s mom’s antics) but overall, it was super lighthearted and exactly what i was looking for. The sense of family and history in it were really nice and while it wasn’t absolutely groundbreaking, it was a really enjoyable read for sure.
My favorite parts were with Queenie and her sister. You can feel their connection and how much they really care about each other and just want each other to be happy. I also loved all the small-town gossip in it – those Southern, small town ladies don’t know how to keep things to themselves!
Queenie’s time in the prison (cooking, not being incarcerated haha) was really interesting too – I saw a completely different side than I ever had before and I loved it. It would be so hard to cook last meals!
I gave Nowhere But Home 3/5 stars on Goodreads and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a quick, light read.
lifebetweenreads.com 