Customer Reviews

Homecoming

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was delighted by this book, the second I've read from this author, and would possibly give it 4-1/2 stars. She has a definite talent at creating vivid, three-dimensional characters with clear motivations, then sticking to the rules of their psychologies as she explores the depths of their emotions. In this book she deftly wove stresses and challenges of being a college student with that of managing the drama of friends, roommates and family. The book operates on many emotional levels, from the very personal, internal journey that Sarah is on to overcome the natural fear and hesitancies that being thrown out by her family and dumped by her girlfriend cause, to the slightly larger world of the Rhode Island college campus and the student organizations Sarah joins, to the national political scale, as Sarah works with the Free Rhode Island group to prevent a proposition to define marriage as between one man and one woman, as well as prevent any civil unions, from passing.

Sarah is the emotional center of the book, with everything revolving around her and her earnest attempts to make the world a good place for herself and her friends, including a documentary Rory is making for a film class, but Rory provides an able foil, both contrasting with Sarah and complementing her as they form a bond that transcends either friendship or lust. And there are many other supporting characters as well, all well-drawn, who impact the story in meaningful ways.

This author creates compelling characters with a story to tell, who stand out as individuals, and ultimately triumph by leaning on one another. She captures both the uncomfortable and often thrilling sides of discovery one lives through in college. I would definitely recommend this book, well-paced, well-plotted, taking on some timely political issues in a personal way, but ultimately being a touching romance, and look forward to more from this author in the future.

There are some excellent reviews here of this book that pretty well sum it all up. I cannot write as well as most of these reviewers, but I did love this book. In fact, I read it twice back to back. I also must admit that this one hit pretty close to home and that I could identify with it quite closely. It was sort of creepy as I felt the author had been following me around for the last few years. Loved this book and plan to give it another read soon. Try it; I doubt that you will be sorry.

Homecoming isn't exactly fine literature and i doubt it'll ever find its way to an English professor's stack of modern classics. But that's probably one of the best things about it! It's all too difficult to find a queer book that doesn't get bogged down in soul-sucking depression or gratuitous, tasteless sex scenes.

The story starts off as a total downer; Sarah Storm loses her family, girlfriend, and enrollment at Yale in one vicious swoop. But life goes on and so does Sarah. She deals with what's happened and gains a new family in the process. And she's not the only one who's life is turned upside down. Her roommate, Rory, has to deal with a few surprises of her own.

It might sound cliche, but who cares? The story is well-written, it's easy to empathize with the characters (no matter how two dimensional some of them might seem), and it's thoroughly entertaining. I devoured the entire book in one sitting because i couldn't stand the thought of having to wait until tomorrow to finish it. Now i wish i'd come across it on a rainy weekend so i could curl up with a warm blanket and give this book the attention it deserves.

On a side note- one of the book's best moments is when Rory realizes that she's "family", admits her attraction to another woman, and doesn't feel the need to label herself as gay or bisexual. When she falls in love, she falls for a person. She doesn't love Sarah because she's a woman or in spite of that fact; she just loves Sarah and everything else is pretty much just a blip on the radar.

This book isn't going to help you achieve enlightenment or rock the literary world. But what it will do is make you tingle with the warm an' fuzzies. It'll make you grumble at Sarah's parents and feel Rory's embarrassment for her karaoke-loving mom and dad. And most importantly, it'll make you smile.

So in all seriousness, grab this book, sit down in your favorite spot, and just read (and smile!).

Sarah Stark is disowned by her parents, dumped by her girlfriend, and kicked out of college all within a few days. Her life is turned upside down, just because her family found out she's a lesbian.

She turns to older, more settled acquaintances who are more than happy to help her work through her situation. They give her a place to live and help her get into a less-costly college. Originally hoping to become a physician, Sarah finds herself more interested in women's studies and politics as she begins her new life. She also finds herself undeniably attracted to her new roommate, Rory. Straight-as-they-come, Sarah is convinced Rory would never be interested in a relationship, but they both have a lot to learn. Sarah is amazed at the things Rory is willing to share with her family and how Rory's family reacts.

Many of us have either had an experience like Sarah's or we know someone who has. It's difficult to understand and even more difficult to accept that there are still people in this world who are so small-minded. Stark has done a fantastic job portraying Sarah and gives hope to those who are currently mired in a similar situation.

Bottom line - Great, thought-provoking read that is well worth your time.

I enjoyed this book on so many levels. I highly recommend it, especially to those who enjoy an angsty and passionate journey of self-awareness and romance or can relate to being at the age where you really start to find yourself and your place.

I chose this book because after reading the synopsis and reviews, I felt I could relate to the setting and themes. Many of the struggles the characters deal with throughout the course of the story are things that I have experienced at some point, even now. These issues cross a broad spectrum from coming out. to crushing and forming relationships, to political activism. The book is also very current, with a lot of 21st-century culture references, which is refreshing after reading mostly older fiction, and it makes the book even more relatable for someone in my peer group (20-somethings).

Even though the book focuses on the central character, Sarah, it is not only her story that we see unfold. We get a fairly detailed look into her roommate, Rory, and even decent glimpses into some of the lesser, supporting characters in the story. What really impressed me about the writing is how all of the different emotions, perspectives and stories are interwoven to create a completely three-dimensional story, but we never lose sight of the fact that this story is about Sarah and her 'homecoming' - finally finding her place after her life is turned completely upside down.

Another aspect of the writing that made the book very enjoyable was the virtual roller coaster of emotions and events throughout. There were so many ups and downs that I found it hard to put the book down because I wanted to find out what would happen next. The outcomes weren't entirely predictable, either, which (for me) is the best part. The emotional and romantic tension was vivid and almost tangible, and the more erotic parts of the story were tasteful, lustful and absolutely H-O-T.

All of these elements together made the story feel very realistic - like it could have been a year out of any college student's life, even my own. The best words to describe the story and the characters (which I may have mentioned by now) would be: believable, tangible, and passionate.

This coming out story puts out a very strong message about coming out and being gay. It starkly portraits how student Sarah Storm handles her messed up life after her parents disown her when they discover that she is gay. Obviously the author has very strong feelings about the topic and puts them to excellent use to write profound characters and an important contribution to coming out literature, since she explores "the state of disgrace" rather thoroughly and shows what kind of effects might or might not happen after coming out. Combined with a very hot and very sweet love story, it is a perfect complement to another BSB book, namely Kathryn Shay's Perfect Family. It is a great read and a great gift for those who are coming out as young adults. And it definitely says very clearly: "It gets better".
This book is despite being marketed as romance much more than that. It is no easy read since it touches strongly on very emotional topics and offers no easy solutions. But it is an excellent exploration of a difficult coming-out at a very vulnerable age. Kudos to the author.

The book was very insightful. Matter of fact I reread it again because I enjoyed it so much.

Nell Stark GREAT JOB!.

I couldn't resist writing a review about this book. I haven't even finished reading it. I'm half way through it but I seriously love it. I'm a very busy person and I barely have time to enjoy myself but I have the book in my bag and every chance I get, I take it out and read it. I love the story and I love reading the thoughts and the intense scenes between the girls.

Amazing!!

Congrats to Nell Stark, HOMECOMING is outstanding. A great love story in the genre with sub plots that are real and make sense. Easy to read with deep charters and real issues. Looking forward to another book by this author. RECOMMENDED

I will say that I bought this book expecting it to be "okay". I expected it to be just like any other lesbian themed book. There are few of them that truly stand out in my opinion as great works of fiction. This book blew me away by how real the characters become and how badly you want them to succeed, fall in love, find happiness in a world that can be so imperfect and cruel. These are definitely not 2 dimensional characters. And as soon as you read it, you get hooked. I fell asleep past 2 in the morning reading this book. You will not be able to put it down.

Cons?
You will be sad when it ends because you have grown to love Sarah and Rory so much and you definitely want to see what lies ahead of them.

DEFINITELY a 5 star book.