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You'd Be Home Now
416 pages
A raw, deeply empathetic exploration of the collateral damage of addiction and the quiet struggle of finding your own voice in a loud family.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like carrying a heavy, fragile weight, mirroring the protagonist's experience of being the 'good kid' in a family consumed by crisis. The atmosphere is steeped in the claustrophobia of a small town where everyone knows your history, yet no one truly sees you. It is a steady, emotionally immersive read that doesn't shy away from the ugly, nonlinear realities of addiction and recovery. The prose is raw and accessible, grounding the reader in the tender, painful reality of loving someone who is slipping away. It will deeply resonate with readers who appreciate gritty, realistic contemporary stories that balance profound heartbreak with a quiet, resilient hope, ultimately offering a compassionate look at the invisible battles people fight.
- Mood
- claustrophobic
- poignant
- tender
- heavy
- Tone
- raw
- earnest
- empathetic
- melancholic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- loving an addict · burden of expectations · small-town hypocrisy · sibling bonds · finding one's voice
- The writing
- Honest, accessible, and emotionally resonant, prioritizing internal reflection and sharp, empathetic observations of small-town life.
- The arc
- Moves from suffocating under the weight of family trauma and expectations to a hard-won, clear-eyed acceptance of oneself and others.
- Who it's for
- Readers who gravitate toward gritty, realistic contemporary YA that tackles tough family dynamics and mental health with unflinching empathy.
Content notes
- substance abuse
- opioid addiction
- fatal car accident
- grief
- emotional neglect
About the book
For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one--the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister. And at home, she's the good one, her stoner older brother Joey's babysitter. Everything was turned on its head, though, when she and Joey were in the car accident that killed Candy MontClaire. The car accident that revealed just how bad Joey's drug habit was.
Four months later, Emmy's junior year is starting, Joey is home from rehab, and the entire town of Mill Haven is still reeling from the accident. Everyone's telling Emmy who she is, but so much has changed, how can she be the same person? Or was she ever that person at all?
Mill Haven wants everyone to live one story, but Emmy's beginning to see that people are more than they appear. Her brother, who might not be "cured," the popular guy who lives next door, and most of all, many "ghostie" addicts who haunt the edges of the town. People spend so much time telling her who she is--it might be time to decide for herself.
A journey of one sister, one brother, one family, to finally recognize and love each other for who they are, not who they are supposed to be, You'd Be Home Now is Kathleen Glasgow's glorious and heartbreaking story about the opioid crisis, and how it touches all of us.
Description from Open Library.
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