Book Review: At Home in Last Chance

Book: At Home in Last Chance (A Place to Call Home book #3) by Cathleen Armstrong

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Publisher: Revell

Rating: ;3 1/2 stars

Review:

This is an easy breezy story that takes place after the second book One More Last Chance, with Kaitlyn Reed trying to make up for the huge mistake of leaving her 7 years old daughter Olivia and taking off. Olivia was being taken care of by Kaitlyn's brother Chris where she had to get used to the idea that her mother left her. So for six months she built a new life with her uncle who also had gained custody of the little girl and was starting to no longer feel sad and lonely.

But then her mother Kaitlyn returned trying to make amends, she's doing her best to prove that she is there for her daughter. Yet that doesn't keep the small town residents from constantly commenting about how she left her daughter. However, no one can make her feel any worse than she already feels for what she did.

Although trained as a hair stylist, Kaitlyn works in her brother's restaurant as a waitress to get herself back on track. Even though she has been getting reacquainted with her daughter it still doesn't help that no matter what she still feels like an outsider in Last Chance. And with trying to get her life back in gear the last thing she's looking for is any type of romantic relationship. Since they have brought her nothing but trouble so not falling for the charming Steven Braden is not in her plan.

Kaitlyn isn't the only person who feels like an outsider, Steven shares that feeling. Although he has grown up in the small town he never quite fit in with his family and the town. He works for his uncle and aunt on their farm but he still doesn't feel as if he's really a part of the family. Like Kaitlyn, Steven has made his fare share of mistakes but is always reminded by his family and the rest of the towns people about those mistakes. I guess that's why he can't wait to leave Last Chance, in a few months he plans to leave to attend the police academy but with nothing holding him in place, especially since his flirting effort with Kaitlyn were leading nowhere, he feels as if he could leave even sooner.

Will Kaitlyn and Steven ever get over their pasts and their mistakes or will they continue to let other people's opinions guide their lives?

I like how the story was unfolding but there were times when I wished that Kaitlyn and Steven would have stood up for themselves whenever they were being talked down to as if they were children. They were adults and I kept waiting for both of them to stand up to their judgmental family. Yes, Kaitlyn made a extremely awful mistake of leaving her daughter but no one was seeing all the good she's done since then and how hard she was working to fix things and the same goes with Steven.

The author did a good job with the characters they seem like regular everyday people. This is definitely a story about forgiveness to oneself and to others but also learning to look pass your mistakes and let it go so you can become the person you want to be.

The pacing for the story was good until the ending which felt a little rushed and unexpected, hopefully the next book will continue from there. Just to inform readers this is a faith based book but it's not so in your face that it feels preachy.