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Already Home

by Susan Mallery (Goodreads Author)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 2,065 ratings · 325 reviews

After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, Jenna is desperate for a change. She's supported her ex-husband's dreams for so long that she can't even remember her own. Until she sees a for-lease sign near her parents' home and envisions her very own cooking store.Her crash course in business is aided by a streetwise store manager and Jenna's adoptive mother. Bu...more

Paperback, 368 pages

Published March 29th 2011 by Mira (first published January 1st 2011)

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Sep 22, 2011 Splage rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read, contemporary, couldn-t-put-down, divorce, emotional-made-me-cry-lump-in-thr, favorite-books, funny, good-secondary-lovestory, hero-heroine-chef-cook, sex-clean-very-mild, women-s-fiction

Absolutely Fabulous!! I kept putting this book off because I knew it wasn't a true romance, the cover didn't excite me, the story overview never made me put it to the top of the read list and it was more about family relationships. Lesson learned: "Don't judge a book by its cover- front or back". I loved it and wish I wouldn't have waited to read it. This is a book that I will recommend to everyone and it was such a great read from beginning to end. There is nothing I didn't like about it; it wa...more Absolutely Fabulous!! I kept putting this book off because I knew it wasn't a true romance, the cover didn't excite me, the story overview never made me put it to the top of the read list and it was more about family relationships. Lesson learned: "Don't judge a book by its cover- front or back". I loved it and wish I wouldn't have waited to read it. This is a book that I will recommend to everyone and it was such a great read from beginning to end. There is nothing I didn't like about it; it was a fantastic story, wonderful characters and lots of them, and it was very touching and emotional.

Jenna is returning home to her loving, adopted parents after her marriage has failed and her self-esteem has been demolished by her cheating, arrogant husband. She was a sous chef so she decides to open up a cooking store, having never worked in retail, and hires a goth girl, Violet to help. It fails immediately until she lets Violet free to manage and develop the store which allows Jenna to create and teach cooking classes. This is the beginning of all the healing for both Jenna and Violet, who also had a troubled and violent younger life. A big event occurs when Jenna's hippie parents who gave her up because they were 15 years old, come looking for her and it turns her world upside down. There is a lot of emotions she has to deal with because she had such a wonderful life growing up with nurturing parents so she doesn't want to open up to her "crazy" biological parents, Serenity and Atomic. She doesn't understand why they have come looking for her now, which is the secret of the story and is hinted throughout. She also finds out she has brothers named Wolf and Dragonfly and Dragon has a lot of good one liners that made me laugh even though this was major tear jerker book for me. There is some romance for Jenna and Violet as well, and the feelings were deep, but there wasn't much time spent on it. The HEA was fulfilling in the end. Both of the heroes were involved in the support and the healing process for Jenna and Violet.

5+ stars from me! Definitely a keeper!

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Apr 22, 2011 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jenna Stevens has moved back home to Texas. After splitting from her ex. Jenna is ready for a brand, new start. What she didn’t expect was to purchase a building. It sounded like a good idea when Jenna purchased the place. She was going to open up a store and sell all kitchen supplies. There is just one problem…Jenna does not know the first thing about retail. Besides Jenna is better in the kitchen. Lucky for Jenna, she finds Violet. Violet has lots of retail experience. Now if only Violet can h...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Juju (Tales of Whimsy.com) rated it 4 of 5 stars

You know how life is a beautiful mess? How sometimes when it rains it pours? Then after that horrible rain you didn't think you would ever see the end of something profound happens? Well that is the best way I can describe Already Home.

To read my review in full please visit: http://www.talesofwhimsy.com/2011/04/...

Review Copyright © of Tales of Whimsy.com

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Mar 20, 2011 I ♥ Bookie Nookie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: z-netgalley, genre-smut-lite-chic-lit, body-red-head, character-chef, zz-reviewed, 2011-read-in

I have to start out by saying that I love the cover of this book. It is so beautiful and inviting and it makes me want to host a back yard dinner party.

I have read a few of Susan Mallery's book and I have really loved the combination of romance and family and heartbreak she weaves into her stories...and this book is no different.

Jeanna is a talented chef in a trendy LA restaurant, married to another popular chef. Her life is going along just "fine", not fantastic, but what marriage is perfect?...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Dianne Austin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Liked this book. I expected light "chick lit" and was surprised by the books turn.

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Jan 12, 2013 Shirley Zhang rated it 4 of 5 stars

Already Home Harlequin MIRA, 2011, pp. 374, $7.99
Susan Mallery ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-1324-3
Jenna is starting over at her hometown. She is a chef and used to work for her ex-husband but when she found out that he was cheating on her, she packed up and headed for Georgetown, Texas. That’s where she decided to open her own cooking store. From there, she met her store manager, Violet and her biological parents, who are hippies that are trying to reconnect with their oldest child. With her birth paren...more Already Home Harlequin MIRA, 2011, pp. 374, $7.99
Susan Mallery ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-1324-3
Jenna is starting over at her hometown. She is a chef and used to work for her ex-husband but when she found out that he was cheating on her, she packed up and headed for Georgetown, Texas. That’s where she decided to open her own cooking store. From there, she met her store manager, Violet and her biological parents, who are hippies that are trying to reconnect with their oldest child. With her birth parents trying to reconnect with her and her adoptive mother getting jealous, could she open her heart to another man in the middle of all this mess?
Susan Mallery is the author of Already Home. Jenna has a lot on her plate. She has to deal with her new business, she has no idea how to run a retail store and she didn’t even read the lease before signing it. Besides this, the bigger problem that she’s facing is her birth parents. They come out of nowhere and announce to her that they are her birth parent and she’s in panic mood. She doesn’t know if she should reconnect with Serenity and Tom. Also, Violet finds this guy that she really likes and he seems like one of the good guys but apparently, he’s not. Will Violet ever find a guys that likes her for who she is and not who she used to be?
I knew I would enjoy reading this book when I read the blurb. The first couple chapters of the book told me otherwise. It really put me to sleep; I started scamming through the pages to find something kind of excitement. I was going to stop when I remind myself that some of the other books that I had read weren’t interesting in the beginning but going really interesting with all of its drama towards the middle and the end of the book. And that was exactly what had happened with this book, so I’m glad that I read it. I would recommend this book to teenage girls and women because females enjoy reading books about love and that’s what this book is about but with more drama to it.
Read this book to find out how Jenna deals with everything and the love lives of both Jenna and Violet. I bet you will get as hooked to this book as I did.

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Jan 30, 2012 Jacqie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've always kind of liked Susan Mallery's frothy little romantic comedies. It looks like now she is trying to redefine herself as an author who's a bit more serious, like Susan Wiggs, maybe. There's still some romance in this book, but it is more of a women's fiction book, focusing on relationships between mothers and daughters.

I was drawn to the book because the main character is a chef who decides to open a cookware store. I love to cook and worked in retail until recently, so I was interested...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Felicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read

Received for review from Publisher
Actual Rating: 4.5

What I Loved: This was a story of two completely different women: Jenna and Violet. They both had things from their past that they needed to overcome. Jenna, who is the center of the story, has birth parents, a divorce, the dating pool, opening a store, and learning how to live with the fact that she isn't where she thought she would be at 32. Violet has a dark past, intuition issues, trust issues, and accepting that the person she is today as...more Received for review from Publisher
Actual Rating: 4.5

What I Loved: This was a story of two completely different women: Jenna and Violet. They both had things from their past that they needed to overcome. Jenna, who is the center of the story, has birth parents, a divorce, the dating pool, opening a store, and learning how to live with the fact that she isn't where she thought she would be at 32. Violet has a dark past, intuition issues, trust issues, and accepting that the person she is today as someone that people love and respect. As Jenna and Violet's friendship grows you watch them work through each of these issues and it makes such a wonderful read. I really did not expect to love this story but it was so wonderfully crafted that I couldn't help but love these characters.

What I Liked: Each character in this book had an important role to play. Beth and Serenity were very strong women each with their own issues about the adoption. Serenity, for reasons revealed later, wanted to breeze in and reconnect with the daughter she had given up at birth. Beth, wanted her adopted daughter to connect with her birth family but also went through the "what if I lose her" feelings. I felt both of these characters were very genuine in their reactions and feelings. You loved them both and felt for Jenna as she tried to maneuver that situation. Dragon and Cliff were two similar men with completely different personalities that I think Violet had to see in order to see past her own issues with trust, intimacy, and self-worth. That story played out differently than I thought it would but it was very good.

Complaints: This is just a personal POV and did not take away from the rating. I thought the ending was to abrupt. I like HEA's and while there was a hint that everything was going to work out for Jenna and Violet, I would have liked to see it. I think this has to do more with the fact that I was invested more into Violet's story than I was into Jenna's story.

Why I gave it a 4: This story was well-written, well-told, and caught me completely off guard with how much I liked it. I finished it in two days where normally books like this take me at least a week to finish.

Who I would recommend this too: This is tough! This isn't a romance, though it has romantic elements. This isn't a friendship book, though at its center it has a strong friendship being formed between Jenna and Violet. This might be a family relationships book, though it isn't just about that. I would say if you like a story that will make you laugh, cry, get a little angry, and leave you feeling hopeful then this is the book for you!

Author Website: http://www.susanmallery.com/(less)

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Dec 12, 2011 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reads, fiction-general

I find that I really, really enjoy Susan Mallery's women's fiction work much better than I do her romance novels. There is something about how untidy she lets things get in these books that really appeal to me. And they aren't sweet. I am not a fan of sweet.

This was a great story. Jenna is a newly divorced, highly demoralized chef who has returned to her place where she grew up near Dallas to lick her wounds. Her husband was a loser who constantly belittled her cooking, while simultaneously stea...more I find that I really, really enjoy Susan Mallery's women's fiction work much better than I do her romance novels. There is something about how untidy she lets things get in these books that really appeal to me. And they aren't sweet. I am not a fan of sweet.

This was a great story. Jenna is a newly divorced, highly demoralized chef who has returned to her place where she grew up near Dallas to lick her wounds. Her husband was a loser who constantly belittled her cooking, while simultaneously stealing her ideas, and cheated on her.

But now she is home and has impulsively opened a cooking supplies store. With no business plan, and no real idea of what she wants to accomplish the store kinda fizzles at first. But her new hire, Violet, a funky chick with a mysterious past and grand ideas, helps Jenna remake the store into a great success.

However more changes have come Jenna's way. She was adopted as a baby and has a great, loving relationship with her adoptive parents. So when her biological parents show up out the blue, Jenna is not sure she can cope with all the changes, and that includes the new man in her life. Meanwhile, Violet, a self described loser magnet has just met a guy whom she feels just might be a keeper.

This book was compulsively readable. It has all the great hallmarks of a well done prime-time soap without any unnecessary melodrama. There were multiple storylines but nothing felt rushed or over-done. There were so many places where the story could have veered into been-there/done-that territory, Mallery didn't allow it to happen. I loved how even keeled and practical Jenna's adoptive mother Beth was. And while her natural parents, Serenity and Tom sometime got perilously close to a vegan-earth-parent-crunchiness cliche, they never went over the line. There was always a depth to the characters that made them feel 3-dimensional. And there were so many fun and memorable characters who made their place in the story the book at times had the feel of a sprawling yet cohesive tale.

I enjoyed the b-plot with Violet a lot. Jenna's story was light, a bit humorous and deftly told. Violet's story went a bit darker and counter-balanced Jenna's plot-line well. The two women were opposite in so many ways and yet complemented each other.

I think romance purists would not be 100% sold on the story as romance is not the focus of the narrative. This is straight out women's fiction with a strong romantic element. Both Jenna and Violet have a romance arc that ends, if not with an explicit HEA, with at least a strong certainty that both women will go off into the sunset with her guy.(less)

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Nov 05, 2011 Heather Bokon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another good one fro Susan Mallery. I got this one from the library, but I liked it enough to buy it for my Kindle when I was done.

Jenna has just moved back to her hometown after a divorce. A former chef, she's decided to start a new chapter in her life, and impulsively buys a kitchen store. It's quickly apparent that she has no idea how to run a store of any kind, but thankfully she has a great new employee named Violet, and her own adoptive mom, Beth, who can help. Just as things are starting...more Another good one fro Susan Mallery. I got this one from the library, but I liked it enough to buy it for my Kindle when I was done.

Jenna has just moved back to her hometown after a divorce. A former chef, she's decided to start a new chapter in her life, and impulsively buys a kitchen store. It's quickly apparent that she has no idea how to run a store of any kind, but thankfully she has a great new employee named Violet, and her own adoptive mom, Beth, who can help. Just as things are starting to run smoothly, her birth parents show up out of nowhere. They're both hippies, Sereity and Tom (short for Atomic) who had planned to name her Butterfly.

This book was great. Once again, Susan Mallery has created characters that I really like and care about. When things weren't going well for Jenna in the beginning, I felt so bad for her. She was trying so hard and just couldn't seem to get it right. The supporting characters were fantastic, too. Poor Violet, who just couldn't seem to give herself a break. I hope that she and the budding romance she had at the end of the story get their own book some time. I found myself rolling my eyes with Jenna and Beth every time Serenity mentioned her connection with the universe.

The story of the birth parents and the adoptive parents really struck a chord with me. Being involved in an adoption myself, I knew how everyone involved was feeling, and I ached for all of them, especially Jenna, who felt so stuck in the middle.

The only part that made me pause a little was the description of the illness of one of the characters. Having watched someone very close to me battle that exact disease, some of it struck me as unrealistic. However, I will say that I've had one experience with it, and I doubt it's the same for everyone. There was enough of it that was right to make me feel awful for everyone involved.

One thing I will note, though - this is definitely more women's fiction than romance. There was some romance involved in this book, but it's definitely not the focus of the book. Susan Mallery is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and I'm currently hunting down as much of her backlist and current books as I can to read.(less)

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Oct 12, 2011 Beccie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

I’m a BIG Susan Mallery fan so there was no doubt I would like “Already Home”. What I hadn’t expected was how different this book is from other Mallery books I’ve read. All the previous books I’ve read are centered on romantic relationships; “Already Home” is centered more on family relationships. I liked that Jenna was opening her own business. That interested me because I hope to do the same someday. The business ideas Susan writes about are things real life businesses should take into account...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: in a heart beat

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When Already Home came out back in April I was apprensive about buying it and reading it, not because it's not Susan's "norm" of contemporary romance, but because the subplot of adoption is really close to home for me. I have read books or movies where adoption or birthparents are discussed or are subplots and I have found that it's not accurate, it's very frustrating. That being said, I'm elated I decided to give this book a chance.

Not only was the story beautifully written, but I felt a conne...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was really blown away by this book. I’ve read and enjoyed many of Ms. Mallery’s previous books, so I thought I knew what to expect here, but I could not have been more wrong. She did a great job of showing Jenna’s growth and healing over the course of events that take place in this book. And I loved (loved loved loved, etc) that Jenna’s healing did not come about because of a man. In fact, her love interest didn’t even pop up until nearly halfway through the book. This wasn’t the story of two...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Romancing the Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

Reviewed by Valerie
Borrowed from library

Already Home is my first read by Susan Mallery. It is NOT a romance novel but does have elements of romance woven in. Rather, it's a book about relationships - family, friends, spousal, adoptive, and especially the inner self.

When I first started reading, I expected the story to be about one character and her life's ups and downs. The story is so much more. Jenna, her new assistant, her mom, and her birth mom share equal parts of their lives as you read ab...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Samantha Robey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jenna Stevens, a recently divorced sous-chef, moves back to her hometown of Georgetown, Texas to start over. Her adoptive parents greet her with open arms, and Jenna decides on a whim to open her own store. While Jenna always had a knack for cooking, her ex-husband worked diligently to place seeds in her mind that she was no good at her profession, so Jenna decides to open a retail store with cooking supplies, instead of doing any actual cooking. Quickly realizing she is in over her head, she hi...more Jenna Stevens, a recently divorced sous-chef, moves back to her hometown of Georgetown, Texas to start over. Her adoptive parents greet her with open arms, and Jenna decides on a whim to open her own store. While Jenna always had a knack for cooking, her ex-husband worked diligently to place seeds in her mind that she was no good at her profession, so Jenna decides to open a retail store with cooking supplies, instead of doing any actual cooking. Quickly realizing she is in over her head, she hires Violet, a street smart woman that works well with the customers. The duo form an unlikely friendship, and Jenna thinks everything is finally falling into place in her life. But everything changes at rapid pace when her birth parents suddenly show up at her store, claiming they want a relationship with their daughter. Jenna is thrown by these free spirits- Serenity and Tom- who want so badly to reconnect with Jenna after so many years. But Jenna is weary- she loves her adoptive parents, and the timing doesn’t seem right. Why now, why after so many years did her parents decide to come find her? Can Jenna learn to love her birth parents? Or does fate have a different plan?

I adored Already Home by Susan Mallery. This was a book that from page one got my attention and drew me in. Jenna’s character seemed a little fragile after her nasty divorce, but I could tell she wanted to stay strong and make her parents proud. The love between Jenna and her adoptive mother was very touching to read, especially the loyalty Jenna felt to her once Serenity showed up. There wasn’t a whole lot of romance in this story, and I thought that was fine. It was deeper, made me ask myself a lot of questions and really put myself in Jenna’s shoes. Of course, there is a love interest for both Jenna and Violet, and Violet’s storyline really had me invested and shocked. The ending of the story brought tears to my eyes, but I felt satisfied after I flipped the last page. I think this is definitely one to put on your to-read lists!
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Jun 25, 2011 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'd probably give it 3 and a half stars. I would put this in the category of "light romance". Jenna is recently divorced and returns to her hometown and her amazingly loving adoptive parents Beth and Marshall. Jenna has been belittled by her ex and has lost her confidence (a little over kill on that). She impulsively buys a store to make into a kitchen store and hires Violet, a former prostitute -- now reformed. Jenna is not able to connect with her former friends (they are shallow, etc -- so sh...more

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Jun 14, 2011 Joemmama rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jenna Stevens, after leaving her cheating chef husband, moves to her hometown, and impulsively leases a storefront for three years. With no retail experience, the support of her loving (adoptive) parents, and her clever assistant Violet, she struggles through the birth pains of opening a new business. She was a clever chef in her past life, until her hot shot chef husband undermined her to the point where she could no longer create new and exciting recipes.

Suddenly her cooking shop takes off, mu...more

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May 20, 2011 Alice Bola rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are a couple things I want to tell you right off the bat. This is my first Susan Mallery novel. I actually requested this because my sister is a fan of hers. I figured it was time I checked her out myself. I expected your typical “chick lit” type novel, a simple story with a happy ending. Man was I surprised when I got to the bones of the story.

Although the story was primarily about the return of Jenna’s birth parents, the highlight for me was the friendships the women shared and the rela...more There are a couple things I want to tell you right off the bat. This is my first Susan Mallery novel. I actually requested this because my sister is a fan of hers. I figured it was time I checked her out myself. I expected your typical “chick lit” type novel, a simple story with a happy ending. Man was I surprised when I got to the bones of the story.

Although the story was primarily about the return of Jenna’s birth parents, the highlight for me was the friendships the women shared and the relationships the women had with each other. They were each so different, yet very believable. Ms. Mallery has a gift. She writes in a way that makes it very easy to get invested in the characters. Thirty pages in and I felt a bond with them.

I was pretty much set not to like Jenna. By all accounts, she was just about perfect. I hate that in a character. Yet Ms. Mallery did something I didn’t expect, she gave her a touch of insecurity and self-doubt that endeared me to her. She wasn’t whiny, but real. She took what was meant to be defeating and turned it into triumph. She faced trials but never took on a defeated attitude. I couldn’t help but hope that things turned out for the best. I especially enjoyed her growing friendship with Violet.

I loved Violet, I want to be friends with Violet. I really enjoyed her journey. I liked that although hers was a supporting role, Ms. Mallery gave her story life. I don’t want to write too much about her journey because well, when I first read it, I had a total “Why The Face?” moment and I want you to have it too. Although hers was a secondary story, it was powerful enough without stealing Jenna’s thunder. The stories, as well as the characters and their friendships complimented each other rather well.

I think this is a great read. It’s powerful enough to tug at your heartstrings and bring a tear to your eye, yet it’s laced with humor and above all hope. I know this is only the beginning of my Susan Mallery journey. I look forward to reading more by her.
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Apr 06, 2011 Brie C. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally posted on: Romance Around the Corner

I have enjoyed almost everything I’ve read by Susan Mallery, some of her books I liked more than others, and some of them are pure gold. I believe this book falls into the last category.

Already Home is about a group of women whose lives get mixed together by different reasons. Jenna is recently divorced and is back at home, her self-esteem has gotten such a huge blow that she is even changing careers, she used to be a chef but now feels so insecure...more Originally posted on: Romance Around the Corner

I have enjoyed almost everything I’ve read by Susan Mallery, some of her books I liked more than others, and some of them are pure gold. I believe this book falls into the last category.

Already Home is about a group of women whose lives get mixed together by different reasons. Jenna is recently divorced and is back at home, her self-esteem has gotten such a huge blow that she is even changing careers, she used to be a chef but now feels so insecure that is starting a cookware store. Violet is also insecure in her personal life, but for a complete different set of reasons, she comes to the store looking for a job, and quickly a friendship ensures between the two of them.

On the other hand is Beth, she is Jenna’s adoptive mother, and she is happy that her daughter is back in town, but is worried about her. And then, along comes Serenity, she is Jenna’s birth mother and has come to meet her daughter. Needless to say that Jenna is shocked and not too happy about it.

This book has a lot going on, but Susan tells the story in a way that it doesn’t feel confusing, or complicated, and she treats every character as a leading lady, they all get the spotlight at the right time, and that gave me the opportunity to get to know each one of them, and specially let me connect and relate to them.

I loved both Jenna and Violet, I liked how they were aware of their flaws, and I liked how they each learned from their mistakes. I think Violet’s story in particular had the potential to become a soap fest and a melodrama, but it never felt that way, and I am really glad, I think is great to have wounded characters, but there is a fine line between sympathy and pity. Jenna’s reaction to Serenity was realistic, and the development of their relationship was slow and full of highs and lows.

Beth’s character was also real, at first she reacts almost too good and carefree to Serenity, but then she cracks and the insecurities start to show. Serenity was perhaps my least favorite character, but it was more of a personal reaction, I didn’t really understand the reasons behind her showing up like that, and that is part of the plot, you have to read the entire book to find out, but she was just too wise, too perfect, sometimes she rubbed me the wrong way.

You will notice that I haven’t mentioned any romance, and that is because this is not really a romance novel, yes, there are love interests for both Violet and Jenna, but they play a secondary role, and in this case that is ok because the book is about other types of love, the love between friends, the love between mother and daughter, the love between married couples, the love between siblings, and self-love. If you expect a book where the main couple relationship gets all the attention, then don’t read this one, there are lots of different POVs in this one, but they are all the women’s, I don’t think there was any need for us to get into the men’s heads though, their intentions towards the heroines were really clear.

I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed, maybe the book would have benefited by some extra pages, or perhaps an epilogue (although I’m not much of a fan of those), there were some actions and decisions left unexplained, and we do get the certainty that everything is going to just fine, and the girls do get their HEA, but maybe it would have been nice to see it. And yeah, the very last sentence was really, really corny, at least for my taste.

Overall it was a wonderful story, very heartening, I laugh, I cried, it kept me glued to my seat, and after reading it I feel the need to recommend it to everyone. Go and buy it, and if this is your first encounter with Susan Mallery (although I don’t think there is a fan of romance out there that is not familiar with her) go and check her backlist because she is very talented, and this book was the perfect example of that.

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Mar 18, 2011 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rated BEST BOOK!

For years, Jenna has lived the city life. She was married, worked in a restaurant by her husband's side, and was doing well. Or was she? Her marriage crumbled,leading into Jenna rethinking her life and her dreams. What did she really want? Was she really living our her dreams? What does one do when she realizes she needs something different? Well, go home, of course. On a whim, she starts her own business. But Jenna's going to need a lot of help to keep up with her new store.

Ent...more Rated BEST BOOK!

For years, Jenna has lived the city life. She was married, worked in a restaurant by her husband's side, and was doing well. Or was she? Her marriage crumbled,leading into Jenna rethinking her life and her dreams. What did she really want? Was she really living our her dreams? What does one do when she realizes she needs something different? Well, go home, of course. On a whim, she starts her own business. But Jenna's going to need a lot of help to keep up with her new store.

Enter Violet, a woman who dresses different and is unsure of things. Having a dark past that haunts her to this day, Violet is a loner, but has the experience and skills necessary to help Jenna run her store. After a hesitant start, the two become friends and rely on each other to keep afloat. Violet helps Jenna rethink her business strategy when it shows that Jenna has no idea how she wants to run her store. And when a love interest enters Violet's life, she turns to Jenna for advice on what to wear on her date.

As Jenna's new life and business fall into place, who should come into her life unexpectedly? Her birth parents. What a complete surprise to Jenna and her adoptive parents. Beth, Jenna's adoptive mother stays supportive and encouraging to Jenna to get to know the strangers that gave her up all those years ago.

Susan Mallery creates an emotional story that stretches the boundaries of relationships. She tests all relationships in this story - between mothers and daughters, friends, strangers, and significant others. Her well thought out characters are so believable and engaging that the reader can't help but smile, laugh and cry at the situations each one faces.

The story is full of conflict and decisions, and questions. Jenna is torn between her feelings and how to react now that her birth mother swiftly enters her life, and how will that affect her relationship with Beth, the woman who has raised Jenna as her own and given her a wonderful life? How does Beth really feel, even though she's encouraging Jenna to get to know her parents? What brought them here now, instead of when Jenna was younger?

I know when I pick up a book with Susan Mallery's name on it that I'm in for a heartwarming, emotional, pleasurable read. Already Home was no different. She weaves the the plot and subplot in so wonderfully and long after the last page is read, her stories and characters stay with me in my mind. Her books are a keeper and can be enjoyed after the first, second, and hundredth time reading.

If you enjoy a contemporary story full of heart and love, then you'll feel like your right at home with this book.

Originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...(less)

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Feb 01, 2011 Lindsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, contemporary-romance, advanced-reading-reviewers-copy, first-read-in-2011

Another great read by Susan Mallery, author of Sunset Bay and The Best of Friends to name a few. In Already Home, Jenna deals with opening of her new kitchen store (her first experience with retail after leaving the restaurant business), meeting her new-age birth parents and siblings for the first time, making new friends, reentering the dating world after a divorce from her user and loser ex, and rediscovering her confidence and creativity in the kitchen. Filled with fantastic secondary charact...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Cyndee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, audio-book, e-book, jamie-challenge, the-jamie-challenge

The book was good. Unfortunately I listened to the audio version and the voice the narrator did for Violet was horrible. For a character that was once a prostitute, sexy, trendy and someone you should have been cheering for, The narrator spoke through her nose. It was horrible and very distracting. If you read the book or can get past the horrible narration I think it would be a very fun read.
Jenna was a great character. I liked the struggle between the birth mom and adopted mom. It showed real...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Alexis-Morgan Roark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: boogenhagen,vanessa,michelle

Recommended to Alexis-Morgan by: Readers of Romance Cheaters Group

Shelves: audiobook, library, not-romance, physicall-abuse-secondary-character, divorced-heroine, divorced-hero, hero-has-a-child, cheating-prior-not-h-h, cheating-board-referral

I didn't think I was going to like this non-romance, chick-lit book...but I did. Oh, there was pain and suffering-mostly because of men, of course *SIGH*-but there was also self-discovery, new love, and an ending so sweet and tender and real that I just wanted to cry.

I enjoyed reading this other side to being adopted and finding (or being found by) your biological parents. I rolled my eyes many a time at the new-age spirituality and whol-life, organic living hippiness of Jenna's biological paren...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-booklist

Summary (copy and pasted from the site): After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, Jenna is desperate for a change. She's supported her ex-husband's dreams for so long that she can't even remember her own. Until she sees a for-lease sign near her parents' home and envisions her very own cooking store.

Her crash course in business is aided by a streetwise store manager and Jenna's adoptive mother. But just as she's gaining a foothold in her new life, in walk her birth parents—aging...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Cocktails and Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club-selections, bn-ebook, contemporary-romance

After nearly a decade as a sous-chef in a trendy eatery, Jenna is desperate for a change. She's supported her ex-husband's dreams for so long that she can't even remember her own. Until she sees a for-lease sign near her parents' home and envisions her very own cooking store.

Her crash course in business is aided by a streetwise store manager and Jenna's adoptive mother. But just as she's gaining a foothold in her new life, in walk her birth parents—aging hippies on a quest to reconnect with thei...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Charlotte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-readers-copy, nook

Already Home is a novel about about family and home.

Jenna has returned home to the suburbs of Austin after having her heart and soul crushed by her ex-husband, Aaron. In her desperation for normalcy, the chef hastily opens up a retail cooking store. She has the full support of her adoring parents and the sharp skill of her Manager, Violet. Jenna knows she will be okay.

But the "normalcy" she craves is thrown aside when her birth parents show up on her doorstep. Serenity & Tom are eager to get...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Newly divorced and recently moved back home Jenna Stevens is about to embark on a new life and new career from Sous-Chef to retail store owner. Little does she know that her life has not quite stopped spinning as she’s about to have more surprises fall at her feet.
Susan Mallery has brought us many heartwarming tales and Already Home is just another in that long list, in it she presents to us a storyline that is lived for real everyday in just about every locale across the globe, someone starting...more
Newly divorced and recently moved back home Jenna Stevens is about to embark on a new life and new career from Sous-Chef to retail store owner. Little does she know that her life has not quite stopped spinning as she’s about to have more surprises fall at her feet.
Susan Mallery has brought us many heartwarming tales and Already Home is just another in that long list, in it she presents to us a storyline that is lived for real everyday in just about every locale across the globe, someone starting over with the help and support of her family. Then our author extraordinaire throws us a couple curve balls worthy of the MLB and as the plot takes it twists and turns the audience revels in the resulting chaos. She delivers this with dialogue that’s easy to understand and easy to read and a narrative that’s descriptive enough that we can easily picture her scenes in our heads. She gives us characters that are all memorable and imperative to the tale. Her main protagonist and heroine Jenna is a breath of fresh air with all those perfect Barbie like heroines out there we finally get one with substance and errors. Now don’t fret, yes this is a romance, and Jenna does get her knight in shining armor in the package of a holistic doctor named Ellington who is another bright spot on the character horizon. Where most authors would leave things there, our Ms. Mallery takes it a step or two further by bringing in more main characters, more problems and more solutions to really get our blood flowing, which of course works to perfection. The love scenes are very shadowy and hide behind the curtain of innuendo and vagueness and would not offend any reader but those of us all in favor of hot and spicy scenes, have no fear it’s plain enough that we’ll get it with no trouble at all.
Almost Home is telling us, it’s never too late to start over and you can go home again. It tells us that blood isn’t always thicker than water and family isn’t necessarily born into but made. It tells us that just because we fail at love once doesn’t mean we should give up, look long enough for it and it’ll come. So if all of that is what you look for in your romance, look no further and definitely put Already Home on your To Be Read pile right on top.
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Mar 23, 2013 Faye rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was the perfect book for the mood I was in. A book I could really relate to. Jenna has been a chef, but after her marriage ends she moves back to Texas near her family. She rents space and opens a kitchen store. It was exactly the kind of store i like to linger in. She hires streetwise, Violet to work with her. Violet is the combination of a couple of my friends. Then the birth mother appears on the scene. She gave birth to Jenna as a teenager. She is a left over flower child. (She also rem...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is about Jenna, a thirty-something woman who has just divorced her husband (whose favorite pastime was belittling her, and second favorite was taking credit for her work) and is looking for a fresh start. She returns to her hometown to open a cooking store. She has worked as a sous chef and so is stepping out of her comfort zone behind the scenes with this new venture in retail. The second smart thing she does (the first is the divorce) is hiring Violet who helps Jenna figure out what...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Gina Blechman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-romance, romance

Already Home is the first novel I've read on my romance journey this summer that's made me want to keep reading from the very start. It's a story about a woman, Jenna, who buys shop space, on a whim, to start her own cooking store, only to find out that her potentially devastating, capricious purchase isn't nearly as surprising as the events to come. Through her shop, Jenna meets and hires a woman who is soon to be her new best friend, is visited by her birth parents who arrive without warning,...more

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About Susan Mallery

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that move them. Publisher’s Weekly calls Susan’s prose “luscious and provocative,” and Booklist says, “Novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling.” While Susan appreciates the crit...more

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Quotes from Already Home

“Don't be logical. You know I hate that.” — 11 people liked it

“I'm starting to remember that it's okay when things don't turn out right the first time. I can always try again and get it right.” — 4 people liked it

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