Review: The Way Home

The Way Home

Author: Stefanie Simpson

Sold By: Amazon Digital Services LLC

3.5 Stars

Em Riley was queen of the night life once, but after caring for her dying father, her grief makes her take stock. She wants to move on and put the past behind her, but when ‘Mr. Tall Dark and Scowls’ moves in across the street, he proves to be quite the distraction.

Ryan, ex-army and double amputee, can’t shake the feeling he’s met this gorgeous pin-up girl before. Making friends, much less starting relationships, has never been easy for him, and it’s about to get harder, especially since both of them are still struggling to come to terms with their own painful history.

Neither of them is ready for what they find in each other, but it might be just what they each need.

Let’s just get this out of the way: I don’t think I’ve picked up a romance novel since I was a teenager. I love Rom-Coms, but I usually prefer the “com” to the “rom”.  Romance novels are often so sensationalized and dramatic, I end up rolling my eyes throughout them. (Come on, 300+ pages and no one rolls over onto someone’s hair even once? No one’s ever feeling a little bloated and just wants to binge Breaking Bad? Am I doing romance wrong? Probably.)

But the moment Em and Ryan’s backstories were revealed, I was HOOKED. First of all, how awesome is it that not only does the main love interest fully earn his “dark and brooding” nature, he’s a double amputee? Simpson took a character that would normally be regulated to sidekick status (or even worse, used to show how, underneath it all, the hero is a caring, compassionate guy) and put him front and center, as a fully fleshed out character. Ryan isn’t solely defined by his status as an amputee, but the author also doesn’t shy away from the effect it has on him.

The issues like depression and PTSD are handled with deft and sincere ease. I loved the importance the author placed on rehabilitation and counselling. Too often in romance novels, the romance/relationship is depicted as a “cure”. Simpson does the opposite, using the character’s intense bond as a driving force for Em seeking out these resources. Em and Ryan want to be better for each other, but also for themselves. And once the plot moves past the sniping and bickering, Em and Ryan’s dynamic is very engaging. While it sometimes veered a little too close to Insta-love for my liking, I understood it. These are two very lonely people who have felt disconnected from others for a long time. My heart broke for these characters.

It is a romance novel and yes, you should heed the author’s disclaimer about explicit material. There are frequent sex scenes, but nothing I would call offensive. (Unless you’re a prude. If you’re a prude, don’t read this. Stick to Nancy Drew books.) (I can say that because I own the series.) In fact, I was impressed with how sex-positive the novel is. Em is fully in control of her body and desires. Neither character is ever placed in a position where there’s an imbalance of power. More importantly, boundaries are established and respected.

My only criticisms (and they are based solely on personal preference) was I had difficulty with the prose and sometimes struggled with the slang or phrasing. The shift from Em’s internal perspective to Ryan’s sometimes felt jarring and I wished it had been split into alternating characters. I also didn’t like how hard Em was on herself concerning her past because I didn’t think she did anything bad enough to warrant her internal scolding. There were so many great moments of confidence and empowerment, I wished she had more of them. But the scenes where she did stand up for herself were great and I just really wanted more of that. But again, the character work was strong enough that I could see where she was coming from. I didn’t like it, but I could understand it. (Although, more than once I wanted to shout, “Just own it, Em! Let yourself be happy!”)

Simpson has crafted a very moving (and steamy!) love story with realistically flawed characters, a strong combination.