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Dirt Road Home
City kid Logan Davis is about to find the family he never knew he was missing at the end of a country road.
Logan has no interest in leaving Detroit. But when his impulsive mother shoves him and his brother, Dex. in the back of her old Buick to chase her newest husband in Tennessee, he thinks heading south will be the end of the world. A physical confrontation with a local football star on his first night in town seems to confirm his worst notions.
Prepared to encounter every stereotype in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Logan soon discovers his new home might not be all that different. His knack for fixing up fast cars helps him fit right in with the wild and loud southern attitude. A chance encounter at a back road street race leads him directly into the path of the undeniable spirit of the south; her name is Leah.
Dirt Road Home is a novel about finding yourself and realizing that sometimes you have to travel five hundred miles away from your house to find your home.
Logan has no interest in leaving Detroit. But when his impulsive mother shoves him and his brother, Dex. in the back of her old Buick to chase her newest husband in Tennessee, he thinks heading south will be the end of the world. A physical confrontation with a local football star on his first night in town seems to confirm his worst notions.
Prepared to encounter every stereotype in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Logan soon discovers his new home might not be all that different. His knack for fixing up fast cars helps him fit right in with the wild and loud southern attitude. A chance encounter at a back road street race leads him directly into the path of the undeniable spirit of the south; her name is Leah.
Dirt Road Home is a novel about finding yourself and realizing that sometimes you have to travel five hundred miles away from your house to find your home.
- GenresRomanceYoung Adult
271 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 3, 2022
818 people want to read
About the author
Alexander Nader
29 books108 followersWrites novels about the dark things floating around in his head because the demons won’t let him sleep otherwise. Jokes are his weapon of choice, but will resort to deflection in times of emergency. Did you know Maine is closer to Africa than any other state?
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 3, 2022
The Publisher Says: City kid Logan Davis is about to find the family he never knew he was missing at the end of a country road.
Logan has no interest in leaving Detroit. But when his impulsive mother shoves him and his brother, Dex. in the back of her old Buick to chase her newest husband in Tennessee, he thinks heading south will be the end of the world. A physical confrontation with a local football star on his first night in town seems to confirm his worst notions.
Prepared to encounter every stereotype in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Logan soon discovers his new home might not be all that different. His knack for fixing up fast cars helps him fit right in with the wild and loud southern attitude. A chance encounter at a back road street race leads him directly into the path of the undeniable spirit of the south; her name is Leah.
Dirt Road Home is a novel about finding yourself and realizing that sometimes you have to travel five hundred miles away from your house to find your home.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER. THANK YOU.
My Review: My god, I hear regular readers saying under their breaths, what the hell got into this old man? TWO books you can call YA in two days...with four stars!
Yep. The publisher reached out to me on Twitter before the book came out...not all the way sure why...and said "you'll like this book." And I did, really surprising myself most of all.
Logan's a kid about to become a young man. He's got some skills at car-related mechanical work. He's got a mother who's a disaster at picking men. He's got a jock as an enemy in their new town. His just-barely-younger brother is his wing man, and his fellow gearhead. It's all gonna go just swell, ain't it, thinks annoyed frustrated Logan.
Cue the girl, please.
Leah's the kind of girl who goes to the street races. Not with someone, she goes on her own because she likes it. The best thing about this story for me was the way these two slightly weird kids felt the gravity of each others' existence. There's the key to the story being a coming of age/young adult book: they have that feeling for each other and the whole time, they don't even question it. They're each thrilled with their luck.
Then there's the man his mother dragged her boys to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to be with. Another disaster, I though cynically. Another antagonist. Indeed not, cynics. Greg is the absolute best guy...patient, kind, accepting...that everyone in the family could have hoped to meet. He's a prince among men.
I *did* say it was aimed at young adults.
Why I liked it, though, was the economical prose wasn't at the expense of the characters being realized. It felt to me that the details Author Nader gave us were quite simple, but carefully chosen.
I came away thinking Logan finally got something good out of the craptastic life his mother had led for them. I was glad for them all that Greg (for unkowable reasons) decided this was the woman he wanted out of the billions there are. Luck for them all, he did.
I'm surprised at how much pleasure I got from this long-afternoon's read. I hope y'all give the story a chance to beguile you, too.
Logan has no interest in leaving Detroit. But when his impulsive mother shoves him and his brother, Dex. in the back of her old Buick to chase her newest husband in Tennessee, he thinks heading south will be the end of the world. A physical confrontation with a local football star on his first night in town seems to confirm his worst notions.
Prepared to encounter every stereotype in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Logan soon discovers his new home might not be all that different. His knack for fixing up fast cars helps him fit right in with the wild and loud southern attitude. A chance encounter at a back road street race leads him directly into the path of the undeniable spirit of the south; her name is Leah.
Dirt Road Home is a novel about finding yourself and realizing that sometimes you have to travel five hundred miles away from your house to find your home.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER. THANK YOU.
My Review: My god, I hear regular readers saying under their breaths, what the hell got into this old man? TWO books you can call YA in two days...with four stars!
Yep. The publisher reached out to me on Twitter before the book came out...not all the way sure why...and said "you'll like this book." And I did, really surprising myself most of all.
Logan's a kid about to become a young man. He's got some skills at car-related mechanical work. He's got a mother who's a disaster at picking men. He's got a jock as an enemy in their new town. His just-barely-younger brother is his wing man, and his fellow gearhead. It's all gonna go just swell, ain't it, thinks annoyed frustrated Logan.
Cue the girl, please.
Leah's the kind of girl who goes to the street races. Not with someone, she goes on her own because she likes it. The best thing about this story for me was the way these two slightly weird kids felt the gravity of each others' existence. There's the key to the story being a coming of age/young adult book: they have that feeling for each other and the whole time, they don't even question it. They're each thrilled with their luck.
Then there's the man his mother dragged her boys to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to be with. Another disaster, I though cynically. Another antagonist. Indeed not, cynics. Greg is the absolute best guy...patient, kind, accepting...that everyone in the family could have hoped to meet. He's a prince among men.
I *did* say it was aimed at young adults.
Why I liked it, though, was the economical prose wasn't at the expense of the characters being realized. It felt to me that the details Author Nader gave us were quite simple, but carefully chosen.
My phone beeps, interrupting my late-night, early-life crisis.
–and–
I'm trying to decide if it would look better if I dug a giant sleep-booger out of my eyeball or just left it and hope she doesn't notice.
I came away thinking Logan finally got something good out of the craptastic life his mother had led for them. I was glad for them all that Greg (for unkowable reasons) decided this was the woman he wanted out of the billions there are. Luck for them all, he did.
I'm surprised at how much pleasure I got from this long-afternoon's read. I hope y'all give the story a chance to beguile you, too.
May 11, 2022
I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters are what really made this book so enjoyable. Logan is forced to move to the Tennessee from Detroit with his brother and his troubled mom to stay with his mom's new love interest. An unexpected altercation has him constantly checking over his shoulder, while a chance encounter with the girl of his dreams has him reconsidering what the future may hold for him. I found this coming of age love story refreshing. I loved that the female love interest was a strong, capable, often fearless young women worth rooting for.
June 7, 2022
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
--
WHAT'S DIRT ROAD HOME ABOUT?
After a succession of horrible boyfriends (abusive, addicts, etc.) over the years, Rose Davis started seeing someone online. And things were going pretty well for them—so well, in fact, that Rose and her adolescent sons move from Detroit to a small Tennessee town to be with him.
Her sons, Logan and Dex, aren't crazy about this move. Logan (who is the protagonist, by the way) is 6 weeks away from high school graduation and turning 18. Dex is a year behind him. They're Detroit through-and-through, comfortable on the streets there, they live and breathe internal combustion engines, and cannot imagine living anywhere else, but they have no choice*.
* Okay, that part rang a little false for me. He's close enough to 18, that Logan could've stayed behind. He could've crashed with some friends—or a series of friends—or something. Child Services isn't going to swoop in and put someone his age into the system. But suspend disbelief for it and it's fine.
On their first night in town, Logan and Dex get into a tussle with a couple of local high school football stars, and instead of simply being the new kids in school, they're those guys. They're trouble. The fight video is online, putting a giant target on their back.
Logan's ability with cars helps him find a niche, a way to fit in. He and Dex take part in some street racing and find some friends—or at least people who aren't instinctually antagonistic toward them.
More importantly, Logan meets Leah there. She's a stunning, confident, and charming young woman in his class who will turn his life upside down. Maybe life in the South won't be that bad after, all.
GREG MCCARTER
The MVP of this book has got to be Rose's new boyfriend, the one they move to Tennessee to be with. With only one major character flaw (which, granted, is debatable and a minor spoiler, so that's all you get), he's about to perfect as you're going to get. And sure, those characters are unrealistic, but every now and then, coming across one is fine.
He's exactly the kind of guy that Rose needs to be with (even if, like Logan, the reader doesn't understand her appeal to him). He's absolutely the right kind of adult make for Logan and Dex to have in their lives. You can't help but wonder how things would've turned out for all four of them had they moved to Tennessee a year or two earlier.
Still, he's the kind of guy that would improve almost any novel—if Nader had put him as the central character of a book, he'd be just as appealing—maybe more so. I know my appreciation for this novel went up a notch or two when he was in a scene.
A PROBLEM THAT ONLY I'M GOING TO HAVE
Back in April, Pay Dirt Road was published, and about that time Winding Road Stories reached out to me about Dirt Road Home. I cannot tell you how often I've conflated the two titles since then. They couldn't be more different in any way, but those titles? I have been and am forever going to refer to them both as Pay Dirt Road Home.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT DIRT ROAD HOME?
This is tagged as a coming-of-age story. And technically it is, sure. But I'd want to call it something else. It's a coming-home story, which is tricky because Logan's really never had one. But that's what separates this from so many coming-of-age stories, it's about more than Logan maturing—it's about the atmosphere that gets him there.
My only complaint with this book is that everything happens too quickly. I'm not saying it's too fast-paced, I'm just saying that if Logan had been 3 months away from graduation instead of 6 weeks, and that the events that happened between the fight their first night and the Event That Changes Everything right before the dénouement had taken more weeks, I'd have bought everything a little easier.
I bought it all in the moment, although there was a voice in the back of my head saying, "Slow down and think about things, kid." The problem for me came when I put the book down and thought about it. I'm not saying what happens to—and within—Logan and the rest couldn't happen like that, I just could have accepted and liked it more. Also, I wanted to see the relationships between Logan and those new to his life more—I really liked Greg and Leah's parents, in particular, and more scenes with them would've improved this already good novel.
Tossing that aside—this is a fun story. It's sweet, it's hopeful, and it's heartfelt. It's a giant departure from the rest of Nader's work (judging by the 120 seconds I spent researching him). It's reminiscent of James Bailey's YA novels and Headphones and Heartaches . I need to read things like this from time to time—things that focus on growth, improvement, and contentment/happiness. That's what this book's premise promises and that's what it delivered.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Winding Road in exchange for this post, the opinions expressed are my own.
--
WHAT'S DIRT ROAD HOME ABOUT?
After a succession of horrible boyfriends (abusive, addicts, etc.) over the years, Rose Davis started seeing someone online. And things were going pretty well for them—so well, in fact, that Rose and her adolescent sons move from Detroit to a small Tennessee town to be with him.
Her sons, Logan and Dex, aren't crazy about this move. Logan (who is the protagonist, by the way) is 6 weeks away from high school graduation and turning 18. Dex is a year behind him. They're Detroit through-and-through, comfortable on the streets there, they live and breathe internal combustion engines, and cannot imagine living anywhere else, but they have no choice*.
* Okay, that part rang a little false for me. He's close enough to 18, that Logan could've stayed behind. He could've crashed with some friends—or a series of friends—or something. Child Services isn't going to swoop in and put someone his age into the system. But suspend disbelief for it and it's fine.
On their first night in town, Logan and Dex get into a tussle with a couple of local high school football stars, and instead of simply being the new kids in school, they're those guys. They're trouble. The fight video is online, putting a giant target on their back.
Logan's ability with cars helps him find a niche, a way to fit in. He and Dex take part in some street racing and find some friends—or at least people who aren't instinctually antagonistic toward them.
More importantly, Logan meets Leah there. She's a stunning, confident, and charming young woman in his class who will turn his life upside down. Maybe life in the South won't be that bad after, all.
GREG MCCARTER
The MVP of this book has got to be Rose's new boyfriend, the one they move to Tennessee to be with. With only one major character flaw (which, granted, is debatable and a minor spoiler, so that's all you get), he's about to perfect as you're going to get. And sure, those characters are unrealistic, but every now and then, coming across one is fine.
He's exactly the kind of guy that Rose needs to be with (even if, like Logan, the reader doesn't understand her appeal to him). He's absolutely the right kind of adult make for Logan and Dex to have in their lives. You can't help but wonder how things would've turned out for all four of them had they moved to Tennessee a year or two earlier.
Still, he's the kind of guy that would improve almost any novel—if Nader had put him as the central character of a book, he'd be just as appealing—maybe more so. I know my appreciation for this novel went up a notch or two when he was in a scene.
A PROBLEM THAT ONLY I'M GOING TO HAVE
Back in April, Pay Dirt Road was published, and about that time Winding Road Stories reached out to me about Dirt Road Home. I cannot tell you how often I've conflated the two titles since then. They couldn't be more different in any way, but those titles? I have been and am forever going to refer to them both as Pay Dirt Road Home.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT DIRT ROAD HOME?
This is tagged as a coming-of-age story. And technically it is, sure. But I'd want to call it something else. It's a coming-home story, which is tricky because Logan's really never had one. But that's what separates this from so many coming-of-age stories, it's about more than Logan maturing—it's about the atmosphere that gets him there.
My only complaint with this book is that everything happens too quickly. I'm not saying it's too fast-paced, I'm just saying that if Logan had been 3 months away from graduation instead of 6 weeks, and that the events that happened between the fight their first night and the Event That Changes Everything right before the dénouement had taken more weeks, I'd have bought everything a little easier.
I bought it all in the moment, although there was a voice in the back of my head saying, "Slow down and think about things, kid." The problem for me came when I put the book down and thought about it. I'm not saying what happens to—and within—Logan and the rest couldn't happen like that, I just could have accepted and liked it more. Also, I wanted to see the relationships between Logan and those new to his life more—I really liked Greg and Leah's parents, in particular, and more scenes with them would've improved this already good novel.
Tossing that aside—this is a fun story. It's sweet, it's hopeful, and it's heartfelt. It's a giant departure from the rest of Nader's work (judging by the 120 seconds I spent researching him). It's reminiscent of James Bailey's YA novels and Headphones and Heartaches . I need to read things like this from time to time—things that focus on growth, improvement, and contentment/happiness. That's what this book's premise promises and that's what it delivered.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Winding Road in exchange for this post, the opinions expressed are my own.
July 14, 2022
This was a wonderful young adult coming-of-age novel with a teenage male MC. It was beautifully written and very refreshing in how straightforward it is. While it's set in the present, it reminded me of some of my favorite classics of this genre, like The Outsiders and A Separate Peace. It's the story of a young man with a complicated home life and a troubled mother who is seeking stability, love, and security. He finds a family where he least expects -- in a rural town where his mother has dragged him and his brother to live with yet another boyfriend. This is a book of love, longing, and redemption with great moments of humor and relatable, wonderful characters. I bought several copies to share with friends.
May 13, 2022
A coming of age, small town romance with themes of self-discovery and found family is this book in summary. Our main character, Logan, is forced to move with his mom and brother to the middle of nowhere as his mom pursues her latest relationship. As a city guy, he isn't too happy about it. Luckily, he has a talent for fixing cars and quickly blends in with the community and forms relationships with a lot of new people, including Leah.
This book was fairly short at around 230 pages (at least my version of the ebook) and very fast paced. So for someone like me, who is currently in a reading slump, this was such an enjoyable read. The story is very well written and the characters felt very real. I loved the relationship between the brothers, Logan and Dex, and how their relationship with their mom was emphasized. The romance between Logan and Leah was really cute and I love how Leah was a very confident and outdoorsy person.
There is a lot of car and racing talk. Which I didn't get whatsoever but I didn't mind it that much. A more important topic though is how you can find your true family in the most unexpected ways. Logan has a strained relationship with his mom (who he calls Rose not mom) but his relationship with Greg (mom's boyfriend) and Leah's family was actually pretty good.
I don't have a lot to say in this review but if you are looking for a quick and sweet romance with a bit of coming of age set in a small town, then pick this up!
Thank you to the publisher, Winding Road Stories, for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review
This book was fairly short at around 230 pages (at least my version of the ebook) and very fast paced. So for someone like me, who is currently in a reading slump, this was such an enjoyable read. The story is very well written and the characters felt very real. I loved the relationship between the brothers, Logan and Dex, and how their relationship with their mom was emphasized. The romance between Logan and Leah was really cute and I love how Leah was a very confident and outdoorsy person.
There is a lot of car and racing talk. Which I didn't get whatsoever but I didn't mind it that much. A more important topic though is how you can find your true family in the most unexpected ways. Logan has a strained relationship with his mom (who he calls Rose not mom) but his relationship with Greg (mom's boyfriend) and Leah's family was actually pretty good.
I don't have a lot to say in this review but if you are looking for a quick and sweet romance with a bit of coming of age set in a small town, then pick this up!
Thank you to the publisher, Winding Road Stories, for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review
April 21, 2022
This book follows teenager Logan as his mother relocates him and his brother to Tennessee to start a new life. It's there and due to the sequence of events that occur, that lead Logan to meet the love of his life, new friends and found family and fulfill his dreams of fixing up engines and feeling a sense of belonging.
I really enjoyed this book. I read it quickly as it kept me enthralled. The story is well written and engaging. I totally related to some aspects of Logan's life, specifically his strained relationship with his mother. The romance between Logan and Leah is endearing and pure and I really loved the side characters, especially Greg. There's a lot of car talk in terms of fixing them and racing them which was a little over my head, at first I was concerned it would overwhelm the story but it doesn't.
This book is released in print and digital on May 3rd 2022 by Winding Road Stories. I would recommend it as a great YA book. 4.5 stars from me.
I really enjoyed this book. I read it quickly as it kept me enthralled. The story is well written and engaging. I totally related to some aspects of Logan's life, specifically his strained relationship with his mother. The romance between Logan and Leah is endearing and pure and I really loved the side characters, especially Greg. There's a lot of car talk in terms of fixing them and racing them which was a little over my head, at first I was concerned it would overwhelm the story but it doesn't.
This book is released in print and digital on May 3rd 2022 by Winding Road Stories. I would recommend it as a great YA book. 4.5 stars from me.
February 1, 2023
Dirt Road Home is just like a 90s teenage coming-of-age movie...and THAT is a compliment. Logan is just about to finish up in high-school; he and his brother are dragged to a southern town for his mother to pursue her newest relationship, complete with her attempts at reinvention. It's not her first, and probably not her last.
Like most such stories, there's also the promise of a girl in Logan's life.
And, more importantly, there's a car.
Scrap that: there's a LOT of cars. Sexy cars and engines and wheels and...you name it.
Dirt Road Home paints this amazing teen movie that embraces the things us 80s and 90s kids want: cars, and having the house to yourself. And money. Nader pursues this drive, touching on such, but never lingering for too long to make anything inappropriate. Sure, we have implications of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll (and fight scenes and illegal car chases), but there's also this development of honest and good teenage love, and growing into an adult.
I've read enough of Nader's work that I expected some nasty horror-event to happen, ruining Logan's world for him; I loved it all the more because this is just a love story.
Whether that love is directed towards a girl or a carl, I don't know.
Like most such stories, there's also the promise of a girl in Logan's life.
And, more importantly, there's a car.
Scrap that: there's a LOT of cars. Sexy cars and engines and wheels and...you name it.
Dirt Road Home paints this amazing teen movie that embraces the things us 80s and 90s kids want: cars, and having the house to yourself. And money. Nader pursues this drive, touching on such, but never lingering for too long to make anything inappropriate. Sure, we have implications of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll (and fight scenes and illegal car chases), but there's also this development of honest and good teenage love, and growing into an adult.
I've read enough of Nader's work that I expected some nasty horror-event to happen, ruining Logan's world for him; I loved it all the more because this is just a love story.
Whether that love is directed towards a girl or a carl, I don't know.
May 25, 2022
The most important element of a young adult novel, to me, is the voice, and Dirt Road Home has it in spades. I literally laughed out loud more than once, and I chuckled and smiled throughout the entire book. But the beautiful thing is that beneath the humor lies a touching story about finding your family and a place to call home.
All the characters are well developed, perfectly imperfect, and easy to root for. They grow and change in believable ways, and various relationships that are explored tug at your heartstrings.
A good writer establishes trust early on so the reader knows they'll be taken on an entertaining, emotionally satisfying journey. This author had me from the get-go and delivered all the way up to the end. I highly recommend this book.
All the characters are well developed, perfectly imperfect, and easy to root for. They grow and change in believable ways, and various relationships that are explored tug at your heartstrings.
A good writer establishes trust early on so the reader knows they'll be taken on an entertaining, emotionally satisfying journey. This author had me from the get-go and delivered all the way up to the end. I highly recommend this book.
June 6, 2022
Great storyline, great characters, great events, good low-key romance, good family tensions, good tie together of everything. A story that highlights the issues that kids have growing up today in split families, single parent families in large cities, in abusive families in more rural areas, it covered a lot of aspects of how kids today, especially boys, are growing up.
July 3, 2023
Wonderfully immersive! As a Michigan native and former Dearborn Heights citizen, I enjoyed the references to Detroit set against the new backdrop of the South. The adoration of the MMC for the FMC was EVERYTHING and I love a book that features sibling relationships! The conflict had teeth, which kept me turning pages. I finished it in a day!
May 3, 2022
A great coming of age story that you won't be able to put down.
If you enjoy Sarah Dessen, Kasie West, or Stephanie Perkins, you'll love this gritty story about family, love, and finding out what home really means.
If you enjoy Sarah Dessen, Kasie West, or Stephanie Perkins, you'll love this gritty story about family, love, and finding out what home really means.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews