No Place Like Home by Jess Mastorakos is such a fun read. I loved every single second of this delightful story. This is the first novel I’ve read by Mastorakos, but it certainly will not be the last. In fact, I’m borrowing the entire series from KU as soon as I finish this review. LOL! No Place Like Home was just the Contemporary Romance I didn’t even know I needed: it is well-written, fast paced, tremendously engaging, big hearted, hilarious, and it has such endearing characters. Speaking of the characters, I loved the hero and heroine. Laney is a unique famous person. Unique in the sense that she is very honest about not really having any control over her persona and that she doesn’t really know how to change this unfortunate fact. I found Laney to be quite interesting. She is spunky and charming and talented. But she lets a lot of people walk all over her. You’d think she’s be a little more confident in herself considering just HOW famous she is. It was nice to see her grow a little and stand up for herself. What I loved is how Everett helped her through this growth. It all begins with being honest with yourself, and Everett is able to pull honesty out of Laney. Once Laney admits all the truths she’s buried inside for SO long, she is able to become the woman she wants to be. Everett is the sexy boy-who-got-away hero, but he is more than that. He is a pillar of his community, a beloved son and brother, and a darn good friend. I love his sense of loyalty, and I love, love, love that he refuses to step outside of what is right even though he easily could (yes, this is a little vague on purpose…read the story to find out what he could have gotten away with!). Everett is a really good, stand-up kind of guy. He is the sort of man any parent would be honored to have date their daughter. I loved the relationship between Laney and Everett. It pretty much simmers from page one, but as soon as Laney and Everett are back in the same space together, their chemistry ignites BIG time. The romantic tension in this story is great. Definitely part of what had me turning pages well into the night.

For being only 175 pages, No Place Like Home sure does pack a punch. I really loved this story, and I so glad my time in Charlotte Oakes gets to continue into book 2. I would be mighty sad if I had to say goodbye to these characters. I’m just not ready to do that yet. If you’re a fan of really good Contemporary Romances with BIG heart, then this is definitely the story for you!

I borrowed a copy of this eBook edition from Kindle Unlimited on May 1, 2024. I am under no obligation to leave a positive review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.