You'd Be Home Now

By: Kathleen Glasgow

Narrated by: Julia Knippen, Kathleen Glasgow

Oklahoma Sequoyah Young Adult Book Award nominee

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically acclaimed author of Girl in Pieces comes a stunning novel that Vanity Fair calls “impossibly moving” and “suffused with light”. In this raw, deeply personal story, a teenaged girl struggles to find herself amidst the fallout of her brother's addiction in a town ravaged by the opioid crisis.

For all of Emory's life she's been told who she is. In town she's the rich one—the great-great-granddaughter of the mill's founder. At school she's hot Maddie Ward's younger sister. And at home, she's the good one, her stoner older brother Joey's babysitter. Everything was turned on its head, though, when she and Joey were in the car accident that killed Candy MontClaire. The car accident that revealed just how bad Joey's drug habit was.

Four months later, Emmy's junior year is starting, Joey is home from rehab, and the entire town of Mill Haven is still reeling from the accident. Everyone's telling Emmy who she is, but so much has changed, how can she be the same person? Or was she ever that person at all?

Mill Haven wants everyone to live one story, but Emmy's beginning to see that people are more than they appear. Her brother, who might not be "cured," the popular guy who lives next door, and most of all, many "ghostie" addicts who haunt the edges of the town. People spend so much time telling her who she is—it might be time to decide for herself.

A journey of one sister, one brother, one family, to finally recognize and love each other for who they are, not who they are supposed to be, You'd Be Home Now is Kathleen Glasgow's glorious and heartbreaking story about the opioid crisis, and how it touches all of us.

©2021 Kathleen Glasgow (P)2021 Listening Library

Critic reviews

“Necessary, important, honest, loving, and true.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“The narrative presents a nuanced look at a family trying to keep their loved ones safe and the toll that addiction takes on all of its members…A heartbreaking yet important story.”–SLJ, starred review

"...compassionately illustrates the profound power of love...[a] remarkable and engrossing novel of life’s balance and imbalance between struggle and joy."—Booklist, starred review

Amazing book!

I loved this book so much!
Would recommend to anyone and everyone!
Kept me hooked from the start.

moving read

As a child of addiction this hits!!!
Great from beginning to end.
Bravo!!! Highly recommend

Amazing portrayal of how substance abuse affects everyone

This book pulled at my heart strings so much. I’ve had substance abuse personally attack my family and hearing a different voice have similar feelings was truly heartfelt.

Love the Honesty

I love the awareness this book brings to harm reduction. I love that this book is written from the view of a sibling who struggles with internalizing and feeling a sense of responsibility for her brother's addiction and recovery.
This is so real and under studied/discussed.

Emphasizing the siblings point of view, and how parents need to be more compassionate to their children

They found Joey and Emery found her voice. The mom made a good choice for the future of the mill.

Very good. Somehow covers a lot of different issues.

Great and thought-provoking for anyone who has had any kind of addiction issues, as well as loved anyone who has. Also tackles the way women are treated in these times. Important stuff. Loved it.

Amazing

A beautiful book and amazingly written story. As someone who is like Emory it felt close to home and so real.

Thought it was great!

Loved the perspective, reader was great, story was great. Thanks TikTok for the suggestion lol

Very good book

I loved for real and raw the book was. We do recover!! You did an amazing job can’t wait to read the next.

Kelly Cortright

I was recommended this book even though I have not read any other books from this author. it was amazing. I am an addict in Recovery with 9 years clean. I'm so glad that the author told the story from the sisters perspective instead of the addict himself. but it's about so much more than addiction, even though so much care was put into those aspects of it. the audio book reading was very well done as well. I'm actually downloading another book by the same author as we speak. highly recommend