Take Me Home

Road Trip Rules: No bad music. No detours. No falling in love.

Hazel Elliot never looks back. If a door closes, she burns the whole house down. But when she's invited to her father's wedding, she's forced to return to Lockett Prairie, Texas, for the first time since she fled for college.

Ash Campbell has been in love with Hazel since she dated his best friend in high school. Now, Ash and Hazel's relationship is limited to playful feuding over the best chair in their favorite coffee shop, but his attraction to the prickly girl from home has only grown stronger.

When Ash's car breaks down just as family obligations pull him home, only one person can get him there on time. But Hazel has a condition: Everything between them must stay the same. And if it doesn't? She gets the coffee shop. So the frenemies endure bad music, inclement weather, and B&Bs with only one bed--and that's just the drive across Texas. When they finally arrive, Hazel must face that, in a small town, there's nowhere to run ... and maybe, for the first time, she's found a reason to stay.

About the Author

Melanie Sweeney holds an MFA in fiction from New Mexico State University. Her work has appeared at Babble.com, as well as in several literary magazines. Take Me Home is her debut novel.

Reviews

"Ash and Hazel's main love language is bickering, but there's a real vulnerability to their relationship. We see them slowly unpack each other's emotional baggage while doing their best not to stamp out the nascent flame burning between them. This book is like a cup of hot chocolate—it's sweet and will infuse you with warmth from the inside out." —Washington Post

"[A] phenomenal achievement, with a perfect blend of humor and angst. While most of the book is devoted to growing its main couple's dynamic, Sweeney gives equal weight to the familial relationships that define them and explores the meaning of truly growing up emotionally... Hazel and Ash's journey to choosing each other makes for a lovely ride. A heartwarming contemporary romance that will keep readers hooked until the last page." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Debut author Sweeney sparkles in this emotionally nuanced contemporary. ... Sweeney skillfully portrays the psyche of a heroine who grew up feeling that no one wanted her and a hero trying to bear all his family's burdens in the face of his father's multiple sclerosis." —Publishers Weekly

"[A] refreshing first novel ... Readers will be held rapt by these two fully drawn characters who struggle with distinct familial dynamics. ... Sensitively probe[s] the meaning of love and the many facets of 'home.' A feel-good rom-com about 20-somethings with a contentious past who share a ride back to their families in a Texas hometown, sparks flying along the way." —Shelf Awareness

Dimensions: 13.08 x 1.96 x 20.17 cm