Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

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.

Inspired by the American classic Our Town, You'd Be Home Now is Kathleen Glasgow's glorious modern story of a town and the secret lives people live there. And the story of a girl, figuring out life in all its pain and beauty and struggle and joy.

Review:

I had the pleasure of meeting author Kathleen Glasgow several years ago when she was promoting her debut novel, Girl In Pieces.  She was so kind, and open about her life struggles.  Her books pack an emotional punch that can be difficult to take sometimes.  However, like her first novel, You'd Be Home Now, is worth it.  I think I like it even better than her previous work because it is very relatable for most people.  I think nearly everyone knows someone who has struggled with addiction.  By looking at this topic from the viewpoint of a relative, the author shows us how the opioid epidemic effects not just the user, but their entire family, as well.  I really hope this novel finds an audience, despite the challenging topic, as it is so important for teens to find stories and characters that they can identify with.  This is a very special novel.

What I Liked:

Themes:

The theme of the book is that everyone has hidden addictions.  Some addictions are more obvious than others, but everyone has something.  While her brother Joey's addiction to drugs takes center stage, Emory is struggling with an addiction of her own.  She craves attention from a boy so much, she is willing to do what she is not comfortable with, just to be with him.  

The other theme of the book is that addictions affect everyone in a family and in a community.  Even if you don't know anyone personally who has gone through this, you can see the aftermath of addictions:  poverty and homelessness.  This is another thing I really liked about the novel.  The author shows how easy it is to dismiss the people who are homeless as somehow broken, and not in need.  But the characters learn to see the people in these encampments as individuals who are worthy of respect and help.

Characters:

Emory is kind of a mess, but it's understandable for a teen in her situation.  Because her brother has taken up all the oxygen in the room for so long, she is mostly overlooked by her family.  But they do rely on her way too much to be her brother's keeper.  This is such an unfair and unhealthy burden to place on a sibling.  It's no wonder she acts out in other ways.  But what seems harmless to Emory, at first, becomes her own addiction.

Joey is the older teen who is struggling with drug addiction.  His is a cycle of using, guilt, contrition, and then back to using again.  He is not a bad person.  He has an illness.  But it's easier for his parents, and others, to just tell him he's selfish and weak.  It lessens his parents own responsibility for how he became addicted in the first place.  This novel really shows how people can go to rehab and be so full of hope and good intentions.  But then, the pressure to follow so many rules proves to be too much, and Joey backslides into using again.  I think this book makes a good case that there should be more than one approach to handling addiction.  While rules help with accountability, the pressure it creates might be just the thing that puts someone over the edge.

Story:

The story follows Emory as she recovers from a terrible accident (not caused by drugs) where a popular girl at school was killed, and her brother Joey almost dies of an overdose.  While Joey goes to rehab, Emory must physically recover from breaking her knee.  But she also has to deal with other people blaming her and her brother for the car accident.  It wasn't their fault.  But Emory is in no position to argue the point.  Everyone knows that her brother is a heavy drug user, and they make the easy assumption that he is to blame.

As the story progresses, the novel also shows how many people in this small town are affected by drugs, and addictions.  The homeless population keeps growing, but people who can offer help, like her mother who is on the city council, turn a blind eye.  As is so often the case, Emory's parents are only moved to do something when it affects them directly.  When Joey goes missing, they start to see that he could be one of those faceless people under a bridge.  

The novel also deals with Emory's addiction to the attention of a boy.  Together they get more and more sexually involved.  But he doesn't want to acknowledge her to his friends.  Red flag if I every saw one!!!  Later she is slut-shamed for some of the things she does, while the boy comes off unscathed.  Sadly, this is reality.  But I like how the author shows Emory working through her embarrassment.

What I Didn't Like:

The book is promoted to be inspired by the Play, Our Town, by Thornton Wilder.  This is one of my favorite plays.  If you hadn't told me that it was "inspired" by Our Town, I never would have known it.  I was a little disappointed because I was expecting this to be Our Town, with drugs.  But it was nothing like the wholesome play that explores life and death in a small town.  But the only resemblance to that famous show is that this story takes place in a small town, and that some of the character's names are similar to those is the play.  That's it!  

Trigger Warnings for Drug Use

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date:  September 28th, 2021

Author:  Kathleen Glasgow

Publisher:  Delacorte

Genre:  Contemporary YA Fiction

Page Length:  400 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-book

Recommendation:  This is a book filled with characters who will haunt you.  I think many teens and adults will relate to the situations in this novel.  I highly recommend this book.