Leaving's Not the Only Way to Go

Paperback, 264 pages

English language

Published March 18, 2021 by Bella Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-64247-186-1

(2 reviews)

Lauren Ashburn left a promising job to help her family in Vermont take care of her dying father. Now that he’s gone, Lauren has every intention of returning to her old life—the vibrant, successful one her father had always expected her to have. But Lauren discovers that she feels adrift without his strict guidance.

Georgia Solomon designs homes for others. But as a bisexual autistic woman, she rarely feels at home herself. When her best friend dies suddenly, leaving her alone with their young daughter, her little slice of happiness vanishes. Now Georgia finds herself struggling to navigate a world that doesn’t understand her at all.

Lauren and Georgia clash at a disastrous work meeting, but Georgia’s daughter Hannah pulls them together despite themselves. As they discover new possibilities and priorities for the future, can they make room for love? Or will they have to leave each other behind—in order …

Lauren Ashburn left a promising job to help her family in Vermont take care of her dying father. Now that he’s gone, Lauren has every intention of returning to her old life—the vibrant, successful one her father had always expected her to have. But Lauren discovers that she feels adrift without his strict guidance.

Georgia Solomon designs homes for others. But as a bisexual autistic woman, she rarely feels at home herself. When her best friend dies suddenly, leaving her alone with their young daughter, her little slice of happiness vanishes. Now Georgia finds herself struggling to navigate a world that doesn’t understand her at all.

Lauren and Georgia clash at a disastrous work meeting, but Georgia’s daughter Hannah pulls them together despite themselves. As they discover new possibilities and priorities for the future, can they make room for love? Or will they have to leave each other behind—in order for them both to move forward?

1 edition

Cheri reviewed Leaving's Not the Only Way to Go by Kay Acker

Review of "Leaving's Not the Only Way to Go" on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

I wanted to like this book more than I actually ended up liking it. I loved the basic story: autistic woman who lost the one person who seemed to hold her together, who was also the father of her autistic child, meets woman who is being pushed into dealing with the death of her overbearing, emotionally distant father. Family issues and love follow. Great right?

There were a few things that didn't sit right with me and that's why I rated it only three stars. First, there were so many similes. Similes flowed like a raging river to the ocean. Or wherever rivers flow to. There were a lot of them. I also couldn't feel a lick of chemistry between the protagonists. I wanted to. I felt a flicker here and there but it just didn't happen for me. And the final conflict at the end came on quickly, didn't …

I wanted to like this book more than I actually ended up liking it. I loved the basic story: autistic woman who lost the one person who seemed to hold her together, who was also the father of her autistic child, meets woman who is being pushed into dealing with the death of her overbearing, emotionally distant father. Family issues and love follow. Great right?

There were a few things that didn't sit right with me and that's why I rated it only three stars. First, there were so many similes. Similes flowed like a raging river to the ocean. Or wherever rivers flow to. There were a lot of them. I also couldn't feel a lick of chemistry between the protagonists. I wanted to. I felt a flicker here and there but it just didn't happen for me. And the final conflict at the end came on quickly, didn't seem realistic to me, and was solved easily.

While those things bugged me, I loved the mother/daughter relationship between Georgia and Hannah. They made the book for me. There were also some good humorous exchanges and some emotional stuff that hit the mark.

This is a debut novel and I think some of the issues I had are common in first books for authors. When Ms. Acker's sophomore effort is available, I'll absolutely put it on my TBR.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

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Nov. 17, 2021

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