Book Review: Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda

I've lost my blogivation. I think it's part of the pregnancy, in that I've lost my motivation not only to blog but even to move. I get annoyed every time I have to eat or go to the bathroom. So when I started reading  Here, Home, Hope by author Kaira Rouda, the fictional story of one woman's courageous journey through midlife crisis and personal reinvention, it felt like I was reading my life journal, where I am now and where I hope to go. Here, Home, Hope is an account of Kelly Mills Johnson, who becomes restless in her thirty-ninth year. An appetite for more forces her to take stock of her ordinary middle-American existence and her neighbors’ seemingly perfect lives. Her marriage to a successful attorney has settled into a comfortable routine, and being the mother of two adorable sons has been rewarding but exhausting. Meanwhile, Kelly’s own passions lie wasted. She eyes with envy the lives of her two best friends, Kathryn and Charlotte, both beautiful, successful businesswomen who seem to have it all. Kelly takes charge of her life, devising a midlife makeover plan. 

I love stories like this because it feels all too real for me. I want to do something so I don't regret later the way I am living my life now. I took the California bar exam because I wanted to have options, since even doing pro bono work at an immigration clinic or doing tax work for indigents requires a license. Of course, I have no idea what is going to happen in the next six months. People tell me I will LOVE having a girl. Will that really be enough for me not to look outside of being a mom and using all those years of higher education and work experience I built up before being a mom? 

If you're like me and want some encouragement, this book is like a cheerleader spurring you on to make a change. Kaira Rouda is a mother of four who has somehow managed to balance that with being a writer, marketing executive and president of Real Living, a real estate franchiser. She also shares her inspiration and insight on Twitter and Facebook.

I did not receive compensation for this post. I received an advance reader PDF copy of the book from One2One Network to facilitate my review.