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How to Find Your Way Home
What if the person you thought you'd lost forever walked back into your life?
A warm, life-affirming novel about what happens when a sister discovers that the brother she hasn't seen in more than a decade is homeless, and in reconnecting with him learns the true meaning of belonging, from the author of Little Big Love.
When they were children, Emily and her brother Stephen were inseparable. Running wild through the marshes of Canvey Island, it was Stephen who taught her to look for the incandescent flash of a bird's wings, who instilled within her a love and respect for nature's wonders. But one June day, their lives came crashing down around them and fate forced them apart.
Fifteen years later, Emily should be happy. She has a sun-filled garden flat, a lovely boyfriend, and a job that is supposed to let her make a difference. But instead she's lost, always on the lookout for her brother's face, and worn down, spending her days working at the local housing offices having to turn away more applicants than she can help.
And then one day, her brother walks through the door.
Stephen has been living in and out of shelters for the last decade and the baggage between them is heavy. But Emily is overjoyed to see her brother again and invites him to come live with her. In an attempt to rebuild their relationship, they embark on a birding adventure together. Amid the soft calls of the marsh birds, they must confront the secrets of all that stands between them—even as they begin to realize that home may just be found within.
A warm, life-affirming novel about what happens when a sister discovers that the brother she hasn't seen in more than a decade is homeless, and in reconnecting with him learns the true meaning of belonging, from the author of Little Big Love.
When they were children, Emily and her brother Stephen were inseparable. Running wild through the marshes of Canvey Island, it was Stephen who taught her to look for the incandescent flash of a bird's wings, who instilled within her a love and respect for nature's wonders. But one June day, their lives came crashing down around them and fate forced them apart.
Fifteen years later, Emily should be happy. She has a sun-filled garden flat, a lovely boyfriend, and a job that is supposed to let her make a difference. But instead she's lost, always on the lookout for her brother's face, and worn down, spending her days working at the local housing offices having to turn away more applicants than she can help.
And then one day, her brother walks through the door.
Stephen has been living in and out of shelters for the last decade and the baggage between them is heavy. But Emily is overjoyed to see her brother again and invites him to come live with her. In an attempt to rebuild their relationship, they embark on a birding adventure together. Amid the soft calls of the marsh birds, they must confront the secrets of all that stands between them—even as they begin to realize that home may just be found within.
336 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2022
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5747 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
December 8, 2022
"How to Find Your Way Home" by Katy Regan is Literary Fiction that will pull at your heartstrings!
When Stephen Nelson is four-years-old he becomes a big brother to his "absolutely perfect" sister, Emily Adele Nelson. When he holds her for the first time, the day she's born, he knows it is his job to love, protect, and keep her safe.
During their childhood Emily and Stephen are inseparable. Living by the marshes on Canvey Island, nature and bird watching are passions Stephen shares with Emily when she is old enough. He is the one who teaches her about the treasure and beauty of the marsh.
When Emily is twelve and Stephen is sixteen, tragic events impact their family that separates these siblings until Emily is thirty-one and Stephen is thirty-five.
Will Emily and Stephen be able to work through those lost years and rebuild their relationship? And, what sequence of events led to ripping this family apart?
I love family stories that pull at your heartstrings and make you pay attention. This is that story told in two timelines. The 'earlier timeline', their growing up years, is told through a third-person narrative. The 'current timeline', their re-connection in 2018, is told with a combination of a first-person POV from Emily, and a third-person narrative for Stephen.
I love how the author covers the topics of family dysfunction, homelessness, damage of secrets, and power of forgiveness and love. She also did an excellent job with character development with a satisfying blend of ones to love and love to hate.
I didn't like how the family dysfunction in both timelines felt drawn out making the story feel slow and repetitive in parts. The ending also felt rushed but I did enjoy how it ended.
I highly recommend!
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley for a widget of this ARC through NetGalley. It has been my pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review.
When Stephen Nelson is four-years-old he becomes a big brother to his "absolutely perfect" sister, Emily Adele Nelson. When he holds her for the first time, the day she's born, he knows it is his job to love, protect, and keep her safe.
During their childhood Emily and Stephen are inseparable. Living by the marshes on Canvey Island, nature and bird watching are passions Stephen shares with Emily when she is old enough. He is the one who teaches her about the treasure and beauty of the marsh.
When Emily is twelve and Stephen is sixteen, tragic events impact their family that separates these siblings until Emily is thirty-one and Stephen is thirty-five.
Will Emily and Stephen be able to work through those lost years and rebuild their relationship? And, what sequence of events led to ripping this family apart?
I love family stories that pull at your heartstrings and make you pay attention. This is that story told in two timelines. The 'earlier timeline', their growing up years, is told through a third-person narrative. The 'current timeline', their re-connection in 2018, is told with a combination of a first-person POV from Emily, and a third-person narrative for Stephen.
I love how the author covers the topics of family dysfunction, homelessness, damage of secrets, and power of forgiveness and love. She also did an excellent job with character development with a satisfying blend of ones to love and love to hate.
I didn't like how the family dysfunction in both timelines felt drawn out making the story feel slow and repetitive in parts. The ending also felt rushed but I did enjoy how it ended.
I highly recommend!
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley for a widget of this ARC through NetGalley. It has been my pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review.
November 20, 2024
In a Nutshell: A slow-paced literary fiction that explores sibling relationships with all its ups and downs. Somewhat predictable, but it still manages to tug at your heartstrings.
Story:
Where the book worked for me:
✔ I loved the experience of reading a book that is dedicated to a sibling relationship and focusses only on it without forcing in a mandatory romantic side-track.
✔ The main characters and a few of the secondary ones are quite well-sketched. Stephen is the best carved. While you might feel a certain prejudice against him at first, he grows on you as the story progresses. Emily takes the exactly opposite character path. To see them both in tandem, working through their issues is a nice experience.
✔ I loved how birds and bird-watching were integrated into the story, much beyond theirs being Stephen’s passion. Even the flashback episodes were named after birds such as swift and geese and every flashback had something to do with a bird-related memory.
✔ The ‘home’ in the title can be interpreted in so many ways. Stephen is looking for a home. Emily is trying to complete her home with her long-lost brother. Their parents have chosen their own homes over their families. The birds in the story are also either looking for homes or finding a way home. It’s been ages since I have seen a title that is so perfect for the plot, both literally and metaphorically.
✔ The cover of my UK edition copy is gorgeous and it does perfect justice to the book. I love this cover so much better than that of the US edition.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
⚠ Some parts of the plot seemed to work too conveniently. The ending especially seemed a bit rushed, as if it was much in a hurry to tie everything together neatly.
⚠ Some things in the past, especially some decisions related to the secondary characters, are left unexplained. I understand that this would have shifted focus from the siblings to the other family members, but at least a sentence or two would have provided some clarity on the rationale for their actions.
⚠ The middle part of the book gets a bit dragged and repetitive. It is also quite slow at times. If you are in the right mood for literary fiction, this unhurried pace won’t affect you much.
⚠ I would have appreciated it if both the character voices were either in first person or in third person. By writing Emily in first person and Stephen in a distant third person, it felt as if we were forced to be closer to Emily.
All in all, this is an emotional and a heartwarming read. If you read it when you are in the right mental space, it will provide you a touching and uplifting experience. Definitely recommended, but to be picked up on the right mood day.
4 sentimental stars.
My thanks to Pan Macmillan, Mantle, and NetGalley for the ARC of “How To Find Your Way Home”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Trigger warning: One horrifying scene of animal (bird) cruelty.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Story:
When Emily was born in 1987, her four year old brother Stephen was probably the happiest. Holding her in his arms, he vows to keep her safe forever.
Thirty years have gone by and Stephen and Emily are no longer in touch after a traumatic family incident. Stephen is homeless, he wanders the streets of London with his beloved binoculars around his neck, pursuing his passion for birds and surviving by sketching and selling bird drawings. Emily works with the local council. When circumstances bring them together again, will it be easy to go back to where they were all those decades ago? Can their relationship survive the secrets and the heartbreaks of the past and even the present? Or is the chasm too wide to jump over?
The story is mainly narrated in the contemporary timeline from the 1st person perspective of Emily and 3rd person perspective of Stephen. There are also some 3rd person flashbacks about their younger years.
Where the book worked for me:
✔ I loved the experience of reading a book that is dedicated to a sibling relationship and focusses only on it without forcing in a mandatory romantic side-track.
✔ The main characters and a few of the secondary ones are quite well-sketched. Stephen is the best carved. While you might feel a certain prejudice against him at first, he grows on you as the story progresses. Emily takes the exactly opposite character path. To see them both in tandem, working through their issues is a nice experience.
✔ I loved how birds and bird-watching were integrated into the story, much beyond theirs being Stephen’s passion. Even the flashback episodes were named after birds such as swift and geese and every flashback had something to do with a bird-related memory.
✔ The ‘home’ in the title can be interpreted in so many ways. Stephen is looking for a home. Emily is trying to complete her home with her long-lost brother. Their parents have chosen their own homes over their families. The birds in the story are also either looking for homes or finding a way home. It’s been ages since I have seen a title that is so perfect for the plot, both literally and metaphorically.
✔ The cover of my UK edition copy is gorgeous and it does perfect justice to the book. I love this cover so much better than that of the US edition.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
⚠ Some parts of the plot seemed to work too conveniently. The ending especially seemed a bit rushed, as if it was much in a hurry to tie everything together neatly.
⚠ Some things in the past, especially some decisions related to the secondary characters, are left unexplained. I understand that this would have shifted focus from the siblings to the other family members, but at least a sentence or two would have provided some clarity on the rationale for their actions.
⚠ The middle part of the book gets a bit dragged and repetitive. It is also quite slow at times. If you are in the right mood for literary fiction, this unhurried pace won’t affect you much.
⚠ I would have appreciated it if both the character voices were either in first person or in third person. By writing Emily in first person and Stephen in a distant third person, it felt as if we were forced to be closer to Emily.
All in all, this is an emotional and a heartwarming read. If you read it when you are in the right mental space, it will provide you a touching and uplifting experience. Definitely recommended, but to be picked up on the right mood day.
4 sentimental stars.
My thanks to Pan Macmillan, Mantle, and NetGalley for the ARC of “How To Find Your Way Home”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Trigger warning: One horrifying scene of animal (bird) cruelty.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
February 15, 2022
5 snuck up on me stars
Two siblings share a strong childhood bond, but Emily hasn’t seen her brother Steven for fifteen years. He’s homeless and has lost touch with her. Steven shared his love of birds with Emily and the siblings often went on adventures on the marsh they grew up on.
This dual timeline story worked well as we got glimpses of their lives growing up and then chapters in the current time. There were definitely some pieces I didn’t understand until the very end and I was surprised by the ending. This book shows the power of love and family and explores just what home means to people. It isn’t as simple as a roof over your head.
With complex family relationships, this one painted a realistic picture of how family bonds can be stretched to the limit and how we can hurt the ones we love. As Emily and Steven are reunited, can they repair their relationship? Can Emily use his love of birds to help him?
I really enjoyed how the author concluded this one leaving me wanting to read more!
Thank you to BookBrowse for an early copy of this one to read. Published by Berkley and now available.
Two siblings share a strong childhood bond, but Emily hasn’t seen her brother Steven for fifteen years. He’s homeless and has lost touch with her. Steven shared his love of birds with Emily and the siblings often went on adventures on the marsh they grew up on.
This dual timeline story worked well as we got glimpses of their lives growing up and then chapters in the current time. There were definitely some pieces I didn’t understand until the very end and I was surprised by the ending. This book shows the power of love and family and explores just what home means to people. It isn’t as simple as a roof over your head.
With complex family relationships, this one painted a realistic picture of how family bonds can be stretched to the limit and how we can hurt the ones we love. As Emily and Steven are reunited, can they repair their relationship? Can Emily use his love of birds to help him?
I really enjoyed how the author concluded this one leaving me wanting to read more!
Thank you to BookBrowse for an early copy of this one to read. Published by Berkley and now available.
July 14, 2025
Four and a half stars
Every day for ten years Emily has been looking for that one special face. That of her older brother Stephen. What she does not expect is that Stephen will walk through the door of the housing office where she works. He is homeless and seeking accomodation. Emily recognises his voice as he is in the cubicle next door but she is busy trying to explain to the person in front of her why the housing office is unable to provide her with a flat or house. Her brother is being attended to by one of the other workers. By the time Emily is free, her brother has gone.
Emily makes it her mission to find him. After some time she does and welcomes him back into her life. But the past and the hard years Stephen has lived cause issues which bubble to the surface. Is there any hope for this fractured family to find find its way back to each other? Or will past deeds, attitudes and choices continue to overrule?
At the time of reading some of this book, it was bucketing down with rain and violent winds here in Australia. The homeless were already on my mind, more so with this book. It was even wind and rain in the book which was set in England as well for a time.
Charming pictures from the past of Stephen’s and Emily’s shared childhood and their times birdwatching on the marshes of Canvey Island add light relief to this narrative. Along the way I learned a lot about different types of birds. Just as well these charming interludes are included as there are some not so charming incidents involving Stephen and Emily’s stepfather, Mitch, plus the book highlights so well with the stark reality of the homeless situation. This means the book is not always a comfortable read. It is confronting and thought provoking. An emotional read. Perhaps a bit abruptly resolved in the end but still well worth reading. You may need to be in a good frame of mind before tackling this book. Time for something lighter now for me.
Every day for ten years Emily has been looking for that one special face. That of her older brother Stephen. What she does not expect is that Stephen will walk through the door of the housing office where she works. He is homeless and seeking accomodation. Emily recognises his voice as he is in the cubicle next door but she is busy trying to explain to the person in front of her why the housing office is unable to provide her with a flat or house. Her brother is being attended to by one of the other workers. By the time Emily is free, her brother has gone.
Emily makes it her mission to find him. After some time she does and welcomes him back into her life. But the past and the hard years Stephen has lived cause issues which bubble to the surface. Is there any hope for this fractured family to find find its way back to each other? Or will past deeds, attitudes and choices continue to overrule?
At the time of reading some of this book, it was bucketing down with rain and violent winds here in Australia. The homeless were already on my mind, more so with this book. It was even wind and rain in the book which was set in England as well for a time.
Charming pictures from the past of Stephen’s and Emily’s shared childhood and their times birdwatching on the marshes of Canvey Island add light relief to this narrative. Along the way I learned a lot about different types of birds. Just as well these charming interludes are included as there are some not so charming incidents involving Stephen and Emily’s stepfather, Mitch, plus the book highlights so well with the stark reality of the homeless situation. This means the book is not always a comfortable read. It is confronting and thought provoking. An emotional read. Perhaps a bit abruptly resolved in the end but still well worth reading. You may need to be in a good frame of mind before tackling this book. Time for something lighter now for me.
June 15, 2022
This story broke my heart and put it back together again.
October 16, 2022
An enjoyable read that deals with siblings, family and homelessness. Oh and bird watching. I definitely liked the book, but it will not be on my favorites list. Katy Regan dealt with these topics with respect.
February 13, 2022
Growing up, Emily and Stephen were as close as siblings come. Emily always looked up to her older brother, knowing that he was there to protect her no matter what. He also instilled in her a love for nature- something that they both would, in varying degrees, carry with them into adulthood.
But as the years went by, things changed. First their parents got divorced. Then their mother got remarried to a man who kept the entire family on edge. As a result, Stephen and his stepfather were constantly at odds. Then day their relationship hits a climax that changes things forever.
In present day, Emily and Stephen are estranged, their lives taking very different paths. Where Emily has a steady job and a nice apartment, Stephen has struggled with addiction and homelessness. Suddenly, their lives intersect again in the most unexpected of ways. Emily is thrilled, but Stephen’s ghosts still plague him. Can these two siblings ever be free as the birds they once watched together?
How to Find Your Way Home is a sad book about how changes in life’s trajectory can set one on an unexpected course. It also explores many relationships-brother and sister, parent and child, and even, man and nature. Each relationship is touched upon with different levels of care and detail, some more nuanced than others.
In the end, How to Find Your Way Home has a hard time finding its voice in spots, but pulls things together for the most part, in the homestretch.
But as the years went by, things changed. First their parents got divorced. Then their mother got remarried to a man who kept the entire family on edge. As a result, Stephen and his stepfather were constantly at odds. Then day their relationship hits a climax that changes things forever.
In present day, Emily and Stephen are estranged, their lives taking very different paths. Where Emily has a steady job and a nice apartment, Stephen has struggled with addiction and homelessness. Suddenly, their lives intersect again in the most unexpected of ways. Emily is thrilled, but Stephen’s ghosts still plague him. Can these two siblings ever be free as the birds they once watched together?
How to Find Your Way Home is a sad book about how changes in life’s trajectory can set one on an unexpected course. It also explores many relationships-brother and sister, parent and child, and even, man and nature. Each relationship is touched upon with different levels of care and detail, some more nuanced than others.
In the end, How to Find Your Way Home has a hard time finding its voice in spots, but pulls things together for the most part, in the homestretch.
January 24, 2023
How to Find Your Way Home by Katy Regan
This was a slow-placed, yet well written, literary fiction. It dealt with childhood trauma, homelessness, family and their dysfunction. It was sad, but also heartwarming. I found this an overall enjoyable read.
This was a slow-placed, yet well written, literary fiction. It dealt with childhood trauma, homelessness, family and their dysfunction. It was sad, but also heartwarming. I found this an overall enjoyable read.
March 16, 2023
This cover. Gorgeous right?
Between the spine is a slower paced literary story that connects siblings, Emily and Stephen, 15 years after a traumatic event in their childhood tore them apart. Their complex relationship is tested as they navigate what it means to reconcile the past in order to create a future.
There are some heavier themes like homelessness and family dysfunction, but the underlying love still pulled at my heartstrings.
Oh- and there is plenty of birdwatching.
Between the spine is a slower paced literary story that connects siblings, Emily and Stephen, 15 years after a traumatic event in their childhood tore them apart. Their complex relationship is tested as they navigate what it means to reconcile the past in order to create a future.
There are some heavier themes like homelessness and family dysfunction, but the underlying love still pulled at my heartstrings.
Oh- and there is plenty of birdwatching.
February 4, 2022
I received a gifted galley of HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY HOME by Katy Regan for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the opportunity!
HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY HOME follows brother and sister Stephen and Emily. As kids, Stephen loved his little sister, bringing her along on his bird watching obsessions and protecting her from the rest of the world. In the present, they haven’t seen each other in years. Stephen has wound up homeless on the streets, almost entirely cut off from his family. Emily works in homeless services, trying to house those most in need, but not able to help the one person she wants to help the most.
When Emily overhears a familiar voice from a coworker’s office, she is excited to confirm that her brother has come in for help. She sets out to track him down and reconnect with the brother she loves so much. It is a rocky road, but she is determined to bring her brother back to her.
As someone who works in homeless housing, this book synopsis really called to me. I think that the author did an incredible job of showing how easy it is to fall into homelessness and the struggle that people go through to live their lives when they have nothing. We get both Emily’s and Stephen’s alternating perspectives, both in the present and in the past, as the story of how they came to be where they are now unfolds. The way the family and others treat Stephen felt very realistic. The struggle to provide housing and the huge hurdles of red tape involved definitely were accurate.
I loved the relationship between Stephen and Emily. Stephen was so good to his little sister, keeping her sheltered from some of the struggles in their parents lives. We don’t initially know his full story, but as the story builds we learn more and more that really made me feel for his situation. Emily isn’t perfect when it comes to how she treats her brother, but she has a genuine desire to do right by him.
This was a great read and a very unique story that I really enjoyed!
HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY HOME follows brother and sister Stephen and Emily. As kids, Stephen loved his little sister, bringing her along on his bird watching obsessions and protecting her from the rest of the world. In the present, they haven’t seen each other in years. Stephen has wound up homeless on the streets, almost entirely cut off from his family. Emily works in homeless services, trying to house those most in need, but not able to help the one person she wants to help the most.
When Emily overhears a familiar voice from a coworker’s office, she is excited to confirm that her brother has come in for help. She sets out to track him down and reconnect with the brother she loves so much. It is a rocky road, but she is determined to bring her brother back to her.
As someone who works in homeless housing, this book synopsis really called to me. I think that the author did an incredible job of showing how easy it is to fall into homelessness and the struggle that people go through to live their lives when they have nothing. We get both Emily’s and Stephen’s alternating perspectives, both in the present and in the past, as the story of how they came to be where they are now unfolds. The way the family and others treat Stephen felt very realistic. The struggle to provide housing and the huge hurdles of red tape involved definitely were accurate.
I loved the relationship between Stephen and Emily. Stephen was so good to his little sister, keeping her sheltered from some of the struggles in their parents lives. We don’t initially know his full story, but as the story builds we learn more and more that really made me feel for his situation. Emily isn’t perfect when it comes to how she treats her brother, but she has a genuine desire to do right by him.
This was a great read and a very unique story that I really enjoyed!
February 9, 2022
This is a sad but also heartwarming story about family.
It dives into the topic of homelessness and how siblings can come together after years apart and living different lives.
I could sense there was something to the event that pushed Emily and Stephen’s lives in the direction they went.
As someone in the mental health field, I could see that the way Emily approached reconnecting with Stephen wasn’t going to be super effective. And I wish we saw a bit more about the challenges of Stephen becoming stable.
Overall this was an enjoyable read that includes some heavy topics.
It dives into the topic of homelessness and how siblings can come together after years apart and living different lives.
I could sense there was something to the event that pushed Emily and Stephen’s lives in the direction they went.
As someone in the mental health field, I could see that the way Emily approached reconnecting with Stephen wasn’t going to be super effective. And I wish we saw a bit more about the challenges of Stephen becoming stable.
Overall this was an enjoyable read that includes some heavy topics.
February 6, 2025
Another 4.5, kept me engaged and seemed to go by so fast. A book unlike one I’ve read before! Well written!
January 16, 2022
Emily and her older brother Stephen have been separated for many years. Something catastrophic tore them apart and sent Stephen first to jail, and then to years of abject poverty and homelessness on the streets.
Emily hopes to find a permanent housing for Stephen. But this may not be enough, as the conflicts of the past drive Stephen to take to the road again.
Childhood trauma, incomplete memory, homelessness, family dysfunction - all these are themes of this moving novel.
Emily hopes to find a permanent housing for Stephen. But this may not be enough, as the conflicts of the past drive Stephen to take to the road again.
Childhood trauma, incomplete memory, homelessness, family dysfunction - all these are themes of this moving novel.
December 11, 2022
Tense, heart-wrenching, and tragic!
How to Find Your Way Home is a thought-provoking, emotional story that sweeps you away to London and into the life of Emily Nelson, a thirty-one-year-old woman with her own flat, a successful boyfriend, and a secure job at the council offices who, after finally crossing paths with her beloved brother who she hasn’t seen for almost twenty years after he was sent to prison and spent the subsequent years after his release living on the streets, finds her life irrevocably turned upside down when she must confront the tragedy, secrets, deception, and lies of the past and forge new relationships based on honesty, patience, understanding, and a mutual love of birds.
The writing is raw and expressive. The characters are vulnerable, scarred, and troubled. And the plot is a poignant tale of life, loss, secrets, resilience, childhood trauma, shocking revelations, familial drama, self-reflection, poverty, and homelessness.
Overall, How to Find Your Way Home is a beautiful tale by Regan full of heart, hope, and healing that is definitely the perfect choice for anyone who loves a well-written, meaty family saga.
Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
How to Find Your Way Home is a thought-provoking, emotional story that sweeps you away to London and into the life of Emily Nelson, a thirty-one-year-old woman with her own flat, a successful boyfriend, and a secure job at the council offices who, after finally crossing paths with her beloved brother who she hasn’t seen for almost twenty years after he was sent to prison and spent the subsequent years after his release living on the streets, finds her life irrevocably turned upside down when she must confront the tragedy, secrets, deception, and lies of the past and forge new relationships based on honesty, patience, understanding, and a mutual love of birds.
The writing is raw and expressive. The characters are vulnerable, scarred, and troubled. And the plot is a poignant tale of life, loss, secrets, resilience, childhood trauma, shocking revelations, familial drama, self-reflection, poverty, and homelessness.
Overall, How to Find Your Way Home is a beautiful tale by Regan full of heart, hope, and healing that is definitely the perfect choice for anyone who loves a well-written, meaty family saga.
Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 2, 2022
...here begins one of the last evenings I remember of my old life. The life I had constructed like the tough, prickled outer shell of a horse chestnut around me, before it was cracked open and the truth of my life was laid bare, as frighteningly untouched and uncharted as that shiny conker hidden inside.Do we choose our homes? Physically, sure. As adults we can move here or there. Does a chick choose its nest? We are not necessarily bolted to our birthplaces, but they are our first homes, and that initial setting is a very powerful thing, rich with association, memory, and attachment, particularly if we remain there more than just a few years. Many, maybe most people move away, significantly away. We may return annually to see family, or not. Maybe the places to which we relocate become truer homes for us. I shudder, for example, at the thought of ever again living in the neighborhood where I was raised. While I love the city, that particular part of it holds no attraction for me. I got out as fast as I could, and never wanted to be back there again. But for many, like Dorothy Gale, there is a primal bond with that ground. There’s no place like home for Stephen Nelson, as well, as he carries deep ties to the place where he was raised. He has been away from it for a very long time.
Katy Regan - from her Facebook pages
Emily Nelson has different rootedness issues. A connection to her brother is where home is for Emily. Stephen was an amazing big brother, about five years older. Delighted to have her there, eager to teach her about what excited him in the world, which was mostly birds, an interest his father shared and nurtured in his children. And she was always thrilled to be with “Deebie.” They found a particular Eden-ic magic in the avian-rich marshlands very near their home on Canvey Island, (Essex’s answer to the Mississippi Delta) even camping out there sometimes. She is concerned about his survival.
Their allegiance gained significance when their mother, unhappy with her exurban experience, ditched their father for what she’d hoped would be a more satisfying life. Sadly, her new mate seemed to have a bug up his bum about Stephen, always criticizing him, never recognizing Stephen’s strengths, and generally being a total horse’s ass of a stepfather. The sibs really needed to stick together when they were with Mum and Mitch. But something happened when they were still kids. Mitch was severely injured, and Stephen was jailed, from his teens into his twenties. Once out, things did not go well. He has been living rough for the last fifteen years.
We meet Emily in the today of the novel, 2018. She is 31, living in London, a housing officer in the council’s homeless department. She has had a series of relationships, (failure to nest?) the latest of which is with an architect, but:
She realizes that James will not last, no one will until she can resolve the huge hole in her from the loss of Stephen.They have been out of touch since shortly after his release from prison. She has been desperate to find him for some time. When she hears his voice in her office one day, the chase is on. She invites him to move in with her.
The story moves along two time tracks. First is the contemporary, as Emily searches for Stephen, wanting to reconnect with him, wanting to help him, wanting to get her brother back after a very long absence. This current-day look is split between Emily’s first-person and Stephen’s third-person POVs. The second time track is a slow unraveling of the past, from Emily’s birth to the tragic event that defines the story. What happened in their lives as kids? What forged their bond? What ultimately caused Stephen to be sent to jail? Why has Stephen been homeless for so long? This is told in ten chapters, named for birds, telling stories from their childhood involving specific birds, or breeds, or just using bird imagery. Stork, for example, is about Emily’s arrival. Mother Duck tells of a Make Way for Ducklings event. Cockatoo refers to someone’s hairstyle.
Stephen struggles with hope, whether to keep on or to fly the coop on possibility. Lord knows, he has had plenty of reasons to. His father has been willing to keep lines of communication open, if with less than total warmth. But his mother, unhappily, stuck with caring for the husband whose tetraplegia is the reason Stephen was imprisoned, is not so eager. Stephen has learned to survive on the streets, kept going by his love of birds. He has artistic ability, and picks up some money selling drawings of them.
Regan first volunteered at a soup kitchen for the homeless when she was 17.
My favorite bit of the shift was to sit down after we’d served breakfast and chat. What surprised me then, besides the sheer resilience these people possessed, was how little there was between my life—a “normal life”—and theirs. A few wrong turns, a relationship breakup, some bad luck was all it seemed to take for you to wind up sleeping on the streets and relying on charity to eat. Most of all, what I learned there (as well as from my research for How to Find Your Way Home) was that the difference between those who managed to dodge homelessness and those who slipped through the net was just that: too-big holes in the net. If you’d burned the bridges of your support network or had been abandoned by the people in it, you were out of luck. When I became a writer, I promised myself I would one day write a book telling the story of a homeless person. - from the Book Club kitBird imagery permeates the novel. In fact, there is enough avian material here to fill a king-size comforter. It is as lovely as one of those too, the feathered supporting cast bolstering the issues among the feather-free characters. A skein of geese, for example, is explained as group members taking turns bearing the brunt of the migratory lead. Swifts faithfully return to the same nesting site every year, maintaining their pair-bond for life. Although birds permeate the novel, the bird-title chapters focus on this imagery most pointedly.
Another motif to keep an eye on is windows. Stephen is an outsider from childhood. Emily feels like one as well. Windows always mark a separation, and what you see through them may not tell a true or a full tale.
That’s what you’d see, if you looked through the window: four thirty-something friends, “upwardly mobile” themselves I suppose, having dinner, chatting, having fun on a Saturday night, me in the middle in my orange top that says “Happy Days” on it. But I’m not happy.Sometimes, windows offer frightening views.
A dark, tall shadow flashed across the kitchen window and I jumped half out of my skin.Stephen and Emily have some serious issues between them to contend with, in addition to the challenges that both face with the wider universe. Stephen has good reason to be cautious about the world. He may have been sent to prison for a crime as a teen but he seems a pretty decent sort as a served-his-time thirty-something. Emily may have cut herself off from the world of love emotionally, if not physically, but we come to see that this originates in pain. She seems to have a good heart. So, rooting for these two is easy. And there is a very satisfying twist toward the end. HTFYWH was moving enough that my notes include three instances of TEARS!. There is also some exquisite, lyrical writing here.
I suppose there a few loose feathers that might make one sneeze a bit. Stephen seemed to spend an extreme number of years living on the street. Really? No social service types managed to corral him into a rehab program, maybe got him set up with a social worker. Possible? Oh, sure. But, still. Could Emily really have afforded a London flat in a nice neighborhood on a public employee’s income? Also, the wrap-up seemed a bit speedy. Without spoiling anything, situations were presented that seemed lacking in sufficient preparatory support. And yes, there was certainly a large volume of feathery references. Some might find that a downer. I rather liked it. I will spare you the Emily Dickinson quote, but it is certainly an undercurrent here as Stephen’s ability to carry on is bolstered by his love of birds and birding.
Louise Erdrich this ain’t, but it is a lovely, warm-hearted novel. That said, I found myself always very eager to return to my bedtime book home for the week and a half for which I was able to stretch this out. Dorothy Gale was right. There’s no place like it.
Stephen loved the sounds as much as he loved the space out here: the wind, creeping through the grasses, that reminded Stephen of rain, when it first, softly, begins to fall; the hum of traffic coming from the A130; and the occasional train, slicing through the countryside with its ghostly sigh. Stephen liked these reminders that the town was nearby. It was as if England and all it had to offer was right here, at the edge-lands—a world within a world. And it had been rolled out like a map, for him to run free over.
Review posted – February 4, 2022
Publication date – February 15, 2022
I received an ARE of How To Find Your Way Home from Berkley in return for directions. Thanks, folks. Thanks also to NetGalley for facilitating.
This review has been cross-posted on my site, Coot’s Reviews. Stop by and say Hi!
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, FB, Instagram, and Twitter pages
Katy Regan was brought up in a seaside town in northern England. She studied at the University of Leeds before moving to London, where she worked as a journalist and as a commissioning editor at Marie Claire magazine. How To Find Your Way Home is her fifth book.
Items of Interest from the author
-----A map of locations in the novel
-----Book Club Kit
Songs/Music
-----The Hollies - He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother - chapter 6
-----Robin S - Show Me Love - chapter 13
March 22, 2022
I liked this one!
A huge thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Pub for my gifted copy of How to Find Your Way Home.
I won this ARC copy through a Giveaway bundled with two other Berkley titles. If you are someone who never enters giveaways thinking you'll never win- do it!
What I Liked-
*The Cover- This cover is beautiful and fits the book so well.
*The Sibling Relationship- I loved the relationship between Emily and Stephen. The bond they had growing up as children. Them coming back together as adults after all that time apart.
*The Way The Book Makes You Think- In How to Find Your Way Home Stephen is homeless. It really made me examine how I view the homeless and realize that everyone has a story.
*The Twist- The twist at the end of this book was very surprising.
Why This Book Lost Stars-
* I wasn't always fully engaged. I'm not saying in any way that I was bored. I wasn't. The characters by themselves were lacking. I was invested in the relationships but not in the characters individually.
Overall- Middle of the road. I'm glad I read this book.
A huge thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Pub for my gifted copy of How to Find Your Way Home.
I won this ARC copy through a Giveaway bundled with two other Berkley titles. If you are someone who never enters giveaways thinking you'll never win- do it!
What I Liked-
*The Cover- This cover is beautiful and fits the book so well.
*The Sibling Relationship- I loved the relationship between Emily and Stephen. The bond they had growing up as children. Them coming back together as adults after all that time apart.
*The Way The Book Makes You Think- In How to Find Your Way Home Stephen is homeless. It really made me examine how I view the homeless and realize that everyone has a story.
*The Twist- The twist at the end of this book was very surprising.
Why This Book Lost Stars-
* I wasn't always fully engaged. I'm not saying in any way that I was bored. I wasn't. The characters by themselves were lacking. I was invested in the relationships but not in the characters individually.
Overall- Middle of the road. I'm glad I read this book.
February 22, 2022
Book review: How to find your way home by Katy Regan
I’ll start by pointing out that this book has amazing goodreads reviews. It was not for me. The publishers synopsis is below. All I will say is that the main character, Emily, seemed lovely, but her brother Stephen was a bit insufferable. Emily really carried Stephens burden. If this book was about mental illlness, I could get behind it. But it was not. Stephen was not a favorite and his homelessnessor reasons for it should not be his younger sibling’s issue. But in this book it was.
⭐️⭐️
Thank you @berkleypub for an earc in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher: What if the person you thought you'd lost forever walked back into your life?
A warm, life-affirming novel about what happens when a sister discovers that the brother she hasn't seen in more than a decade is homeless, and in reconnecting with him learns the true meaning of belonging, from the author of Little Big Love.
When they were children, Emily and her brother Stephen were inseparable. Running wild through the marshes of Canvey Island, it was Stephen who taught her to look for the incandescent flash of a bird's wings, who instilled within her a love and respect for nature's wonders. But one June day, their lives came crashing down around them and fate forced them apart.
Fifteen years later, Emily should be happy. She has a sun-filled garden flat, a lovely boyfriend, and a job that is supposed to let her make a difference. But instead she's lost, always on the lookout for her brother's face, and worn down, spending her days working at the local housing offices having to turn away more applicants than she can help.
And then one day, her brother walks through the door.
Stephen has been living in and out of shelters for the last decade and the baggage between them is heavy. But Emily is overjoyed to see her brother again and invites him to come live with her. In an attempt to rebuild their relationship, they embark on a birding adventure together. Amid the soft calls of the marsh birds, they must confront the secrets of all that stands between them--even as they begin to realize that home may just be found within.
I’ll start by pointing out that this book has amazing goodreads reviews. It was not for me. The publishers synopsis is below. All I will say is that the main character, Emily, seemed lovely, but her brother Stephen was a bit insufferable. Emily really carried Stephens burden. If this book was about mental illlness, I could get behind it. But it was not. Stephen was not a favorite and his homelessnessor reasons for it should not be his younger sibling’s issue. But in this book it was.
⭐️⭐️
Thank you @berkleypub for an earc in exchange for an honest review.
From the publisher: What if the person you thought you'd lost forever walked back into your life?
A warm, life-affirming novel about what happens when a sister discovers that the brother she hasn't seen in more than a decade is homeless, and in reconnecting with him learns the true meaning of belonging, from the author of Little Big Love.
When they were children, Emily and her brother Stephen were inseparable. Running wild through the marshes of Canvey Island, it was Stephen who taught her to look for the incandescent flash of a bird's wings, who instilled within her a love and respect for nature's wonders. But one June day, their lives came crashing down around them and fate forced them apart.
Fifteen years later, Emily should be happy. She has a sun-filled garden flat, a lovely boyfriend, and a job that is supposed to let her make a difference. But instead she's lost, always on the lookout for her brother's face, and worn down, spending her days working at the local housing offices having to turn away more applicants than she can help.
And then one day, her brother walks through the door.
Stephen has been living in and out of shelters for the last decade and the baggage between them is heavy. But Emily is overjoyed to see her brother again and invites him to come live with her. In an attempt to rebuild their relationship, they embark on a birding adventure together. Amid the soft calls of the marsh birds, they must confront the secrets of all that stands between them--even as they begin to realize that home may just be found within.
February 14, 2022
This was an impassioned family drama with the Author shedding a light on a normal family being torn apart and what it’s like to live in the grips of homelessness. It was a book that shows how one mistake can cause a whole different outcome for parents and kids, as they become adults.
Emily and Stephen ahead and idyllic childhood and these memories will last a lifetime; that is until their mom informs their father she is leaving him for another man. Soon the parents divorce and everything that was perfect in their childhood goes awry with a new strict stepfather that makes life hard.
All it takes is one day and an unintentional incident that plays out where Stephen is protecting the birds he has been raised to love and a sister he wants to protect; that lands Stephen in prison. There is pain, trauma and hurt that lingers and when Stephen gets out of prison, he is alone.
Now with no family, friends or money. Stephen ends up living on the streets; homeless. Sucked into the society norms, he ends up taking drugs and drinking. But sometimes where you are doesn’t mean it’s where you’re supposed to be and you might have to fight to get back your life you deserve.
Emily and Stephen ahead and idyllic childhood and these memories will last a lifetime; that is until their mom informs their father she is leaving him for another man. Soon the parents divorce and everything that was perfect in their childhood goes awry with a new strict stepfather that makes life hard.
All it takes is one day and an unintentional incident that plays out where Stephen is protecting the birds he has been raised to love and a sister he wants to protect; that lands Stephen in prison. There is pain, trauma and hurt that lingers and when Stephen gets out of prison, he is alone.
Now with no family, friends or money. Stephen ends up living on the streets; homeless. Sucked into the society norms, he ends up taking drugs and drinking. But sometimes where you are doesn’t mean it’s where you’re supposed to be and you might have to fight to get back your life you deserve.
September 19, 2022
This book is an emotional family drama about a brother and a sister, Stephen and Emily Nelson, who have been estranged for seventeen years. Emily's been looking for her homeless brother and works at a homeless shelter when Stephen walks into the office where she works one day. Their lives recollide and the two siblings embark on a birding journey back to the place where they ran wild in the wetlands of Canvey Island. We learn about their childhood, the reasons they were estranged, and the big event that changed everything. The book looks at the question: what would it mean if one ends up homeless on the streets and one doesn't?
I was particularly interested in the homelessness angle of it and how the author portrayed the experience of being a homeless person. I loved how birds and the idea of migration played a prominent theme throughout the book. The resilience of birds to migrate thousands of miles reflects Stephen's strength in his own life.
To learn more about the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...
I was particularly interested in the homelessness angle of it and how the author portrayed the experience of being a homeless person. I loved how birds and the idea of migration played a prominent theme throughout the book. The resilience of birds to migrate thousands of miles reflects Stephen's strength in his own life.
To learn more about the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...
February 16, 2022
Happy book birthday to this powerful novel! It would be an excellent book club pick- there is so much to talk about: a complicated family, an act of love so big it will break your heart, a once happy kid turned troubled soul by forces beyond his control, the easy way that bad choices compound and leave you unable to get back on solid footing, the impossible task of going from homeless to housed, the solace of nature and redemptive power of forgiveness. I don’t want to share too much but I personally connected to this novel in a number of ways. The easiest to discuss would be nature as refuge and bird watching in particular.
There are two downsides that I will share, in the hopes that they will help the right reader find this book. First, this novel is slower paced. Secrets are revealed very slowly, which I didn’t mind at all but I know some people will struggle with that. Two, although it still had a satisfying ending, the conclusion of the novel felt somewhat abrupt with a little bit of open-endedness.
I am contemplating bumping this to 4.5 stars...
There are two downsides that I will share, in the hopes that they will help the right reader find this book. First, this novel is slower paced. Secrets are revealed very slowly, which I didn’t mind at all but I know some people will struggle with that. Two, although it still had a satisfying ending, the conclusion of the novel felt somewhat abrupt with a little bit of open-endedness.
I am contemplating bumping this to 4.5 stars...
May 5, 2022
How to Find Your Way Home by Katy Regan is a beautiful story of the love between a brother and sister, the journey toward reconciliation and forgiveness and the past trauma that occurred to tear them apart. Emily sees her brother and does everything she can to help them reconnect. Stephen has been homeless for years and this opportunity to reconnect is more than just seeing his sister - or having a safe space to stay. It is chance for hope, healing and belonging. Very powerful and uplifting story! Highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and author Katy Regan for this digital review copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my reviews are voluntary and my opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and author Katy Regan for this digital review copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my reviews are voluntary and my opinions are my own.
December 14, 2021
This book was a wonderful read! With the two timelines you're able to get glimpses of Emily and Stevens' younger years but also a better understanding of their relationship! The realistic feel of this book is what I enjoyed the most! A lot of people will be able to relate in some way with this book! Which for me just made this an even better read! It's a book about family and and sometimes things can happen to stretch that bond, beyond repair well you'll just have to read the book to find out!
February 26, 2022
An incredibly tender novel about the close and loving bond between a sister and brother, this story really touched my heart. I loved the many many layers in the story, the attention the author gave to homelessness, and the traumatic childhood events that could make a person vulnerable. An absolutely beautiful, and ultimately hopeful, story.
January 25, 2023
I liked this book, it was a solid read, well-written, and had an interesting story. It felt predictable and somewhat drawn out at times, but I enjoyed reading it anyway. Siblings are reunited after years apart and find healing in the truth of the event that separated them. Heartwarming ending.
July 17, 2022
3.5 stars
August 31, 2022
mixed feelings i think i read it too fast to really feel the story. 3.5 rounded up
June 21, 2023
3.5 stars. A commercial, highly readable novel with a lot of heart. Regan deals with difficult themes — houselessness, mental health, anxiety, abuse — with sensitivity and compassion.
September 3, 2022
"Nowhere was going to feel like home, because I was the person living there." There was much to relate to in this read. Emily and Stephen were convincing, sympathetic characters. However the plethora of metaphors used to describe nature and Stephen's love of it subtracted rather than added to my absorption in Regan's story. Between a 3- and a 4-star read for me but leveled up because of the subject matter: self delusion, homelessness, ornithology, family trauma and family affection and where they can lead you.
January 24, 2022
The love of two siblings and their bond over nature makes this book hard to put down. They overcome evils at home by taking care of each other and bonding over their shared love of birding. There’s a big twist at the end that is easy to see coming but it doesn’t take away from the comforting feeling the reader can take away from this story that siblings can survive anything, even their own parents.
March 4, 2024
I was impressed with the author's portrayal of life as a homeless person, and how Stephen came to prefer it in many ways. The love of bird-watching was also well represented. What I did not care for was the simplicity with which the first chapter or so was written -- I set the book aside for quite a while before giving it another chance. I was also put off by the ease with which Stephen's mother accepted and mirrored her new husband's criticisms of her son.
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