This is sweet book with beautiful story but had to say its not perfectly written in case of male perspective. I was not able to connect with Tom as much i was with Ruth. Anyway loved how it speaks of homelessness, loss and forgiveness. There are not much books about Autistic Mom, so enjoyed the story.

Ruth is a single mom to 10-year-old DJ who, as they become homeless and move into temporary housing in a hotel, begins to act out against his mother in a desperate angry move because he doesn't know the identity of his father. Ruth is doing the best to work and mother and not let her anxiety or autism hurt her son or their life but those her compulsions to crack her knuckles, read Dean Koontz over and over, and only consume food that is white is what makes Ruth Ruth and despite how her unique behaviors make her stand out, they are part of who she is and it makes it easy to winnow down her true friends.

Tom is a homeless man who has lived on the street for 10 years. He befriends DJ by accident after he tries to keep the boy out of trouble and along with his dog, Bette Davis, the trio become close and are soon surprised when Ruth comes upon a meeting of the group and she and Tom realize that he was the doctor that saw Ruth through her pregnancy. In the present she pushes Tom to be more of the Dr. O'Grady he once was and less of the rough sleeper he is assumed to be based on his appearance. They each grow as a result of their rekindled connection. The second half of the book will likely tug your heart strings.

Not sure what is was exactly but reading this was a slog for me and I never really connected. It is a rather hefty book so I'm going to say that it was probably a combination of the light/easy writing style and the meandering story. Though I can see how many readers looking for a little heartbreak in a feel-good package would gravitate toward to it.

Review - 5/5🌟
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“Do not write off people based on how they present themselves to the world. You should know that better than anyone. Everyone has a story, if you take the time to listen.”
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Single mother Ruth and her ten-year-old son DJ have always struggled to fit in but they have had each other. However, their foundations are rocked when they lose their home in Dublin. Their lives change as they meet Tom, a man who walked away from his house and life ten years ago to sleep on a park bench. These people have all felt marginalised and on the periphery of society, but together they are a force that will effect changes that are positive and meaningful.
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I loved this compelling story, which has so much heart and soul. In particular, it very compassionately clarifies that “homelessness has many faces”. It can be a rough sleeper, a well-dressed woman living in an hostel leaving early for work, or a child fleeing an abusive family. This life-affirming novel also illuminates other equally complex and important themes such as autism, domestic abuse, grief and depression. This is essentially a story about kindness and empathy, with the message of how we should all “stand up for the underdog”. It reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant - but in my opinion this was more powerful and emotional, and has the potential to be as successful (if not even more so).
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A Thousand Roads Home is published today - congratulations to the author @happymrsh and thank you to @harpercollinsire for the review copy.

It was fantastic until the last 30 pages. Unfortunately, the happy ending didn’t fit for me, but I LOVED all of it up until then.

DNF Page 68.

This one was definitely a “it’s me, not you.”

The writing in this one just felt so awkward. And I KNOW we’re following a woman with autism and her ten year old son, so obviously both of them are going to speak just a “little” odd. But the writing for normal non-dialogue passages, and also for other characters, was just incredibly awkward. Also, I’m not sure if it was just a situation of the characters, but they get evicted and have to be set up in *emergency* housing, which ends up being a crummy hotel. And both of them do a fair amount of complaining after arriving to the hotel. Which I get that you’re following a ten year old boy, but they were EVICTED. And they were TOLD that it would be temporary until they could get a house. My family and I have literally paid for places that sounded worse than that. They were being treated kind of rude, but at the same time, they were complaining quite a bit.

Also, the other character, Tom, has these “dreams” of his old life, but are just flat out memories and the writing for them and his accompanying dialogue was also very awkward.

I think this will be a great book for others, but just wasn’t the right fit for me.