Irish family drama. When Declan has to go into a care home, Carol, his partner thought that she would continue to live in his house. Unfortunately his children have decided that they need to sell it. Caro.l finds herself having to move back with her parents. Declan had always told her that the house should never be so.d and when Carol finds out why, a chain of events unfolds.
Set in rural Ireland.

This is the first book I have read by Graham Norton. The writing is good, and the narrative flows well.
However, this is a DNF for me, as the subject matter of dementia is too upsetting due to my personal experience of my dear Dad having been a sufferer. This is solely a personal opinion, and the book will be enjoyed by many readers, I am sure,
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed this book, the second I’ve read by Graham Norton, who definitely doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects. There was an interesting cast of characters, some I warmed to more than others and a few who seemed superfluous. Eimear was a non-starter for me, I totally forgot about her and that storyline didn’t really offer much and I don’t think Rory was needed. On the other hand I loved Moira - she was giving me Mammy Walsh vibes and I would happily read many more stories featuring her. Despite the dementia and desertion and other themes this book did make me laugh and is an easy read which I whizzed through. I would definitely read more from Graham Norton and would recommend this.

Graham Norton does it again...great writing and an appealing plot, easy to read story with a good sense of humour.

To my great surprise, I really enjoyed this book. I initially thought it might be too slight and - as with many celebrity authors - rather lacklustre. However I was pleased to find Graham Norton is a talented and engaging writer of 'cosy crime', and has incorporated his characteristic wit and humour into his writing. I loved its Irish charm, dialogue and setting and the careful and credible way he crafts his plot and characters. He even manages to create pace and suspense in the slickly alternating chapters to give different points of view. A smashing read. I will look out for more by this author.

If you liked Norton's other fictional works, you will enjoy this.

Forever Home follows Carol, a divorced teacher living in a small town with her only son fully grown and moved away. Carol meets Declan and finds a second chance at love (even if it causes a scandal in the town) but when Declan becomes ill, everything she knows begins to change. HIs children turn cruel, Carol is kicked out of her home and something dark is unearthed.

I find great comfort in getting lost in Norton's stories, the writing is fast paced and engaging.

I could not decide whether or not I enjoyed this book - I think certain elements were just too ‘fantastical’ for me!

I found the family relationships elements worked for me - mother/daughter; partner/stepchildren but the ‘body’ was less convincing.

The characters were larger than life - particularly Moira - a very feisty lady and the issue of dementia well dealt with.

For me there was almost too many issues with an essential mystery I did not find wholly convincing.

An interesting read but not one I would rave about.

What do you do when life seems really good - and then turns really bad? What do you do when the life you've loved, and your home, is taken away from you? And how do you deal with the strange smell your new neighbours are complaining about?

In Graham Norton's latest novel we join Carol Crottie in small town Ireland as her life as she knows it comes to an abrupt halt. If that's not bad enough, as a result, Carol needs to move back home with her parents. But, then the adventures and mysteries begin.

This was a good read and well plotted, although I didn't pick up on the humour the book was rumoured to contain. It was a tale of families and loss and facing the hard things of life. Another well written read from Graham Norton.

After her divorce, teacher Carol finds love again with Declan and moves into his lovely townhouse in the small town of Ballytoor. However Declan develops dementia and his adult children place him in a home and evict Carol as they sell the beloved house. Luckily Carol has parents willing to buy the house for her but a mysterious smell leads to a shocking discovery. How is this linked to the disappearance of Declan's wife many years ago?
National Treasure Graham Norton has produced another depiction of small-town life in rural Ireland which does have a few teeth. Despite the plot twists and actions of the characters the pace is gently and the narrative never seems to be more than soft. There are lots of themes touched on here so the reader is challenged but it almost seems to be incidental to a great story.

A very enjoyable read. Similar in genre to his previous books, but that’s no bad thing. I would highly recommend it!

I’ve read a few of Norton’s books and I think this is my favourite. It’s a fairly slow paced read but with excellent content and well written. I enjoyed it so much I read it in one day. It’s a family drama, set in a small, fictional, village in Ireland, full of dark humour. A genre this author does so well.

Briefly, when Carol meets an older man and they fall in love both families are shocked and unaccepting of their relationship. But when Declan starts to show signs of early onset dementia his children take advantage and move him into a care home. Then, unbelievably, they move Carol out of the house and sell it. What they don’t know is that Carol’s parents bought it for her. When Carol and her mother, Moira, go to the house to start clearing and decorating it they make a shocking discovery.

There are some wonderful characters and all the main protagonists are brilliantly fleshed out so I felt that I really knew them. A good, easy read with a great cast and an excellent plotline. Despite the slightly macabre nature of the discovery and the sadness of Declan’s experience of living with dementia I found myself smiling through a lot of the book. Enjoyable! 4.5⭐️

I love books set in Ireland and the small town setting of this book provided a perfect backdrop to the varied set of characters who I began to know personally as I turned the pages.

Carol the main character is a divorced teacher who is beginning to encounter empty nest syndrome as her son is starting to gain his own independence. A unexpected friendship with Declan a single father takes Carol by surprise and against all odds and lots of small town gossip the pair begin a relationship.

Declan’s wife abandoned him years ago and he had been left bringing up his two children by himself. Carols hope of them becoming a family unit seem to be squashed when his two children oppose the new relationship and when her own son appears to feel the same.

Carol is left feeling isolated when Declan is diagnosed with early onset dementia. To add fuel to the fire she has no claim on the house they share and his two children want to sell it. Carol feels hurt as Declan had made her promise never to sell it but unknown to her when it goes on the market her parents buy it so she can return to live there.

On returning to the house Carol and her mum Moria stumble along a shocking discovery which turns their lives upside down. This leads to a series of events which had me holding my breathe as I travelled the journey alongside them.

This book encompasses a whole range of emotions. Dark yet funny , heartwarming yet mysterious I couldn’t help but relate to a lot of the storyline. Early onset dementia was portrayed with such accuracy and the challenges of blended families were so close to life.

Graham Nortons skill of understanding and describing different characters and situations is first class. I really enjoyed this book which had me reading just one more page well into the night .

I’m a huge fan of Graham Norton books, I love the settings of small town Ireland and all the stories there are to share about the every day person living there. This book still had to you gripped by the story developing in the small town and analysing the whole community to find out their involvement.

It's hard to give a synopsis of the plot without spoilers!
I really enjoyed reading this book; set in the fictional town of Ballytor, you are immediately enveloped in the plot. The characters are well written, realistic and relatable, whilst the plot has twists and turns to keep you captivated the whole way through.

It's an easy read, but not a simple nor clichéd one. Just one that is easy to get into and enjoy.

I love Graham Norton’s style of writing. He can conjure an Irish community and the cast of characters within it so well. Forever Home is no different. It centres around Carol and the circumstances which arise when her partner Declan ends up in a home because of his early onset dementia and his children want to sell his house from under her. Whilst not my favourite of his books, it is a very quick and entertaining read.

Graham Norton has done it again. I loved his previous novels but this is without doubt his best. He pulls you into the community of Ballytour and it’s cast of wonderful characters – some of which you want to hug and others you would like to just give a good slap. Moira Crottie is the stand out character for me – who wouldn’t want a mother like her. I believe she’s somewhat based on Graham’s own mother – especially the car journeys. A book that deals with the despair of dementia, the relationship between parents and children with a twisty mystery and some highly comic moments thrown in for good measure. I read this book too quickly as I couldn’t put it down and was sad when it ended. So my recommendation is read this book now. One of my favourite books of the year and I’ve had a good year so far. Thank you so much NetGalley , the publisher and of course Graham Norton for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review

As always, Graham Norton delivers an emotional, humorous, witty story with loveable, hilarious characters, as well as lonely characters we root for throughout. The story takes on a darker slant as Carol's life starts to fall apart, but with the unwavering support of her mother she survives tough times. The focus is on strong females and how even strong women can be oppressed if their children are threatened. Wow, what a fantastic read.

What a really lovely, lovely story. Graham Norton writes the very best books. Gentle humour, love, human tragedy, mother/daughter relationships, murder/mystery- it’s all there wrapped up in a story you just don’t want to end. This is another triumph of a novel, I adored it!

Thank you to the author, publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in response for an honest review

"Forever Home" is a new departure for Graham Norton. This is a family drama with some comedic moments rather than the obvious comedy of his first 2 novels. There are some interesting characters and situations, with a bit of jeopardy thrown in. Carol is a divorcee in her late 40s who has been in a relationship with an older man, who may or may not still be married, for 10 years. As his health deteriorates she is left to cope with him and his rather unfriendly children.

The highlight character for me was Carol's mother Moira. Although in her late seventies she, mostly, has plenty of energy, a fervent imagination and some surprising friends. This is a great read and should be another hit for Graham Norton.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I have followed and read Graham's books from his debut novel, and they each one is better than the last. This one is no exception.