I want all of these short stories to be written as full novels. I don't mind if it takes years but I want it. I don't know how the author did it, but in basically one chapter, they hooked me for each story. The level of depth and ache I felt for the characters was amazing. The heartbreaking feeling for one story, where the mom had to stay for months at a time without her husband.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

This was a really beautiful short story collection with gorgeous themes underlying them. It takes a lot for me to enjoy short stories but this was a big success.

Beautifully written intimate amd heart touching stories. Loved each one. Described in depth feelings about acceptance and emotions. Loved it. Recommended.

The title of this book intrigued me and drew me in, and upon reading the summary, I couldn’t wait to dive in! This was a wonderful collection of short stories, and each one I enjoyed and was unique in its own way. The author did a fantastic job with the character development despite the length of each story. I’m excited to read more from the author in the future as they have an incredible talent. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a chance to read and review this book.

As happens with most story collections, some of the stories I really liked while other went over my head in Home Is a Made-Up Place. Nice concept for a collection with some thought-provoking narratives.

✨H O M E I S A M A D E - U P
P L A C E
🅶🅴🅽🆁🅴 —𝒮𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓉 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈 / 𝒻𝒾𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃

✂️ P L O T L I N E
A collection of 6 short stories that are so very different from
One another,yet explore the same questions: What is a home? What is family? How do you find yourself and become who you want to be?

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
I was approved for this book on @netgalley a while back, but silly me forgot to download it in time. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to read this book so I had to purchase it! I’m so glad I did. What a beautifully written book. Ronit Plank does wonders with making you feel everything so deeply with so few words. The stories do have ambiguous endings which leaves you to ponder what becomes of these people after the stories end. Not a happy book by any means, but one with so much substance that allows you to examine humanity and what you want for your own life.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💫Emotional and thought provoking reads that make you reflect on your own life 🤔
💫Identifying trauma, grief, hardships and desperation in humanity 💔
💫Raw and compelling reads that leave a mark on you and keep you wanting more 😢
💫Stories that DO NOT have concrete endings with pretty little bows ❌💝

⚠️Trigger warnings: strained family relationships, loneliness, divorce, child hood trauma⚠️

🍽️𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🍽️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💕Q U O T E: “𝒮𝑒𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝑒𝓃𝓈 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓅 𝒾𝓃𝓋𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓊𝓃𝓀𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓊𝓃𝓀𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝒻𝑒𝑒𝒹𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓁𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓇𝑒𝒻𝓁𝑒𝒸𝓉 𝓌𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒷𝑒𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓋𝑒.”

“Home Is a Made-Up Place” by Ronit Plank is a poignant and beautifully written memoir about the author’s experience growing up with a mother who suffers from mental illness. Plank explores the complexity of familial love, the stigma surrounding mental health, and the struggles of navigating the world as a child and adult with a parent who is often absent, erratic, and unpredictable.

Through vivid storytelling and raw honesty, Plank takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery, healing, and forgiveness. Her prose is lyrical and evocative, capturing the essence of the Pacific Northwest landscape where much of her story takes place. She deftly weaves together her personal experiences with larger societal issues, making this a powerful and thought-provoking read.

Overall, “Home Is a Made-Up Place” is a moving and unforgettable memoir that will resonate with anyone who has struggled to find their place in the world and with those who have loved someone battling mental illness.

Happy Publication day to this beautiful short story collection.

I was drawn to this book by its title, having never heard of this author before. I will absolutely read whatever else she writes on the strength of this collection.

I picked it up with the intention of dipping in and out of the stories and ended up reading in one sitting. These of stories of heartbreak of dysfunction of being let down and of sadness. Each story is uniquely different than the next but these commons threads run within them all. I really enjoyed reading each one, I was plunged straight into each story, each character is written with great consideration and care and it was easy to empathise with each one. Some of the stories, the hurt or disappointment is like a punch in others it is softer but perhaps even more disappointing.
Ronit Plank is greatly skilled at her craft. A fantastic collection.

"Home Is a Made-Up Place" by Ronit Plank is a collection of stories set to explore the issue of belonging in the reality of fractured bonds and other circumstances one has no influence over. The stories are quite dark and atmospheric and the author uses her words very skilfully to paint the picture of where the characters are at.

Despite different characters and backdrops, however, there's a monotonny to the stories and after a couple they're not surprising anymore. The only thing left is a feeling of heaviness and lingering sadness.

This was a collection of unique stories describing very relatable struggles that different people experience. I think that Robot Piano did a good job of presenting characters that will connect with readers. Thanks #NetGalley #MotinaBooksPublishing

"Home is a Made-Up Place" is an amazingly beautiful collection of short stories looking into a range of problems that very different people face in everyday life. This book takes you through a myriad of emotions, people, circumstances and homes. It makes you rethink what is home truly to you, a house, a person, a child, maybe a feeling you're chasing from the past. This is a very introspective an interesting book managed in only short stories.
Every story is so interesting and draws you in incredibly quickly.

I love short story books and this one was perfect! Each story unique I its own way..
Perfect for a lazy day reading.


Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley

"Home is a Made-Up Place" is an absolutely stunning collection of short stories that takes a look into the lives of people grappling with their past, present, and future in many different ways. It will make you re-examine the concept of "home," not only in terms of where you live but also the people you may call home and the own body you call home. I really enjoyed that Plank's "short" stories were a little meatier than others I've read, and I was able to connect on a deeper level to each character with slightly more time spent with them. Very much looking forward to reading more of Plank's work in the future.

Ronit Plank’s book, Home is a Made-Up Place, was an intriguing collection of short stories, about dysfunctional family situations. Plank masterfully creates lifelike characters who struggle with challenges and grapple with decisions. My favorite of her short story collection was “Rick’s Wax Hands.” The author has skillfully illustrated a
familiar situation where a woman finally gets fed up and recognizes the ways in which she is trapped, then bravely decides to seize her power to make a permanent change. I recommend Home is a Made-Up Place – an enjoyable read from this accomplished author.

I was first drawn to the cover of this book and think that it really captured the feel of the stories and the people that are definitely struggling during these points in their life. The characters are well written and I became invested in the stories that were told regardless of the length of the story. The description really makes this book stand out and the stories were very cohesive as a group, although very different. I want to definitely read more from this author. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. This was a great read.

Home Is a Made-Up Place
by Ronit Plank
Home is a Made-Up Place invites readers into the lives of people grappling with emotional injuries and confronting the past to become who they wish to be.
I really enjoyed the short stories about being home. Many were sad, some were funny, and some made me happy. It was a great mix where you felt the stories.

Home is a Made-Up Place by Ronit Plank is a collection of short stories surrounding familial and personal struggles. What first attracted me to this book was the title, which I thought was just beautiful – and the stories inside definitely didn’t disappoint. It’s a shame that I didn’t begin reading short stories until a few months ago, because they might just be my favourite type of stories! The ability to tell interesting stories in just a few pages seems almost magical to me, and Ronit Plank has a gift for it.

My favourite stories were “Not at Home” and “The Plan”. I really love how Plank writes people and especially their emotions and thought processes. I have barely anything critical to say, only that I might have wanted a few of the stories to go on for just a page longer, to get fully interested in the characters. Other than that, I really had a blast reading this!

I’d recommend Home is a Made-Up Place for anyone who enjoys short stories and stories about the human experience. Struggling, whether with family, friends, or something else entirely, is something we’ve all experienced and can relate to – and reading about other people with similar problems is such great catharsis. I hope you’ll check it out and give some support to the author!

"Made-Up Place is a collection of stories about fighting for personal power, recognizing the difference between what can and cannot be changed, and the pull of familial attachments despite the toll they might take."

Plank does a terrific job of weaving together short stories in this book. I enjoyed her writing style and the characters she developed.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book for the purpose of this review.

This book made me cry and also made me happy. Reading about someone’s struggles is always difficult but each story was written beautifully and really makes you think if your problems are really all that bad.