A read that is full of emotions, and how they are accepted. Can you go home again, a place full of memories, and great pain, but still occupied with love ones.

Amy is a talented artist and decorator, but her life is about to change when she takes time off from her job in the Bay Area of San Francisco, and heads to Oregon, and her family. Her Aunt and Uncle that raised her Dad, and she is soon mentoring a young girl

We are offered a lot in this read including some sweet romance, family, friends, and remembering.

This does become a page turner, with faith and forgiveness. I loved this book!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.

4+/5 stars.

Goodness, this book has some beauty to it.

I laughed, I thought about crying, and I contemplated a lot--at times even having to just sit with the beauty of a scene or phrase (or the inner conviction it provided, heh).

The Oregon setting made me exceedingly happy; I've spent my fair share of summer (and spring, and fall) vacations on the Oregon coast, and I so enjoyed all the PNW references--both nostalgically and since I've moved away and miss it!

Many of us are related to or know someone with dementia and the havoc it can wreak on so many levels. Tosello masterfully weaves both the struggle and the blessings throughout the read, and I think the combo will really resonate with a lot of readers.

There were a couple references to "my [current] truth," which was disappointing as it's a pet peeve of mine, but in the grand scheme of the read and the amount of theology and Scripture presented, it seems a more (unfortunate) casual incorporation of a trendy phrase than something to lose much sleep over.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Family, forgiveness, love and friendship. A satisfying, easy read with God's word sprinkled throughout, reminding me to turn to Him, to honor and praise Him, and to keep Him first in my life. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary digital ARC. This review is my own opinion.

This debut novel was absolutely brilliant! It was touching, heartwarming, and so well written that the story came to life right before your eyes. While it dealt with difficult subjects like the loss of a parent, Alzheimer’s, and a parent incarcerated, it did so with grace, honesty, and respect and helping you experience what the characters felt.

I found this story to be very compelling. I hated to see the story end and would love to see a spinoff of this book with its enduring characters. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Sweet, heartfelt, and wonderful! I enjoyed this story so much. Books, tea, art, horses… heart wrenching pain with beautiful healing… faith… witty humor… romance… very real characters… I really, truly, loved this story!

A beautiful, bittersweet story set in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest.

When her great-aunt Daisy asks for help, Audrey Needham finds herself back in Oregon, a place that she once loved, now tinged with loss. When her life back in the Bay area implodes, she finds herself staying longer than she initially expected

I loved the setting of this book in a small town in the high desert of Oregon. Kit Tosello brought it to life with her descriptions.

The story is actually a dual point of view, with POVs for both Audrey and her great-aunt Daisy. I really enjoyed seeing Audrey's growth throughout the story as she faces both her grief and grows in her faith. Daisy was a strong character and a source of grounding for Audrey. Their relationship was sweet.

I especially loved Paige as a side character, although there were many wonderful ones.

There are two love stories, although they are minor in the book, with Daisy's relationship with her husband, Dean, being more prominent as they navigate the waters of his diagnosis of Alzheimer's.

I enjoyed this story of faith, family, and the meaning of home on this story by Kit Tosello.

Great for fans of literary fiction and slow burn romances! I wasn't the hugest fan of this book. I wish I liked it more than I did, but I have to admit that most of those were personal preferences that have no bearing on the skill of the author. I liked that it was a slow burn romance that didn't overpower the story but gave focus to other areas of interest and involvement for the FMC. I really liked the way she selflessly and humbly integrated herself into the lives of those in the community. The other characters in the small town were really likeable as well.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I enjoyed her writing style. She wrote about everyday life issues that happen in families at one time or another. Definitely a heartwarming book you won’t want to miss.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. All words are my own.

The Color of Home takes the reader on a journey of personal growth through the life of Audrey. Audrey is real to life, flawed like every person, and her struggles might hit close to home for some readers. Daisy, Audrey’s great aunt, is a lovely woman filled with love and wisdom, and even she is still growing and leaning on God for guidance through the transitions of life. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the challenges and the encouragements that I could take away from this story as Audrey and Daisy navigate their life stories. Daisy reminds Audrey that we must take time apart from the busyness and distractions of life to listen for God’s voice. We need to be getting to know God through reading His word, but also listening for His will, not just our own cluttered thinking. Audrey learns from a friend, that God does not make us to carry shame forever; we need to lay that down and let God carry us. I think this book is not just a good literary escape, but it is a breath of fresh air and encouragement. Audrey’s big heart has her pouring love into Aunt Daisy, Uncle Dean, single mom Nina, and little Paige. Let’s pour love into our community, too! I highly recommend this book. What a wonderful debut novel.

I requested a copy of this book for review. The thoughts expressed here are wholly my own.

This was a great book written by a debut author. I love the setting in Oregon, it made me long to visit there again.

I enjoyed how the character's faith plays such an important role in their lives. Throughout the book, the characters will recall a Bible verse that applies to the situation.

There is a little mystery throughout the book as the author sprinkles clues throughout the story of what had happened to Paige's dad and Audrey's dad.

My favorite characters were Paige and Daisy. They definitely were brought to life throughout the pages.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Heartwarming and inspirational, THE COLOR OF HOME has a great message and a very relatable main character journey. I enjoyed the POVs of both Daisy and Audrey. The book really shines when it comes to Audrey's coming of age. Her concerns are ones that many readers with identify with, and the author handles complex topics with a sensitive hand. The spiritual awakening angle is especially strong. I admire how Audrey came to terms with her father's death, and the details about that are doled out in a somewhat mysterious way to keep us invested. That being said, the overall pacing of this novel is a bit slow, and for that reason, I have rated this one 4 starts instead of 5. Perhaps with additional editing it could have been shortened and tightened. As another reviewer noted, there is very little urgency here. But nonetheless, I loved following along with Audrey as she figures some things out and gets her life on track. I will look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Oh this book was beautiful! So beautifully done and the writing was wonderful. Such a great read. I was engulfed from chapter one.

The Color of Home
by Kit Tosello
Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is a new author for me but I am glad I requested it.
Join award-winning writer and debut novelist Kit Tosello in this lyrical and often humorous exploration of how God redeems brokenness and draws us to the life we're meant to find.
I recommend this debut author for fans of romances that also deal in hard truths, such as Looking for Leroy by Melody Carlson and Pixels and Paint by Kristi Ann Hunter.

good book but there was one downfall for me: the ending was totally unsatisfying. It seemed to be wrapped up and tied with a knot in just a short, few paragraphs. Kit Tosello has written a fairly good book that will keep the reader engaged. Four Stars

I received a copy for review purposes; all opinions are honest and mine alone.


It’s taken me a few days to think about this book before I could write the review. It’s a first book and I want to be fair to new author, Kit Tosello. She has a folksy style and used the very popular dual POV technique to tell this story, alternating between her young, upwardly mobile female protagonist and the senior, wise, caring, spiritual, mature but needing assistance, female protagonist.

Daisy, the family matriarch, lives in Charity Falls, in the family cottage that’s comfortable and full of a lifetime of love and memories but desperately in need of paint and a sprucing up. Her time is currently spent caring for her husband who’s dealing with the early stages of Alzheimer’s, but the changes are progressing steadily and he is becoming more than Daisy can handle. They have no children of their own but a moment of crisis prompts a call to Audrey, her Niece.

Audrey is a well respected interior designer, color expert in the Bay Area. She is working night and day trying to establish her career, rarely taking time off for personal reasons. When Daisy calls, Audrey realizes it must be serious, clears her schedule and goes to help her family.

The trip home begins to reveal how difficult this will be for Audrey as memories of her father surface. Some are joyful but many are painful, including the tragedy that took his life. It’s a slow process along the storyline and coincidences with character development. This technique works for the Audrey character but I found it frustrating with Daisy as it created a lack of understanding to her motivations.

Daisy is the character that’s the most grounded in spiritual things. Other characters live their faith in their daily activities. Tosello includes a few hymns as poetry and a few scripture passages as chapter introductions throughout; strategic placements. Overall, the inspirational content is what I would consider natural and subtle.

Romance is another subtle aspect of this tale. Audrey and Cade have a complex relationship that moves from tension and misunderstanding to avoidance that becomes hesitant respect before they learn understanding and eventually move to agreement on a common goal and a tentative friendship that begins to blossom into something more. I could see their relationship becoming the basis for a second book.

There are a good assortment of secondary characters, especially Audrey’s best friend, a young girl she mentors and the paint guy at the hardware store. Actually, the whole hardware store was rife with interesting people and interactions. I’d enjoy an entire story based around that store! Characters are Tosello’s strongest element; relationships could use some dramatic infusions.

Pacing is casual because there’s nothing in the story that is urgent, other than how Audrey feels. This is small town fiction that’s clean with a subtle inspirational thread. Prose has gentle descriptive detail except when it relates to interior design. Those passages are lush and artistic, painting word pictures that will put you into the setting. I really enjoyed some of the names for paint colors.

Were we permitted to give half stars, I would rate this debut novel 3.5 stars. Since that’s not possible, I’m rounding up to encourage the new author on her journey📚

Read and Reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks

Wow! This is an exceptional book! I was hooked from the very beginning! The author's use of imagery placed me in the quaint town of Charity Hills, Oregon. A place I'd love to visit!

The characters are wonderful! I honestly like them all! They each touched my heart in different ways. As Daisy, Audrey, Cade, and Nash deal with loss and grief, they also keep their hearts tender to others in need.

Several difficult issues are brought up in the book. There's Alzheimer's, deaths of family members, children whose father is in prison. There's also hope, fond memories, new relationships, and new beginnings! The ending was the icing on the cake!

I was provided a complimentary copy of the book from Revell via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a new author to me and I loved how I could feel all the emotions with this book. At times laughing, other times crying and always feeling deeply for the emotional rollercoaster the characters were going through. I would definitely read more from this author and am grateful to have been given the opportunity to read The Color of Home.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and did not have to write a review. All opinions are solely mine.

Audrey Needham, a leading designer in the Bay Area, finds her boss challenging to work for. She decides to take a two-week vacation to assist her Great Aunt Daisy, and this decision marks a turning point in her life. Daisy, who raised Audrey's father, lives in Oregon. Now, Daisy wants to sell the house to move into a retirement home and asks Audrey for help. During her time away, Audrey's design firm unexpectedly closes, leaving her jobless. However, she begins to fall in love with Charity Falls, Oregon. Meanwhile, Cade Carter, a newcomer to the town, has been assisting Daisy for the past few years.

I so loved this book!! I finished it in less than 24 hours. I was totally drawn in by the vivid use of colors within the story. I loved how the present intertwined with the past. This book captured the struggle that alot of people feel between the urge to further their career and working hard to leave behind the trauma of the past with balancing the family that loves you. I immediately wen to Amazon and followed this author! I can hardly wait until the next book! Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

This was a DNF for me. The switching between 1st person perspectives is a bookish pet peeve of mine. I also felt there was a lot of telling vs. showing when it came to character and plot development. 25% of the way through and I couldn’t see where we were going and I honestly didn’t care to. Some phrases used made me visibly cringe-like an 80 year old woman referring to her “giggle box.” Ew. The cover is gorgeous though!

One of my favorite things about being an ARC reader is to be one of the first to read debut novels for authors! I took a chance requesting "The Color of Home" by Kit Tosello and am so glad that I did. I hope you take a chance on this author as well because this book is faith-filled, encouraging and tackles some really tough topics in a beautiful way.

Audrey Needham lost her father suddenly when she was a teenager. After that loss, she stayed away from her great aunt and uncle's home in Oregon, only coming back later in life when her uncle is diagnosed with Alzheimer's and her aunt needs help. Audrey has a stressful job as an interior designer in California. While she's there she gets involved with the community in a meaningful way, with her return the the bay area always in her rear view mirror. She also takes many missteps similar to ones the rest of us make in our own lives. She is also an artist and starts to rediscover the artist within herself as she re-examines her life and purpose.

This book is filled with wonderful passages and I found myself pondering the authors words while reading. This is a book to savor and think about. It is a Christian book from a Christian publisher and I'm really happy to see one so filled with nuggets of faith. I hope to see more from this author that are just as faith filled as this one was.

Thank you to Revell Publishing and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.