OK, on to my review, let me start by saying, I adored these two teens, even as they put me through the ringer. Dillion and Cade didn't waste any time smashing my damn heart into pieces. I bawled many of tears. Gosh, my mama heart wanted so badly to reach between those pages and offer them every ounce of comfort and acceptance I could. Well mostly. There were also instances where I wanted to put my foot up a certain teen's ass. But I get it. He had issues, some major issues. And who could blame him. Certainly not I. Not to mention, their connection started at the tender age of 14. Add to that the forbiddenness of being gay/demisexual AND step siblings. Hello....can we say a whole host of contention and toxicity. The thing is, mixed in-between all the chaos was a beautiful evolvement of friendship and love.

Dillon and Cade's exploration and navigation of life, in general and within their relationships, immediately captivated me. Which kind of surprised me, especially since this isn't my typical read, and lately nothing seems to keep my attention. However, they wormed their way into my soul and my mama heart ached for them. The pain I felt was no joke. The anger I felt was no joke. The harm I wanted to do unto others was no joke. I seriously wanted to rip some damn faces off. I wanted to break them and make them suffer for the roll they played in Dillion and Cade's trauma and misery.

Ms. Dixon did that with her writing, even a week later as I sit here writing this review, I can feel my animosity rebuilding. She made me fucking FEEL for these fictional characters, as though they were real people. The fury, hatred, sorrow, happiness, love, hope, exasperation, compassion, etc I cycled through was concrete. The story may have been a work of literature but my emotions certainly were not. Her words were intense, poignant, and held so much damn truth to them. They hit exactly as she meant them to...HARD. I most definitely didn't walk away unscathed.

I don't say this often, but A Home in You was the perfect mix of realism and fiction.

Dixon pulled zero punches as she exposed the raw, gritty reality surrounding homophobia, bullying, abuse, conversion, and societal expectations/conventionalism. She kept shit as real as it could be, making their narrative tangible. Validating everyday experiences of the LGBQT+ community. It's sad to say, Courtney didn't need to write contrived drama, which is why I think Dillion and Cade's journey hit me just a little bit harder. I have kids around their ages and to think of anyone ever doing unto them what was done to these young men, well let's just say it wouldn't be pretty.

With that said, I'm truly glad I stepped outside of my norm and picked up Courtney's newest novel. It was an experience I can't say I will soon forget. And one I do recommend, if the content warnings aren't a trigger for you.